Hello All - happy game day.  I read this letter this morning in The Hockey News and wanted to share.  (I almost threw the darn magazine away because Crosby and GOLD are on the cover - bleh!)  anyway, in the letters section there is a letter from an Islanders fan about the Canes.  Seems the Islanders at every home game, during a TV timeout, welcome back a local veteran who has served in the armed forces.  The players all stand and bang their sticks on the boards for this in appreciation.  Most visiting teams do not participate - maybe a few here and there, however OUR ENTIRE TEAM stood for the entire segment, with even the coaches applauding.  This fan wrote it was a classy display by the Hurricanes.  This is the second letter I have read this season in there from another teams fan about how awesome our entire organization and fanbase are.  WE know how amazing we are, but it's nice to get some love from the outside.

Have a great day everyone and GO CANES!

Anybody up for it or already got it going on? Now I shall ramble so I can get to the 75 word minmum. Weather is great so time for CC tailgate. Beer wine and liquor, we shall pass the time quicker. Whatever happened to the cow that jumped over the moon? Ireckon this ain't even the right place for starting a tailgate request, but didn't know of a better spot. No game day preview yet and I'm gonna leave the house here soon so won't be able to check until I get down to Raleigh. Hmmm wonder if that's 75 yet...

A

Several folks have been asking about ticket packages and other logistics concerning the games in Finland in October.  I received the following email update today.  Exciting stuff!

Dear LTD,

 

While details have not been finalized, we can now guarantee you that ticket/travel packages will be available to Season Ticket Holders for the Compuware/NHL Premiere Helsinki - the Hurricanes' 2010-11 regular season, 2-game opening set in Helsinki, Finland.

 

Packages will include game tickets and exclusive access to team events, such as team practices and player meet & greets, as well as local tours, round trip transport to events, airport transfers, on-site staff for assistance, and more.  Both packages with airfare included and land-only packages will be made available.

 

Though tickets will officially go on sale to the public on Monday, March 15, we assure you that the Hurricanes will have access to an allotment of tickets large enough to satisfy STH requests.

 

We anticipate that the details of these packages will be finalized within the next 10-14 days, and we will communicate the details of these packages as soon as they are available.

 

We appreciate your support!  

Go 'Canes!!

P.J. Avetta
Manager of Sales & Client Services
Carolina Hurricanes

The Albany River Rats announced their 22-player list of players eligible to play for the rest of the season Thursday, and it does not include current Hurricanes Brandon Sutter, Brett Carson and Patrick Dwyer, or goalie Mike Murphy. 

Here is the release from the River Rats:

RIVER RATS ANNOUNCE CLEAR DAY ROSTER

22 Players Eligible To Compete For The Remainder Of 2009-10 Season

ALBANY, NY—The Albany River Rats announced today their 2009-10 Clear Day roster, which consists of two goaltenders and 20 skaters.

According to AHL by-laws, only those 22 players listed on a team’s Clear Day roster are eligible to compete in the remainder of the 2009-10 AHL regular season and in the 2010 Calder Cup Playoffs, unless emergency conditions arise as a result of recall, injury or suspension. Teams may also add signed junior players or players on amateur tryout contracts after their respective junior or college seasons are complete.

The following 22 players are on the Clear Day Roster for the Albany River Rats (after the jump):

Continue reading this post »

After receiving multiple high first round draft picks, in harmony with fantastic management, the Penguins went from a team on the verge of relocating, to the "baby" of the NHL.  With Crosby, Malkin, Fleury, J. Staal, and others, all within the scope of Mario Lemieux's employment, Bettman and the NHL have aligned with the Penguins for the true "benefit" of the NHL. 

While many Penguins players have gathered national attention, and deservedly so, when is enough, enough?  When will the NHL stop treating the Penguins as the sellers of 'center ice', and force them to respond for their "ill" actions as other teams are expected to do so?

That hit by Cooke was brutal; his skates shifted toward Savard, his shoulder went down, and he sent him out on a stretcher.  Regardless, the NHL refused to hold Cooke accountable.  But which hit was worse, the one by Cooke, or the one by the NHL when they failed to take action?

Enough is Enough.

From the Hurricanes:

‘CANES AGREE TO TERMS WITH DEFENSEMAN KYLE LAWSON

2005 draft pick recently completed senior season at Notre Dame

RALEIGH, NC—Jason Karmanos, Vice President and Assistant General Manager of the National Hockey League’s Carolina Hurricanes, today announced that the team has agreed to terms with defenseman Kyle Lawson on a two-year, entry-level contract. Lawson receives an $80,000 signing bonus and will be paid $500,000 on the NHL level and $50,000 on the American Hockey League (AHL) level in 2010-11 and $525,000 on the NHL Level and $50,000 on the AHL level in 2011-12. He will join the Hurricanes’ AHL-affiliate Albany River Rats for the remainder of the 2009-10 season, on an amateur tryout contract.

Lawson, 23, recently completed his senior season at the University of Notre Dame, leading all Irish defensemen and ranking third on the team in scoring with 22 points (4g, 18a) in 38 games. The Southfield, MI, native ranked fourth among CCHA defensemen in scoring, notching three goals and 15 assists (18 points) in 28 conference games, including one game-winning goal and three power-play tallies. Drafted by the Hurricanes in the seventh round, 198th overall, in the 2005 NHL Entry Draft, Lawson completed his collegiate career with 17 goals and 73 assists (90 points) in 161 games. He was named the CCHA’s Top Defensive Defenseman and earned Second-Team All-CCHA honors in 2008-09, after totaling four goals and 19 assists (23 points) and registering a +14 plus/minus rating in 40 games during his junior season.

In addition to his collegiate experience, Lawson has represented the United States in international play, including service as an alternate captain for Team USA at the 2007 World Junior Championship in Sweden, helping the Americans capture the bronze medal. A product of the U.S. National Team Development Program, Lawson also represented the U.S. at the Four Nations Tournament and the Under-18 World Championships during the 2004-05 season.

in the various "power rankings" so take your pick.  Yeah, these latest "Power Rankings" from the various experts are out and sometimes more than a few are out somewhere that I'm sure requires chemical helpers.

They range from a Power Ranking of 10th from <a href="http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2010/writers/allan_muir/03/09/power.rankings/index.html" >Allan Muir on Sports Illustrated</a> here,  all the way down to 26th on several other lists (why are most of those Canadian or NE sites?) you can see the discrepancies.

Some split the difference like <a href="http://www.vancouversun.com/business/power+rankings+March/2658733/story.html">Elliott Pap</a> and give them an 18th Power Ranking.  Heck, even ESPN's Scott Burnside gives the Canes as <a href="http://espn.go.com/nhl/powerrankings">19th</a> Power Ranking.  Then you compare that to Robert Picarello of Fox Sports and his <a href="http://msn.foxsports.com/nhl/powerRankings">26th</a> place for them.

So what is the best way?  This would not just be for the Canes of course, but for all teams.

Obviously, the overall record counts but what about the times a team are hot and cold?  With what, 12 wins in 14 games, the Canes are playing tough.  Conversely, the Sabres at 3-5-2 of their last 10 or the Senators and their 5-4-1 with many of those losses AFTER the Olympic break aren't scaring too many other teams right now.

On the other hand, even other teams' blog sites are wary of facing the Canes.  "Playing with nothing holding them back", "Having the freedom to take confounding chances" and more are becoming the norm when referring to the Canes.

So what is my solution to the issue?  Complicated of course.  It's done in three different stages and each stage uses slightly different metrics.

The first stage is straight forward: You take all the Points Earned, add the Goals For and subtract out the goals against and the result is the "Relative Power Rank", RPR.  Or RPR = Points+GF-GA

The second stage is when all teams have played more than 30 games.  It uses a slightly different formula.  The first part is as above but you exclude the last 5 games played.  The second part is only counting the last 5 games the team has played.  The last 5 games are more important in determining how the team is playing now so the Points earned and the GF and GA of those are given twice weight as the earlier games.

RPR = (All games save the last 5 games)[Points+GF-GA] + 2*(Just the last 5 games)[Points+GF-GA]

The last stage is where we're at with all teams playing more than 55 games.  There are three parts to the formula, the last 5 games, the 10 games previous to the last 5 games (the 6 to 15 last games) and the first games minus the last 15.  The last 5 games are weighted 3 times, the previous 10 are weighted twice and the first games save the last 15 are normal.

RPR=(All games save the last 15)[Points+GF-GA] + 2*(last 6 to 15th games)[Points+GF-GA] + 3*(last 5 games)[Points+GF-GA]

Yeah, its a bit complex but I think that better describes what a team has done and what it is currently doing.  Of course, to give a better fit as not all teams play games as fast as others, if one team played 66 games and another just 62, divide each team by the number of games they've played and multiply each result by 64.  That would be the "Weighted Relative Power Ranking", or WRPR.

God I hate conference calls.

As Bob and Cory have already written on in detail, Carolina has made some good hockey and business moves this year. Rutherford has cleared salary, opened spot for next year, stockpiled draft picks, and kept the respect of the players moving out.

With spots opening up this season and next, there are a number of Hurricanes prospects looking to make the jump and stick in the near future. Some of the youngsters have already made an appearance this season, and will are sure to see a few more new numbers and faces soon.

What future 'Canes will YOU be looking forward to seeing this season and next? Comment and have your say on the future of the franchise.

Albany beats Norfolk 4-2 March 6, 2010

   I watched the second meeting of Albany and Norfolk and had a number of reactions and observations. Albany dominated the game and won 4 to 2.  I watched the game without rewinding the video stream, so I didn't catch as much as I would on a second viewing.  Also,  the AHLlive archive is from the jumbotron, so the entire ice is not shown.  That view makes it harder to put an isocam on a particular player.

   Samson had an amazing game.  Not only did he score twice, but he was all over the ice.  He is improving every time I watch him.  He works very well with Osala.  Even when the Hurricanes were ahead by three goals,  Samson never let up at all.  He plays with an inner fury.  He is playing like somebody who will not be denied a roster spot for Carolina next season.  Samson has thirty goals for Albany and plays extremely well positionally, 

   Osala had two assists.  He has great hands and excellent speed.  I also think he has patience with the puck and doesn't treat the puck as if it is on fire and has to gotten rid of as soon as humanly possible.  One of the best things I've seen from Osala is that he seems to be thinking well ahead of the play and makes excellent passes.  Osala also seems to love attacking the net.  I will be surprised if he doesn't stick on the Hurricanes,  at least on the fourth line, when next season begins.

   McBain also played quite well.  He has improved dramatically over the course of the season.  I am impressed by McBain's acceleration and by his puck handling.  Rodney is getting stronger physically.  He makes some amazing passes.  Bowman is showing me more and more as well.  I knew he was a scorer,  but he is increasing his physical play as well.  Bowman is one of the best natural scorers I've seen.  He is one of those players who seems to take shots from crazy angles and yet the puck winds up right at the goal face. 

   Bellemore has also improved since the season began.  He seems more confident with the puck and is seldom out of position.  Borer had some excellent plays, but seems to be getting his hockey legs.  I have been impressed by Borer before his injuries; and really hope he can continue his progress. 

   I didn't know what to expect with regard to Pogge.  I had seen him play before and had read about him.  Pogge had an excellent game.  He made some game saving stops.  The first goal was a little weak; but he is using his size well and seems to be athletic in the way Peters is athletic.  I have a feeling that the Hurricanes will be able to work with him to have him develop into an NHL ready goalie.  In the end,  Pogge is likely to be traded because the Hurricanes are more likely to focus on Murphy even though Murphy does not have ideal size for an NHL goalie.  On the other hand,  that situation is likely to be a couple of years down the road.

   Dodge had a very solid game and seems to be in position all the time.  Terry had also had a solid game.  I have been enthusiastic about Pisilli's potential and he has made excellent strides from the start of the season.

    There was an interview during intermission (my recollection is that it was the second intermission)  with Jason Karmanos.  He stated that Sutter, Dwyer, and Carson were not considered members of the Hurricanes and would not be re-assigned to Albany for the playoffs.  He left often whether Boychuk would be reassigned to Albany for the playoffs.  I suspect Harrison may well be reassigned to Albany for the playoffs.

   Looking to next season,  I think Boychuk, Bowman, Samson, Osala,  McBain and/or Rodney will make the Hurricanes next season.  The issue is which players will they replace on the current roster.  With four new forwards,  there have to be three roster spots opened because Boychuk is already on the team.  I assume that prior to the draft, Jim Rutherford is going to make some trades. 

   Based soley on a one to one merits selection, without consideration of legacy issues,  I prefer what Bowman and Samson have to offer over Brind'Amour and Samsonov.  If Cole is traded or retires from injuries,  Osala would be my  pick.  I like Cole's speed, size, and strength. Cole does back down defenders and bangs bodies with the inside game.   I am underwhelmed with his offensive production this year.  I also wonder whether he can remain healthy.  Osala is like a bigger, more polished, and better offensively Cole.  He is also far less expensive. 

   I am guessing that Rodney will be given a chance to stick with Carolina this season and that McBain is going to be expected to need another year of seasoning.  I can tell McBain is hungry to get to Carolina and he may well make it to Carolina next season.

  Interestingly,  if the Hurricanes draft well, they will have at least one more roster player next season in their #1 draft choice.  I continue to want to see the #1 pick be a large, fast, scoring power foward to go with  Staal and Jokinen.  If that occurs,  Jim Rutherford will have some difficult decisions.  LaRose has been playing much, much better since returning from his injury; however, iit would seem that LaRose could be the odd man out next season.  If trades are not made prior to the draft, the trade deadline next season will be very, very interesting.  Certainly when one factors in the salary of Brind'Amour versus his productivity,  Samson or Dwyer seem a better return on investment.  Similarly, with regard to Samsonov and Bowman,  Bowman is bigger, faster, and has a better shot.  For the cost savings,  Bowman is a more cost effective choice.  With regard to Cole and Osala,  Cole may be faster, but Osala is bigger and is a better skater and has much better hands and a much better shot.  Considering Cole's cost,  Osala is a good choice. 

   If the #1 draft choice is NHL ready,  it is going to be hard for LaRose to beat out the #1 pick, Osala, Bowman, or Samson.  LaRose has been a survivor, so I wouldn't count him out; but he is facing stiff competition for a roster spot next season.  With LaRose's contract expiring next season,  he could be a player traded at the deadline.  On the other hand,  Dwyer is a player who could be the odd man out.  Dwyer has played extremely well and plays intelligently and intensely every shift.  From a cost savings standpoint,  Dwyer provides skill and energy at a very affordable price. 

   I think we are seeing since January the emergence of the new Hurricanes team.  My hunch is that the transformation will continue during the off-season and that there will be even more changes before the 2010-2011 season. 

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What I have tried to do here is a draft analysis for what the Canes might be expecting in this year's draft based on our past draftees and our current draft picks.  We currently have 10 (maybe 11) draft picks for the 2010 NHL Draft.  Based on team's current placement and not taking any compensatory picks into account, the Canes have the 3rd, 33rd, 50th, 51st, 63rd, 84th(?), 104th, 153rd, 173rd, 183rd, and 210th pick.  I have also tried to list all players that have had at least a somewhat significant contribution to a NHL team that were taken after the 1st round.  If I missed someone, sorry, there are a lot of draft picks in 5 seasons.  I hope you enjoy reading this, it's long!

2000 NHL Draft

These are the picks that the Hurricanes had this year.

#32 Tomas Kurka-LW, #80 Ryan Bayda-LW, #97 Niclas Wallin-D, #110 Jared Newman-D, #181 J.D. Forrest-D, #212 Magnus Kahnberg-LW, and #235 Craig Kowalski-G.

Only 2 of these players have had any significant contribution in the NHL and Bayda being one of them, he is not exactly a NHL regular.

These are the picks that correspond to where the Hurricanes are drafting this season.

#3 Marian Gaborik-LW, #33 Nick Schultz-D, #50 Segei Soin-C, #51 Kris Vernarsky-C, #63 Agris Saviels-D, #84 Peter Hamerlik-G, #104 Jon Disalvatore-RW, #153 Bill Case-D, #173 Tomas Harant-D, #183 Michal Macho-RW, and #210 John Eichelberger-C.

Only 2 of these players have done anything in the NHL, but Gaborik is an excellent player and Schultz is a solid bottom defenseman.  The rest of the group is pretty much worthless.

Here are the "draft finds" of the 2000 NHL Draft (decent to good players drafted after the 1st round).

Nick Schultz, Andy Hilbert, Tomas Kopecky, Ilya Bryzgalov, Jarrent Stoll, Andreas Lilja, Antonie Vermette, Dan Ellis, Paul Martin, Mike Rupp, Ryan Bayda, Kurt Sauer, Dominic Moore, Niclas Wallin, Lubomir Visnovsky, Michael Ouellet, Tarvis Moen, Greg Zanon, John-Michael Liles, Darcy Hordichuk, Henrik Lundqvist, Matthew Lombardi, and Paul Gaustad.

Of this group Henrik Lundqvist-G has been the best find, drafted at #252.  Jarrett Stoll-C (#46), Paul Martin-D (#62), and Lubomir Visnovsky-D (#118) are all very good players.  25% of the 2nd rounders have played significant roles in the NHL, 13% for the 3rd, and10% overall (after the 1st round).

2001 NHL Draft

These are the picks that the Hurricanes had this year.

#15 Igor Knyazev-D, #46 Mike Zigomanis-C, #91 Kevin Estrada-LW, #110 Rob Zepp-G, #181 Daniel Boisclair-G, #211 Sean Curry-D, and #244 Carter Trevisani-D.

Of this group, Mike Zigomanis was an somewhat decent player; but he is already out of the NHL at the age of 29.  This would have to be considered a bad draft by the Hurricanes.

These are the picks that correspond to where the Hurricanes are drafting this season.

#3 Alexandr Svitov-C, #33 Timofei Shishkanov-LW, #50 Chris Thorburn-C, #51 Jaroslav Bednar-RW, #63 Peter Budaj-G, #84 Kenny Smith-D, #104 Brent Maclellan-D, #153 Tuukka Mantyla-D, #173 Justin Aikins-C, #183 Jaroslav Sklenar-LW, and #210 Steve Belanger-G.

These picks were pretty much a waste of time.  Probably the best NHL player in this group is Budaj and he isn't exactly good.

Here are the "draft finds" of the 2001 NHL Draft (decent to good players drafted after the 1st round).

Derek Roy, Tim Jackman, Fedor Tyutin, Mike Zigomanis, Mike Cammalleri, Jason Pominville, Jay McClement, Nathan Paetsch, Peter Budaj, Tomas Plekanec, Craig Anderson, Stephane Veilleux, Evgeny Artukhin, Patrick Sharp, Jordin Tootoo, Ray Emery, Cory Stillman, Christian Ehrhoff, Christoph Schubert, Kyle Wellwood, Kevin Bieksa, Mike Smith, Dennis Seidenberg, Ryan Clowe, Marek Zidlicky, Andrew Alberts, Jussi Jokinen, Brooks Laich, Cristobal Huet, David Moss, Johnny Oduya, Marek Svatos, Aaron Voros, Martin Gerber, and Milan Jurcina.

This group has a alot of Canes connections in it; Zigomanis, Stillman, Seidenberg, Alberts, Gerber, and of course Jussi.  There probably isn't a superstar in this group, but there are many very good players.  Derek Roy-C (#32), Mike Cammalleri-C (#49), and Patrick Sharp-C (#95) are probably considered the best players.  This was actually the deepest draft IMO from 2000 to 2004.  27% of the 2nd rounders have played significant roles in the NHL, 15% for the 3rd and 4th, 19% for the 6th, 13% for the 7th, and15% overall (after the 1st round).

2002 NHL Draft

These are the picks that the Hurricanes had this year.

#25 Cam Ward-G, #91 Jesse Lane-D, #160 Daniel Manzato-G, and #224 Adam Taylor-RW.

Small draft class by the Canes, but it did net Cam Ward!  Another overall disappointing draft, very few picks and only 1 worked out.  It's tough to build a franchise if you only have 4 draft picks.

These are the picks that correspond to where the Hurricanes are drafting this season.

#3 Jay Bouwmeester-D, #33 Lee Falardeau-C, #50 Sergei Anshakov-LW, #51 Anton Kadeykin-D, #63 Tomas Fleischmann-C, #84 Ahren Nittel-LW, #104 Aaron Rome-D, #153 Peter Hamerlik-G, #173 Luke Fritshaw-D, #183 Paul Ranger-D, and #210 Bryan Hamm-LW.

These were actually some good picks.  Not everyone worked out, but Bouwmeester and Fleischmann are good players and Ranger and Rome do somewhat contribute in the NHL.  As you will also notice, Hamerlik re-entered the draft and was selected again.  It actually happens a few times for a couple of players, so it's not a typo by me.

Here are the "draft finds" of the 2002 NHL Draft (decent to good players drafted after the 1st round).

Jeff DeSlauriers, Jarrett Stoll, Josh Harding, Trevor Daley, Matt Greene, Duncan Keith, Matt Stajan, Jiri Hudler, Tomas Fleischmann, Ole-Kristian Tollefsen, Greg Campbell, Erik Christensen, Franz Nielsen, Matthew Lombardi, Valtteri Filppula, Pat Dwyer, Tom Gilbert, James Wisniewski, Curtis McElhinney, Paul Ranger, Ian White, Max Talbot, Petr Prucha, Dennis Wideman, and Yan Stastny.

This is not exactly an amazing group of players, but you have solid contributors in this group.  Duncan Keith-D (#54) is by far the best player in this group. 27% of the 2nd rounders have played significant roles in the NHL, 18% for the 3rd and 11% overall (after the 1st round).

2003 NHL Draft

These are the picks that the Hurricanes had this year.

#2 Eric Staal-C, #31 Danny Richmond-D, #102 Aaron Dawson-D, #126 Kevin Nastiuk-G, #130 Matej Trojovsky-LW, #137 Tyson Strachan-LW, #198 Shay Stephenson-LW, #230 Jamie Hoffmann-C, and #262 Ryan Rorabeck-C.

A lot more picks this year, but still only 1 roster player.  Now the roster player was Eric Staal and is the face of the franchise, but the organization must do better drafting players.  So far, since 2000, the Canes drafted 27 players and only 3 were roster players with 2 more considered fringe players.  I hope whoever was in charge of scouting was fired.

These are the picks that correspond to where the Hurricanes are drafting this season.

#3 Nathan Horton-C, #33 Loui Eriksson-RW, #50 Ivan Baranka-D, #51 Colin McDonald-RW, #63 Dave Liffiton-D, #84 Konstantin Barulin-G, #104 Philippe Dupuis-C, #153 Mike Brown-G, #173 Tyler Johnson-C, #183 Nate Thompson-C, and #210 Andrei Mukhachev.

The first 2 picks turned out to be very good players.  Horton is a good, but somewhat underachieving player and Eriksson has really become a big time scorer.  The rest of the group hasn't really done anything in the NHL.

Here are the "draft finds" of the 2003 NHL Draft (decent to good players drafted after the 1st round).

Loui Eriksson, Kevin Klein, Kamil Kreps, Patrice Bergeron, Matt Carle, Shea Weber, Patrick O'Sullivan, Maxim LaPierre, David Backes, Jimmy Howard, Daniel Carcillo, Clarke MacArthur, Alexandre Picard, Jan Hejda, Bryon Bitz, Kyle Quincey, Lee Stempniak, Nigel Dawes, John Mitchell, Brad Richardson, Bruno Gervais, Drew Miller, Nathan Paetsch, Joe Pavelski, Kyle Brodziak, Todia Enstrom, Dustin Byfuglien, Shane O'Brien, and Matt Moulson.

This seemed to be more of a hit or miss draft.  The players that hit, they turned out to be pretty darn good.  The players that missed, they missed badly.  The best players in this group are lead by Shea Weber-D (#49), David Backes-RW (#62), Patrice Bergeron-C (#45), and Loui Eriksson-RW (#33).  Then other very good players are Matt Carle-D (#47), Daniel Carcillo-LW (#73), Clarke MacArthur-C (#74), Jan Hejda-D (#106), Kyle Quincey-D (#132), Joe Pavelski-C (#205), Tobias Enstrom-D (#239), Dustin Byfuglien-D (#245) and Matt Moulson-LW (#263).  A lot of people consider this to be one of the deepest drafts.  I don't necessarly consider it deeper than 2001, but the players in this draft have more "star" power than almost any other one. 26% of the 2nd rounders have played significant roles in the NHL, 13% for the 5th and12% overall (after the 1st round).

2004 NHL Draft

These are the picks that the Hurricanes had this year.

#4 Andrew Ladd-LW, #38 Justin Peters-G, #69 Casey Borer-D, #109 Brett Carson-D, #137 Magnus Akerlund-G, #202 Ryan Pottruff-D, #235 Jonas Fiedler-RW, and #268 Martin Vagner-D.

This actually looks like a good draft.  Ladd played for us and has continued to get better in Chicago.  Peters and Carson are in the NHL and looking to be important parts for this team next year.  Borer has suffered through some hard times, but is probably a bottom pairing or 7th defenseman.  The Canes actually seem to be grasping what you should do during the draft.  They sort of missed on the 4th overall pick, but it turned into Tuomo Ruutu, who is a "core" player for today's team.

These are the picks that correspond to where the Hurricanes are drafting this season.

#Cam Barker-D, #33 Chris Bourque-C, #50 Enver Lisin-RW, #51 Bruce Graham-C, #63 David Krejci-C, #84 Alexi Yemelin-D, #104 Fredrik Naslund-RW, #153 Steven Zalewski-C, #173 Adam Pardy-D, #183 Trevor Ludwig-D, and #210 Emil Exelsson-D.

This is starting to get into the time frame where the players are still developing.  Barker is probably a top 4 defenseman, but he's got a little ways to go still.  Bourque and Pardy might be a solid roster players, but they are not there yet.  The best of this group is Krejci, he is a talented playmaker that should continue to get better.  The rest of the group has not developed yet or never will.

Here are the "draft finds" of the 2004 NHL Draft (decent to good players drafted after the 1st round).

David Bollard, Blake Comeau, David Booth, Brandon Dubinsky, Alex Goligoski, David Krejci, Andrej Sekera, Peter Regin, Alexander Edler, Thomas Greiss, Johan Franzen, Dustin Boyd, Tyler Kennedy, Brett Carson, Ryan Callahan, Kris Versteeg, Mikhail Grabovsky, Scott Parse, Patrick Kaleta, Roman Polak, Troy Brower, Matt Hunwick, Chris Campoli, Brandon Yip, Pekka Rinne, and Mark Streit.

This is a solid group of players, but not necessarily stars.  The group is lead by Johan Franzen-C (#97), David Booth-LW (#53), David Krejci-C (#63), Pekka Rinne-G (#258) and Mark Streit-D (#262).  There are other good players, but they haven't really developed far enough along to be considered stars yet.  This draft was more consistent among the rounds than any other.  You were just as likely to get a good player in the 7th as you were in the 4th. 17% of the 2nd rounders have played significant roles in the NHL, 18% for the 3rd and10% overall (after the 1st round).

So my conclusion is that if anybody is expecting to find gold with our draft picks this season, you might not want to hold your breath.  Our 1st should give us a very good player, but the rest is just a crapshoot.  We could end up with a Shea Weber, David Backes, David Booth, Duncan Keith, or David Krejci with one of our 2nd round picks; but we are most likely to end up with a career AHLer or someone that never even makes it that far.  A lot will depend of how our scouting does and if we are maybe able to package picks together to move up.  I am still putting together "Part 2" which will talk about 2005-2009, but remember that those players have not all been given enough time to develop.  Please let me know what you think of this.