Almost one year ago, I talked about the Carolina Hurricanes having almost no draft capital for the 2026 NHL Draft, which begins on Friday. At that time, the Canes only had three picks, holding their first-round pick and two sixth-round picks. Over the last year, they've added one more, picking up a fourth-round selection from the Sharks in a small deal in January.
While it's a better spot than they were in shortly after last year's draft, it's a far cry from the way things usually are for the Canes during this time of year. It begs the question: "What happened to all of their draft picks?" Well, that's what we're here to talk about today. As you'll find out, most of those draft picks were put to good use, shaping how the team competed for the Stanley Cup this season.
An acquired first and their second went dancing on Broadway
You won't find many upset with how the Mikko Rantanen debacle ended for the Hurricanes. The Canes sent Martin Necas, Jack Drury, and a few picks, including their fourth-round pick this season, to Colorado, but when it didn't work out, the Canes flipped him for Logan Stankoven and four picks, including Dallas' first-round pick in 2026. They held onto it until the first day of free agency last July.
The Canes sent one of their two first-round picks to the New York Rangers in the sign-and-trade for K'Andre Miller, sending the higher of the two and their second-round pick to New York for the defenseman. Obviously, Carolina making it further in the playoffs allowed them to keep their pick, sending the Stars' first-rounder to the Rangers, landing at 26th overall.
The Canes haven't had their third-round pick for three years
When the Canes shipped their third-round pick away at the 2023 trade deadline, they sent it to a team that no longer exists. Not only did they send the pick away, but they also let this player walk away at the end of the season, only to get him back in free agency in 2025. Back then, I'm sure no one expected this turn of events, but here we are.
It was a simple deal, sending their 2026 third-round pick to the Arizona Coyotes for Shayne Gostisbehere. He spent the remainder of the season with the Canes before spending one season in Detroit. Gostisbehere returned to Raleigh the following offseason, with the organization leaving a major impression on him. I think he made the right decision to come back.
They used their fifth-round pick to stabilize the fourth line
When going around the league, few teams have a fourth line that provides as much as the Canes' does for the value that it does. A big part of that is adding Mark Jankowski at the deadline last year, which largely flew under the radar because of what happened elsewhere. Still, sending Nashville their fifth-round pick was more than worth what Jankowski provided to the team.
Along with that incredible spurt at the end of last season, Jankowski's offensive production during the postseason, while limited, came at the best possible times. He helped create an overtime goal for Nikolaj Ehlers in the Eastern Conference Finals, and his only postseason goal tied Game 2 of the Stanley Cup Final. He's sticking around Raleigh for a few more years as a result.
Trading their seventh-round pick set off a massive chain of events
Right before the start of free agency last summer, the Hurricanes added Cayden Primeau from the Canadiens for a seventh-round selection, hoping that he could be their third-string and start for the Chicago Wolves. However, it wasn't going to be that simple. Primeau needed to pass through waivers to get to Chicago. There was a high likelihood that he would be claimed, so the Canes took action.
Primeau's placement on waivers happened the same day that the team claimed Brandon Bussi. We know how that ended up. Better yet, after starting the season with Toronto, Primeau was back on waivers in November, allowing the Canes to bring him back and place him with the Wolves. He'd be their starter during their run to the Calder Cup Final. I'd say everything worked out for everyone.
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