Carolina Hurricanes Pick Noah Hanifin: Analysis of 'Canes No. 5 Selection

The Carolina Hurricanes' selection of Noah Hanifin with the No. 5 pick solidifies their cast of defensive prospects as one of the best in the NHL.

Hanifin joins Haydn Fleury and Ryan Murphy as former top 12 overall selections developing in the Carolina system.

Three players picked in the third or fourth round of their respective drafts—Trevor Carrick, Brett Pesce and Jaccob Slavin—have increased their prospect stocks in recent years and also carry significant upside within the organization.

With Justin Faulk, only 23, established as a world-class NHL defenseman, stabilizing veteran Ron Hainsey sitting on two more years left on his contract and longtime AHL stalwarts Michal Jordan and Danny Biega quietly working their way into the NHL fold, Carolina is prepared for highly competitive training camps and a highly talented back end a few years down the road.

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Position	Defenseman
Age	18
Height	6'2"
Weight	203 pounds
2014-15 Team	Boston College (NCAA)
2014-15 Stat Line	37 GP, 5G, 18A, 23P

Hanifin has anything and everything that NHL teams look for in defenseman: size and a full frame, strong positioning, active stick play, awareness of both opponents and teammates around him, accurate breakout-pass ability, a booming point shot and a smooth, unflappable style that settles the play down around him.

He's about as NHL-ready as draft-year defensemen—which often take longer than forwards to develop—come. Most experts expected him to be a near-certain bet to debut professionally in the fall.

Yet Hanifin, a Boston College student for the time being, expressed a clear message in his post-draft press conference: The decision whether he goes to the NHL or returns to college for another year is his to make and not entirely up to the Hurricanes. 

"Making that step is obviously a huge adjustment. As far as my abilities go, I’m very confident in myself and I feel that, if I needed to go and play, I could absolutely go and do it. But as of right now, I’m undecided," he said, noting that he would need to discuss it with his family, his college coaches and 'Canes management. 

Chip Alexander of the News & Observer, meanwhile, reports that general manager Ron Francis might seek a short-term defensive option in free agency to avoid rushing the team's prospects.

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All of this makes the Canes' selection of Hanifin seem far more based on Francis' long-term vision than filling an immediate hole for 2015-16.

The second-year GM clearly sees a defensive identity in the 'Canes future and, salivating at the idea of either Hanifin or Fleury pairing with soon-to-be perennial All-Star Faulk while the other leads an almost equally daunting second pairing, has planned his first two draft strategies around that plan. 

The choice of the Massachusetts native at No. 5 may have been a simple "best player available" decision—after all, Hanifin was long considered a guaranteed top-four pick until the last few weeks.

But he also may have been exactly what Francis and the 'Canes were hoping for, the newest gleaming piece in Carolina's jewel-studded future defense. 

So what that the team ranked 27th in the NHL in goals per game in 2014-15, as opposed to 17th in goals against, Francis seemingly thought. The turbulence and inevitable struggles of the club in the short term reveal little about and barely affect the long-term outlook for the rebuilding franchise. Hanifin was not only too potential-laden to pass on, but he was also a perfect fit in that vision.

The 'Canes have set up a brutal Hunger Games-type situation for their cornucopia of 'D' prospects in the coming years.

There simply aren't enough depth chart slots to eventually house all of these promising youngsters, and the losers will either be traded or see their NHL chances crash and burn.

Carolina evidently isn't taking the naively optimistic approach that, until proved otherwise, all of their prospects will fully pan out. By amassing such a large, diverse and talented collection of prospects all at the same position, they guarantee that the inevitable failures prove insignificant and the successes enter the big leagues even more battle-tested.

Seemingly in Francis' mind, the team's dire scoring issue can be addressed later.

Friday was about securing the final item in an absolutely loaded group of prospect blueliners, and he did exactly as he hoped.