2014: Hayden Fleury (D) 7th Overall 268 GP 10 G 27 A 79 PIM
A swing and a miss. The Hurricanes have done a poor job of drafting and developing defensemen they take in the first round. Fleury was never able to develop into an NHL regular and seems to have the ceiling as the 7th defensemen on an NHL roster. That is a huge mistake for a team drafting in the top 10. There were several impact players taken after the ‘Canes pick in this draft. This includes William Nylander (8th Overall), Nikolaj Ehlers (9th Overall), Kevin Fiala (11th Overall), Dylan Larkin (15th Overall), Alex Tuch ( 18th Overall), David Pastranak (25th Overall), and Adrian Kempe (30th Overall). Imagining Nylander, Larkin or Pastranak on this team makes me legitimately sick.
Note: Tony DeAngelo went 19th overall to the Lightning.