a B is about where I would rate the Canes 04. Asside from Ladd nobody has had an impact yet, but every pick from the first 5 rounds looks like they might be able to do well in the orgnaization.
Pottruff, Fiedler and Vagner probably won't amount to anything with the Canes or in the NHL, same can't be said of the others.
L) Andrew Ladd (1st round, #4) - Good rookie season last year, although not spectacular. This year it took him a while to get going, but in Feburary he started turning things around after fighting through injuries and so far this March he's had 9 points in 10 games including 3 game winning goals. Upside is a Gary Roberts type, I'd say he has a prety good shot at hitting that mark.
G) Justin Peters (2nd round, #38) - Has strugled in Albany, but with the Canes goalie situation resolved for the next season at the least he has plenty of time to round out his game. It will be interesting to see who (Peters, Manzato, Nastiuk, Kowalski and Akerlund) is able to snag the #1 spot in net for Albany next year. He has the upside of being a potential starter but will likely simply be a good backup.
D) Casey Borer (3rd round, #69) - Stay at home defenseman and captain of St Cloud State this past season. He emerged on the scene at the WJC in 05 when he had an excelent game against Russia going head-to-head and more then holding his own against Alexander Ovechkin. He doesn't have the upside to be more then a 2nd pairing shut down defenseman and will likely be a 3rd pairing defenseman... thankfully that's about the extent of his downside as well. He could play as soon as next season although he will likely start the year in Albany.
D) Brett Carson (4th round, #109) - Great skater for a big man and a solid two-way defenseman. Still fairly raw although he's improved greatly in Albany this season from what I've seen. Still a full season or two away (closer to two) from making it in the NHL and likely another couple seasons beyond that before he is an impact top 4 defenseman.
G) Magnus Akerlund (5th round, #137) - Strugled the two years prior and was looking like he might not be worth bringing over to North America with the goaltending depth in the organziation. That was before this year, he's having easily the best year of his career and will likely be brought over to North America for next season. There's an outside chance that he could be a factor in the goaltending descision in Albany, though he likely will be starting the season in the ECHL. Has starter upside, though is likely a #3 option should Ward or Peters falter in the long run and could easily be allowed to play the next few seasons in Europe like Manzato has.