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5th Overall Pick Available

June 5, 2013, 10:23 PM ET [248 Comments]
GARTH'S CORNER
NHL news by Garth • RSSArchiveCONTACT
Carolina Hurricanes GM, Jim Rutherford, has done an about-face. He used to think that the 2013 Entry Draft was a five horse race. He has now changed his mind.

“For a long time, I’ve suggested that it’s really the top six (overall) players that have that chance for next year,” Rutherford told Hurricanes.com earlier this week.

“Based on information I have to date now, I’m more comfortable saying that’s probably getting more to seven or eight (overall).”


Weeks ago, Rutherford was steadfast in his belief he would have to hold onto his fifth overall pick because the talent would drop off after the fifth slot. Now that he has been to the combine and crunched the data, Rutherford has changed his thought process. Rutherford is now willing to consider trading his 5th overall pick, in order to move down in the entry draft. His mindset is simple: the first round is thick and deep with USDA Grade A cuts of filet mignon, the same way that it was in 2003. Rutherford is now open to trading the 5th overall pick in order to get a man who can make an immediate impact in 2013-14. Winger? D? Goaltender? Darcy Regier should make a call to Rutherford, if he hasn't already, in order to hone in on exactly what type of player that the Canes are looking to add today. Make an offer: (insert player name here), plus the 8th overall pick in the June 30th entry draft, in exchange for the 5th overall choice in this month's entry draft.?
Stafford? Leino? Myers? Vanek? Miller?

Only Rutherford and his hockey ops department can answer that question.

“There are some areas of our team that we’d like to fix sooner than later. If we had the chance to get something that helps our team immediately and not move [down] too many picks, we would at least have to have a pretty in-depth conversation about that within hockey operations,” he said.

The Canes have a whack of UFAs to sign this summer. Rutherford only has $7.5 million to work with. LaRose, Brent, Corvo, Bergeron, Sanguinetti, and Ellis are all UFAs in July.

Cam Ward has three years remaining at $6.3 million per season.


“I wouldn’t trade the pick outright and wouldn’t drop too many spots, but I’m not going to say I wouldn’t do it at all. I think the odds are against it. Probably not going to trade it. But I think it’s important to look at all options.”


Rutherford ruled out trading up to get into the top four. It sounds like he can live with trading out of the 5-hole to arrive at the 6, 7, or 8th-hole.

“I like where we sit at five,” he said.

That is, unless the Sabres or another team want to wow the Canes with an offer that they cannot scoff at.

If the Sabres want to take a run at Nichushkin, Barkov, or Nurse, they make a deal with the Canes for their fifth overall pick.


Here's the International Scouting Services's Top 20 Prospects:

1 MacKinnon, Nathan C 6.00 182 Halifax QMJHL
2 Jones, Seth RD 6.03.5 208 Portland WHL
3 Drouin, Jonathan C 5.10.75 185 Halifax QMJHL
4 Nichushkin, Valery F 6.04 202 Chelyabinsk Traktor KHL
5 Barkov, Sasha F 6.03 209 Tappara FinE
6 Nurse, Darnell LD 6.03.5 189 S.S. Marie OHL
7 Lindholm, Elias C 6.00 192 Brynas SweE
8 Zadorov, Nikita LD 6.05.25 230 London OHL
9 Monahan, Sean C 6.02 186 Ottawa OHL
10 Horvat, Bo C 6.00.25 200 London OHL



11 Ristolainen, Rasmus RD 6.04 207 TPS Turku FinE
12 Lazar, Curtis C 5.11.75 193 Edmonton WHL
13 Shinkaruk, Hunter C 5.11 175 Medicine Hat WHL
14 Pulock, Ryan RD 6.00.5 211 Brandon WHL
15 Wennberg, Alexander C 6.01.5 190 Djurgarden Sweden
16 Burakowsky, Andre LW 6.01.5 178 Malmo SweAl
17 Santini, Steve RD 6.01.5 207 USA Under-18 NTDP
18 Gauthier, Frederik C 6.05 210 Rimouski QMJHL
19 Zykov, Valentin RW 6.00 210 Baie-Comeau QMJHL
20 Rychel, Kerby LW 6.01 200 Windsor OHL





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