Draft Recap
It should go without saying, but in hindsight the 2011 draft was very underwhelming for the Hurricanes. The only NHL regular they selected was eventually ran out of town, but was at least able to recoup a nice piece moving forward for the team in Nino Niederreiter.
Other than Rask, none of their picks made an impact in Carolina, or anywhere in the NHL for that matter. It’s drafts like this one that hold weight in the teams’ struggles throughout the last decade. The Canes can be given a little bit of slack considering the 2011 draft class was weak overall, but it’s still a disappointment to look back at what is largely a wasted 2011 season – with no playoff appearance and a bad draft.
Overall draft grade – D
Question for CC Readers: What grade would you give the Carolina Hurricanes for their 2011 NHL Entry Draft choices?