Back in 2003, the NHL draft kicked off in Nashville with an unconventional start. The Pittsburgh Penguins took a bold swing with the No. 1 pick, selecting goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury.
It turned out to be a franchise-defining choice. Fleury played a key role in Pittsburgh’s three Stanley Cup wins in 2009, 2016, and 2017. He finished his 21-year NHL career with the Minnesota Wild during the 2024-25 season, departing the league as a beloved figure and a likely future Hall of Famer.
Fleury’s legacy is stamped into the record books. He ranks second all-time among goaltenders in games played (1,055) and wins, trailing only Martin Brodeur. He also helped Vegas reach the Stanley Cup Final in their debut season and earned both the Vezina Trophy and the William Jennings Trophy (shared with Robin Lehner) in 2021.
His final lap around the league wrapped up last season. On May 6, shortly after Minnesota’s first-round exit against Vegas, Fleury made his retirement official. Meanwhile, another veteran from that 2003 class, Ryan Suter, has yet to rule out a return after his season with the St. Louis Blues. But two others from that iconic draft group have already committed to fresh opportunities on new teams.
On July 1, Corey Perry agreed to a one-year contract with the Los Angeles Kings. The deal, according to PuckPedia, includes a \$2 million base salary with another \$2 million available in bonuses tied to appearances and playoff results.
Perry, originally picked 28th overall by Anaheim, helped the Ducks capture the Stanley Cup in just his second NHL season. He followed that up with a Rocket Richard Trophy (50 goals) and league MVP honors in 2011.
Since the Ducks bought out his contract in 2019, Perry has bounced from contender to contender, aiming to add a second Cup. He’s reached the Final five times in six years with four different clubs: Dallas (2020), Montreal (2021), Tampa Bay (2022), and Edmonton (2024, 2025).
Ironically, Perry now joins a Kings team he’s faced in the playoffs the last three years, all losses for Los Angeles. The deal reunites him with Kings GM Ken Holland, who previously signed him to Edmonton. Perry is third in regular-season games (1,392), third in goals (448), and first in penalty minutes (1,487) among players from the 2003 draft. His 236 playoff games rank third all-time, trailing only Chris Chelios and Nicklas Lidstrom. His postseason presence has become a staple in recent NHL seasons.
Then there’s Brent Burns, originally drafted 20th overall by the Minnesota Wild as a winger. He appeared in 36 games during his rookie year in 2003-04. Following Fleury’s exit, Burns stands as the only active player who logged NHL games before the post-lockout salary cap era began in 2005.
Burns transitioned full-time to defense in 2006, though he occasionally played up front. His impact from the blue line was felt most during a four-year stretch between 2016 and 2019, where he was a Norris Trophy finalist three times and claimed the award in 2017.
Despite his 6-foot-5, 229-pound frame, Burns has been remarkably durable. He hasn’t missed a single game since November 2013 and is currently the NHL’s active ironman with 925 consecutive appearances. That streak ranks fourth in league history, with only 139 games separating him from Phil Kessel’s all-time record.
Now entering his 22nd NHL season, Burns signed a one-year contract with the Colorado Avalanche on July 2. He becomes the 22nd player in league history to hit that milestone. His contract includes a $1 million base salary and a potential $4 million in bonuses. One bonus—$3 million for playing 10 games—serves as a cap-friendly structure allowing Colorado to defer most of the money to next season’s cap hit if needed.
A second $1 million bonus kicks in if Burns plays more than 70 games and averages over 23 minutes per outing in 2025-26. That may seem high for a 40-year-old, but he played 23:13 per night with Carolina as recently as 2022-23, and his career average is 22:22. Burns rarely sits, so the bonus may not be far out of reach.
While his deal doesn’t include any playoff-specific incentives, joining a contender like Colorado offers a legitimate shot at the Stanley Cup. If Suter doesn’t return, Burns will be the league’s longest-active player without a ring. His lone trip to the Final came with San Jose in 2016.
The 2003 NHL Draft is widely recognized as one of the league’s all-time best. Despite being mid-to-late first-round picks, both Perry and Burns were selected ahead of some major names. That includes recent Hall of Fame inductee Shea Weber and former Bruins captain Patrice Bergeron—both second-rounders. And then there’s Joe Pavelski, a seventh-round gem picked 205th by San Jose.
Like Burns, Pavelski never lifted the Stanley Cup. But he retired after the 2024 season as the top goal scorer (476) and point producer (1,068) from the entire 2003 class. Off the ice, he’s still winning. Just this past weekend, Pavelski sank a walk-off eagle to claim the 2025 American Century Championship celebrity golf tournament, receiving a crystal trophy for his efforts.
