With the fourth round underway, it seems like there is enough separation to have a little fun with the CLS League Re-Draft.
To revive your memories of the first round, there were some big surprises amid the expected decisions.
Obviously, the biggest surprise was most likely Cassie's pick of Henrik Lundqvist at #3. It wasn't the only pick that defied expectations, however, so there were some top-end players going toward the end of the first round.
Calling Evgeni Malkin (#4), Nicklas Lidstrom (#6) or Pavel Datsyuk (#7) steals might be a bit much, even if they were great picks. So for the sake of argument, we'll go into the teens before we consider anyone a true "steal." Feel free to vote and comment on whom you think ended up being the Hamburglar of the first round.
It's not crazy to call Geno a steal at #4
11. Roberto Luongo
Perhaps it wasn't a banner season for Bobby Lou after he faced a tough mid-season injury and fell victim to a Patrick Kane hat trick in the playoffs, but it's still surprising that he was not the first goaltender taken.
16. Jarome Iginla
It's been a while since Iginla powered the Calgary Flames to Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Finals, but he hasn't shown many signs of slowing down as one of the premier power forwards in the game. He does everything you'd want, from scoring to fighting to being a charismatic leader.
19. Martin Brodeur
His stock is sliding a bit, but Brodeur is still one of the biggest names in the NHL. He's won Stanley Cups, Vezina trophies, gold medals and oh yeah, the most games of any netminder ever. Couple that with a reasonable cap hit ($5.2 million) and what was a staggering workhorse streak before the 2008-9 season and he has to at least be considered a steal.
23. Chris Pronger
Pronger might be the most hated player in the NHL, considering that he poses a far more legitimate threat than Sean Avery's mouth. But for my money, if I want to win a Cup next year I'd either go with Pronger. He might not be as cerebral as Lidstrom, but that doesn't mean he cannot think the game. He might not be as large as Zdeno Chara, but he makes up for their small size difference with an indifference for human life. Oh, and he's also a helluva powerplay quarterback to boot.
25. Joe Thornton
Yes, he gets a lot of crap for his playoff chokings (whether that perception is fair or not) but Jumbo Joe is a guy who's made millionaires out of solid forwards ever since he got comfortable in the league. He's huge, awesome in video games and puts up huge numbers every year. In my book, he's easily a top-15 player.
26. Henrik Zetterberg
Zetterberg can do it all. He's one of the league's best two-way players, can shift between center and LW with ease and score tons of points. His durability can be a bit of a concern, but other than that he's a guy who has no business dropping to the later part of the first round.
