The 1991 NHL Draft was dominated by Eric Lindros, whose refusal to play for Quebec triggered a franchise-altering trade. Behind the drama, the first round was loaded with talent like Scott Niedermayer (#3), Peter Forsberg (#6), and Brian Rolston (#11). Alexei Kovalev (#15) and Markus Naslund (#16) brought elite skill to the mid-round. Lindros’s eventual trade to Philadelphia yielded the assets that built the Colorado Avalanche dynasty. Later rounds featured Chris Osgood (54th). Overall, 1991 was a draft of massive consequences; the talent was immense, but the trade of the top pick defined the league's competitive balance for a decade.
Career earnings of players picked in the first round of the 1991 NHL entry draft:
| Player | Pos. | Pick # | Drafted by | Career Earnings |
Rank | Career Earnings In today's $ |
Rank |
| Eric Lindros | C | 1 | Quebec Nordiques | $68,450,000 | 136 | $133,099,494 | 48 |
| Pat Falloon | RW | 2 | San Jose Sharks | $5,921,071 | 1805 | $12,426,647 | 1517 |
| Scott Niedermayer | D | 3 | New Jersey Devils | $60,582,143 | 192 | $104,031,172 | 102 |
| Scott Lachance | D | 4 | New York Islanders | $10,566,571 | 1334 | $20,073,286 | 1122 |
| Aaron Ward | D | 5 | Winnipeg Jets | $18,939,500 | 895 | $31,434,593 | 805 |
| Peter Forsberg | C | 6 | Philadelphia Flyers | $77,829,616 | 96 | $143,353,628 | 35 |
| Alek Stojanov | RW | 7 | Vancouver Canucks | $1,086,941 | 3683 | $2,288,366 | 3455 |
| Richard Matvichuk | D | 8 | Minnesota North Stars | $16,326,923 | 990 | $30,121,475 | 834 |
| Patrick Poulin | LW | 9 | Hartford Whalers | $4,857,857 | 2003 | $9,679,462 | 1754 |
| Martin Lapointe | RW | 10 | Detroit Red Wings | $29,079,286 | 614 | $51,960,658 | 446 |
| Brian Rolston | RW | 11 | New Jersey Devils | $39,979,714 | 427 | $64,672,073 | 315 |
| Tyler Wright | C | 12 | Edmonton Oilers | $5,435,292 | 1891 | $10,008,784 | 1721 |
| Philippe Boucher | D | 13 | Buffalo Sabres | $17,955,109 | 937 | $30,776,358 | 820 |
| Pat Peake | C | 14 | Washington Capitals | $1,730,000 | 3157 | $3,608,903 | 2845 |
| Alex Kovalev | RW | 15 | New York Rangers | $54,257,143 | 244 | $91,783,880 | 149 |
| Markus Naslund | LW | 16 | Pittsburgh Penguins | $44,981,029 | 345 | $77,141,256 | 223 |
| Brent Bilodeau | D | 17 | Montreal Canadiens | $169,535 | 5509 | $389,404 | 5660 |
| Glen Murray | RW | 18 | Boston Bruins | $27,042,857 | 665 | $47,041,634 | 514 |
| Niklas Sundblad | RW | 19 | Calgary Flames | $160,380 | 5532 | $339,221 | 5771 |
| Martin Rucinsky | LW | 20 | Edmonton Oilers | $25,109,084 | 717 | $45,604,985 | 537 |
| Trevor Halverson | RW | 21 | Washington Capitals | $930,000 | 3871 | $1,879,376 | 3699 |
| Dean McAmmond | C | 22 | Chicago Blackhawks | $10,944,957 | 1292 | $19,916,373 | 1127 |