Lets jump right in. Alex Ovechkin was the first pick by the Washington Capitals followed by Evgeni Malkin to the Penguins at two. That’s enough makes this a pretty successful draft. At three Cam Barker was taken by the Chicago Blackhawks, Andrew Ladd went fourth to Carolina and Wayne Gretzky and the Coyotes shocked the draft world and took Minnesota high schooler Blake Wheeler. Wheeler never suited up for the Coyotes and now plays for Boston.

At six, in an effort to replace injured goalie of the future Dan Blackburn, the Rangers took University of Michigan goalie Al Montoya. In hindsight this pick looks terrible because of what Henrik Lundqvist has brought the Rangers and the fact that Montoya never played for the Rangers.  He did once get helicoptered to MSG to be a back-up in a game against the Isles. Montoya was traded two seasons ago in a deal that brought Freddy Sjostrom to the Rangers. The Rangers passed on Rostislav Olesz, seventh to Florida, Drew Stafford, 13th to Buffalo and Alexander Radulov, 15 to Nashville.

At the trading deadline in 2004 the Rangers traded a bunch of parts in an effort to “rebuild” and acquired a second first round pick when they broke my heart and traded Brian Leetch to Toronto.

They had the 24th pick but moved up to 19 to select Lauri Korpikoski. I remember a draft preview show that the Rangers did where former assistant GM Don Maloney talked about how much they loved Korpi and that they even talked about taking him at six if Montoya wasn’t there.  Korpi played 68 games for the Rangers this year on the third and fourth lines but with his style of play and the type that John Tortorella employs, his ice time next year should increase.

The Rangers had 11 other picks in 2004, of those two have become NHL regulars, Brandon Dubinsky and Ryan Callahan, one is on the verge, Dane Byers, and the others have all been shuffled around the minor leagues.