you know its not talked about enough how in the 2004 draft big and dominant alpha players were prioritized higher up in the draft. a leading theory suggests this is because poorly performing teams were attempting to build for an eventual crosby draft in 2005. Crosby, who would later become the second omega ever drafted first overall (the first being Marc Andre Fleury in 2003, who was coincidentally also drafted by Pittsburgh) and the first omega to ever play an 80-game season in the NHL.
since sidney would be the first omega drafted as a forward for any NHL team, it was seen as advantageous to have a bigger more aggressive alpha also playing in your top 6 should you get a chance to draft crosby. The league as a whole feared how Crosby would be treated, if he could handle the physicality of the big leagues. Although the league used to limit the amount of Alphas any one team could have on their roster (the limit was 2 at the time), the lockout in the '94-95 season ended this limit and allowed teams to draft any number of alphas. It also officially ended the ban on drafting omegas, but an omega wouldn't be seen drafted until 1999, at 138th overall by the Sabres. Until Crosby was drafted in 2005 it was thought that omegas could only be utilized as goalies in the big leagues.
An omega being your goaltender was advantageous. They were often extremely protective of their net and with the limit on alphas overturned many GMs thought that employing alpha defenseman would help their defensive play since they'd instinctually have a desire to protect an omega goalie. Similarly, if you have a big alpha forward, he might thik twice before firing as hard as he can at an omegas head. These were the days where scent blocker wasn't required, which the requirement that was eventually put in place during the 2004 lockout was then abolished in 2013 when more and more omegas were coming up through juniors leagues, and GMs of NHL teams were looking to draft Marner and McDavids the two most notable omegas in the coming drafts.
Enough with the history lesson though, we need to discuss the original point, that in 2004 many teams were focused on physically large dominant players to potentially protect crosby. This aided the penguins, who added Malkin, although both Crosby and Malkin will deny that this was in preparation to draft Crosby. Malkin and Crosby would form a partnership that would carry the penguins for the next two decades. But this actually ended up hurting many teams drafting high picks since they ended up with players who's play styles didn't really match the league after the 2004 — 2005 lockout.
In this way the capitals were lucky, because they got a large and dominant russian alpha, but there was no question he would be first overall due to his offensive talent. The penguins were especially lucky because not only did they draft a highly aggressive player, an alpha's alpha, and who some would argue was the most dominant alpha in all north american sports in the mid-2000s, but they smartly drafted a play maker, and an offensive bullet, who would use his size and speed to shove his way into the offensive zone, and his strength to send pucks flying into the net at record breaking speeds.
Safe to say Malkin and Ovechkin would always be the top 2 picks, but who knows if the Penguins — or even the blackhawks who were lucky to draft their star omega after Sidney Crosby had already had a few years in the league, and everyone had seen just how dynamics would affect each teams play — would have had a run quite so successful if the 2005 draft focused on offensive skill and speed, rather than a big alpha to protect or attack the quick omega everyone was waiting for.
