No. 5 pick has yielded some NHL stars over the years
Blue Jackets will choose fifth overall in the draft for the first time ever
Odds are, the Blue Jackets will get a pretty darn good player, but just how good? Most players taken that high go on to pretty lengthy NHL careers, as according to Dom Luszczyszyn, the average No. 5 pick posts a GSVA of 8.1 over his first seven seasons -- fittingly, fifth among all NHL draft pick slots.
Throughout history, there have been some duds, of course, but there have been some big names to be taken at No. 5 overall as well. Here, we'll count down the top 10 players to be chosen fifth to give you an idea of what the best-case scenario is for the Blue Jackets.
First off, some honorable mention choices include Rick Vaive, Darius Kasparaitis, Jeff O'Neill, Tom Barrasso, Nino Neiderrieter, Raffi Torres, Morgan Rielly. They were all solid NHL players over the years, but didn't quite make our top 10.
And time will tell where the most recent picks like Jake Sanderson (Ottawa, 2020), Alex Turcotte (Los Angeles, 2019), Barrett Hayton (Arizona, 2018) or superstar Elias Pettersson (Vancouver, 2017) will land down the road.
10. Thomas Vanek (Buffalo, 2003): We could have put a number of players here -- seriously, there have been some solid NHL names taken at the No. 5 spot -- but the tiebreaker is the fact Vanek is a former Blue Jacket. The University of Minnesota product played 1,029 games over 14 seasons with the Sabres, Wild, Red Wings, Canadiens, Islanders, Panthers, Blue Jackets and Canucks, totaling a 373-416-789 line over his career. An All-Star, Vanek had a 43-goal season in 2006-07 and is placed sixth all-time in goals and points for players chosen fifth overall.
9. Petr Svoboda (Montreal, 1984): We'll admit this one is a bit of a homer pick, but when your last name is Svoboda, you always try to promote the family. Petr did have a heck of an NHL career, though, as the Czech defenseman played 1,028 games during a 17-year career that included stops in Montreal, Buffalo, Philadelphia and Tampa Bay. Svoboda had 58 goals and 399 points in his career and finished plus-206, winning the Stanley Cup with the Canadiens in 1986 and also scoring the gold medal-winning goal for the Czech Republic at the 1998 Olympic Games.
8. John Davidson (St. Louis, 1973): Another pick with a bit of bias -- he currently serves as the Blue Jackets' president of hockey operations -- Davidson nonetheless has had a
nearly unmatched career in hockey
. He spent 10 years in the NHL with St. Louis and the New York Rangers, winning 123 games and pushing the Rangers to the Stanley Cup Final in 1979, before injuries shortcircuited a promising NHL career. All he did after that was spend 20 years as an acclaimed broadcaster, then lead hockey operations departments with the Blues, Rangers and Blue Jackets.
7. Rob Niedermayer (Florida, 1993):Part of an impressive pair of brothers who combined for more than 2,400 NHL games, the defenseman from British Columbia was a rugged blueliner with some offensive skill, finishing with 469 points in his career. Niedermayer played 17 years and notched 1,153 games with Florida, Anaheim, Calgary, New Jersey and Buffalo, posting a 26-goal season with the Panthers during their incredible Stanley Cup Final run in 1996. He'd later win a Stanley Cup while playing with his brother, Scott, with the Ducks in 2007.
6. Phil Kessel (Boston, 2006): Certainly one of the most memorable players of the past decade or so, Kessel has been a master at the hardest skill in hockey -- scoring goals. In fact, he's notched 391 of them over 15 years, fourth all-time among players taken fifth overall. He's added 513 assists for 904 points over 1,122 games in 15 NHL seasons spent with the Bruins, Maple Leafs, Penguins and now Coyotes. Most notably, Kessel also won a pair of Stanley Cups with the Penguins and captured the 2007 Masterton Trophy after battling testicular cancer.
5. Blake Wheeler (Phoenix, 2004): Wheeler sits fifth all-time in points among No. 5 overall picks with 807, and it seems like he's just gonna keep moving up the list coming off another strong season in Winnipeg. So far, the University of Minnesota alum has played in 981 NHL games with the Jets franchise as well as Boston, totaling 279 goals and 528 assists. An All-Star, Wheeler has a pair of 91-point seasons with the Jets and has topped 60 points eight times.
4. Carey Price (Montreal, 2005): What a run of No. 5 overall picks with these three in a three-year span. Price, of course, is one of the best goaltenders of his generation, totaling a 360-257-79 record in 707 games in 14 seasons, not to mention a 2.50 GAA, .917 save percentage and 49 shutouts. He's also fresh off leading the Habs to the Stanley Cup Final, yet another feather in a cap that includes a Hart Trophy, Vezina Trophy, Jennings Trophy and the Ted Lindsay Award, all won as he was 44-16-6 in 2014-15 with a 1.96 GAA and .933 save percentage.
3. Bill Guerin (New Jersey, 1989): Guerin was one of the most consistent and dependable players of his generation, skating in 18 NHL seasons for New Jersey, Edmonton, Dallas, Boston, the New York Islanders, Pittsburgh, San Jose and St. Louis. The forward from Boston College was an All-Star and won two Cups (one with the Devils in 1995 and the second with Pittsburgh in 2009) while amassing 429 goals and 427 assists for 856 points in 1,263 games, including a pair of 40-goal seasons. Now the general manager in Minnesota, Guerin is third all-time in goals and fourth in points among No. 5 overall picks.
2. Scott Stevens (Washington, 1982): Now we're getting into the territory of the true legends as Stevens is one of the best defensemen of all time, a Hall of Famer who finished in the top 10 of the Norris Trophy voting 16 times while winning three Stanley Cups with New Jersey, a Conn Smythe Trophy and earning five All-Star bids. One of the most feared defensemen of his era, Stevens played 1,635 NHL games for the Devils, Capitals and Blues, totaling 196 goals, 712 assists, 908 points, a plus-395 rating (he was never a minus for any NHL season) and 2,785 penalty minutes. Stevens is 10th all-time in games played and 14th in PIM.
1. Jaromir Jagr (Pittsburgh, 1990):Could anyone else be No. 1? Taken after Owen Nolan, Petr Nedved, Keith Primeau and Mike Ricci just as the USSR was breaking up and Europe was opening up to NHL teams, Jagr finished (we think -- he could always come back again) with 1,921 NHL points, second all-time behind Wayne Gretzky and double more than anyone else taken at No. 5 in NHL draft history. Jagr posted 766 goals and 1,115 assists in 1,733 NHL games (third, fifth and fourth in league history, respectively) while skating with Pittsburgh, the New York Rangers, Washington, Florida, New Jersey, Philadelphia, Boston, Dallas and Calgary over 24 seasons. A two-time Stanley Cup winner with the Pens, the Czech forward also captured the 1998 Hart Trophy, was a five-time Art Ross Trophy winner and was chosen to win the Ted Lindsay Award three times while earning eight All-Star bids. Simply put, he's a legend both on and off the ice.
