1. Quebec Nordiques- RW Jaromir Jagr
In hindsight, this is an obvious pick. Owen Nolan was a very good player and one of the best power forwards of his time, but Jagr was the greatest player of his generation and probably one of the 5 best pure scorers in the history of hockey. But honestly, I understand why Quebec took Nolan and I can't say that they were wrong, at the time. Nolan was far more polished and his offensive skills were unquestionably elite, while Jagr was very raw and did not enter the league with the skills that he left it with. When Jagr came into the league, he was a big winger with nice hands and a backhand. That was it. Nolan had high-end shooting ability, something Jagr did not acquire until mid-way into his career. Plus there was the physical aspect. Still, hindsight is 20-20 and Jagr is the #1 pick.
2. Vancouver Canucks- LW Keith Tkachuk
While Martin Brodeur is the obvious choice, the draft is about needs, and the Canucks were not going to take a goalie. Kirk McLean was only 23 and was only one season removed from taking them into the playoffs and performing admirably against the eventual Cup champion Flames in that infamous 7 game series. McLean single-handedly won Game 1 of that series and his Game 7 performance was spectacular, led by one of the most infamous saves of all-time. Had Vancouver won, there would be no question that that save would be considered the greatest in history, being in OT of Game 7 against the Cup favorites. There was no justification for taking a goalie, and the Canucks would not have won a round in 1994 if it were not for McLean. Brodeur would not have taken the Canucks to Game 7 of the Cup Finals in 1994. No one could foresee McLean's career taking a nosedive so quickly after that, likely in part to a messy divorce. Tkachuk would have given them a net-presence and big body to play with Bure and Linden.
3. Detroit Red Wings- G Martin Brodeur
I can see why Detroit picked Keith Primeau because they had drafted Sergei Fedorov only a year before and there were obvious questions regarding his ability to get out of Russia. Primeau was a reliable center that could fit behind Yzerman. But Fedorov arrived in 1991, and he turned into a dominant center that actually took the #1 role from Yzerman in Scotty Bowman's first few seasons. The one thing Detroit never had was a franchise goalie. Goaltending was the reason they didn't win the Cup until 1997. Martin Brodeur would have been the difference between winning and losing the first round in 94, the Cup Finals in 95, and possibly the third round in 96. Not to mention there wouldn't have been the goaltending issues between 1999-2001.
4. Philadelphia Flyers- D Sergei Zubov
Philly needed both a center and a defenseman. The Flyers were a team in transition. Their only decent center was a past-his-prime Ken Linseman. Mark Howe was aging rapidly. Ricci wasn't a bad pick, but aside from the time he spent on Joe Sakic's wing, he was a career third-line center that was good for 40-50 points and excellent defense. Obviously, the Flyers ended up getting a franchise center and Ricci was a part of that deal. Without Ricci, you do wonder if Quebec even considers the Flyers' deal and if they send Lindros to New York. But, hey, the Rangers got Zubov and the Flyers got Lindros, and only one of them was the leading scorer on a Cup champion. Zubov was an elite defenseman, one of the best of his era and very under-rated in a historical perspective. Playoff monster. Zubov and Desjardins are a great 1-2. But would the historically-North American Flyers have really taken a Soviet player? I doubt it, honestly.
5. Pittsburgh Penguins- RW Owen Nolan
With Jagr, Brodeur, and Zubov off the board, Nolan would be the obvious pick. Scotty Bowman had just been brought in, and Scotty loved big, physical, goal-scoring wingers, considering he traded for one in both Pittsburgh and Detroit. The Penguins were set at center with Mario and John Cullen, but they were shallow on the wing beyond Kevin Stevens and Mark Recchi, Mario's linemates the next year when they won the Cup. Nolan was offensively-gifted goalscorer with a great shot, and he was a prototypical power forward. Considering they dealt Recchi for Rick Tocchet in 1991, partially due to wanting a second power forward, joining Stevens, to flank Lemieux so that he would essentially have two high-scoring bodyguards. Peter Bondra might have been a better pure goalscorer than Nolan, but he wasn't physical, he wasn't much of a passer, and he didn't play defense. Bowman had little use for those types of players. It's why he pushed Craig Patrick to trade for Ron Francis, who they felt was far suited to the #2 center for a playoff run over John Cullen, even though the latter was at the top of the NHL in scoring when they dealt him.
