25. Anaheim Ducks
G: Ilya Bryzgalov
D: Jordan Leopold, Niclas Havelid
F: Paul Kariya, Ryan Getzlaf, Corey Perry
The first thing that catches your eye with the Ducks’ lineup is the forward group. Paul Kariya was a fantastic scorer in his time, Corey Perry had a top-notch scoring touch in his prime, and Getzlaf is still one of the better set-up centers in the league.
All three were first-round picks, though. The back end is managed by second-round pick Jordan Leopold and third-round find Niclas Havelid, neither much more than middle pair defenders in their prime. Ilya Bryzgalov adds to the entertainment value of this team by just being there.
This Ducks lineup will score. They just won’t stop much. In terms of our metrics, this is the worst-ranked defense pair you’ll see. So yeah.
24. St. Louis Blues
G: Mike Liut
D: Bret Hedican, Risto Siltanen
F: Jochen Hecht, Doug Gilmour, Paul MacLean
Unless you really follow hockey or are a Blues fan, the only name that stands out here is Doug Gilmour at center. Gilmour was picked 134th in 1982, and had a wonderful career to boost the value of finding him. Jochen Hecht was a solid Sabre for years, and Paul MacLean may better be known for coaching the Senators or his mustache (hard to tell what was better), but was a decent find at 109th overall. Mike Liut was a very solid goalie, and both Bret Hedican and Risto Siltanen were good late round picks.
The best feature of this Blues lineup is in goal. Other than that, pretty nondescript.