You're On The Clock: Pick #8 Carolina

Well, it come down to this, our pick at #8. What are we going to do with it? But first, let's get back to who we selected for Minnesota. With the 7th Pick in the 2012 NHL Draft, Canes Country has selected Griffin Reinhart for the Minnesota Wild. The Wild address one of their biggest needs with the massive Reinhart. He's a big boy, that is a good skater, has some offensive, and plays a very sound defensive game. He will need to learn how to better use his mammoth frame in the NHL, but the kid should develop that side of his game. He compares himself to a hybrid of Shea Weber & Chris Pronger and if he can get anywhere near those two, the Wild have gotten a steal at #7. Reinhart should help improve the offensive production on the Wild's blueline and also be a force in his own zone. So here are the picks so far:

Edmonton - Nail Yakupov, Columbus - Filip Forsberg, Montreal - Alex Galchenyuk, New York - Ryan Murray, Toronto - Mikhail Grigorenko, Anaheim - Matt Dumba, Minnesota - Griffin Reinhart

Up next and last in this series of articles is everybody's favorite team, the Carolina Hurricanes with the 8th Pick. Carolina is now on the clock!

I think we all know the Canes pretty well by now. We are a team not quite good enough to get into the Playoffs and a team not bad enough to get top 5 picks. We are a team currently stuck in mediocrity. Our two biggest holes revolve around our two biggest players. We need to find a top-tier winger to play with Eric Staal and we need to find some defensive defensemen to limit shots on Cam Ward. Now the question is how do we address those needs? Do we go out in the free agent market, try to pull off some trades, or do we draft & develop solutions for our issues? Only JR knows for sure what his plans are, but we all have our ideas. But when it comes to this draft, here is what I see for the Canes. We are a team overstocked with offensive defensemen and we also have a ton of "smaller" players. So it presents and interesting situation, based on what we need and who is available. So you're Jim Rutherford for the day, what do you do with the #8 Pick?

*If you choose the "Trade the Pick" option, please let me know what type of return you believe we would get for the 8th Pick.

Teuvo Teravainen - LW

Teravainen is probably the most skilled forward left on the board at this point and could have higher upside than some of the players selected before him. He is a very impressive skater with speed and agility. But add to that his amazing puck-handling skills and he reminds you a little of Pavel Datsyuk. His vision is top-notch and he is an excellent distributor of the puck. While he is more of a playmaker than scorer, he has an accurate shot and a decent release. His concerns revolve around one thing, his size. He is small and has a small frame, so while he will fill out, he will probably not get much bigger. But he has been playing in the top Finnish league against grown men and has been able to handle his own, especially impressive for a 17 year old. But again, with a collection of smaller players already, is Teravainen the right selection for the Canes.

Radek Faksa - C

Now if you want size, Faksa has it at the center position. Faksa is a big center that can truly be labeled as a power forward. Faksa is a solid two-way center that can play in all situations. He is very smart and has a great work ethic. His offensive abilities are still a little bit of a questions, but he was over a PPG player during his rookie season with Kitchener. He's not afraid to use his body and go to the dirty areas and also owns a pretty good set of hands. He might not end up being a top 6 player in the NHL, but his ceiling is really unknown at this point. The best way to describe him is well-balanced, a player that can play in all 3 zones and in any situation.

Jacob Trouba - D

Trouba is probably the only defender left that would actually fit into the Canes defensive group. While he has some offensive abilities, he is considered more of a two-way defenseman. He is a good skater with nice agility for a player of his size and he plays with a little bit of a mean streak. His big frame should allow him to get even bigger and he seems to know how to use his size to his advantage. He plays with poise and doesn't take himself out of position to lay a monster hit. While his offense might have some limitations at the NHL level, he really is a guy that can do it all. If the Canes were looking for the safe pick, Trouba is it at this point. He probably isn't NHL ready, but he should be in the league within 2 years.

Morgan Rielly - D

If you look at Rielly for the Canes, you probably think another offensive defenseman to add to the growing collection. But Rielly's game compares to Erik Karlsson and who wouldn't want that type of point producer on the blueline? Rielly is an extremely skilled offensive player that some consider one of the better skating defenseman in this draft. He has very good acceleration and is very agile. While he can shoot the puck, his forte is passing. He has a high hockey IQ, is very creative, and can thread a needle with the puck. His concerns are his slight build and his defensive abilities. Muscle can be put on, but can this kid learn how to be more responsible defensively. I'm sure he can, but he is never going to be much of a physical player. But adding Rielly could potentially allow for some of our other offensive defensemen to be traded to fill other holes.

Trade the Pick

The big question regarding the Hurricanes is whether this pick will be traded for one of the proven NHLers that might be available. If the Canes are attempting to get Bobby Ryan or Rick Nash to play with Eric Staal, then the #8 Pick is almost certainly part of any package going back. And if Jordan Staal is actually available, I'm sure Pittsburgh would love to make a big move on draft day in Pittsburgh, so I could see the #8 Pick switching hands if that were to occur. But there are other options too. Maybe the players the Canes were targeting were taken and the Canes find a partner to trade back with. There are three teams below us that have two 1st round picks. And while we might not get as high quality a player, we could get two that are still pretty good. Anything is possible, I guess we'll find out soon enough. But if you choose this option, please let me know what you think we'll get in return for the 8th Pick.