With the 2025 NHL Draft just 20 days away, draft content is in full swing. This time of year always brings a flood of rumors and speculation—so on a lighter note for your Sunday morning, let’s look back at one of the wildest what-ifs in draft history: when the Columbus Blue Jackets were offered an entire draft class by the New York Islanders in exchange for the second overall pick in 2012.
No, you didn’t read that wrong.
At the 2012 NHL Draft, the Islanders were desperate to move up to second overall in hopes of selecting defenseman Ryan Murray. They reportedly offered all seven of their picks that year to Columbus, who ultimately declined the deal.
The Blue Jackets kept the pick and used it to select Murray—at the time, a highly scouted prospect expected to be the next great NHL defenseman. Meanwhile, the Islanders went all-in on shoring up their blue line anyway, using every one of their seven picks on defensemen. Their top choice was Griffin Reinhart at fourth overall, who unfortunately didn’t pan out. The most successful player they drafted that year? Adam Pelech.
Had the Blue Jackets taken the offer, they would’ve ended up with 12 total picks: 4, 31, 34, 62, 65, 95, 103, 125, 152, 155, 182, and 185. That haul could have set them up nicely to land at least a few legitimate NHLers.
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Instead, they stuck with Murray, who spent seven seasons with the team. He struggled to stay healthy and consistent, finishing his Blue Jackets career with 15 goals and 95 assists for 110 points in 347 games. After leaving Columbus, he played parts of just three more seasons before falling out of the NHL.
In hindsight, maybe the Blue Jackets would’ve considered the Islanders’ offer differently. But it’s worth noting that even with their own six picks that year, only two really turned into NHL players: Joonas Korpisalo (3rd round) and Josh Anderson (4th round). So while the alternate scenario is fun to imagine, there’s no guarantee it would’ve led to more long-term success.
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