I'm convinced that the Canes will be picking in the 7-10 range this year unless they luck out in the lottery, so while I'd love to add one of Matthews, Puljujarvi, Laine, and Tkachuk, IMO, they are not very likely.
A couple of questions for the guys on this board that follow prospects:
1) who are some forward candidates that might be around in after those 4 that might be of interest to Carolina?
2) Assuming the King's pick is 25-30, who are some potential targets there?
3) Any goalies worth taking a shot at in the 2nd/3rd/4th rounds?
The forward candidates that I'd like to see us keep on our radar are:
1. Jesse Puljujarvi (because Matthews and Tkachuk are not going to be there when we pick there) - but probably won't be available when we pick
2. Patrik Laine - also likely won't be there but some have him in the 7-10 range
3. Julien Gauthier - size and scoring; likely available in the 10-15 range
4. Logan Brown - local boy done real good; probably a 15-20 pick
5. Max Jones - point per game player; probably a good candidate for the LA pick
6. Pierre-Luc Dubois - pure scorer who has fluctuated fairly widely in draft rankings
7. Michael McLeod - a center with grit, size, and speed who is "tough to play against"
I'd take any three of those guys and would especially love one of the two Finns, but I think both will be gone before we pick. None of the others are going to help in 2016-17. I would not be surprised to see one of Brown, Jones, or McLeod grabbed with the LA pick.
If we acquire a 3rd 1st rounder I'd assume it to be late in the 1st round. I'd also assume that we'd grab another forward with that pick. I could see Carl Grundstrom or Brett Howden as one of our choices with that pick too.
I'd be absolutely astonished if we picked a goalie with our 2nd round pick. I expect us to snag the best goalie prospect available in the 4th or 5th round (maybe one of the two 3rds). Despite the seemingly poor play of the Ward/Lack combo, we have 3 solid prospects in Altshuller, Nedeljkovic, and Booth all progressing nicely. Altshuller is 4-0 with a sub 2.0 GAA and a SV% of .937 since coming to Charlotte. Neds has been on fire since the trade and is playing well in the WJC. Callum Booth was the most recent player of the week in the QMJHL.
We've got 5 or 6 pretty intriguing forward prospects in the juniors right now and I'd be surprised if we didn't see a pretty significant changing of the guard down in Charlotte. With guys like Aho, Wallmark, Roy, Foegele, Cotton, Bishop, and Lorentz all beginning to show their stuff, it wouldn't surprise me to see four of those guys in the A next year. Roy won't be age-available which poses an interesting problem as he's already proving to be a man among boys this year in the Q. My guess is that we'll see Aho, Bishop, Wallmark, and Foegele on the Checkers next year and Lorentz likely in FL. That represents two new significant scorers, a pivot with mad passing skills, and a solid grinder who can put the puck in the net when called on.
I'm assuming all of Gerbe, Nash, Terry, and Jordan are gone next year. As I think we're just below bubble status, I'm guessing both Versteeg and Liles get moved too. It goes without saying that we'll likely move Eric as I'm not hearing much about contract negotiations. Hainsey's NTC will keep hm from going anywhere but a solid playoff contender.
That's my two cents worth....
Seriously, was wondering if he played any youth hockey here at all, even if at the Mite level or was he gone shortly after being born.
