With the 2019-20 NHL season on pause due to concerns surrounding the coronavirus, NHL.com will reimagine one NHL Draft each week. Today, we look back at the 2012 NHL Draft, which was held at Consol Energy Center in Pittsburgh on June 22-23, 2012.

With the 2019-20 NHL season on pause due to concerns surrounding the coronavirus, NHL.com will reimagine one NHL Draft each week. Today, we look back at the 2012 NHL Draft, which was held at Consol Energy Center in Pittsburgh on June 22-23, 2012.Goalies were not exactly flying off the board at the 2012 NHL Draft. Two were selected in the first round, Andrei Vasilevskiy at No. 19 by the Tampa Bay Lighting and Malcolm Subban at No. 24 to the Boston Bruins.
Eight years later, it was a different story with five goalies selected in the top 10 of NHL.com’s 2012 redraft.
[RELATED: 2005 Redraft | 2006 Redraft | 2007 Redraft | 2008 Redraft | 2009 Redraft | 2010 Redraft | 2011 Redraft]
Vasilevskiy moved up to the top spot, and Frederik Andersen, Connor Hellebuyck, Matt Murray and Joonas Korpisalo were four of the next nine picks.
Hellebuyck made the biggest jump of the goalies, moving all the way up from the fifth round (No. 130), and Murray, a two-time Stanley Cup champion with the Pittsburgh Penguins, climbed from his original spot at No. 83.
Noteworthy is that Nail Yakupov, taken with the No. 1 pick by the Edmonton Oilers in 2012, was not selected. He had 136 points (62 goals, 74 assists) in 350 games from 2012-18 for the Oilers, St. Louis Blues and Colorado Avalanche before returning to Russia to play in the Kontinental Hockey League.
Who else would move up? Who else would drop? Thirty NHL.com staffers, using the draft order and class from 2010, and selected in random order, have answered those questions. Here are the results. For reference, here is how the original draft went.
1. Andrei Vasilevskiy, G, Edmonton Oilers (originally selected No. 19 by Tampa Bay Lightning) — Instead of Yakupov, the Oilers got their franchise goalie here in this redraft. Vasilevskiy has been one of the best at the position since 2016-17, when he became the Lightning’s No. 1. He leads the NHL in wins (141) and is second in save percentage (.920), third in shutouts (19) and fifth in goals-against average (2.55) among goalies who have played at least 150 games in that span — he’s No. 1 in each from the 2012 draft class. Vasilevskiy was tied for the NHL lead with Hellebuyck with 44 wins and with Pekka Rinne of the Nashville Predators with eight shutouts in 2017-18, and he was voted winner of the Vezina Trophy as the top goalie in the League the following season after he had an NHL-leading 39 wins. This season, from Dec. 17-Feb. 19, Vasilevskiy was 19-0-2 with a 1.98 GAA and .934 save percentage. He was leading the NHL with 35 wins when the season was paused. — Jon Lane, staff writer
Video: MTL@TBL: Vasilevskiy makes 32 saves to record shutout
2. Filip Forsberg, LW, Columbus Blue Jackets (No. 11 by Washington Capitals) — Although there were a lot of quality goalies available, Columbus had traded for Sergei Bobrovsky a few hours before the start of the 2012 draft to have him share the net with Steve Mason. In 2012, the main need for the Blue Jackets was offense, especially with them likely at least having an idea they soon would be trading leading scorer Rick Nash, who was sent to the New York Rangers on July 23, 2012. Forsberg was the easy pick. He leads the 2012 class in goals (166), points (353), power-play goals (45) and shots on goal (1,346), and his 100 power-play points are second to Alex Galchenyuk’s 106. Before the season was paused, Forsberg was on his way to a sixth straight 25-goal season. — Sebastien Deschambault, managing editor, LNH.com
3. Teuvo Teravainen, LW, Montreal Canadiens (No. 18 by Chicago Blackhawks) — Teravainen has become one of the most consistent point producers in the NHL among players 25 years old and under. He hit his stride as a playmaker after being acquired by the Carolina Hurricanes in a trade from the Blackhawks on June 15, 2016, and is in his third straight season with at least 63 points. In that span, Teravainen’s points-per-game average of 0.88 is the best among players drafted in 2012, and his 144 assists are 56 more than the next-closest forward in the 2012 class (Chris Tierney, 88). — Shawn P. Roarke, Senior Director of Editorial
4. Morgan Rielly, D, New York Islanders (No. 5 by Toronto Maple Leafs) — Rielly gets outshined by some of his Maple Leafs teammates, but he’s just as important to Toronto’s success as elite forwards Auston Matthews, Mitchell Marner and John Tavares. Rielly excels in transitioning play out of the defensive zone, supporting the attack or leading it, and his 20 goals in 2018-19 are tied for the fifth most in a season by a defenseman in Toronto history. Rielly leads defensemen from the 2012 draft with 216 assists and 270 points. He also has played 517 games, tops among defensemen and third among all players in the class. Rielly was the third defenseman selected in 2012, but if teams had a chance to do it over, he likely would have been first. — Adam Kimelman, deputy managing editor
5. Frederik Andersen, G, Toronto Maple Leafs (No. 87 by Anaheim Ducks) — With Adam having astutely snapped up Rielly at No. 4, the choice here for me became a tough one between Andersen and Murray. In the end, the slight nod went to Andersen, whose 213 wins since 2012-13 are eighth most in the NHL and 54 more Vasilevskiy’s 159 for the class lead. Andersen was selected in the seventh round (No. 187) by Carolina in the 2010 NHL Draft but became eligible to be picked again two years later, after he and the Hurricanes failed to agree to a contract. Carolina’s pain would become Toronto’s gain with this redraft. Jonas Gustavsson (36) and James Reimer (34) split the majority of starts for the Maple Leafs in 2011-12 as they looked for someone to step up and grab the No. 1 job. With the selection of Andersen, who ultimately was acquired by Toronto on June 20, 2016, in a three-way trade involving Anaheim and Pittsburgh, that issue has been resolved. — Mike Zeisberger, staff writer
6. Connor Hellebuyck, G, Anaheim Ducks (No. 130 by Winnipeg Jets) — With John Gibson five seasons from becoming their No. 1, the Ducks were looking for a franchise goalie in 2012. Even with Vasilevskiy and Andersen off the board in this redraft, Hellebuyck and Murray remained as excellent choices. Although Murray has won the Cup twice with the Penguins, Hellebuyck wins in a head-to-head numbers game. He is third in wins (148), third in GAA (2.64) behind Vasilevskiy (2.55) and Andersen (2.63), and second in save percentage (.917) behind Vasilevskiy (.919) in the 2012 class. His numbers are even better in the Stanley Cup Playoffs (2.44 GAA, .919 save percentage in 23 starts). He was a runner-up for the Vezina in 2017-18, when he was 44-11-9 with a 2.36 GAA and .924 save percentage, and certainly is in contention to win it this season with a 31-21-5 record, a 2.57 GAA and a .922 save percentage. — Dan O’Leary, staff writer
Video: VGK@WPG: Hellebuyck stymies Vegas to earn the shutout
7. Jacob Trouba, D, Minnesota Wild (No. 9 by Winnipeg Jets) — Just 12 days from signing elite defenseman Ryan Suter as a free agent, the Wild selected his potential partner and protege with the seventh pick. Among defensemen drafted in 2012, Trouba ranks second behind Rielly in points (206) and assists (157), and he is sixth in power-play points (46; 10 goals, 36 assists). He also leads defensemen in the class in shorthanded points (10; three goals, seven assists) and average ice time (22:51 per game). — John Ciolfi, senior producer, LNH.com
8. Matt Murray, G, Pittsburgh Penguins (No. 83 by Pittsburgh Penguins) — Versatile forward Tomas Hertl was an attractive option here, but the Penguins made sure to get Murray, the player they took two rounds later in reality and who helped them to back-to-back championships in 2016 and 2017. He has 28 wins, a 2.16 GAA, a .921 save percentage and six shutouts in 48 NHL playoff games, tops in each category in the 2012 draft class. Murray also has at least 20 wins in each of his four full NHL seasons and a .921 even-strength save percentage in 199 regular-season games, dismissing the narrative that he has performed well only in the postseason. — Pete Jensen, senior fantasy editor
9. Tomas Hertl, C, Winnipeg Jets (No. 17 by San Jose Sharks) — After taking Mark Scheifele with the seventh pick of the 2011 NHL Draft, Winnipeg continued stacking up at center by selecting Hertl. He has been the most consistent center in the 2012 class and has greatly improved since his first full season in the NHL in 2014-15, establishing himself as one of the top players in San Jose. Hertl is third in goals (132) and fourth in points (280) in the 2012 class. He set NHL career highs in goals (35), assists (39) and points (74) last season. — Guillaume Lepage, staff writer, LNH.com
10. Joonas Korpisalo, G, Tampa Bay Lightning (No. 62 by Columbus Blue Jackets) — A lot of good goalies already were off the board, but getting someone at that position here still was in the Lightning’s best interests. Korpisalo has put up good numbers in five NHL seasons, going 60-43-14 with a 2.80 GAA and .908 save percentage, and has been outstanding for the injury-riddled Blue Jackets this season (19-12-5, 2.60 GAA, .911 save percentage). The Lightning were in great shape at forward and defenseman in 2012. Korpisalo would have rounded it out in goal. — Tracey Myers, staff writer
11. Matt Dumba, D, Washington Capitals (No. 7 by Minnesota Wild) — The Capitals had plenty of talent at forward, so adding a defenseman like Dumba would have been perfect for a still-maturing team. Dumba’s 62 goals lead defensemen and are tied for ninth overall among players drafted in 2012, and he is fifth among defensemen and 12th overall with 174 points. He scored at least 10 goals in each of the past four seasons and was leading NHL defensemen with 12 in 32 games in 2018-19 when he tore a pectoral muscle Dec. 15 and had season-ending surgery 11 days later. Adding Dumba to a group of defensemen that already included John Carlson and Dmitry Orlov was an excellent move for a team still building toward its first championship. — John Kreiser, managing editor
12. Colton Parayko, D, Buffalo Sabres (No. 86 by St. Louis Blues) — The Sabres finished the 2011-12 season 17th in the NHL in scoring (211 goals; 2.57 per game) and 13th in defense (223 goals-against; 2.72 per game). Selecting Parayko would have helped them improve at each end of the ice. The big defenseman (6-foot-6, 230 pounds) is third in the 2012 class in rating (plus-56), seventh in blocked shots (643) and 13th in hits (516). Offensively, he’s 14th (seventh among defensemen) with 159 points (39 goals, 120 assists) in 386 games. — William Douglas, staff writer
Video: FLA@STL: Parayko blasts puck past Driedger
13. Shayne Gostisbehere, D, Dallas Stars (No. 78 by Philadelphia Flyers) — The Dallas Stars, who did not qualify for the playoffs in 2011-12 and were minus-14 in goal differential (218-204), didn’t have a defenseman score more than 30 points (Alex Goligoski; nine goals, 21 assists). Clearly, they needed a defenseman who could contribute offensively, and adding Gostisbehere would have done that. He scored an NHL career-high 17 goals and had 46 points in 2015-16, when he finished second to Artemi Panarin in voting for the Calder Trophy as NHL rookie of the year, and scored an NHL career-high 65 points (13 goals, 52 assists) in 2017-18 when he was 10th in voting for the Norris Trophy as the best defenseman in the NHL. Gostisbehere is third among defensemen in the 2012 draft class in goals (51), assists (148) and points (199). — Frank Giase, staff writer
14. Jaccob Slavin, D, Buffalo Sabres (No. 120 by Carolina Hurricanes) — The Sabres had a lot of needs (still do), but essential on any perennial playoff contender is a defenseman who can play big minutes in a multifaceted role. Slavin is exactly that type of well-rounded defenseman. What he lacks in flash, he makes up for with excellent technique defensively and the instinct to join the rush and help create offense. He’s one of the top puck-possession defensemen in the NHL, ninth at the position in shot attempts percentage (54.5 percent) since the start of the 2016-17 season among those who have played at least 200 games. Slavin is third in ice time per game (22:45), fourth in rating (plus-55), eighth in points (151; 29 goals, 122 assists) and ninth in games (377) among defensemen in the 2012 class. He’s reliable, steady and smart. — Dan Rosen, senior writer
15. Tom Wilson, RW, Ottawa Senators (No. 16 by Washington Capitals) — Wilson has played 522 NHL games, second most of any player selected in the 2012 draft (Galchenyuk, 549), and has established himself offensively with back-to-back seasons of at least 21 goals and 40 points. A big, gritty forward, Wilson (6-4, 220) played a huge role for the Capitals when they won the Stanley Cup for the first time, in 2018, with 15 points (five goals, 10 assists) in 21 playoff games. Wilson’s 167 even-strength points (65 goals, 102 assists) rank seventh in the 2012 class. — Brian Compton, deputy managing editor
16. Nikita Gusev, LW, Washington Capitals (No. 202 by Tampa Bay Lightning) — Having nabbed Dumba with the 11th pick, the Capitals didn’t hesitate to pick Gusev and add even more offensive depth to their already talented group of forwards. Gusev made his NHL debut this season with the New Jersey Devils and had 44 points (13 goals, 31 assists) in 66 games before the pause, but his point production in the KHL was staggering. In the past four seasons, he had 264 points in 229 games (1.15 per game). Playing on a team with fellow Russians Orlov, Alex Ovechkin and Evgeny Kuznetsov would’ve made the transition from Russia easier and allowed Gusev to thrive in D.C. — Matt Cubeta, Editor-in-Chief, NHL.com International
17. Hampus Lindholm, D, San Jose Sharks (No. 6 by Anaheim Ducks) — Every team could use a smart, steady defenseman, and Lindholm fit the bill here for the Sharks. Although he isn’t flashy (193 points in 502 games), Lindholm has been the most consistent defenseman for Anaheim since entering the NHL in 2013-14, and he leads players from the 2012 draft with a plus-75 rating. Capable of playing in any scenario, Lindholm has been a workhorse on the penalty kill — he leads Anaheim in total shorthanded ice time during his career at 1,062:01 — and his plus-759 shot attempts differential nearly doubles the next best for the Ducks (Ryan Getzlaf, plus-381). — Brett Amadon, staff writer
18. Olli Maatta, D, Chicago Blackhawks (No. 22 by Pittsburgh Penguins) — I was attracted to the Finn’s size, on his way to filling out to 206 pounds on his 6-foot-2 frame. Fifth in voting for the Calder Trophy in 2013-14, Maatta is second in the 2012 class in rating at plus-61. He has averaged 18:50 of ice time per game in his NHL career, so he’ll play industrial-strength minutes. Twice a Stanley Cup winner with Pittsburgh, he’s as resilient as they come, rebounding from shoulder surgery twice, an operation for thyroid cancer and even a bout of the mumps. In his first season with the Blackhawks, he’s been a dependable third-pair D; they just need to keep him healthy. — Dave Stubbs, columnist
19. Alex Galchenyuk, C, Tampa Bay Lightning (No. 3 by Montreal Canadiens) — The forward has had a rough go in the past 10-plus months, getting traded twice and scoring 24 points (eight goals, 16 assists) in 59 games with Pittsburgh (45 games) and Minnesota (14) this season, but I couldn’t ignore what he has done in his career compared to other players from this draft. He’s first in power-play points (106; 41 goals, 65 assists); second in goals (135), points (320) and power-play goals; and fourth in assists (185). Despite his output this season, he’s averaging 0.58 points per game in eight NHL seasons, fifth among forwards in the 2012 class. He hasn’t come close to the 30 goals he scored in 2015-16 for Montreal any other season, and his play this season is concerning, but that production was too hard to pass up. — Bill Price, Editor-in-Chief
Video: MIN@ANA: Galchenyuk nets opportunistic goal in front
20. Tanner Pearson, LW, Philadelphia Flyers (No. 30 by Los Angeles Kings) — Why overthink this? Pearson ranks fourth in the 2012 draft class in goals (108) and sixth in points (215). That’s good value here. If only teams had the benefit of hindsight like we do. — Nick Cotsonika, columnist
21. Andreas Athanasiou, LW, Calgary Flames (No. 110 by Detroit Red Wings) — Although I considered two defensemen here (Brady Skjei, Esa Lindell), Athanasiou was the pick because of his potentially dynamic skill set. He has had a disappointing season with 26 points (11 goals, 15 assists) in 55 games between the Red Wings (46 games) and Oilers (nine), but he was coming off an NHL career-high 30-goal season. And the Flames, who finished 24th in the NHL in scoring in 2011-12 (199 goals; 2.43 per game), were ripe for an injection of offense. Athanasiou’s 84 goals are sixth in the 2012 class (84), but he has played 125 fewer games than any of the players higher on the list. — Amalie Benjamin, staff writer
22. Esa Lindell, D, Pittsburgh Penguins (No. 74 by Dallas Stars) — The Penguins had adequate forward depth and needed a physical top-four defenseman who could play a lot of minutes. Lindell’s average of 22:49 of ice time per game is the second highest among players drafted in 2012, two seconds behind Trouba, and his 421 hits are 13th among defenseman in the class. — Rob Reese, fantasy editor
23. Josh Anderson, RW, Florida Panthers (No. 95 by Columbus Blue Jackets) — High upside outweighed the red flags with this selection of Anderson. A contract dispute that lasted through the 2017-18 preseason and a lack of production this season (one goal on 63 shots in 26 games) before season-ending shoulder surgery are concerns. However, he scored 27 goals last season and had 19 in 63 games in 2017-18. His 65 goals are eighth from the 2012 draft, even though he has played 267 games, fewest of any player among the top 22 goal-scorers. Anderson is sixth in the class with 13 game-winning goals and seventh with 602 hits. He is a nice package of size (6-3, 222), skill and grit. — Jim Cerny, senior editor
24. Erik Gustafsson, D, Boston Bruins (No. 93 by Edmonton Oilers) — The Bruins opted for the defenseman who finished sixth at the position in the NHL in 2018-19 with 60 points (17 goals, 43 assists) for the Blackhawks. Gustafsson would have given Boston another option on the power play; 32 of his 119 NHL points (26.9 percent) have come with the man-advantage. — David Satriano, staff writer
25. Damon Severson, D, St. Louis Blues (No. 60 by New Jersey Devils) — The Blues were the stingiest defensive team in the NHL during the 2011-12 season (155 goals-against; 1.89 per game) but lacked the offensive punch to advance past the Western Conference Semifinals. Enter Severson, a proven puck-mover who ranks seventh in points (163; 37 goals, 126 assists) and eighth in points per game (0.38; minimum 220 games) among defensemen drafted in 2012. He’s ninth overall in the 2012 class in power-play points (51; six goals, 45 assists) and would’ve given the Blues some depth scoring on the blue line. — Pat Pickens, staff writer
26. Chris Tierney, C, Vancouver Canucks (No. 55 by San Jose Sharks) — After losing to Boston in seven games in the 2012 Stanley Cup Final, Vancouver selected Tierney, perhaps with the thought of slotting him in the bottom six behind centers Henrik Sedin and Ryan Kesler. The path to an NHL roster spot with the Canucks would have been clearer than it was for Tierney with the Sharks, who had centers Joe Thornton, Logan Couture and Joe Pavelski. Though he has yet to enjoy a breakout season offensively, Tierney has been durable (three games missed since start of 2016-17 season). He is 10th in the 2012 class with 189 points (61 goals, 128 assists) in 436 games, first with eight shorthanded goals, and tied for ninth among forwards in shorthanded ice time per game at 1:36. — Barry Rubinstein, manager, assignments
27. Alexander Kerfoot, C, Phoenix Coyotes (No. 150 by New Jersey Devils) — After three consecutive playoff appearances capped by a trip to the 2012 Western Conference Final, Phoenix chose to invest in some future offensive depth. Though Kerfoot chose to earn his degree at Harvard before beginning his NHL career, he made his presence felt immediately with 43 points (19 goals, 24 assists) for the Avalanche as a rookie in 2017-18 and 42 (15 goals, 27 assists) in 2018-19. Despite being tied for 45th in the 2012 class since 2017-18 at 14:20 of ice time per game, Kerfoot’s average of 0.51 points per game for the Avalanche and Maple Leafs is tied for 10th. — Paul Strizhevsky, columnist, NHL.com/ru
Video: CAR@TOR: Kerfoot sweeps rebound past Mrazek in front
28. Radek Faksa, C, New York Rangers (No. 13 by Dallas Stars) — Trying to find value at this point of the first round becomes complicated, and that’s why the Rangers factored in intangibles like grit and will in picking Faksa, a two-way center. He has 128 points (60 goals, 68 assists) in 351 games for the Stars in his first five NHL seasons and has played on the power play (0:40 per game in career) and penalty kill (1:43). More importantly, he plays with pace and tenacity, must-haves in today’s game. Faksa can chip in offensively, but his most valuable qualities are things difficult to measure yet essential for success. — Tim Campbell, staff writer
29. Cody Ceci, D, New Jersey Devils (No. 15 by Ottawa Senators) — The Devils needed some offensive help from their defensemen, and Ceci fit the bill at this point in the draft. He is tied for eighth among defensemen from the 2012 draft with 33 goals and ninth with 126 points. He’s also second in hits with 690 and blocked shots with 843, tied for sixth in even-strength points with 111 (32 goals, 79 assists), and tied for fifth with eight game-winning goals. He’s also been durable throughout his career, ranking fifth in the 2012 class with 496 games. — Mike G. Morreale, staff writer
30. Adam Pelech, D, Los Angeles Kings (No. 65 by New York Islanders) — It seemed fitting that Pelech was overlooked again in this draft because he was one of the more underrated defensemen in the NHL before he tore his Achilles tendon prior to the Islanders game against the Devils on Jan. 2. Pelech, who is expected to make a full recovery, had emerged as a top-pair defenseman and played a key role in limiting Sidney Crosby to one assist in New York’s four-game sweep of Pittsburgh in the 2019 Eastern Conference First Round. Before Pelech was injured, the Islanders were 25-10-3 and fifth in the NHL at 2.61 goals-against per game. Since he was injured, they are 10-13-7 and are 21st at 3.03 goals-against per game. — Tom Gulitti, staff writer