Skip navigation
Favorites
Sign up to follow your favorites on all your devices.
Sign up

Chew on this: All 30 NHL teams passed on drafting Game 2 hero Alex Burrows

Boston Bruins v Vancouver Canucks - Game Two

during Game Two of the 2011 NHL Stanley Cup Final at Rogers Arena on June 4, 2011 in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.

Rich Lam

As much as any other NHL team, Vancouver Canucks boast a roster brimming with high-end draft picks. More than half of their roster was drafted in either the first or second round. Just glance at this list to see how heavy this club really is in premier prospects.

First rounders

Drafted by Vancouver:
Daniel Sedin and Henrik Sedin (2nd and 3rd overall, 1999)
Ryan Kesler (23rd, 2003)
Cory Schneider (26th, 2004)

Drafted by other teams:
Roberto Luongo (4th overall, by New York Islanders in 1997)
Dan Hamhuis (12th, by Nashville Predators in 2002)
Keith Ballard (11th, by Buffalo Sabres in 2002)
Manny Malhotra (7th, by New York Rangers in 1998)
Chris Higgins (14th, by Montreal Canadines in 2002)
Raffi Torres (5th, by New York Islanders in 2000)
Jeff Tambellini (27th, by Los Angeles Kings in 2003)

Second rounders

Drafted by Vancouver:
Mason Raymond (51st, 2005)

Drafted by other teams:
Maxim Lapierre (61st by Montreal Canadiens in 2003)
Victor Oreskovich (55th by Colorado Avalanche in 2004)

Yet amid all those premium picks, the one guy on their NHL-level roster who didn’t get drafted at all ended up being the hero of Game 2. Alex Burrows scratched, clawed - and yes - nibbled his way to the NHL after bouncing around the ECHL and AHL from 2002-03 to 2005-06, when he solidified his place with the Canucks.

Now, at 30 years old, Burrows is a fantastic compliment to the Sedin twins on what might be the best first line in the NHL. To the dismay of many Boston Bruins fans, Burrows scored two goals (including that stunning OT game-winner) and one assist in Vancouver’s Game 2 win.

It’s not as if he just enjoyed one signature performance, either. Burrows has 17 points in 20 playoff games, including that series-winning overtime goal against the Chicago Blackhawks in Game 7 of their first round series. He scored 26 goals in 2010-11, 35 in 09-10 and 28 in 08-09. He combines that goal-scoring acumen with plenty of grit and an agitating presence, making him one of the better power forwards in the league.

Scouts aren’t the only people who overlooked his talents, either. Whoever negotiated on Burrows’ behalf in 2009 didn’t do a great job of foreseeing his value considering his bargain four-year, $8 million contract. With Zach Parise’s $3.1 million annual salary cap hit ready to expire in July, it’s quite possible that Burrows’ contract ranks as the league’s best value (not counting entry-level deals).

His contract expires after the 2012-13 season, which means that the Canucks will receive two more seasons of Burrows’ great play at that enviable $2 million per year rate. General managers and scouts from around the NHL must feel foolish for overlooking Burrows all those years ago, yet now their strongest feeling is probably jealousy.