Canes taking Yaroslav Askarov in the NHL draft makes sense, but Carolina has options
Social distancing, intentional or otherwise, has never been evident at the NHL draft.
Picture 31 teams seated at designated tables and all 31 crammed on an arena floor. Owners, general managers, head coaches, scouts, analytics experts, other team personnel — it’s not a place for the claustrophobic. Or all that private.
This year, because of the coronavirus pandemic, the 2020 NHL Draft will be held remotely. The draft begins Tuesday with the first round, conducted virtually, and the Carolina Hurricanes’ contingent will be gathered in a “war room” at PNC Arena — all the principals seated a safe distance from each other.
“We’re able to have conversations without worrying about the other teams hearing them,” Darren Yorke, the Canes’ director of player personnel, said on a recent media call. “I think we’re going to be able to speak more freely knowing we don’t have every other team sort of standing right beside us.”
Anyone attending a draft has seen the scene, which looks like a mosh pit of guys in suits and ties — and one owner in an athletic wind shirt and cap. Media types at the draft are always looking to see what GM is on the phone in the minutes leading up to a selection if there’s a hint of a potential trade, or who’s talking to who on the floor during breaks.
Not this year.
The Hurricanes have the 13th pick in the opening round and Don Waddell, team president and general manager, has indicated offense is a priority. But Waddell also has said the team will be “open-minded” about the pick, leaving open all options.
Goalie Yaroslav Askarov of Russia? That could be an option, if he’s available at 13. Many draft prognosticators believe the Canes could make him the first goalie taken by the team in the first round since Cam Ward was the 25th pick in 2002.
“No one knows how the draft is going to go,” Waddell said on the media call.
Yorke oversees the Canes’ amateur scouting and preparations for the draft, which was scheduled for June in Montreal before the pandemic led to a four-month delay. He said enough scouting had been done before leagues began to stop play in the spring, and additional scouting done more recently as European leagues start up, that the Canes — and other teams — should be well-prepared.
“We probably have more up-to-date information on players than we would have normally had,” Yorke said.
One hitch: There was no NHL Scouting Combine this year in Buffalo.
“You can really get a feeling by watching (prospects) work out on who can add weight and muscle and get stronger,” Waddell told the N&O. “That’s probably the biggest obstacle going into the draft. But we have had more time to watch more video and now watch the European guys, so there are pluses and minuses for all of us.”
Player interviews also had to be held remotely, which created more challenges, but the Canes had done their due diligence early.
“I like it when you can bring a player in and talk to them and see them eye-to-eye and see how his body language and how they answer questions,” Waddell said. “It’s much different over video, although you still get a pretty feel for players.
“The good news is that almost every player we would be looking to draft has been interviewed in person prior to the (NHL) pause. That’s one of the jobs of our scouts when they’re out during the year, to meet the players face to face and put those notes into our scouting program. For me doing it all by video is different.”
And there’s always the possibility of the Canes trading the 13th pick, which they originally acquired through a 2019 trade with Toronto.
“You’re always looking to get better, so whether that’s to select a player or whether that’s a trade I think as the draft goes on, a lot of those conversations happen,” Yorke said. “If a team views there is more value for them at pick 13 and we view it as we can still get a great player, maybe that same player at 15 or 18, I think you’re always looking to get your team better.”
The Canes had the No. 13 pick in 2016 and took defenseman Jake Bean. The next year, with the 12th pick, Carolina went with center Martin Necas, a regular with the Canes this past season.
Two years ago, the Canes were the talk of the town in Dallas — the hometown of owner Tom Dundon — when they used the No. 2 overall pick on forward Andrei Svechnikov and also made a blockbuster trade with Calgary for defenseman Dougie Hamilton, forward Micheal Ferland and prospect Adam Fox. You can do both: Use the first-round pick and pull off trades.
The second through the seventh rounds will be held Wednesday. Unless they trade some of their picks, the Canes will have eight total selections in the 2020 draft.
Carolina Hurricanes potential NHL draft targets
The draft begins Tuesday at 7 p.m. on NBC Sports Network.
JAROSLAV ASKAROV, goalie
SKA-St. Petersburg, KHL, Russia
The 18-year-old Russian is playing in the KHL with SKA St. Petersburg and has an 0.74 goals-against average and .974 save percentage in his first three games this season. Taking a goalie this high in the draft would be a risk but the 6-foot-4 Askarov could be worth it.
JACK QUINN, right wing
Ottawa 67’s, OHL, Canada
A player said to have a wickedly good release on his shots and a lot of offensive flair, the 5-11 Quinn scored 52 goals in 62 games for the 67’s in the 2019-20 season. Ranked seventh among North America skaters by NHL Central Scouting.
SETH JARVIS, center/right wing
Portland Winterhawks, WHL
The forward doesn’t have a lot of size at 5-10 but has skill. Rated the 11th best North America skater by NHL Central Scouting, Jarvis is another creative offensive player who had 42 goals and 56 assists in 58 games for the Portland Winterhawks.
DAWSON MERCER, center/right wing
Chicoutimi Sagueneens, QMJHL
Another versatile, crafty forward, Mercer is rated 10th among North America skaters by NHL Central Scouting. He had 24 goals and 60 points in 42 games in the QMJHL last season and is off to a good start with the Chicoutimi Sagueneens in 2020-21.
Glossary: Kontinental Hockey League (KHL), Ontario Hockey League (OHL), Quebec Major Junior Hockey League (QMJHL).
This story was originally published October 5, 2020 at 12:19 PM.
