2007 NHL Redraft: Benn, Subban make big jumps

With the 2019-20 NHL season on pause due to the concerns surrounding the coronavirus, NHL.com will reimagine one NHL Draft each week. Today, we look back at the 2007 NHL Draft, which was held at Nationwide Arena in Columbus, Ohio, on June 22-23, 2007.

The Chicago Blackhawks selected Patrick Kane with the No. 1 pick in the 2007 NHL Draft, and there is no question they would make the same decision 13 years later.
In his 13 seasons with Chicago, Kane has won the Stanley Cup three times, was voted the winner of the Conn Smythe Trophy as the MVP of the Stanley Cup Playoffs in 2010 and the Calder Trophy as rookie of the year in 2007-08, and was named one of the 100 Greatest NHL Players during the NHL Centennial celebration in 2017. When the Blackhawks won the Stanley Cup in 2010, he scored the championship-winning goal in overtime of Game 6 of the Cup Final.
RELATED: [2005 NHL Redraft | 2006 NHL Redraft]
Although Kane stayed right where he was selected in our redraft, forward Jamie Benn, selected No. 129 by the Dallas Stars, and defenseman P.K. Subban, selected No. 43 by the Montreal Canadiens, jumped into the top three, and forward Carl Hagelin, selected No. 168 by the New York Rangers, moved very close to the top 10.
Who else would move up? Who would drop? Thirty NHL.com staffers, using the draft order and class from 2007, and selected in random order, have answered those questions. Here are the results. For reference, here is
how the original draft went
.
1. Patrick Kane, RW, Chicago Blackhawks (originally selected No. 1 by Chicago Blackhawks) -- He is a three-time Stanley Cup champion (2010, 2013, 2015), won the Conn Smythe Trophy as playoff MVP in 2013 and the Calder Trophy as rookie of the year in 2008, and ranks third in the NHL in points since 2007-08 with 1,022 (389 goals, 633 assists) in 973 games, behind Alex Ovechkin of the Washington Capitals (1,080) and Sidney Crosby of the Pittsburgh Penguins (1,041). Kane leads the NHL in even-strength points (694), is second in even-strength goals (281; Ovechkin, 384), is tied for fourth in assists (633), and is fifth in power-play points (327) in that span. Kane, who is ninth in points among United States-born players in NHL history, is an obvious selection at No. 1. -- Rob Reese, fantasy editor

2. Jamie Benn, LW, Philadelphia Flyers (No. 129 by Dallas Stars) -- Since our esteemed fantasy expert went way, way, way out on a limb with the first pick, I was left with a decision between four players. I could have skipped Jakub Voracek's three seasons with the Columbus Blue Jackets and express-mailed him right to Philadelphia. It also was tempting to grab uber-production at defenseman from P.K. Subban, especially because Twitter was about to explode in popularity. It was tough to pass on the rock-solid Logan Couture too. But Benn was the pick. He scored an NHL career-high 41 goals in 2015-16 and never has scored fewer than 22 in a full NHL season (he has 19 through 69 games at the pause). Benn's 300 goals in 814 NHL games are second to Kane among players selected in the 2007 draft. And have you ever heard a team complain it has too many goal-scorers? -- Dan O'Leary, staff writer
3. P.K. Subban, D, Phoenix Coyotes (No. 43 by Montreal Canadiens) -- There were some alluring options here -- imagine Couture spending his career in the Valley of the Sun instead of the Bay Area -- but I couldn't pass on Subban, a bona fide No. 1 defenseman. A three-time NHL All-Star (first team in 2012-13 and 2014-15; second team in 2017-18) and winner of the Norris Trophy voted as the best defenseman in the NHL in 2013, his 426 NHL points (105 goals, 321 assists) lead defensemen drafted in 2007, and I'm sure his personality and philanthropy would've played well in Arizona. -- Pat Pickens, staff writer
4. Logan Couture, C, Los Angeles Kings (No. 9 by San Jose Sharks) -- Couture got the nod over forward Max Pacioretty because he's an all-situations No. 1 center. He runs his own line, scores and kills penalties. He also leads in every way, enough to be named Sharks captain before this season. He's tied for third in points per game (0.76), tied for fourth in shorthanded points (17), fourth in goals (256) and power-play goals (71), sixth in points (546) and 12th in games (715) among players from the 2007 draft class. Couture is among the elite centers in the NHL because of his three-zone prowess. He's also second to Kane from the 2007 draft in goals (48), assists (53), points (101), game-winning goals (eight), shots on goal (326) and power-play points (36) in the playoffs. -- Dan Rosen, senior writer

5. Ryan McDonagh, D, Washington Capitals (No. 12 by Montreal Canadiens) -- Though it wasn't easy to pass on Pacioretty or Voracek, the Capitals already had Alex Ovechkin, Nicklas Backstrom and Alexander Semin at forward, and they appeared to be in need of help at defenseman. McDonagh is third among defensemen from his draft class with 299 points (63 goals, 236 assists) and second in time on ice per game at 23:07 (Subban, 24:06), and his 1,322 blocked shots are first in the NHL among players drafted in 2007. With 117 games of NHL playoff experience, a Stanley Cup Final run and four years as captain of the Rangers, McDonagh would have been a perfect addition for a Capitals team that had plenty of offensive firepower. -- Matt Cubeta, Editor-in-Chief, NHL.com International
6. Max Pacioretty, LW, Edmonton Oilers (No. 22 by Montreal Canadiens) -- Obviously, there were some good choices here, especially at forward, but I had to go with Pacioretty. His 554 points (280 goals, 274 assists) in 763 NHL games are fourth among players selected in the 2007 draft, and his 139 power-play points (67 goals, 72 assists) are ninth. He's produced in the playoffs too, with 30 points (15 goals, 15 assists) in 45 games, an average of 0.67 points per game, fifth in the class. -- Tracey Myers, staff writer
7. Jakub Voracek, RW, Columbus Blue Jackets (No. 7 by Columbus Blue Jackets) -- With neither Pacioretty nor Couture slipping to this spot, the next-best offensive option was Voracek, who the Blue Jackets did take with this pick. He averaged 44.7 points per season in his three seasons in Columbus and helped the Blue Jackets qualify for the playoffs for the first time in their history in 2009. In eight seasons with the Flyers, Voracek has scored at least 20 goals six times and has surpassed 80 points twice, including an NHL career-high 85 in 2017-18. His 695 points are second among players from the 2007 draft class -- 327 behind Kane -- and he is second to the Blackhawks forward in games (915) and assists (488). -- David Satriano, staff writer
8. David Perron, LW, Boston Bruins (No. 26 by St. Louis Blues) -- For Boston, I grabbed a skilled forward with fantastic hands, evidenced by Perron's 550 points (223 goals, 327 assists), fifth most among players drafted in 2007. A five-time 20-goal scorer, Perron helped the Blues win the Stanley Cup last season with 16 points (seven goals, nine assists) in 26 playoff games. You have to think he'd have experienced similar success on a perennial postseason team like the Bruins. -- Brian Compton, deputy managing editor
9. Kevin Shattenkirk, D, San Jose Sharks (No. 14 by Colorado Avalanche) -- I was tempted to go for center Lars Eller but instead took a defenseman who's been durable and has 383 points (83 goals, 300 assists) in 679 NHL games. There was a lot to like in this solid puck-mover who's been a force on the power play; almost half of his goals have come with the man- advantage (39). -- Dave Stubbs, columnist
10. James van Riemsdyk, LW, Florida Panthers (No. 2 by Philadelphia Flyers) -- Four years after the Panthers selected forward Nathan Horton with the No. 3 pick in the 2003 NHL Draft, I'd have had them take another big forward. Van Riemsdyk (6-foot-3, 217 pounds) is an imposing skater who not only knows how to use his body on the forecheck but can also score, as demonstrated by his 247 goals in 741 games, sixth most from the 2007 draft class. Combined with his 234 assists, he ranks eighth among players in this draft with 481 points. -- Guillaume Lepage, staff writer, LNH.com

11. Carl Hagelin, LW, Carolina Hurricanes (No. 168 by New York Rangers) -- Championships matter, and Hagelin has two big, shiny Stanley Cup rings from 2016 and 2017 with the Penguins. He has played 128 NHL playoff games, more than anyone selected in the 2007 draft, and his 48 points (22 goals, 26 assists) are fourth. Not to mention, his speed and defensive prowess make him a player who can be used in any situation; his plus-102 rating and plus-90 even-strength goal differential in 604 NHL games each is first among forwards in this draft. So although his 266 points (101 goals, 165 assists) might not stand out, the opposition isn't scoring much when Hagelin is on the ice either. -- Adam Kimelman, deputy managing editor
12. Evgenii Dadonov, RW, Montreal Canadiens (No. 71 by Florida Panthers) -- Like Benn, Dadonov made a quantum leap in this redraft. The Canadiens would have benefited in recent seasons from the maturation of a player who blossomed in 2017-18 at age 28 after five seasons in the Kontinental Hockey League. He's scored at least 25 goals in each of his three full NHL seasons, excelling on the Panthers' top line with Jonathan Huberdeau and Aleksander Barkov. Dadonov is third in his draft class since his first full NHL season in 2017-18 with 182 points (81 goals, 101 assists) in 225 games, behind Kane's 270 and Voracek's 207. Pretty good company for a late bloomer. -- Jon Lane, staff writer
13. Wayne Simmonds, RW, St. Louis Blues (No. 61 by Los Angeles Kings) -- It's always nice to have the No. 5 goal-scorer in a draft class fall to you, so the Blues would have benefited from landing Simmonds, one of the most reliable scorers in the NHL during the past decade. His blend of scoring (251 NHL goals) and toughness (1,123 penalty minutes in 12 NHL seasons, tops among players in this draft) would have fit perfectly on a team that was in rebuilding mode after missing the playoffs in 2006 and 2007. -- John Kreiser, managing editor
14. Jake Muzzin, D, Colorado Avalanche (No. 141 by Pittsburgh Penguins) -- Drafted by the Penguins before going unsigned and eventually joining the Kings as a free agent Jan. 4, 2010, Muzzin has become one of the best puck-possession players in the NHL. He has a shot attempts differential of plus-2,235 since entering the League in 2010-11, fifth among skaters and second among defensemen behind Drew Doughty, his longtime teammate with Los Angeles. Muzzin surely benefited from exposure to Doughty in many situations during his long tenure with the Kings (2010-19), but he was instrumental in their 2014 Stanley Cup run (12 points in 26 playoff games) and has remained valuable without Doughty when healthy for the Toronto Maple Leafs (39 points in 83 games over past two seasons). Muzzin ranks among the top five defensemen from the 2007 draft in nearly every offensive category and would have been the perfect do-it-all defenseman for the Avalanche. -- Pete Jensen, senior fantasy editor
15. Alec Martinez, D, Edmonton Oilers (No. 95 by Los Angeles Kings) -- Tracey brought the Oilers some offensive punch at No. 6 with Pacioretty, so I'm going to select a solid all-around defenseman who has a penchant for coming through in the clutch. Martinez's 200-foot game was a significant reason the Vegas Golden Knights acquired him in a trade from the Kings on Feb. 19, making him a real-life teammate of Pacioretty's. He's a smooth skater and nifty puck-handler who has 206 points (64 goals, 142 assists) in 607 NHL games. Most importantly, he rises to the occasion when the spotlight shines brightest. In the 2014 playoffs, he scored two series-winning goals in overtime for the Kings, against the Blackhawks in Game 7 of the Western Conference Final and against the Rangers in Game 5 of the Stanley Cup Final. That says winning pedigree to me. -- Mike Zeisberger, staff writer

16. Alex Killorn, LW, Minnesota Wild (No. 77 by Tampa Bay Lightning) -- I have Killorn making a big jump here, from the third round to the first round. His 310 points (131 goals, 179 assists) in 585 games for the Lightning are 14th in the 2007 draft class. He's averaging 41.6 points per season since becoming a full-time NHL player in 2013-14 and has set NHL career highs in goals (26) and points (49) in 68 games this season. Add in his Harvard pedigree, and I think Killorn is the right call for the Wild, who initially selected a forward (Colton Gillies) with this pick. -- Amalie Benjamin, staff writer
17. Lars Eller, C, New York Rangers (No. 13 by St. Louis Blues) -- Snatching Eller at No.17 felt like hitting the jackpot, as Mr. Stubbs contemplated taking him as high as No. 9. The Danish forward has turned out to be one of the most consistent and reliable third-line centers in the NHL. Every team needs a player like Eller. He never takes a shift off, contributes at each end of the ice, and has become a prolific penalty killer. Eller hasn't scored fewer than 12 goals in a full season since he was a rookie with the Canadiens in 2010-11 and hasn't missed more than five games in a season in his NHL career. He is eighth in games (754), 13th in goals (132) and 16th in points (294) among players selected in the 2007 draft. Better yet, Eller is seventh in the class in playoff scoring with 44 points (14 goals, 30 assists). He came up especially huge during the Capitals' Stanley Cup run in 2018 with 18 points (7 goals, 11 assists) in 24 games, including three game-winning goals. -- Paul Strizhevsky, columnist, NHL.com/ru
18. Mikael Backlund, C, St. Louis Blues (No. 24 by Calgary Flames) -- As tempting as it was to choose St. Louis native Pat Maroon in this spot, I went with one of the best defensive forwards remaining on the board. Backlund, who finished fourth in voting for the Selke Trophy as the best defensive forward in the NHL in 2016-17, has gotten better with age. Among players in the 2007 draft class, he is top five in shorthanded goals (14; first), face-off wins (4,727; third), game-winning goals (29; ninth) and takeaways (564; third), and is top 15 in goals (145; 11th), assists (220; 14th), points (365; 13th), primary assists (130; 13th), power-play goals (28; 13th) and games (690; 14th). Backlund can play center or wing and has scored at least 45 points in five straight seasons. -- Mike G. Morreale, staff writer
19. Nick Bonino, C, Anaheim Ducks (No. 173 by San Jose Sharks) -- Echoing Mike, it was hard to pass on a player like Maroon, but I took Bonino. He's a solid third- or fourth-line center who has some offensive pop with 282 points (122 goals, 166 assists) in 626 NHL games. He's also a proven playoff performer; he had 18 points (four goals, 14 assists) in 24 games in the 2016 postseason and seven (four goals, three assists) in 21 games the next year, helping the Penguins win the Cup in back-to-back seasons. Plus, the Ducks had interest in Bonino before he had played an NHL game. They got him in a trade from the Sharks on March 4, 2009, and he made his NHL debut March 26, 2010, the first of 189 games with them over five seasons. -- William Douglas, staff writer
20. Kyle Turris, C, Pittsburgh Penguins (No. 3 by Phoenix Coyotes) -- For the team that would advance to the Stanley Cup Final in 2008 and 2009, winning the championship on the second of the back-to-back trips, I went with Turris, who maybe wouldn't have been a great fit considering Pittsburgh's considerable depth at center (Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, Jordan Staal) but is a tremendous value pick 17 spots after his initial selection. His 416 points (165 goals, 251 assists) in 726 NHL games are 11th in the 2007 draft class. Turris is a three-time 20-goal scorer, and he has two strong postseasons on his resume, including 10 points (four goals, six assists) in 19 games with the Ottawa Senators in 2017, when they advanced to the Eastern Conference Final and lost in seven games to … what do you know, the Penguins. -- Barry Rubinstein, manager, assignments
21. Brandon Sutter, C, Edmonton Oilers (No. 11 by Carolina Hurricanes) -- After picking up a scoring forward and a defenseman already in the first round, it's time for the Oilers to add some center depth on their third trip to the podium. Although Sutter can contribute in all situations, he excels as a defensive forward. He is tied for fourth with McDonagh and Couture in shorthanded points among players selected in the 2007 draft (17), and he ranks fourth among forwards in blocked shots (464) and sixth in takeaways (369). He also has avoided the penalty box for the most part, with 147 penalty minutes in his 12 NHL seasons, the second fewest in this draft class among players with a minimum of 500 games played. -- John Ciolfi, senior producer, LNH.com
22. Pat Maroon, LW, Montreal Canadiens (No. 161 by Philadelphia Flyers) -- Though a more offensive player like Sam Gagner was still on the board at that point, and because the Canadiens added a strictly offensive player when they took Dadonov at No. 12, Montreal didn't miss the chance to address one of its main needs: getting bigger up front. With Maroon, the Canadiens landed a hulking wing (6-2, 235) who ranks sixth in the 2007 draft class with 999 hits and fifth with 586 penalty minutes. Maroon can also chip in offensively, with 97 goals (18th) and 229 points (21st), including 46 on the power play, in 513 NHL games. -- Sebastien Deschambault, managing editor, LNH.com

23. Ian Cole, D, Nashville Predators (No. 18 by St. Louis Blues) -- Nashville loves good defensemen, and Cole is a good defenseman by virtually any measure. He is sound in his own end, can chip in offensively when needed, and is a great ingredient in the composition of any team -- just ask anyone from the Penguins teams that won back-to-back championships in 2016 and 2017. Cole was a mainstay on those teams, playing 49 postseason games as a steady contributor, including nine assists in 2017. Cole spent three years at the University of Notre Dame, so some of his numbers are lower than his peers from this draft who entered the NHL earlier. Cole's career shot attempts differential is plus-393, a number bettered by five defensemen selected in the 2007 draft (Muzzin, Shattenkirk, Martinez, Subban and Brendan Smith). -- Shawn P. Roarke, Senior Director of Editorial
24. Justin Braun, D, Calgary Flames (No. 201 by San Jose Sharks) -- It's the point of this draft, especially with nearly 13 years of hindsight, that you won't find flashy. But you can find reliable, and Braun fits that bill, in this case for Calgary. In his nine seasons with San Jose, Braun rarely found the spotlight, but he was counted on to be a sturdy defender and averaged 19:56 of ice time per game, third highest among Sharks who played at least 590 games in that span. Since 2013-14, Braun has blocked 933 shots, 15th in the NHL. And the Minnesota native isn't without offense. He has 173 points (27 goals, 146 assists) in 669 games for the Sharks and Flyers, sixth most among defensemen in this draft. -- Tim Campbell, staff writer
25. Paul Byron, LW, Vancouver Canucks (No. 179 by Buffalo Sabres) -- For the second week in a row, I got to pick for the Canucks, and with options limited, I took Byron. An underrated two-way forward, Byron has 185 points (89 goals, 96 assists) in 448 NHL games. He is 24th among players selected in the 2007 draft in points, 20th in goals, 15th in rating (plus-34) and tied for 22nd in points per game (0.41). He won't knock your socks off, but for this late in the draft, I'll take it. -- Bill Price, Editor-in-Chief
26. Sam Gagner, C, St. Louis Blues (No. 6 by Edmonton Oilers) -- How was Gagner still on the board? Maybe he isn't a top-10 pick, in hindsight. He has bounced between six teams in his NHL career. But he's fifth in the 2007 draft class in games (844), seventh in assists (295), ninth in points (459) and 10th in goals (164), and he hasn't been doing it all on the power play either. He's ninth in even-strength points (320) and 10th in power-play points (135). That's incredible value this late in the draft. -- Nick Cotsonika, columnist
27. Carl Gunnarsson, D, Detroit Red Wings (No. 194 by Toronto Maple Leafs) -- With the pickings getting slim, I took Gunnarsson here. Detroit would go on to win the Stanley Cup in 2008 and advance to the Cup Final again in 2009, but its defenseman group was aging (Chris Chelios, 45 years old at 2007 draft; Nicklas Lidstrom, 37; Brian Rafalski, 33; and Andreas Lilja, 31). Although he hasn't lit up the score sheet (136 points in 617 games), Gunnarsson's plus-57 rating ranks third among defensemen in the 2007 draft class (McDonagh, plus-187; Cole, plus-95). Injuries have plagued him the past couple seasons, but Gunnarsson was an instrumental part of St. Louis winning the Stanley Cup for the first time in its history last season, scoring the game-winning goal in overtime against the Bruins in Game 2 of the Cup Final to tie the best-of-7 series 1-1.-- Brett Amadon, staff writer
28. Karl Alzner, D, San Jose Sharks (No. 5 by Washington Capitals) -- Like Gagner, it was a bit of a surprise Alzner was available so late. The Sharks were a perennial playoff team that often advanced past the first round, and maybe a steady, durable defenseman could have made the difference for a run at the Stanley Cup. Alzner has not been very productive offensively (130 points in 686 games; ninth among defensemen selected in the 2007 draft), but he is plus-54 (fourth) and has averaged 20:07 of ice time (fifth) in 12 NHL seasons. And he is a player who showed up every night most of his NHL career, playing all 622 games from 2010-18. -- Frank Giase, staff writer
29. Thomas Hickey, D, Ottawa Senators (No. 4 by Los Angeles Kings) -- Although he never lived up to being the No. 4 pick and did not play an NHL game with the Kings, Hickey did play seven solid seasons for the New York Islanders, when he averaged 18:07 of ice time per game in a top-four role. Injuries derailed Hickey last season, and he has spent this season with Bridgeport in the American Hockey League. An adept shot-blocker (689; most on Islanders from 2012-19), Hickey has a flair for the dramatic. Five of his 22 regular-season goals came in overtime, and he scored his only goal in 24 NHL playoff games in overtime in Game 3 of 2016 Eastern Conference First Round against the Florida Panthers in 2016. -- Jim Cerny, senior editor
30. Robert Bortuzzo, D, Phoenix Coyotes (No. 78 by Pittsburgh Penguins) -- It was challenging picking last in the first round of a draft that wasn't deep, so this came down to a choice between Bortuzzo and another right-shot defenseman, Yannick Weber. I went with Bortuzzo for his size (6-4, 216) advantage over Weber (5-11, 200) and his physicality. Bortuzzo's average of 8.48 hits per 60 minutes ranks 18th among defensemen with at least 200 games played since he entered the NHL in 2011-12. Bortuzzo, who has played 377 regular-season games and 40 playoff games for the Penguins and Blues, played on some good teams with Pittsburgh and was a steady contributor in the 2019 postseason for St. Louis, helping them win the Stanley Cup with two goals, including one in Game 2 of the Cup Final against Boston. -- Tom Gulitti, staff writer