Vancouver Canucks: Redrafting the 2006 NHL Draft

The Vancouver Canucks were rather unlucky at the 2006 NHL Draft — time to give them a second shot.

For the Vancouver Canucks, the 2005-06 season was not exactly successful. They missed the playoffs by three points, with four out of six Canadian teams qualifying for the postseason. In years like that, the draft can really cheer fans and management up. But for the Canucks in 2006, that did not happen either.

Vancouver was in a similarly difficult situation as this year. After a disappointing season, they only had five draft picks: one in the first, one in the third, two in the sixth, and one in the seventh round. What that meant was clear, much like it is this year; the Canucks could not afford to miss with their picks.

Unfortunately, they did miss on quite a few of them.

The Canucks’ 2006 first-round pick, Michael Grabner, only played 29 games for the club. Sergei Shirokov, the 163rd choice, only appeared in eight. The three remaining players combined for… zero NHL games played.

This is the Vancouver Canucks’ 2006 draft class:

14 – W Michael Grabner
82 – D Daniel Rahimi
163 – W Sergei Shirokov
167 – W Juraj Simek
197 – C Evan Fuller

To be fair, there are many teams who missed with their picks, starting with the St. Louis Blues selecting defenseman Erik Johnson first overall. Johnson is a great player today, but not a first-overall player. At second overall, the Pittsburgh Penguins went with center Jared Staal. He, too, turned into a decent middle-six center. But that is not enough for a second-overall selection.

Jonathan Toews, Nicklas Backstrom and Phil Kessel were next. All three are arguably better players than the top two.

But, 2006 was not exactly a deep draft, so St. Louis, Pittsburgh and Vancouver were not the only teams who hit and missed. Today, the Canucks are getting a chance to do better, so let’s jump right in and see what could have been.

Next: Round 1

Round 1 – 14th Overall

Original Pick: W Michael Grabner
New Pick: C Claude Giroux (22nd to PHI)
Honorable Mentions: W Nick Foligno (28th to OTT), LW Milan Lucic (50th to BOS), W Brad Marchand (71st to BOS)

After three years and 212 games in Manitoba, playing for the Canucks’ former American Hockey League affiliate, the Manitoba Moose, the Canucks decided Michael Grabner was not an NHL player. They gave him 20 games in Vancouver in his final season with the organization, but it was not enough to earn a top-six spot. Grabner seemed like the kind of player who needs a top-six spot or does not have a place on your team. So, the Canucks decided to trade him away at the 2010 draft.

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The Florida Panthers sent defenseman Keith Ballard and forward Victor Oreskovich to Vancouver for forward Steve Bernier, the 25th-overall pick and Grabner. Florida was not sold on Grabner either, so they waived him and he was picked up by the New York Islanders. The Panthers used the 25th pick to select Quinton Howden, who also didn’t turn out the way they hoped. Long story short, Vancouver and Florida kind of both lost here.

However, the Islanders looked like the big winners. After picking Grabner off waivers, the Austrian forward scored 34 goals and 52 points in 76 games in 2010-11. But, we all know how it ended: Grabner only hit 50 points one more time and now in his prime, he only had nine goals and 18 points in a full 2015-16 campaign with the Toronto Maple Leafs. Enough of Grabner.

Instead, the Canucks could have had Claude Giroux, Nick Foligno, Milan Lucic or Brad Marchand. Things could have been so much easier. The way things turned out, Vancouver hates Marchand — but if you think about it, he would have been a second Alex Burrows for the Canucks, and a fun player when he’s on your team. In the end, I opted for Giroux, because he is the best player of the bunch. At least Milan Lucic might find his way home through free agency this year.

Next: Round 3

Round 3 – 82nd Overall

Original Pick: D Daniel Rahimi
New Pick: LW Matt Beleskey (112th to ANA)
Honorable Mentions: G James Reimer (99th to TOR), D Andrew MacDonald (160th to NYI), Viktor Stalberg (161th to TOR)

The first round and everything that followed did not work out too well for the Canucks. After that, it only got worse. But looking at who the Canucks could have had, the lack of depth in the 2006 draft becomes more than clear.

Only eight of the 30 players picked in the third round played 100 games in the NHL. Five played more than 200 games, three played more than 300. And Daniel Rahimi is not one of them.

In rounds four and five, only three players broke the 100-game mark — one of them being goaltender Chad Johnson, who has appeared in 101 regular-season NHL games to date. Johnson played the majority of games for the Buffalo Sabres in 2015-16, so things are working out for him now. But as you can see, there weren’t too many players to pick from here.

So, with the 82nd pick in the 2006 NHL Redraft, the Vancouver Canucks are proud to select Matt Beleskey. The Canadian left winger was never a big scorer — he has 85 goals and 166 points in 443 NHL games so far, including playoffs. But, Beleskey is a hard-working bottom-nine player who can move up and down the lineup and help any team. A good pick in the third round.

Next: Round 6

Round 6 – 163rd Overall

Original Pick: W Sergei Shirokov
New Pick: W Sergei Shirokov
Honorable Mentions: None

You might not know Sergei Shirokov, but I will pick him again. Why? Because he is the only player between picks 163 and 167 who played a game in the National Hockey League. ‘Nuff said.

Round 6 – 167th Overall

Original Pick: W Juraj Simek
New Pick: F Mathieu Perreault (177th to WSH)
Honorable Mentions: F Leo Komarov (180th to TOR), W Derek Dorsett (189th to CBJ)

For the 167th pick, the Canucks left me a few more options. Instead of Juraj Simek, who spent four seasons in the AHL before moving to Switzerland, the Canucks draft Mathieu Perreault. Perreault was originally picked 177th overall by the Washington Capitals and is currently a member of the Winnipeg Jets.

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After two Calder Cup Championships with the Hershey Bears, Perreault made the NHL as a full-time player in 2010. Now 28 years old, Perreault is a player who is actually playing his best hockey when in his prime. A good secondary scorer, he had at least 41 points in each of the past three seasons. That is something the Canucks really need right now.

Another option was a player who is currently a member of the Vancouver Canucks. But, he is also one most fans hate to see on the roster. The reason is not so much the kind of player Derek Dorsett is, but rather the fact that GM Jim Benning signed the fourth-line winger to a four-year, $10.6 million contract last summer.

Why, Benning? Why?

Next: Round 7