Nichushkin is projected to be a top-five pick because of his speed and size. The left-winger stands at 6-4 and scored the bronze-medal winning goal at this year’s World Juniors when he burst past Canes’ prospect Ryan Murphy and beat Malcolm Subban to win the game in overtime.

Despite the skill, Nichushkin scared teams because he had a three-year deal with his KHL team and no one knew when he would come over to play in the NHL similar to Evgeny Kuznetsov, who was drafted by the Washington Capitals in 2010, but has not come to the NHL.

Pronman also said that the Tampa Bay Lightning, Nashville Predators and Hurricanes have expressed interest and have talked to Nichushkin. The Lightning and Predators draft third and fourth, respectively, both above the Hurricanes.

In many mock drafts Nichushkin was projected to go fifth to the Hurricanes, but with his announcement of coming to North America, there’s a chance Nichushkin will go higher than that.

If the Canes do draft Nichushkin, he would fit on the second line with Jordan Staal and Tuomo Ruutu, creating a huge second line. It’s likely that Nichushkin has enough skill to play in the NHL next season.

February 9, 2013; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Carolina Hurricanes center Jiri Tlusty (middle) celebrates his goal with teammates left wing Alexander Semin (left) and center Eric Staal (12) against the Philadelphia Flyers during the first period at the Wells Fargo Center. Mandatory Credit: Eric Hartline-USA TODAY Sports

With the fifth overall pick in the upcoming draft it will be interesting to see who the Hurricanes take. It has been said that the upcoming draft is deep enough that the third, fourth, and fifth picks could have potentially been the first, second, and third overall picks in an average draft. It is almost a certainty that Seth Jones, the star defenseman for the Portland Winterhawks of the WHL, will be selected first overall by the Colorado Avalanche. Although the Hurricanes lack a solid core of defensive defensemen, it is likely that Jamie McBain will be traded in order to address that need before next season gets underway. That would defeat the need for the Canes to call a defenseman’s name during the first round of the draft. With the draft being one of the deepest, if not the deepest in years, the Hurricanes should look to follow GM Jim Rutherford’s approach of drafting the best player available.

The best player available when the Hurricanes get their chance at the podium could come in the form of Valeri Nichushkin of Russia. The 18 year old Nichushkin is the second ranked European prospect in the draft and should be there for the taking with the fifth pick. He is classified as a playmaker with excellent skating ability. He also boasts a big body at 6’4 and 202 pounds. With those qualities and size he has the potential to be a lot like the Hurricanes star forward Eric Staal who stands at 6’4 and 205 pounds. If Nichushkin can be half as good as Staal has been for the Canes over the years, expect him to be a mainstay in Raleigh from day one.

Last summer, Rutherford made the draft-day trade for Jordan Staal. It’s too early to tell who won the trade, but the Hurricanes have to be happy with Staal on the roster. He helps the defense, winning face-offs and gives the Canes a second-line center. But it was a smaller decision that would end up hurting the Hurricanes more.

Jim Rutherford did not replace the play of Bryan Allen last offseason. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

Rutherford let Bryan Allen enter free agency, where he eventually signed with the Anaheim Ducks. Allen did not play such an important role that he needed to be re-signed, but his defensive play needed to be replaced. Instead, Rutherford signed ex-Hurricane Joe Corvo when there was already enough offensive defensemen on the roster. In one small free agency signing Rutherford made a move that would hurt his team.

When Cam Ward was injured, Rutherford said he would not trade for a goalie and Dan Ellis and Justin Peters would take over the net. This may have been the right move, since another goalie would cost assets in a trade, but the Philadelphia Flyers got Steve Mason for a third-round pick, which maybe would have been a better option for the Canes. Mason had a 4-2 record with the Flyers, the same amount of wins as Peters and only two less than Ellis.

Rutherford made a few errors in the past year, that he cannot make again this year. This summer Rutherford needs to add defensive defensemen and bottom six forwards to his team. There is no need for a big addition like Staal or Alexander Semin. The things that need to be changed are minor additions and as long as Rutherford acts accordingly, he can set up his team for a better season next year.