Instead of picking center Marek Zagrapan 13th overall in the first round of the 2005 draft, who never played a single game in the NHL, the Buffalo Sabres select winger James Neal. Zagrapan was one of two centers picked in the first round of the 2005 draft who never played a regular season game in the NHL.
Neal is one of three wingers in this draft class who scored over 500 career points and played in 800 career regular season games. He was a 40-goal scorer once with the Penguins and he was selected to the NHL All-Star Team three times in his career.
The Washington Capitals originally picked defenseman Sasha Pokulok 14th overall in the 2005 draft. Pokulok was the only defenseman picked in the top 15 of the 2005 draft in the first round who didn't play a single game in the NHL.
Instead of picking Pokulok 14th overall, the Capitals select longtime Blackhawks and Coyotes defenseman Niklas Hjalmarsson in the first round in this redraft.
Hjalmarsson is the only defenseman in this draft class who won three Stanley Cups with the same team. And he did that while playing over 800 career regular season games and scoring over 150 total points.
The New York Islanders original 15th overall pick in the first round of the 2005 draft, center Ryan O'Marra, only played 33 career regular season games in the NHL. In this redoing of the 2005 draft, the Isles pick Ryan 15th overall, who was a 30-goal scorer three times and was selected to the NHL All-Star team once.
While Ryan doesn't go second overall to the Ducks in this redraft of the 2005 class, he still gets selected in the top 15 by the Islanders.
Add us as a preferred source on Google