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Carolina Hurricanes: Elite Players Selected Right Before a Canes Pick

By Austin Isham

TORONTO, ON - FEBRUARY 7: Mitchell Marner #16 of the Toronto Maple Leafs goes on the attack against the Anaheim Ducks during an NHL game at Scotiabank Arena on February 7, 2020 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The Maple Leafs defeated the Ducks 5-4 in overtime. (Photo by Claus Andersen/Getty Images)
TORONTO, ON - FEBRUARY 7: Mitchell Marner #16 of the Toronto Maple Leafs goes on the attack against the Anaheim Ducks during an NHL game at Scotiabank Arena on February 7, 2020 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The Maple Leafs defeated the Ducks 5-4 in overtime. (Photo by Claus Andersen/Getty Images) /
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Kyle Palmieri and Mike Hoffman

This pair of forwards eluded the Hurricanes in 09

Similar to last time I decided to group two guys together from the same draft. While these two players aren’ elite they are both solid top-six forwards capable of scoring a lot of goals.

Kyle Palmieri was selected 26th overall by the Anaheim Ducks. Exactly one selection later the Hurricanes selected one of the biggest busts in franchise history in Philippe Paradis. Mike Hoffman was drafted a few rounds later by the Ottawa Senators with the 130th overall pick, just before Matt Kennedy.

As I said, Paradis is one of the biggest busts in the Carolina Hurricanes’ franchise history. Never playing a single game in the NHL, he apparently is still playing hockey professionally. This past season he played for Jonquiere Marquis in the Ligue Nord-Américaine de Hockey. The LNAH is evidently a low-level professional league in Quebec with six teams, who knew?

Palmieri on the other hand is one of the better forwards for the New Jersey Devils. Good for about 50 or so points over a full NHL season, it is safe to say that he developed into a much better player.

Kennedy also failed to make it to the NHL, joining a long list of former Hurricanes’ prospects who didn’t pan out. Unlike Paradis however, he was a mid-round pick so the expectations for him were much lower.

On the flip side, Hoffman has put together six straight 20+ goal seasons. With a career-high 36 last year with the Panthers, he would have been a much better pick in hindsight.

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