Talking about the team never properly tanking for a top 3 pick is a convenient, but ****ty excuse. No, they weren't gonna be able to get a McDavid or Matthews in the 5-10 range, but this team still had multiple chances to draft impact first liners and failed.
I like Lindholm and think he has more to give. But watching him put shot after shot wide or into the goalies chest, meanwhile Monahan is averaging 28 goals a season the last 3 years. There's a first liner, and a center to boot.
Fleury has been solid in his role so far and should shake off the premature bust label. Meanwhile Nylander and Ehlers are putting up 60+ point seasons at 20 years old. Those are first line players.
Hanifin has all the tools and has shown some flashes of brilliance. But he NEEDS to put it together, because Provorov and Werenski are already playing 22 minutes a night and looking a lot better doing it.
Hell, MacAvoy, who's a year younger and was a lot later pick, is playing big minutes for the Bruins and racking up the points.
There's been a ton of chances for the Canes to get the type of young impact players they're missing, even without a top 3 pick. They just haven't done it, and no amount of finding later round gems is gonna overcome that failure. That's the reason for mediocrity. People say Hanifin is young and still has time to put things together. And they're right. But he had better ****ing accomplish that goal or someone needs to be fired for their draft decision. It's not acceptable to say hey at least if he becomes a top 4 guy it's ok, when the other options you passed over are stud #1 D playing almost half the game and outscoring most of our forwards. If you wanna stop the playoff drought, you can't afford to miss like that.
Aho-Monahan-Nylander
TT-Staal-Williams
Skinner-Rask-Stemp/McGinn
Nordstrom-Kruger-Jooris
Slavin-Pesce
Provorov-Faulk
Who cares-MacAvoy
Is a team the Canes were perfectly capable of assembling, and would bet they make the playoffs.