2018 NHL Draft, Day 2: Carolina Hurricanes Draft Updates and Discussion

Day 2 of the 2018 NHL draft begins at 11:00 am Eastern Time, 10:00 Central. Brian and Justin will be reporting live from the draft floor, and we’ll have profiles of each Canes player selected.

Is there another Sebastian Aho lurking in the second round? Are there trades to be made?

As a reminder, here is where the Canes are scheduled to select. #fornow

Round 2: Number 42

Round 3: No Selection

Round 4: Numbers 96 and 104

Round 5: No Selection

Round 6: Number 166

Round 7: Numbers 197 and 216

And away we go!

9:50 a.m.: Good morning from the AAC, where we made it on time despite inadvertently sleeping in a bit much this morning. Ah well, better late than never, and it gave me the chance to chat with Flames coach Bill Peters (still feels weird to type that) upon arrival. Asked him if everything has calmed down. He chuckled: “Nah, not really.” They’re starting to move the family in the next couple of weeks, now that his kids are done with school for the summer.

He seemed way more laid back than he was at the end of last season, perhaps understandably so given the circumstances. I know I’ve said this before, but I really do wish the best for him; he’s a good man whose effectiveness in Raleigh had run its course, but he’s one of the warmest people I’ve had the pleasure of meeting in hockey. I’m looking forward to seeing him again when the Flames are in town in March. (BL)

10:15 a.m.: Hall of Famer Jim Gregory, who has presided over the second day of the draft since 1980 and has been an NHL employee since 1979, is manning the podium for the final time today. He’s not retiring, but today is his swan song when it comes to draft responsibilities. Gregory earned a standing ovation from the team dignitaries, media and crowd in attendance, underlining just how much of an institution he has become at this event over the years. (BL)

10:21 a.m.: The Los Angeles Kings have won the Ilya Kovalchuk derby, which presumably takes them out of the running to acquire Jeff Skinner. Now we might start seeing some action. (BL)

10:30 a.m.: The Hurricanes’ second round pick: Jack Drury, a center from the USHL’s Waterloo Black Hawks, son of former NHLer Ted and nephew of Chris. 27th ranked North American skater according to the Central Scouting rankings. He’s headed to Harvard next year.

11:05 a.m.: We get a little break now, barring a trade, until the Canes select twice in the fourth round. Raleigh’s Tyler Weiss will likely be off the board by the time the Canes’ next selection comes around, but if not it would shock me if they don’t take a long look at him. (BL)

11:35 a.m.: There has been a good bit of trade activity in the past couple of rounds, but it’s all been pick-for-pick. There hasn’t been a single player traded at the draft this year, and the only player to get a new home in any form is Kovalchuk. Last year Travis Hamonic was the only player traded at the draft, and the assumption was that it was a byproduct of the expansion draft looming, but maybe not - maybe this is the new normal. (BL)

12:30 p.m.: The Canes made two selections in the fourth round, Blainville-Boisbriand center Luke Henman with the 96th pick and Finnish winger Lenni Killinen at pick number 104. We’ll get pick analyses up in just a few minutes, but the Canes are on the verge of making a trade, so stand by.