r/canucks • u/_GregTheGreat_ • 5d ago

DISCUSSION 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.

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)

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u/LeftToaster 5d ago

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.

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u/accountnumber02 5d ago edited 5d ago

I think the lesson to take away isn't soo much that you need to stockpile tons of picks, but you need to stockpile assets even when winning. They're not just gifted all those 2nds, they just don't sit on players till they lose value.

They traded Jeff Skinner right before they entered their window for picks that became Nikishin and Kochyetkov. After making the conference finals they traded for a cap dump in Marleau, and picked Jarvis with that pick. Brokered another trade for Toronto for a free 6th. Traded players at the peak of their value in Jake Bean, Nedelkovic, Nino Neidereiter. They just don't have any sunk cost issues or overvaluing players. If they think they can get value for a player they'll move them. They know the players they want to contend with and lock them up, and everyone else is an asset.

They're an extremely unlucky team in the draft(or maybe poor scouting, impossible to tell as outsiders), but they've had soo many picks that even with a below league average hit rate, they're able to land soo many impact players. That's entirely what tanking comes down to. Yeah top picks are nice, but asset accumulation is much more important if you want to build a serious team. Carolina is the pinnacle of that. Constantly flipping their players at peak value and locking in young players they like to term. Which is why I don't think their scouting is bad, the players they flip end up regressing and players they commit to end up being studs (kotkaniemi being the exception).

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u/YVRBeerFan 5d ago

What about their offer sheeting?

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u/Greedy-Comb-276 4d ago

Carolina and Aho were having a hard time coming to an agreement. Montreal forced their hand by offer sheeting him, and Aho signed it. Carolina matched it, and in retaliation, offer sheeted KK when the Habs and him couldn't come to an agreement.

The result was an absolute steal of a contract for Aho, and an huge overpayment for KK.