David Legwand, C, 1998, #2 Pick in the First Round
It still feels funny seeing David Legwand in any color other than the Nashville Predators. He always will be the Original Predator. He was their first draft pick in the 1998 NHL Entry draft, right behind Vincent Lecavalier who is the only player drafted that year that has played more games than the 1,136 that Legwand has played.
The Nashville Predators Mike Fisher and Mike Ribeiro were both chosen back-to-back in the second round behind him. David Legwand never became the scorer that the Preds hoped for when they drafted him but he did so many things well.
He was a quiet leader, could play both ends, both at 5 vs 5 and on special teams. He was a great representative for the Predators in his 15 years here. There were times that he was blamed for not providing more offense, something the Predators desperately needed from a center.
His best season was 2006-07 when he scored 27 goals and 63 points in 77 games. He finished 12th in the Selke Award balloting. Only one other time did he reach 20 goals when he had that mark in 2008-09. He still holds many Nashville Predator records because of his longevity. He played on some pretty bad teams early in his career.
We could have easily chosen Legwand as the top player on this list. He WAS the top player as a Predator. There are a couple of players chosen in the first round that went on to accomplish more as a player, though.
Next: #2, Almost a Pred Twice