NHL draft rewind: Is 2 better than 1?
Laine, Matthews spark early debate as Turgeon, Shanahan did in late 1980s
Prior to the 2016 NHL draft, Patrik Laine's words set the stage for years of debate.
"I think I have the ability to someday become the best player in the NHL," he told reporters at the NHL scouting combine this past June. "I think I have the better shot [than Auston Matthews] and an ability to score goals, and Matthews has an ability to create chances for his linemates and he can score."
Through one week of the 2016-17 season, Toronto Maple Leafs centre Matthews and Winnipeg Jets winger Laine, who were drafted first and second overall, respectively, are among the league's top-20 scorers, each with four goals and five points in their first four games.
While fans in Toronto and Winnipeg salivate over what the teenaged talents will do next, much like those in Edmonton and Buffalo did a year ago with Connor McDavid and Jack Eichel, we look at drafts that saw No. 1 outshine No. 2 over their careers, vice-versa and another that is still to be determined.
Mario Lemieux (No. 1 in 1984, Kirk Muller No. 2)
Lemieux began the start of 10, 100-point seasons with his first goal on his first shot on his first shift for the lowly Pittsburgh Penguins. The team gradually built a strong supporting cast for "Super Mario," who led the team to consecutive Stanley Cup titles in 1991 and 1992. A gifted playmaker and fast skater, Lemieux ranks eighth on the NHL's all-time scoring list with 1,723 points and many believe he could have challenged Wayne Gretzky (2,857) if not for his debilitating back issues and 2007 cancer diagnosis.
Muller was a model of consistency after New Jersey drafted him, steadily improving his offensive statistics before setting a club record 94 points in the 1987-88 season. A few years later, he was captain of the Montreal Canadiens and led them to a Stanley Cup championship in 1993. Muller later became a defensive specialist and finished his 19-season career with 357 goals and 959 points in 1,349 games.
Pierre Turgeon (No. 1 in 1987, Brendan Shanahan No. 2)
Turgeon made NHL history before taking the ice for Buffalo, joining Sylvain (No. 2 overall in 1983) as the highest-drafted pair of brothers. He then displayed his on-ice talent, scoring 515 goals and 1,327 points in 1,294 regular-season games. Injuries brought the one-time Montreal Canadiens captain's career to a halt in 2007 after 19 seasons.
Shanahan started and ended his NHL career with New Jersey, making stops along the way in St. Louis, Hartford, Detroit and the New York Rangers, leaving his mark as one of the game's great power forwards. "Shanny" could score, fight and check and was a key member of three Cup championship teams with the Red Wings before leaving the game after 21 seasons with 656 goals and 1,354 points.
John Tavares No. 1 in 2009, Victor Hedman No. 2
A former junior star with the London Knights, Tavares was drafted by the New York Islanders ahead of Hedman, the top-ranked European prospect, and they have gone head-to-head on the ice practically since then. Tavares, 26, endured four losing seasons in his first five but has led the Islanders to consecutive playoff appearances as captain and topped them in points in six of seven campaigns.
After four decent seasons in Tampa Bay, the six-foot-six, 230-pound Hedman broke through with a 55-point campaign in 2013-14 and has since maintained that pace along with becoming one of the league leaders in average ice time. The big Swede, who ranked seventh among NHL defencemen last season with a plus-21 rating, is a huge reason the Lightning have been Cup contenders in recent years.
Alexandre Daigle, No. 1 in 1993, Chris Pronger, No. 2
The consensus No. 1 pick, Daigle was a Quebec junior scoring sensation that many thought he would take the NHL by storm after the Ottawa Senators drafted him. Daigle teased in his rookie season, scoring 20 goals and 51 points, but he was a defensive liability and didn't exhibit a high level of commitment to improvement. He finished his career as one of the bigger No. 1 overall busts in history with 129 goals and 327 points in 616 games.
Like Daigle, Pronger experienced early struggles in the NHL after being drafted by Hartford. That prompted a trade to St. Louis, where the six-foot-six defenceman was booed in the first of his nine seasons with the Blues before his career took off. Pronger's 18-season career was a mix of physical play and a skilled offensive game. After compiling 698 regular-season points for five teams and 121 more in the playoffs, he was a Hockey Hall of Fame inductee last year.
Dale Hawerchuk No. 1 in 1981, Doug Smith No. 2
Hawerchuk had to live up to Wayne Gretzky comparisons early in his NHL career and didn't appear fazed. In his first of nine seasons in Winnipeg, he was named the league's top rookie after a 45-goal, 103-point performance. Hawerchuk also played for Buffalo, St. Louis and Philadelphia, recording more than a point-per-game for 13 straight seasons and becoming the 23rd player to reach the 500-goal plateau.
At 18, Smith became the youngest player drafted by Los Angeles. Over the next 11 seasons as a centre with the Kings, Edmonton, Buffalo, Vancouver and Pittsburgh, the Ottawa native scored 115 goals and 253 points in 535 regular-season contests. Smith's career ended in the 1991-92 season while playing in Austria, where he shattered his spine in more than 100 places in a full-speed, head-first collision with the end boards.