If you are just checking in, you can find part 4 of my 4-part 2018 NHL Draft week series (and links to the first 3 parts) HERE.
This post will be left open for reader discussion and updates during the draft.
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Saturday 8:40am update
On Friday, the Canes avoided overthinking a good thing, picked Andrei Svechnikov and in the process added a player with a high probability of being a high-end scorer.
Otherwise, the first day of the draft was a quiet one in terms of actual activity for the Hurricanes and the league as a whole. Jeff Skinner’s name reared up again. Elias Lindholm also joined the fray, but both players are still on the Hurricanes roster as of Saturday morning.
Most interesting on the trade front was a deal that sent Philipp Grubauer and Brooks Orpik (salary dump) to the Colorado Avalanche for a second-round pick.
A few minutes after the deal was announced, I said on Twitter:
That's an interesting deal, and one that could have made sense for #Canes. Orpik at $4.5M (actual) is a salary dump it's only 1 year and might another grizzled veteran help with the locker room reset? And then Grubauer costs only a 2nd-rounder. Interesting… https://t.co/5agvUXQbxT
— Canes and Coffee (@CanesandCoffee) June 22, 2018
A few hours later in his parting comments at the end of the night, Luke DeCock said not only was it interesting, but that the Hurricanes were actually in on this deal.
Canes offered earlier second-rounder than Colorado for Grubauer and were willing to take Orpik's contract (not permanently, presumably, for obvious reasons) — but Caps apparently wanted him out of the Southeas…er, Metro.
— Luke DeCock (@LukeDeCock) June 23, 2018
Comments on Lindholm:
Meeting between Elias Lindholm camp and Hurricanes' brass did not go well today, I'm told. Still far apart on a contract. A trade now is very much possible.
— Pierre LeBrun (@PierreVLeBrun) June 22, 2018
Comments on Skinner:
Sounds like Carolina is inching closer to moving Jeff Skinner. 3 teams believed to be in the mix in the late stages of discussions.
— Darren Dreger (@DarrenDreger) June 22, 2018
I had Skinner as a player I would trade (for the right return) in part 4 of my 2018 NHL Draft series.
5:57pm update
Report on Elias Lindholm’s contract negotiations with my Twitter comments that followed.
Meeting between Elias Lindholm camp and Hurricanes' brass did not go well today, I'm told. Still far apart on a contract. A trade now is very much possible.
— Pierre LeBrun (@PierreVLeBrun) June 22, 2018
1/? Subject to be proven wrong at any time, I think this is a tough negotiation and not a trade scenario. https://t.co/upfdbzfphE
— Canes and Coffee (@CanesandCoffee) June 22, 2018
2/? Elias Lindholm as measured by 2017-18 (and prior) is a solid young depth forward with modest offensive production. That prices fairly on a 2-3 year deal at $2.5-3.5 million if you do not count for upside.
— Canes and Coffee (@CanesandCoffee) June 22, 2018
3/? But Lindholm is still young at 23 and therefore with upside. His agent would rather he just get paid for what he might become which is solid all-around top 6 forward with about 15 points more offense. That prices at $5-6M.
— Canes and Coffee (@CanesandCoffee) June 22, 2018
4/? So there is a huge gap of about $3M between low end (2017-18 version forever) and high end (he's ready to break out).
— Canes and Coffee (@CanesandCoffee) June 22, 2018
5/? My wild guess says that #Canes have inkling that Lindholm prefers to stay and floated Calgary rumor (you could end up back with Peters!) to start game of chicken such that if Lindholm asks for too much, he could be asking for a ticket out of town.
— Canes and Coffee (@CanesandCoffee) June 22, 2018
6/? Interesting is that Noah Hanifin is in similar position (though just coming off ELC) as a player with a HUGE gap between value of current role and potential upside. Wouldn't be surprised if both negotiations stretch into the summer.
— Canes and Coffee (@CanesandCoffee) June 22, 2018
4:19pm update
Sounds like Carolina is inching closer to moving Jeff Skinner. 3 teams believed to be in the mix in the late stages of discussions.
— Darren Dreger (@DarrenDreger) June 22, 2018
Will leave this open for discussion and provide comments as news emerges.
Also hearing Hanafin to Detroit.
Definitely not a fan of Hannifin plus #2 pick to Detroit for anything they have to offer.
No superstar player, Detroit is dealing with many of the same problems as the Canes, soft, perimeter team.
Sure, Dylan Larkin is good, Mike Green could be a decent veteran defenseman (almost a UFA). I do not agree with Larkin and the rights to Green and #6 pick to car for Hannifin and #2 pick, no way.
I don’t know what other players the Canes would be interestd in.
Breezy, where do you get your information from? I see you’re always throwing out horrible trade proposals you’ve read on the internet. If you’re reading other blogs do so with a huge grain of salt. The Hanifan proposal you suggested would get any GM canned immediately.
Hey jsweir…Disagreeing and saying why you disagree is cool. Friendly debate is always welcome, but please be careful to stay on the right side of being respectful.
I meant no disrespect to Breezy personally and hope he didn’t take my comments that way. Just wanted to point out the information is only as good as the source.
I’m glad that I can amuse you my friend.
As anhy decent or indecent journalist I keep the sources of my horrible trade proposals strictly secret.
Cheers
Lindholm rumors are swirling. I understand his agent is asking for 5 mil a year. I like Lindholm but not at 5 mil. He has never scored 50 points in a season and wants 5 mil? Dundon and Waddell are not being cheap on this one. They are being smart. I hope they reach a deal but I would rather he go than pay 5 mil long term.
Even though there is a big gap, that can be decreased with further negotiations. DW says they want to sign Lindy and keep the young core but everyone is screaming if he doesn’t sign then trade him. Why not let it go to arbitration if they can’t agree. With Lindy’s stats and lack of goal scoring, I don’t think he would win a 5m+/per award. I think it would be in the 4.3-4.8 area for 2-3 years. I’d be good with that if that’s how it turned out.
We will pick 2OA, welcome Svech!
Lindy negotiations likely means trade, which I am okay with. Only way Hanifin goes is if we send Lindy + to Calgary for Hamilton, then subsequently deal Hanifin to Detroit and still able to draft 6OA. Wouldn’t mind this scenario!
Then there is Darling/Faulk…my fridge is stocked if need be!
Are you a wizard? You were so on the right track my friend.
New jerseys are out.
https://mobile.twitter.com/NHLCanes/status/1010292936922329091/video/1
As a NC native I really like them.
I am much less enthralled with them, to be honest. In fact, I dislike them. A lot.
Sometime before 8 tonight the Canes will likely have a franchise forward (Svech) and elite forward/center (Aho), an elite defensive center (Staal), and a potential elite center (Necas). The organization also has one of the deepest prospect pools in the league–think about it this way, last March most of us were clamoring for the Canes to call up Saarela because he was such an offensive weapon in his first few AHL games. Now Saarela is in few if any list of the Canes’ top 5 prospects.
To me that says that every pick after 2OA should be aiming at high-ceiling draft choices. Because both the current roster and the prospects have numerous solid players.
If I were GM, I would focus on the best skaters available or in later rounds players who have high offensive potential compared to other available picks. It makes sense to target LWers (with the hope of eventually finding someone to complete a line with Necas/Svechnikov) and RHDs.
I have not seen any juniors play live and only a limited amount on live TV or internet. So my evaluations are based on “serious” scouting services like NHL central scouting, Hockey Prospects, Future Considerations, etc.) and comments on other sites from people who seem to have respected opinions. For each round these players have been mentioned generally within 25 spots of the Canes’ draft position.
2nd Round: Four skaters stand out:
CALEN ADDISON (RHD)–likely to be gone, but considered the best skater among D after Dahlin and Hughes;
JAKUB LAUKO–considered extremely fast and solid in both ends;
LIAM FOUDY–perhaps the only forward faster than Lauko, the son of two excellent athletes;
JESSE YLONEN–excellent all-around skater who has strong goal-scoring potential.
4th Round: With two picks I would hope for two of these three:
LINUS NYMAN–a player I actually saw twice because he was a teammate of Jeremy Helvig. Although quite small, Nyman is super quick and likes to mix it up in front of the net.
LIBOR ZABRANSKY–a RHD with good size (6’1″, 190) who did not stand out in his first year playing in North America, but has good numbers in several international tournaments.
LINUS KARLSSON–a right-shot center who has been a top scorer in different leagues the past three seasons.
JOHNNY GRUDEN–Not one of the top US prospects, but did a fair amount of scoring on the US national team.
6th Round: Get another goalie prospect
SAMUEL ERSSON.
7th round: If still available
OLIVER OKULIAR–Slovakian held his own at WJC 18.
JAKUB ADAMEK–6’6″, 201 lb. Czech defenseman who made their national team. Worth drafting just for his size.
No surprises on the night. Happy with our pick but secretly suspect the Islanders will come out on top of this draft. They drafted elite forward and defense prospects.
I was really hoping the Canes would engineer a last-minute trade of Hannifin to Detroit and grab Zedina. I know some people on here would find this proposal horrible, I just hope they have their salt shaker handy 😉 but I think drafting a friend and countryman of Necas would have been smart. There are defensive holes to fill and giving up Hannifin would not have improved matters but it would’ve been a good one.
Drafting Svechnikov was the way to go. Hope he lives up to the billing.
Disappointing that the Caps wouldn’t send the Canes Grubauer even though they offered more than Colorado. I get it though. Why help your rival get better when what you are really doing is unloading salary? John Carlson just got his deal in Washington. Looks like Varlamov is on his way out in Colorado, but I wouldn’t touch him with a ten foot pole.
Fans often overvalue their players. However, in the case of Lindholm, I think he is being undervalued. Based on comparable players, $4.5M is about right.
Flyers gave Couturier 6 years $26M after 37 and 39 point seasons.
Marcus Johansson signed for 3 years $13.75M after 47 and 46 point seasons
Calgary extended Mikael Backlund for 6 years $32M after 47 and 53 point seasons–in the middle of a 45 point season.
So LIndholm, who is not yet 24, just had 45 and 44 point seasons. Simple comparison implies he is worth more than the $4M most fans say should be the best offer.
Lebrun is saying he wants 5×5 and we are offering 4. That’s a big gap. A 2×4.5 bridge deal makes sense to me, but probably not in the hockey world.
I agree ct. See my reply to jm97 a little earlier.
(didn’t want to post it twice)
I agree with Matt that both sides are just posturing in the negotiation. RBA specifically mentioned Lindholm as a player he thinks he can help improve – and he already has helped his face-off skills dramatically. Lindholm is not going anywhere. He’s had 5 years in the league already but my view (and I think the general view) is that the gap between his current level of play and his ultimate ceiling is still quite wide – one of the widest on the team.
Trading him makes no sense. It may drag out and head toward arbitration, but ultimately they’ll work it out. That’s my call. I think a deal like Johansson’s is fine. He should want to bet on himself, because if he really improves as a Center, after that deal ends he’ll be 26, a UFA, and in line for a huge contract.
Not so sure I’d say the same thing is going to happen with Hanifin. The likelihood of him being traded is far higher.
Once Tavares announces today he’s staying in NY and Kovalchuk decides those other teams start focusing on other options, the logjam breaks a little. Maybe today but probably next week.
LAK, SJO, and STL are all interested in Skinner. If he’s traded, I hope it’s to a team in the West so we only see him 2x a year. Not sure what I’d want from STL.
dmiller. Agree that a lot of the Canes’ moves will be contingent on the players you named–perhaps also on whether Panarin is truly available.
My concerns are that all the Skinner rumors involve only a “high pick and a prospect.” I don’t see how the Canes create a lineup without getting a roster player back. As several folks have mentioned, it works if Skinner returns a D-man and Faulk a forward. But it doesn’t work if one leaves a hole.
That being said, the one STL return that might work is Patrik Berglund. I know he has issues staying healthy, but he is good for around 20 goals. He plays about a little less at even strength than Skinner yet has 3x times as many hits while giving the puck away about 1/3 as often. He can take face-offs if needed and play on both special teams.
So something around Berglund and a prospect could work.
I agree, once Tavares decides I think the dam breaks. There may be some teams not willing to wait on Kovy and make a push for Skinner. That said, I do hope today we are able solidify goaltending. I could see Allen, Bernier or perhaps a surprise in the mix.
Several “first rounders” are still available: Noel, Thomas, Berggren, Wilde, Sameulsson, Wise.
The 42nd pick will have real value. Obviously this pick won’t have near the impact of Svechnikiv. But in 3 years this could be the player who give the organization that extra threat or flexibility to make that one big move.
If all the above-mentioned players are gone by 42, I still like taking a chance on a high-upside, fast skater. There should be several options.
Hi guys! I am very glad that we made it through yesterday not trading anyone. Let’s hope we make it through today as well.
I see that we are still hearing from the Skinner haters. As I have said before, the minute I hear how we are going to replace Skinny’s scoring with what is coming back, I will agree that a trade is a good move.
Oh well, we have Svech now. He will replace Skinny’s scoring and then some.
Right?
No. We already have BOTH Svech and Skinny. Wow! Let’s keep them both. Great idea! I hope someone in Canes management thinks this way.
Seems like general consensus (and it could well be true) is that John Tavares is spoiling all of the trading fun.
It’s possible that a team realizing that they will be in a tough bidding war for Tavares if he even becomes available tries to use the opening, but who knows.
Simple yes/no polls…
1-Do the Canes draft a Finnish forward in the 2nd round for the 4th straight year? (There could be a couple options in Nordgren and/or Ylonen.
2-Do Canes also continue string of continually stocking the goalie prospect pool with a mid/late-round pick?
3-Do we see a player trade today for Canes?
The Kings have signed Kovi to a 3-year deal apparently. Starts clearing the log jam for trades.
I’m only a fan of trading Skinner if the return is meaningful (a roster player that fills a primary need and a goalie prospect).
I think Columbus is going to do a Caps move and not trade a roster player to a division rival, or at least consider that as part of their list of offers.
I wouldn’t be surprised if this roster is more or less the same come fall, and I’d be ok with that if the canes make an upgrade in goal and add one defenseman.
I would have loved to send Hannifin to the Red Wings and draft Zedina. The Detroit blogger on Hockeybuzz is downright outraged that they did not draft a defenseman.
Maybe the Canes can trade Hannifin for zedina if Necas impresses in prospect camp, I doubt it.
Deity pick is ok. He has scoring ability. Though as I mentioned, I would have gone for a more high-ceiling player. Addison and Hallander were both on the board.
Hope I am wrong and Drury is another Aho.
Drury—not sure what my phone was spell checking.
I am officially old. I saw Ted Drury play at “the mall” (aka civic center) in Hartford in 1994. Good family pedigree and while not an overwhelming pick, Jack might fit into a 3-4 year plan.
It is disappointing that cap traded Philipp Grubauer. The issue for them is that they were willing to take less to keep from helping a team in the east. Too Bad.
Pure speculation and even a blanket statement, but I’m thinking STL might be looking for Skinner. STL could provide us assets on forward or goaltending, potentially an Allen or Berglund (as CT suggested above).
If goalie help doesn’t come via trade, I would anticipate Lehner or Bernier to solidify our goaltending. Lindholm remains the biggest question mark, and with speculation of Calgary being interested (potentially Hamilton and other incidentals to shore up our defense). Right now everything is somewhat a wild card, but our team is just that so maybe it works.
A roster player and a goalie or goalie prospect would be acceptable return for Skinner.
Why aren’t the Canes drafting defense or goalie prospects in the lower rounds? Why a center at 42. The team has too many centers and not enough defensemen right now, plus defensemen often have more growth potential.
I thought rounds 2 through 7 were a mix of positional needs and the best player available.
Lindholm and Hanifin to Calgary. Coming back; Hamilto, Ferland, and Fox.
Deal.
I guess I was wrong about Lindholm … like red, my accuracy is between 0 and 100.
Very bummed to lose him
Who the heck is Fox? I definitely need some time to decide if this was a good deal, fair deal or a highway robbery.
Happy it wasn’t to a division/conference competitor.
Hammilton should be an upgrade, though he never lived up to his potential.
I don’t know about the other two.
The Flames blogger thinks Carolina were the winners of the deal, Fox is a promising defense prospect
http://www.hockeybuzz.com/blog/Todd-Cordell/Calgary-Flames-and-Carolina-Hurricanes-pull-off-blockbuster-trade/202/93565
Hamilton is good. Ferland is good. Great trade. Fox is smaller defenseman at Harvard who played for NDTP. Nice prospect. Unless there is some attitude problems here Waddell made out!!