THN Archive: 2005 Draft Revisionist History

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2005 Draft Revisionist History—May 22, 2026 – VOL. 79, Issue. 11 – Jared Clinton

HERE’S A HORRIFYING THOUGHT for Kings faithful: Kopitar in Anaheim Ducks colors. But if the chance arose for a 2005-draft mulligan, that’s exactly where Los Angeles’ all-time scoring leader would have ended up. And a one-two punch of Kopitar and Ryan Getzlaf down the middle could have ushered in an era of Ducks dominance.

If each club, with the gift of hindsight, selected the best available player, there’s also an interesting conundrum in Carolina. At the time, the Hurricanes couldn’t have known a 22-year-old Cam Ward was about to put forth a Conn Smythe-winning performance as Carolina captured the 2006 Stanley Cup. But if he had, and Price was waiting in the wings, how would the Canes have addressed their crease?

Price in Carolina could have also opened the door for Tuukka Rask in Bleu, Blanc et Rouge. Having spent his career in Boston – by way of the Maple Leafs, as Toronto fans surely recall – the thought of Rask as a Hab will give many a Bruins fan a migraine.

And it’s not just Price and Rask who make for interesting re-draft fodder. The 2005 draft has a claim to producing the best goalie crop in post-lockout history. Five keepers, each of whom would be first-round selections in a do-over, produced 150-plus wins, and four eclipsed the 200-win plateau, the most of any draft since the lockout.

Here’s how the 2005 draft would look if every team owned a crystal ball. Where the player was actually picked is in parentheses.