With the ability of hindsight, we are redoing the first round of each draft from 1995 to the present.

Results will often change dramatically as some players lived up to their draft slot, some underachieved and some came out of nowhere to overachieve.

The 1999 draft was the one that GM Brian Burke has built his entire career around. Burke shrewdly used a combination of poker tactics, bullying, arrogance and lunacy (and four or so trades) to ensure Vancouver held the second and third picks in the draft while making Atlanta promise not to take either Sedin with the first pick. It all worked, and has worked out wonderfully for Vancouver since (and not so much so in Atlanta).

As you can see below, this was one of the weakest drafts in NHL history. Only four or five players from this draft can consider themselves to be All-Star players in their primes, one drafted in the fifth round and one in the seventh. This is all about the talent at the top. It can be called The Sedin Draft, The Brian Burke Draft, The Patrick Stefan Draft, or The Not-lanta Draft.

Stats as of September 6, 2012.

The 1999 Draft Redone (actual pick in brackets)

  1. Henrik Sedin (3, Vancouver): Most assists (576), points (747) games (892), best plus/minus (plus-181), MVP & Art Ross winner, 3-time All-Star.
  2. Daniel Sedin (2, Vancouver): Most goals (279), second in points (718), games (859), plus/minus (plus-160), Ted Lindsay & Art Ross winner, 2-time All-Star.
  3. Ryan Miller (138, Buffalo): 252-147-49, 2.57GAA, .915SV%, 28 shutouts, Vezina winner, All-Star.
  4. Henrik Zetterberg (210, Detroit): Second in goals (252), third in points (624 in 668 games) and plus/minus (plus-144), 102 points in 109 playoff games, Conn Smythe & Stanley Cup winner.
  5. Martin Havlat (26, Ottawa): Third in goals (216), fourth in points (539), plus-68 in 660 games, 2-time All-Star.
  6. Craig Anderson (77, Calgary): 131-110-30, 2.79GAA, .913SV%, Vezina nominee.
  7. Martin Erat (191, Nashville): 159-301-460, plus-12 in 687 games.
  8. Tim Connolly (5, NY Islanders): 131-300-431, minus-55 in 697 games.
  9. Douglas Murray (241, San Jose): Not flashy, but one of the best defensive zone players in the NHL; 56 points, plus-40 in 422 games.
  10. Radim Vrbata (212, Colorado): 385 points, plus-30 in 678 games.
  11. Ryan Malone (115, Pittsburgh): 347 points, minus-45, 600 PIM in 560 games, six 20-goal seasons.
  12. Mike Comrie (91, Edmonton): 365 points, minus-49 in 589 games, two-time 30-goal scorer.
  13. Niclas Havelid (83, Anaheim): Most games by a defenseman (628), 171 points, minus-31.
  14. Barret Jackman (17, St. Louis): Plus-33, 139 points in 598 games, Calder Trophy winner.
  15. Jordan Leopold (44, Anaheim): Most points by a defenseman (194), minus-24 in 586 games.
  16. Nick Boynton (21, Boston): 605 games, 144 points, plus-19, All-Star appearance.
  17. Niklas Hagman (70, Florida): 301 points, minus-40 in 770 games (third-most).
  18. Taylor Pyatt (8, NY Islanders): Fourth in games played (755), 264 points, plus-5.
  19. Chris Kelly (94, Ottawa): 220 points, plus-53 in 569 games, Stanley Cup winner.
  20. Frantisek Kaberle (76, Los Angeles): 193 points, minus-19 in 523 games, Stanley Cup winner.
  21. Patrik Stefan (1, Atlanta): 188 points, minus-36 in 455 games.
  22. Tom Kostopoulos (204, Pittsburgh): 156 points, minus-48 in 615 games.
  23. Radek Martinek (228, NY Islanders): 104 points, minus-13 in 460 games.
  24. Adam Hall (52, Nashville): 143 points, minus-61 in 565 games.
  25. Oleg Saprykin (11, Calgary): 137 points, minus-7 in 325 games.
  26. Alexander Khavanov (232, St. Louis): 102 points, plus-15 in 348 games.
  27. Alex Auld (40, Florida): 91-88-32, 2.80GAA, .904SV%.
  28. Mike Commodore (42, New Jersey): 106 points, minus-3 in 484 games, Stanley Cup winner.