The 2008 NHL Draft was the "Year of the Defenseman." While Steven Stamkos was #1, the round was dominated by Drew Doughty (#2), Alex Pietrangelo (#4), and Erik Karlsson (#15). These three would combine for multiple Norris Trophies. The draft also produced elite forwards like Jordan Eberle (#22) and Roman Josi (38th). Braden Holtby was taken 93rd. Overall, 2008 redefined the modern blue line. It was a historic year for mobile, puck-moving defensemen who could control a game's pace, while also providing one of the greatest pure goal-scorers in league history.
Career earnings of players picked in the first round of the 2008 NHL entry draft:
| Player | Pos. | Pick # | Drafted by | Career Earnings |
Rank | Career Earnings In today's $ |
Rank |
| Steven Stamkos | C | 1 | Tampa Bay Lightning | $123,057,927 | 12 | $154,104,182 | 21 |
| Drew Doughty | D | 2 | Los Angeles Kings | $132,929,878 | 7 | $162,839,051 | 15 |
| Zach Bogosian | D | 3 | Atlanta Thrashers | $48,131,098 | 309 | $63,143,745 | 326 |
| Alex Pietrangelo | D | 4 | St. Louis Blues | $101,298,476 | 31 | $121,506,223 | 65 |
| Luke Schenn | D | 5 | Toronto Maple Leafs | $32,485,976 | 561 | $41,687,348 | 612 |
| Nikita Filatov | LW | 6 | Columbus Blue Jackets | $875,000 | 3978 | $1,314,498 | 4129 |
| Colin Wilson | C | 7 | Nashville Predators | $26,353,049 | 686 | $35,406,512 | 720 |
| Mikkel Boedker | LW | 8 | Phoenix Coyotes | $28,302,439 | 636 | $38,042,013 | 680 |
| Josh Bailey | C | 9 | New York Islanders | $50,685,976 | 281 | $64,661,463 | 316 |
| Cody Hodgson | C | 10 | Vancouver Canucks | $9,673,476 | 1394 | $13,411,972 | 1451 |
| Tyler Myers | D | 12 | Buffalo Sabres | $72,849,390 | 116 | $91,486,315 | 151 |
| Zach Boychuk | C | 14 | Carolina Hurricanes | $600,000 | 4458 | $816,845 | 4843 |
| Joe Colborne | C | 16 | Boston Bruins | $5,650,000 | 1847 | $7,656,794 | 1976 |
| Jake Gardiner | D | 17 | Anaheim Ducks | $37,837,195 | 457 | $48,312,597 | 495 |
| Chet Pickard | G | 18 | Nashville Predators | $787,500 | 4129 | $1,128,351 | 4283 |
| Luca Sbisa | D | 19 | Philadelphia Flyers | $23,470,732 | 761 | $31,827,998 | 795 |
| Michael Del Zotto | D | 20 | New York Rangers | $25,987,805 | 700 | $34,271,856 | 736 |
| Jordan Eberle | C | 22 | Edmonton Oilers | $75,210,976 | 104 | $93,677,273 | 138 |
| Mattias Tedenby | LW | 24 | New Jersey Devils | $1,750,000 | 3145 | $2,547,003 | 3330 |
| Tyler Ennis | C | 26 | Buffalo Sabres | $28,362,500 | 632 | $38,311,983 | 675 |
| John Carlson | D | 27 | Washington Capitals | $87,886,890 | 60 | $107,719,029 | 91 |
| Viktor Tikhonov | F | 28 | Phoenix Coyotes | $8,026,364 | 1545 | $11,029,315 | 1625 |
| Tom McCollum | G | 30 | Detroit Red Wings | $1,256,731 | 3561 | $1,766,804 | 3791 |