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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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Honorable Mentions

The Carolina Hurricanes have a few more regrets

Before we get to the name I hinted at in the beginning there are a few honorable mentions.

In the 2005 draft, the Hurricanes selected Joe Barnes 64th overall. I will be 100% honest and say that I had no clue who this guy was and had to look him up.

Apparently he was a centerman who played for Saskatoon in the WHL. After his junior career was over, he briefly bounced around between the AHL and ECHL before retiring. It looks as if he’s never played more than 15 games in a pro season and was often injured.

Just two picks ahead of him the Penguins selected a future piece to their core in Kris Letang. Barely missing out on a five-time All-Star it would have been much nicer to have someone like him on the roster over someone who never even sniffed the NHL.

Also, a guy who was drafted two picks before a Canes selection, Logan Couture was selected 9th overall in the 2007 NHL Draft. Picked right before Brandon Sutter, Couture is currently the captain for the Sharks.

An 11 year NHL vet, he has gone on to appear in more than 700 regular-season games for San Jose posting fairly decent numbers across the board. A bit of an all-around player, his name has been thrown in the hat for the Lady Byng and Selke trophies multiple times.

Although not really an elite player, Pat Maroon has gone on to have himself a solid career. A former 6th round pick by the Flyers it is nice to get an NHL quality player that late in the draft.

Selected directly after him was Brett Bellemore. While Bellemore too made it to the NHL level, appearing in 121 games for the Canes over three seasons, I am sure they would have preferred to have a guy who’s still in the league.

For those of you who are curious, it appears as if Bellemore played a for the KHL expansion team in China for a few seasons before going to the Danish Hockey League in 2018-19.

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