Not often but why does Carolina seem to keep finding these guys? They got Slavin and Pesce in the 3rd and 4th rounds of back-to-back drafts. How often are the quality of those players available in that range of the draft?
Carolina is definitely one of those teams that consistently takes advantage of other bad managers. Aho had no business falling where he did. He was one of the top players on a top team playing a full pro season in his draft year as a young 17 year old. A dominant junior player the year prior. Played on the u20 squad as an underager. They don't galaxy brain things. They just do what the rest of the league should be doing.
Trocheck, Teravainen, Hamilton...
On a lesser scale they traded another failed 1st rounder for Joey Keane who has been one of the better young (RH) defensemen in the AHL.
They are the NHL's version of the Rays.
I dunno.
Finding Myers and Zamula in free agency.
Trading up for Wisdom in the 4th rd.
Allison in the late 2nd, Lindblom in the 5th, Hart in the 2nd, Ghost in the 3rd, Laczynski in the 6th.
However, when you build teams that way, it generally takes longer, b/c the reason players like that are often available is they're flawed or physically immature, and it generally takes longer for them to develop, 22-24 years old v the high 1st rd picks who often make their mark at 19-20.
Carolina also blew a lot of picks/players, they didn't "find" Hamilton, he cost Hanifan (#5) and Lindholm (#5). They used #7 picks on Skinner and Fleury and got almost nothing for them. But if you can find 2-3 starters every draft, you'll develop the system depth to walk away from mistakes.
Aho was #35, 2015
Point #79, 2014
Guentzel #77, 2013
Kucherov #58, 2011
There's that one guy who comes out of "nowhere" about every draft, and 2-3 others who were 1st rd worthy.