The next two picks were quite a bit riskier, because we used relatively high picks to select goal tending. If you read your homework assignments last weekend, you know that odds of success with a late round pick on a goal tender are about the same as a higher pick. You just don't know with goal tenders. But the two young men added, Oscar Dansk and Joonas Korpisalo with the 31st and 62nd picks will help bolster the position for quite some time. Since it was an area of organizational need, these will help over the long term.
In the next two round the CBJ came away with 2 Right Wings, another area of organizational need, by drafting Josh Anderson and Daniel Zaar. These gents will continue on a developmental path for several years, and we'll see where they end up.
The CBJ finished up the drafting part of the weekend by drafting Gianluca Curcuruto, a defenseman with a really great name. He's already one of my favorite players. Again, he will continue on the long slow path of a developing defenseman, and we'll see where he takes it.
With the final episode of the draft, the CBJ fired four scouts. More turn over in the organization, with almost none of the originals left. This seems like closing the barn door after the horse got out to me, but it is also an area that I feel Craig Patrick could influence a lot. He likely has a wide circle of people who he knows, and we may be able to draw some experienced scouting talent into the organization over time. This is a move that has been a long time coming.
For more on these players, see the Cannon, which has excellent draft day coverage.
The shelves have been restocked with youth. We have a brief respite, and then we are on to Free Agency, commencing July 1.
GO JACKETS!
The draft is over and done. In it's annual recruitment of strength, the Winter Jackets appeared to be following a model that perhaps they should have adopted a while back, building the back end. Ryan Murray, a defenseman was taken with the second pick. I would characterize this as a relatively low risk move. He's gonna turn out to be a fine NHL defenseman, the only real question being Down Jacket how good will he be. At this point in his career, he doesn't appear to be an offensive power house, but that's ok.
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