The Calgary Flames originally picked left winger Eric Nystrom 10th overall in the 2002 draft lottery in the first round. Nystrom only played a few seasons in Calgary a few seasons, and he never scored 20 points in a season for the Flames in the 2000s decade.
Even though Lupul doesn't get picked by the Ducks eighth overall in this reimagining of the first round of the 2002 draft lottery, he still stays in the top 10, going to the Flames at No. 10. Lupul was one of just three wingers from this draft class from 2002 who scored over 200 career goals and 400 career points in the regular season.
Instead of picking defenseman Keith Ballard 11th overall in the first round of the 2002 draft lottery, the Buffalo Sabres get another solid and reliable blue-liner in Trevor Daley. Daley slides up 32 spots to be selected just outside of the top 10 for a defenseman in the first round in this hypothetical reimagining of the 2002 draft lottery.
Daley was one of three defensemen from this draft class from 2002 who played over 1,000 career games and scored over 300 total points.
For over a dozen seasons in the league in the NHL, the physical and gritty defenseman Johnny Boychuk was a mainstay on the blue line for the Boston Bruins and the Isles in New York. Boychuk registered over 1,000 career blocked shots and over 1,000 hits.
Boychuk was a late-bloomer in the NHL, making his debut five years after he was drafted with the Colorado Avalanche for their blue line in the Mile High City in the 2007-08 campaign. He won a Stanley Cup with the Bruins just a few years after his NHL debut in the late 2000s decade in the 2011 postseason in Boston.