Lets Go Blues
Joined: Jun. 2016
Posts: 6,749
Likes: 4,320
I think about this one a lot, but I don't know if "being smart" is the same thing as "using hindsight". It's always a bit of a risk to take a d-man 1st overall, but EJ had the look of a clear-cut, no. 1 d-man even in his DY (2006 btw, you've got 2008 in desc.). He was very much considered the BPA for 1oa and most scouts had Jordan Staal above Toews for 2 and 3. Clearly their trajectories crossed post-draft, but I don't think it was a mistake to take EJ, it just didn't work out like it should have.
A big factor in the 'what-if' scenario would also be 'what if Johnson didn't mangle his knee in a golf cart accident?'. He wasn't the same player after that injury - wasn't skating with the confidence he once had, wasn't making good decisions because he didn't trust his legs. And it was at the most crucial time in a defensemen's development - missed his entire sophomore season in the NHL.
The EJ pick is the most interesting 'what-if' for STL imo, followed by 2007 'what if they took Couture instead of trading back for Eller?' The Blues had so many issues finding centers in the last decade (until ROR fell into their lap), it's crazy to think about what the team could've done with a 1-2 punch of Toews and Couture.