Canes select Ladd after moving up in the 2004 draft, hosted by the club in Raleigh

Editor’s note: This story originally appeared in the News & Observer on June 27, 2004.

It was hockey in June again at the RBC Center on Saturday, and win-starved Carolina Hurricanes fans had cause to cheer.

It wasn’t the Stanley Cup finals of June 2002. It was the 2004 NHL draft at the RBC Center. But a deft move by the Hurricanes to capture Andrew Ladd, the No. 1-rated North American skater, brought the fans in red and black to their feet.

And it was big enough catch to renew hope that Carolina fans may -- in not too many years -- again see their team among the last two playing.

For more than a month, the Hurricanes knew the player they wanted was Ladd, a fluid, powerful 18-year-old scoring threat. But, picking eighth, the Canes were unlikely to get him.

In the first and perhaps most fruitful deal of the draft, Canes president and general manager Jim Rutherford traded for Columbus’ No. 4 pick and got Ladd. Many in the surprisingly large crowd of 15,672 hailed the finesse move like a goal.

And, certainly, the Canes had attained one. The team added a versatile young scorer to go with Eric Staal, perhaps ushering in a generation that could end the Canes’ unwanted tradition of low scoring.

“It’s nice for our fans,” Rutherford said. “They have not had a lot to cheer about in the last year or two. So it’s nice to give them something to get excited about.”

It was nice. And refreshing, too. After two years in which the Canes’ dismal showings on the ice were aggravated by inscrutable or unpopular personnel moves, the Canes made a shrewd, bold deal to score more, to add star power and just plain get better.

It’s a welcome change from watching the team fire its coach, dump payroll, put every recognizable name on its roster on the trading block and bemoan the millions of dollars it has lost on trips to the lower depths of the NHL.

Ladd, who with Calgary led all rookies in scoring in the Western Hockey League, isn’t an antidote for all that, but he’s a sign that Rutherford, a former goaltender, can do more than makes saves for the budget. Rutherford showed he has a wily scoring streak, too.

In the past two drafts, he has scored twice, first picking up the No. 1 North American with Staal in 2003 and now jumping ahead to get Ladd in front of the hometown crowd.

Rutherford quickly raised a caution flag on his new acquisition. Yes, Staal exceeded expectations and made the NHL team in his first year. But Ladd isn’t likely to graduate so fast. He’s a key addition, Rutherford said, but he’s not the answer.

“The draft is not an immediate fix,” he said. “It’s a projection.”

Rutherford said the 6-foot-2, 200-pound left winger will be given a chance to make the team, but he’s not counting on him. It’s a big leap, he said, from one year of hockey at the top of the junior league and playing in the NHL.

The past should discourage thinking too far ahead. The Canes first-round picks over the past decade include only a few who stayed with the franchise and played well -- Staal and Jeff O’Neill. Cam Ward, the 2002 pick and the Canes goalie of the future, should begin to produce this season. David Tanabe never quite clicked. Others like Jeff Heerema, Igor Knyazev and Nikos Tselios didn’t work out.

Rutherford’s cautionary note is understandable, but fans here aren’t hearing it. They see Ladd and they can’t wait. And who blame them them? The NHL’s Central Scouting Report on Ladd reads like the portrait of an All-Star as a young man.

“A fluid skater with outstanding speed who is solid on his skates ... is difficult to contain in one-on-one situations ... has tremendous balance, mobility and agility.”

Along with his skills, Ladd brings some intangibles. He’s a well-spoken, handsome player who could be a fan favorite. He’s certainly easier on the media than the top two picks, Alexander Ovechkin and Evgeni Malkin, two Russians who conducted their post-game interviews in limited English (Ovechkin) or through an interpreter (Malkin).

“There is not any perfect player,” Rutherford said of Ladd, “but he’s very well-rounded and brings a lot of things. He’s a real character player. He plays all-out every shift. He’s strong. He’s physical.”

Ladd can’t cure the Canes alone, but he’s likely to make them better. If he doesn’t, Rutherford will have a lot of company in being wrong.

This story was originally published October 7, 2021 at 8:29 PM with the headline "Canes select Ladd after moving up in the 2004 draft, hosted by the club in Raleigh."