Redrafting the historic 2015 Draft Class

The 2015 NHL Entry Draft was one of the most talented classes in recent memory, with nearly the entire top 20 picks becoming an All-Star quality player during their careers.

Let’s take a look and redraft the historic 2015 NHL Entry Draft Class:

One of the draft’s best forward classes

1. Edmonton Oilers- Connor McDavid (Edmonton Oilers)

Connor McDavid has been exactly as advertised in his NHL career. He has transformed the sport to become more speedy and offensive than ever. McDavid is currently one of the greatest players in the game. The Oilers have struggled to build around him, but he is clearly the top player in this class.

2. Buffalo Sabres- Kirill Kaprizov (Minnesota Wild)

A little off the board, Kirill Kaprizov jumps to second overall after being picked in the 5th round in the first go-around. The only reason Kaprizov was even drafted by the Wild in the first place was due to a Wild Scout missing his flight back to the US from Russia. Kaprizov already looks like an elite goal scorer, already in his prime.

3. Arizona Coyotes- Jack Eichel (Buffalo Sabres)

Jack Eichel came into the league as a top talent and immediately contributed to the Buffalo Sabres. Buffalo was unable to build around the star, which led to Eichel asking for an out. Eichel has turned it back on for the Vegas Golden Knights, becoming one of their top offensive talents. Eichel is clearly in the upper echelon of this class, unlike Dylan Strome, who the Coyotes originally selected.

4. Toronto Maple Leafs- Sebastian Aho (Carolina Hurricanes)

Sebastian Aho has climbed to become one of the best forwards in the game. If Aho had been selected by the Maple Leafs, perhaps he would have been regarded as such in regular NHL discussions.

5. Carolina Hurricanes- Mathew Barzal (New York Islanders)

Mathew Barzal is one of the top forwards for this class, and he’s exceeded expectations for the Islanders. If Barzal was out of the Islanders’ defense first system, he could be an NHL superstar.

6. New Jersey Devils- Mitch Marner (Toronto Maple Leafs)

Mitch Marner has been a more than adequate Robin to Auston Matthews’ Batman who joined the league a year later. Marner has been sneakily good offensively, despite signing a massive extension three years ago. Marner would be a total upgrade for the Devils over Pavel Zacha, their original selection.

7. Philadelphia Flyers- Mikko Rantanen (Colorado Avalanche)

The Flyers swung big on burly defenseman Ivan Provorov in this class. Provorov has been solid on the blue line, but for a team looking for offense, they could have used a player of Rantanen’s caliber. He was a main piece in Colorado’s Stanley Cup win in 2022.

8. Columbus Blue Jackets- Kyle Connor (Winnipeg Jets)

Kyle Connor had a slow start to his NHL career in Winnipeg, but has slowly developed into an elite goal finisher. He could have made a slight upgrade to the next player.

9. San Jose Sharks- Zach Werenski (Columbus Blue Jackets)

Zach Werenski has developed into one of the top defenders in the league and is definitely one of the best in this draft. He’s received Norris votes multiple times, and although at the time of this draft, the Sharks had a rock solid blue line. Werenski would have made a crucial piece in the cup runs coming in 2017 and 2018.

10. Colorado Avalanche- Timo Meier (San Jose Sharks)

If the Avalanche couldn’t have drafted Mikko Rantanen, which other young offensive talent could they have snagged? What about Timo Meier? Meier took time to develop, but when he did, he was a top speedster and scorer, something that the Avalanche could have utilized.