The Carolina Hurricanes weren't afraid to make a few moves to ensure their franchise revolved around the 20-year old phenom.
The BEARD Hockey Dispersal Draft has come to an end and it’s time for yours truly, Bobby Muggins, to break down how the Canes did.
At first glance, the roster is filled with a good balance of both young and veteran talent. GM Jay Williams made a couple deals to move up in the draft from 13th to sizth, and in doing so was able to take young phenom Andrei Svechnikov. Williams was seen fist pumping as they made the selection.
After bringing the talented winger to the organization, the Canes then made sure to give him the center to help channel that talent in John Tavares. The center position was bolstered again when Carolina added Vincent Trocheck to anchor the second line. Both centermen are under contract for four years and should be able to give the Canes some good depth for years to come.
Williams then brought in some younger wingers to build around the two powerful centermen, such as Denis Guiranov, Tyler Bertuzzi and Vlad Namestnikov. Preseason will determine which combination works best and who will play first or second line minutes.
Personally, I was excited when the Canes drafted Brock McGinn to join the team. This kid is a heart and soul player, will be everything you need him to be, and gives 110% every time he is on the ice. He is the type of player that tends to fly under the radar and every team needs a player like this.
On defense, the Hurricanes have a good mix of veteran and youth talent to limit the scoring chances of opposing teams this season. Leading the corps will be Brent Seabrook (who many think could end up being team captain), along with Marc Staal and Michael Del Zotto.
Quarterbacking the teams' power play will be none other than Torey Krug. Krug has a great vision for that first pass out of the zone to spring the offensive rush as well as an accurate shot from the blueline.
The two bottom defensive positions will be determined by preseason play from Haydn Fleury, Alex Biega, and Mark Pysyk. Pysyk replaces Nikita Zaitsev, who was dealt to the Montreal Canadiens.
The netminder position is strong, with All-Star goalie Sergei Bobrovsky expected to get the majority of the starts in net. Backing "Big Bobby" up in net will be Jack Campbell. Campbell has the makings to be a starting netminder in this league and hopes to challenge Bobrovsky for playing time. I expect Jay Williams to extend pending UFA Campbell before the end of the year, assuming he plays at the level he is expected to.
As mentioned earlier, the Canes did make a trade after the draft with the Montreal Canadiens. This deal saw Carolina send Jeff Skinner, Zaitsev, and a first round pick in 2021 for gritty forward Joel Armia, Pysyk, and the 23rd overall pick in this year's Entry Draft.
When asked why the deal was made, Williams stated that getting another first round pick in this year's deep draft class was a goal, and Armia is the type of player Williams is fond of - someone with talent who can also throw the body around.
This was not the only trade, however. The first "official" trade of BEARD Hockey history saw the Hurricanes trade their third and sixth round picks in this year's Entry Draft for prospect Skyler Brind’Amour and Buffalo's seventh round pick this year. This move seems fitting, as Skyler will be the second Brind’Amour in the organization as his father Rod was hired on to coach the team for the next three seasons.
I am very excited to see how this team does this year as expectations are high and this team should be able to contend right away. Built with size, power, and talent, one can only imagine how far this team can go in the inaugural BEARD Hockey season.
Next up is the BEARD Hockey Entry Draft, and Carolina currently has the 23rd and 30th overall picks in the first round. This is a great opportunity to bring some high-end talent into the organization.
This is Bobby Muggins signing off for now. As a reminder to all the other teams out there, a storm is coming.