The Sabres' seventh overall pick in the first round of the 1996 draft, forward Erik Rasmussen, played over 250 career regular season games in the NHL in Buffalo in the 1990s and early 2000s. But Rasmussen had some nagging injury issues early in his NHL career that prevented him from playing more than two full seasons in Buffalo in the regular season.
Longtime Sharks and Bruins winger Marco Sturm would be a better pick here for the top nine forward lines for the Sabres. Originally picked 21st overall by the Sharks, Sturm slides up 14 spots to be picked in the top 10 in this 1996 redraft.
Sturm had some really productive seasons for the Sharks and Bruins early in his career in the late 1990s and the 2000s. He was selected for the NHL All-Star team in 1999 and scored a career and team-high 28 goals for the Sharks in the 2002-03 season.
The Bruins originally picked defenseman Johnathan Aitken with the eighth overall selection in the first round of the 1996 draft. Aitken was one of the 11 players selected in the first round of the 1996 draft who never played 100 career regular season games,
Sliding up five spots, after originally being picked 13th overall in the first round by the Flames in the 1996 draft, goes physical defenseman Derek Morris.
Instead of picking Aitken, the Bruins get a bruiser to bring more physicality to their blue line in Morris.
Morris was one of the five players from this draft class in 1996 who played over 1,000 career games. He was a physical presence and a grinder on the blue line for over a decade for teams like the Coyotes and Calgary Flames up north of the border. He registered over 1,000 career penalty minutes.
Despite not getting picked first overall in this hypothetical 1996 redraft, Phillips still is worthy of going in the top 10 to the Anaheim Ducks. Phillips had a long career in the NHL, playing over 1,100 career regular season games and 114 career games in the postseason in the league.
Former longtime Tampa Bay Lightning and Maple Leafs defenseman Pavel Kubina was one of the big steals from the blue line in the late rounds of this draft class. Kubina slides into the top 10 after originally being selected by the Lightning with the 179th pick in the seventh round of the 1996 draft.
Kubina ranked fourth among defensemen from this draft class from '96 in career points (386) and second in goals scored (110). He was selected to the NHL All-Star Team in 2004 and helped the Lightning win the franchise's first Stanley Cup Championship in the playoffs in '04.