The Oct. 13 death of 19-year-old Alexei Cherepanov, who collapsed on the bench during a KHL game, was a tragedy. But from a hockey perspective, the passing of the Rangers’ 2007 first-round draft choice not only creates a huge void in the future depth chart for which the organization cannot be held responsible, it also spotlights the misfortune that characterizes more than a decade’s worth of first-round picks.
1996: Selected Sarnia defenseman Jeff Brown 22nd overall with Daniel Briere, Matt Cullen, Colin White, Zdeno Chara, Tom Poti and Michal Rozsival on the board. Brown never played a game in the NHL.
1997: Selected Brandon right wing Stefan Cherneski 19th overall. Cherneski shattered his right knee in an AHL game in November 1998, leading to an early retirement in January 2001. He never played a game in the NHL.
1998: Selected Guelph center Manny Malhotra seventh overall. Malhotra became a symbol of the dysfunction within the organization before being sent to Dallas in 2002 for Martin Rucinsky.
1999: Traded up to get fourth overall pick (Calgary right wing Pavel Brendl) and the ninth overall pick (Moose Jaw center Jamie Lundmark). Brendl reported to camp out of shape and never came close to earning a roster spot before being sent to Philadelphia in deal for Eric Lindros. Lundmark recorded 30 points (11-19) in 114 games with the Rangers before he was traded.
2000: No pick.
2001: Selected Kootenay goaltender Dan Blackburn 10th overall. Suffered a career-ending shoulder injury working out during the summer of 2003. He played 63 games in the NHL.
2002: No pick.
2003: Selected Dartmouth freshman winger Hugh Jessiman 12th overall with Dustin Brown, Brent Seabrook, Zach Parise, Ryan Getzlaf, Brent Burns and Mike Richards available. Jessiman, who was traded Thursday to the Predators, is the only 2003 first-rounder not to have played an NHL game.
2004: Selected Michigan goaltender Al Montoya sixth overall and traded up to select Lauri Korpikoski 19th overall with Travis Zajac, Andrej Meszaros and Mike Green still on the board. Montoya never played a game for the Rangers before being sent to Phoenix last season. Korpikoski made the Rangers out of training camp but was sent to the AHL on Wednesday.
2005: Traded up to grab Sudbury defenseman Marc Staal at 12th overall in the organization’s shrewdest draft day move in memory.
2006: Selected Owen Sound defenseman Bobby Sanguinetti, now at Hartford in his first pro season, 21st overall.
2007: Selected Cherepanov.
2008: Selected Oshawa defenseman Michael Del Zotto 21st overall.