A Review of the Carolina Hurricanes First Round Draft Picks Part III: 2018-2023
By Erik Fowlie
2022: No First Round Pick
No first-round pick again in 2022 as the Hurricanes lost the pick to Montreal in the Jesperi Kotkaniemi offer sheet. This was another late first-round pick, which can be a bit of a crap shoot sometimes. In what is considered a strong draft, the pick ended up in the hands of the San Jose Sharks, who selected Filip Bystedt 27th overall. Bystedt is seen as a very strong skater with a quick release. He made his debut in the SHL, arguably the 3rd best league in the world after the NHL and KHL, as a 16-year-old and played a significant role on a team full of veterans as an 18-year-old. Bystedt made the move over to North America after his SHL season in 2024 and had a great start with the Sharks AHL team, scoring 7 points in 8 games. It is still too early but I think he projects as a middle 6 player who will play a responsible 200-foot game. As a team with Stanley Cup aspirations, it is smart to use these late first-round picks as capital to get immediate team improvement. If Bystedt continues to develop, the basic swap of KK for Bystedt might not look great.