The Only Draft I Know Is Miller Genuine: My Outlook on the Canes Draft Choices
Writers Note: I am not a NHL Draft Guru, Expert, Prognosticator or Analyst. Corsi Fenwick numbers might as well be Calculus, and I maintain the fact that I am just a hockey loving guy who survives in a house full of women. So the following ramblings are just my ideas on what I want my beloved Canes to do in this June's Entry Draft.
It has been about a month since the final horn on the Carolina Hurricanes 2017-2018 season, and the team has only seemed to regress. Having limped to the season's finish line without a General Manager, the team only regressed further when Head Coach Bill Peters resigned on April 20. However, On April 28th during the NHL Lottery it seems as if the Canes had a stroke of good luck when they secured the Number 2 overall draft pick ( Last time they picked number 2 they drafted a guy named Staal and he was pretty good) in this summers entry draft.
The projected Top 3 Picks in the draft are labeled as "Can't Miss Prospects". (I always cringe at that term) Patrick Stefan was once considered a "Can't Miss Prospect" and we all know how that worked out. If you don't Ill sum it up for you, HE TRIPPED ON HIS OWN SKATES TRYING TO SCORE ON AN EMPTY NET! So needless to say this years draft choice should be made with great trepidation. Yes! I know we need a General Manager and Coach in order to make said pick, but lets work with what we have. So without further adieu here are the likely top 3 picks and how I think they would fit in Raleigh.
1. Rasmus Dahlin D- Frolunda (SHL). The likely number 1 pick overall, Dahlin brings good size at 6'2" and 183 lbs. A puck moving offensive defenseman in the mold of fellow Swede Erik Karlsson. Dahlin has the size and tenacity to make an immediate impact in the NHL. The downside to the Canes drafting Dahlin lies in the fact that the blue-line within the organization is already deep all the way down into the AHL, so drafting Dahlin would not necessarily address the teams biggest need.
2. Andrei Svechnikov RW- Barrie (OHL). At 6'3" Svechnikov is an elite finisher, and scorer. While the Hurricanes possess a few finishers ( Aho, Skinner) they are both undersized at 5'10" and tend to be physically outmatched down in the ugly areas around the net. So at almost 200 pounds (194) with elite hands it will be tempting for the team to pull the trigger on Svechnikov if he is there at #2. The questions I have regard his discipline he was suspended twice during his season for game misconduct penalties something you don't want an elite scorer dealing with at the NHL level. However, I would call Svechnikov the safest of the three prospects at number 2.
3. Filip Zadina LW- Halifax (QMJHL). The third Prospect we will cover is Filip Zadina. The Czech Native Stands 6'1" and weighs 192 which means he also has the size to withstand the physicality and grind of the NHL season. A Sniper by design Zadina has the ability to create his own chances from the wing. This fact was proven by his 44 goals in 57 games last season for Halifax. While we fawn over his ability to put the puck in the net. There have been questions about his defensive responsibility and ability to put it all together to be a 2 way forward.
The Downside of all 3 Prospects- Each of these players share a common downside for the Carolina Hurricanes. A downside that cannot be improved or developed. That downside is that none of these gentleman are in fact a Number 1 Center which is what this team is in dire need of. The team is stocked with wingers as well as D-men, yet remain lacking a true number 1 center. However, as we have learned numerous times over. Two months in Hockey is an eternity and anything can happen. This team does not even know the name of the man making the picks yet. So until then Thanks for reading and Redvolution!
The Caniac Collector
It has been about a month since the final horn on the Carolina Hurricanes 2017-2018 season, and the team has only seemed to regress. Having limped to the season's finish line without a General Manager, the team only regressed further when Head Coach Bill Peters resigned on April 20. However, On April 28th during the NHL Lottery it seems as if the Canes had a stroke of good luck when they secured the Number 2 overall draft pick ( Last time they picked number 2 they drafted a guy named Staal and he was pretty good) in this summers entry draft.
The projected Top 3 Picks in the draft are labeled as "Can't Miss Prospects". (I always cringe at that term) Patrick Stefan was once considered a "Can't Miss Prospect" and we all know how that worked out. If you don't Ill sum it up for you, HE TRIPPED ON HIS OWN SKATES TRYING TO SCORE ON AN EMPTY NET! So needless to say this years draft choice should be made with great trepidation. Yes! I know we need a General Manager and Coach in order to make said pick, but lets work with what we have. So without further adieu here are the likely top 3 picks and how I think they would fit in Raleigh.
1. Rasmus Dahlin D- Frolunda (SHL). The likely number 1 pick overall, Dahlin brings good size at 6'2" and 183 lbs. A puck moving offensive defenseman in the mold of fellow Swede Erik Karlsson. Dahlin has the size and tenacity to make an immediate impact in the NHL. The downside to the Canes drafting Dahlin lies in the fact that the blue-line within the organization is already deep all the way down into the AHL, so drafting Dahlin would not necessarily address the teams biggest need.
2. Andrei Svechnikov RW- Barrie (OHL). At 6'3" Svechnikov is an elite finisher, and scorer. While the Hurricanes possess a few finishers ( Aho, Skinner) they are both undersized at 5'10" and tend to be physically outmatched down in the ugly areas around the net. So at almost 200 pounds (194) with elite hands it will be tempting for the team to pull the trigger on Svechnikov if he is there at #2. The questions I have regard his discipline he was suspended twice during his season for game misconduct penalties something you don't want an elite scorer dealing with at the NHL level. However, I would call Svechnikov the safest of the three prospects at number 2.
3. Filip Zadina LW- Halifax (QMJHL). The third Prospect we will cover is Filip Zadina. The Czech Native Stands 6'1" and weighs 192 which means he also has the size to withstand the physicality and grind of the NHL season. A Sniper by design Zadina has the ability to create his own chances from the wing. This fact was proven by his 44 goals in 57 games last season for Halifax. While we fawn over his ability to put the puck in the net. There have been questions about his defensive responsibility and ability to put it all together to be a 2 way forward.
The Downside of all 3 Prospects- Each of these players share a common downside for the Carolina Hurricanes. A downside that cannot be improved or developed. That downside is that none of these gentleman are in fact a Number 1 Center which is what this team is in dire need of. The team is stocked with wingers as well as D-men, yet remain lacking a true number 1 center. However, as we have learned numerous times over. Two months in Hockey is an eternity and anything can happen. This team does not even know the name of the man making the picks yet. So until then Thanks for reading and Redvolution!
The Caniac Collector
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