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Carolina Hurricanes: Top Five First-Round Misfires

By Jeb Bohn

ST PAUL, MN - JUNE 24: Twelfth overall pick Ryan Murphy by the Carolina Hurricanes stands onstage for a photo with Ron Francis and a member of Carolina Hurricanes organization during day one of the 2011 NHL Entry Draft at Xcel Energy Center on June 24, 2011 in St Paul, Minnesota. (Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images)
ST PAUL, MN - JUNE 24: Twelfth overall pick Ryan Murphy by the Carolina Hurricanes stands onstage for a photo with Ron Francis and a member of Carolina Hurricanes organization during day one of the 2011 NHL Entry Draft at Xcel Energy Center on June 24, 2011 in St Paul, Minnesota. (Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images) /
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MONTREAL, QC – JUNE 26: Philippe Paradis puts on his new Carolina Hurricanes sweater after he was elected #27 overall by the Hurricanes during the first round of the 2009 NHL Entry Draft at the Bell Centre on June 26, 2009 in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. (Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images)
MONTREAL, QC – JUNE 26: Philippe Paradis puts on his new Carolina Hurricanes sweater after he was elected #27 overall by the Hurricanes during the first round of the 2009 NHL Entry Draft at the Bell Centre on June 26, 2009 in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. (Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images) /

Philippe Paradis

There were a lot of hits (John Tavares, Victor Hedman, Oliver Ekman-Larsson) and several misses (Scott Glennie, Zack Kassian, David Rundblad) in the first round of the 2009 NHL Draft.  The Carolina Hurricanes picking Philippe Paradis at the 27th spot was a big whiff.

The 6’2″ winger had the frame to develop into an NHL player, but the scoring touch he had shown while playing in the QMJHL never carried over to the professional game.  Playing in 249 AHL games, Paradis never posted more than 16 points in a season.

It’s worthy of note that none of those AHL games came in the Hurricanes organization, as Paradis was shipped to Toronto in exchange for Jiri Tlusty less than six months after he was drafted.  Ten years later and Paradis has never played in an NHL game.

BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS – JUNE 12: Ryan O’Reilly #90 of the St. Louis Blues looks on against the Boston Bruins during the first period in Game Seven of the 2019 NHL Stanley Cup Final at TD Garden on June 12, 2019 in Boston, Massachusetts. (Photo by Adam Glanzman/Getty Images)
BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS – JUNE 12: Ryan O’Reilly #90 of the St. Louis Blues looks on against the Boston Bruins during the first period in Game Seven of the 2019 NHL Stanley Cup Final at TD Garden on June 12, 2019 in Boston, Massachusetts. (Photo by Adam Glanzman/Getty Images) /

Reimagining History

Okay, the three picks that closed out the first round haven’t exactly become stars though, unlike Paradis, all have played in the NHL.  I’m going to go off the board a bit (relative to standings at the time of the draft) and opt for Ryan O’Reilly, who the Colorado Avalanche took early in the second round (33rd overall).

Leading up to the 2009 Draft, the biggest knock on O’Reilly was limited offensive upside.  Ten years and 733 games into his NHL career and O’Reilly’s career points per game sits at 0.68.  That’s pretty good for a two-way center.

That’s not to mention the fact that O’Reilly, fresh off a Stanley Cup victory with the St. Louis Blues, owns a Lady Byng, a Selke, and a Conn Smythe from this past playoff run.

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