The Florida Panthers landed three of its past draftees on ESPN’s The best NHL draft pick ever at every slot from No. 1 to 224.
Mario Lemieux topped the list as the greatest first overall pick ever. The Panthers that made the list… well, they came in further down. Let’s take a look.
Zach Hyman was deemed the best-ever selection at 123rd overall. The Panthers took Hyman with the third pick of the fifth round in 2010 NHL Entry Draft after he racked up 35 goals and 75 points for the Hamilton Red Wings of the OJHL. When Hyman completed his college career at the University of Michigan, the Cats tried to sign him to an entry-level contract, but failed, and on June 19, 2015, his rights were acquired by the Toronto Maple Leafs in exchange for center Greg McKegg and a conditional draft pick. This was a great bit of bird-dogging by former general manager Dale Tallon, as Hyman has gone on to play 653 games in the NHL and has 230 goals and 443 points to his credit. The joy of beating Hyman’s Edmonton Oilers back-to-back in the Stanley Cup Finals has erased whatever sting was left of not being able to come to terms with him.
The next Panthers prospect to appear on the list is Iiro Pakarinen, who was named the best player taken at 184th overall. A versatile forward with some skill, Pakarinen was the third pick of seventh round of the 2011 draft. Unable to work out a contract with the Cats, Pakarinen continued his development in Finland’s Liiga with KalPa. On May 3, 2012, he joined HIFK as a free agent on a two-year contract before finally coming to North America, signing as a free agent with Edmonton on June 16, 2014. Pakarinen played parts of four seasons with the Oilers before returning to Europe. He appeared in a total of 134 NHL games, producing 10 goals and 13 assists.
Florida’s third and final entry on the list actually played for them after being drafted. Defenseman MacKenzie Weegar made it to the NHL after being selected with the 206th overall pick in 2013. After inking his entry-level deal, Weegar spent three seasons toiling in the AHL with the San Antonio Rampage, Portland Pirates and Springfield Thunderbirds before becoming a regular with the Panthers in 2016-17. He played five seasons with the club before he was traded to the Calgary Flames as part of the blockbuster deal that brought Matthew Tkachuk to Sunrise. His best season with the Cats was his last, when he put up 44 points in 80 contests. Weegar has 550 NHL games to credit and has amassed 251 points in his career thus far.
There was one other Panthers connection to the list. Esa Tikkanen was named the best 80th overall pick. The Oilers great (or grate) played 28 games for the Cats during the 1997-98 campaign. He scored one goal (and added 8 assists) for Florida before he was traded to the Washington Capitals on March 9, 1998 for Dwayne Hay, who ended up playing a total of 15 games for the Panthers, and future considerations – a fourth-round pick in 1999 (Morgan McCormick).