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Bob Sutton / Times-News
June 21

RALEIGH — The Carolina Hurricanes are operating under the radar and they don’t expect to make major waves during the NHL Draft, which starts tonight in Columbus, Ohio.

Carolina’s first pick comes 11th overall, but scouting services have described this as a rather mundane draft field. There are no clear must-pick candidates at the top of the player rankings.

Hurricanes general manager Jim Rutherford generally takes the approach that the organization should identify the top available player regardless of position when the team is on the clock to make its selections.

With reports from Carolina’s scouting department that there are no obvious choices at the top, the Hurricanes could go in any number of directions.

Carolina has used the draft as the foundation for its current NHL roster. Eric Staal, Cam Ward and Andrew Ladd rose quickly to the organization’s top team after they were draft selections.

There doesn’t appear to be any such players primed for rapid escalation to Carolina out there for the Hurricanes in the 2007 draft.

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