Vancouver Canucks: Redrafting the 2005 NHL Draft

Round 1 – 10th Overall

Original Pick: D Luc Bourdon
New Pick: C Anze Kopitar (11th to Los Angeles)
Honorable Mentions: LW James Neal (33rd to DAL), D Marc-Edouard Vlasic (35th to SJS), C Paul Stastny (44th to COL)

Looking back at the 2005 NHL Draft got sad right with the first pick. Not because the Canucks selected a total bust, but because Luc Bourdon died after a motorcycle accident in 2008. At the time, Bourdon had just turned pro, and it is impossible to predict where Bourdon would be today.

One thing we know for sure is that Anze Kopitar is one of the best two-way centers the NHL has seen in recent history. A two-time Stanley Cup Champion with the Los Angeles Kings, Kopitar has 243 goals and 684 points in 764 regular-season games to date, and added 20 goals and 64 points in 75 playoff contests. Kopitar is a three-time NHL All Star, was nominated for the Selke Trophy three times, and for the Lady Byng trophy twice, though he hasn’t won either award yet.

After drafting the Sedin twins in 1999 and Ryan Kesler in 2003, Vancouver could have had absolutely outstanding center depth. Perhaps that is what would have taken the Canucks to a Stanley Cup during their dominant post-lockout era.

Next: Round 2