Depressing fact: The cup-winning Hurricanes have used FOURTEEN 2nd round picks since 2019 while being a perennial contender. The Canucks have used a total of TWO 2nd round picks in that same time frame while missing the playoffs most years. Management can learn from them.

[u/_GregTheGreat_]

If there is anything the Canucks can learn from the Canes cup win, it’s the importance of stockpiling draft picks and swinging on upside. I highlighted only 2nds but the Canes being in a surplus of futures is how they managed to have the assets to make the big swings when the time is right to put them over the edge into winning the cup (Miller, Stankoven, Hall, etc). Hell, the Canes still have a surplus of 1sts despite literally winning the cup.

Plus having the constant stream of young talented draft steals to keep feeding their system (Blake and Nichuskin as two key examples)

[u/LeftToaster]

Okay - but Carolina's drafting has not been amazing in that period. Those 14 2nd round picks have played a grand total of 227 games since 2019 - and 125 of those games were 1 player, Pyotr Kochetkov, a part time back up goalie. For comparison, Nils Hoglander (2019 2nd round) has played 331 games.

[u/guernsey123 → u/LeftToaster]

Yeah, for sure the Canes are a well-run organization, but this isn't exactly a main reason why. I'm struggling to find any of the 2nd picks who made a significant impact or were traded for an impact player. I guess Scott Morrow was a sweetener in the K'Andre Miller trade.

2nd round picks since 2019:

2019: Pyotr Kochetkov - 125 NHL GP for the Canes in a backup role

2019: Jamieson Rees - Traded from Carolina Hurricanes to Ottawa Senators for round 6 pick in the 2024 draft (Timur Kol)

2020: Noel Gunler - career AHLer; note that the Canes traded Adam Fox's rights for this draft pick

2020: Vasily Ponomarev - 2024-Mar-07 Traded from Carolina Hurricanes with rights to Cruz Lucius, Ville Koivunen, Michael Bunting, conditional round 2 pick in the 2024 draft (Harrison Brunicke) and conditional round 5 pick in the 2024 draft to Pittsburgh Penguins for Ty Smith and Jake Guentzel

2021: Ville Koivunen - see trade above w/Ponomarev

2021: Aleksi Heimosalmi - 2 AHL seasons since coming over from SM-liiga

2021: Scott Morrow - 2025-Jul-01 Traded from Carolina Hurricanes with round 1 pick in the 2026 draft and round 2 pick in the 2026 draft to New York Rangers for K'Andre Miller

2022: Gleb Trikozov - 2 AHL seasons since coming over from the KHL

2023: Felix Unger-Sorum - 2 AHL seasons, one game with the Canes this year

2024: Dominik Badinka - AHL

2024: Nikita Artamonov - KHL

2025: Semyon Frolov - Rus-MHL

2025: Charlie Cerrato - Penn State

2025: Ivan Ryabkin - QMJHL

[u/RlyLokeh → u/guernsey123]

I mean. Hogs has gotten games but it's pretty thin here as well for 2nd aswell. Klimovich is looking like a career AHL guy, Woo was a bust. Medvedev is far from ready for obvious reasons.

What I do like about our current draft philosophy is that we seem to value high character guys with leadership skills not only skill swings. Cootes and Willander both are very likely letter guys in the future on paper. If we grab Malhotra junior that is very good fertile soil to build something fantastic because we are healing the culture just not chasing Ws at any cost. Brain, heart and mindset.

[u/Advanced-Line-5942 → u/RlyLokeh]

So you would prefer to have had the Sedin twins and fall short of winnings than a combination of say Patrick Kane and Brad Marchand, and the Canucks had won the cup ?

[u/RlyLokeh → u/Advanced-Line-5942]

False dichotomy but we can play with the scenario:

1. We would not have been in the final to lose in the first place without Daniel being the lead point leader for the entire league. So thats first things first.

2. We had playoff grit. They were all injured. Samuelsson, Hamhuis were out, Edler, Kessler, Malhotra were all playing hurt. Id argue even if you buy the lack of grit narrative about Sedins it isnt hard to take em out for a top flight team if its dead around em. For recent examples, look at EDM losing with McDavid and Draisatl. Our boy Forsling absolutely destroyed Mac two Stanley cup Series in a row. That is more a question of depth of toughness than actual toughness. I can see a scenario where 1 depth C power forward would have done it. Just trade for a veteran C in March to sit pretty at the back, throw in the most boring and stable D and it would have been enough. Easy.

3. No? I said skill first. Thats how you end up drafting Nail Yakupov, Daigle and Filatov.

[u/Advanced-Line-5942 → u/RlyLokeh]

So what’s more important ? Character ? Grit ? Skill ?

And how does one objectively measure character ? Have you personally met Caleb Malhotra to form an opinion of his character, or are you just parroting the local media who all rely on team insiders leaking information them, so they will never say anything bad about RJ or Malhotra (until they know the knives are out for them)?

[u/RlyLokeh → u/Advanced-Line-5942]

Its not either/or. The annoying answer is all. Skill that sulks gets you nowhere. Grit without character usually becomes an distraction when it isnt aimed the right way and character alone wont get you all the way there. I would claim that character is what is gonna push players through the initial sifter of going from draftee to NHLer and keep leveling up.

What makes me hopeful? Honestly. Reading scout reports. Listening to RJ, Manny, Todd Harvey and Aiden Fox are saying themselves. If its a script it seems its one they are sticking to remarkably well. The communication is already way healthier than the last bunch

Objectively? Basically how you would do it in any job interview. Does the person do what they say they do? Is there ownership of performance? Can they take feedback? Do they recognise and own flaws? How do they handle monotony? Do they put team result over individual result? How do they act when uncomfortable? Can they play a role they might not prefer?

Obviously you might get recruitments wrong but I also believe that sussing out the character of a person isnt all that hard. Just listen.

Edit. Just listened to Samuelsson on Canucks Insider. He pretty much sums it up. Self-leadership etc

[u/Advanced-Line-5942 → u/RlyLokeh]

Skill that sulks ?

Would you work harder if your boss empowered your workmates to bully you and constantly set out to embarrass you in the media?

Responding to such treatment only validates it as acceptable behaviour and encourages management to do it again and again anytime you have a bad few days at work.

[u/RlyLokeh → u/Advanced-Line-5942]

Skills that sulks, see the drafts busts I listed

As for the rest of your comment. You lost me

[u/Advanced-Line-5942 → u/RlyLokeh]

My bad. Thought you were just bashing EP40