With that being considered, where does that leave the team in terms of their plan of attack this year? If they remain without a first round pick, it will be the second consecutive year with such being the case, as the team elected to trade down and out of the first round in 2021.
Could the Canes, or would they, trade back into the first round? Will they consider moving back again? Would they deal a package of picks for immediate roster help?
"Every year we approach the draft the exact same way, irrespective of what picks we have," Canes Assistant General Manager Darren Yorke began. "Whether our picks are located higher in the first round, or in a situation like this year where we don't have a first round pick, you have to be prepared for anything that may come your way. It could be trading back or it may be trying to move up. Our job is really to collect as much information as possible."
Right now Carolina's first selection would come at #60 overall, the sixth-from-last pick in the second round.
In total, they hold eight picks:
Of course, from an entertainment perspective, there may be a bit of gusto lost by not holding a first round pick. However, exchanging the splash of holding a high pick for the lowered selection that comes along with a contending season is a deal that many fans of the organization are likely pleased with.
Plus, after all, when it comes to the draft, the first selected player is not always the one that goes on to have the most success.
"Ultimately, you can look at success [in the draft] in different ways. As an athlete, you get instant feedback when you're playing based off of ice time and production. Sometimes to get instant feedback on whether or not your draft has been successful if you're judging it based off of NHL games and success in the NHL, you have to wait. You have to wait a few years," Yorke continued.
"I think for us to try to get an understanding of whether or not we have we made the right decision, some of that is based off of the process and the information that we gather at that time. Then the other way to sort of look at it would be, if you did a redraft, would that player jump up? From a year-to-year standpoint, you can get in a little bit of an understanding of how well that that pick did, prior to the the athlete graduating to the NHL."
Case in point, in terms of the redraft? Jaccob Slavin, who had to wait until the fourth round to hear his name called in 2012, but was recently voted as a top three player from the year.
