Carolina Hurricanes Capitalize Beautifully with Lack, Wisniewski Acquisitions

Ron Francis and the Carolina Hurricanes converted two mediocre draft picks into a goaltender upgrade and a top-pairing defenseman during Saturday's NHL draft.

The larceny was committed by identifying talented, valuable players stuck on teams with no need for them—and jumping on the opportunities.

At 10 a.m., the Hurricanes acquired goaltender Eddie Lack from the Vancouver Canucks for a 2015 third-round pick (No. 66 overall) and a 2016 seventh-round pick, per the team's official statement.

At noon, the Hurricanes acquired defenseman James Wisniewski from the Anaheim Ducks for now-displaced goaltender Anton Khudobin, also per the team's official statement.

Rich Lam/Getty Images

Age	27
Height	6'4"
Weight	187 pounds
2014-15 Team	Vancouver
2014-15 Stat Line	41 GP, 18-13-4, .921 s%, 2.45 GAA

Lack, 27, replaces Khudobin, 29, as the partner to Cam Ward (who, like Lack, has just one year left on his contract) in the Hurricanes' goaltender rotation.

He recorded a solid 18-13-4 record along with a .921 save percentage for the Canucks last season, becoming a massive fan favorite—for proof, one must simply read the replies on the Canucks' tweet announcing his departure—in the process.

But stuck behind resurgent star Ryan Miller on the Vancouver depth chart, Lack stood little chance of claiming the starting job anytime soon.

So while the rest of the league drooled over up-and-coming goalies like Ottawa's Robin Lehner, New York's Cam Talbot and Minnesota's Devan Dubnyk, Francis and the 'Canes leapt on a goaltender of arguably greater caliber for a cheaper price. 

The Sabres sacrificed the No. 21 selection for Lehner, per ESPN. The Oilers dealt three picks, including No. 57 and 79, for Talbot, per CBS. The Wild re-signed Dubnyk for six years at a $4.16 million cap hit, per the Star-Tribune's Michael Russo (h/t Sportsnet), or more than three times that of Lack.

Jeff Vinnick/Getty Images

Lack will enter Raleigh with a realistic chance of winning the starting role over Ward in training camp.

He stands just two inches shorter than Ben Bishop at 6'4", boasts a 7-5 career record in shootouts with a superb .805 save percentage and truly played like a worthy starter during two 41-game campaigns with Vancouver. In two prior starts versus Carolina, Lack went 2-0 with one shutout and a .968 save percentage.

He replaces a well-liked Khudobin, who struggled for most of 2014-15. The jovial Kazakh regressed from a .926 save percentage the year before to just .900 and, outside of the month of January, lost 23 of his 26 games.

It seems fairly obvious that the indirect netminder swap is a conclusively positive upgrade for Carolina.

Yet Wisniewski is just as, if not more, noteworthy as Lack among the Hurricanes' Saturday additions.

Jamie Sabau/Getty Images

Age	31
Height	5'11"
Weight	203 pounds
2014-15 Team	Columbus/Anaheim
2014-15 Stat Line	69 GP, 8G, 26A, 34P

The 31-year-old blueliner is just one season removed from a fantastic campaign in Columbus, one in which he recorded seven goals and 44 assists—leading the Blue Jackets and ranking fourth among all NHL defensemen in such regard—in 75 appearances. He averaged 22 minutes, 37 seconds in ice time per game in those appearances.

He had eight goals and 21 assists in 56 games for Columbus in 2014-15 until being traded to Anaheim. While the Ducks gave up a near fortune to acquire him (depth forward Rene Bourque, top prospect William Karlsson and the pick that became No. 58 overall), Wisniewski didn't click well and was scratched for the entirety of the playoffs by Bruce Boudreau, who played Clayton Stoner instead.

That decision by the coach was criticized harshly by Fansided's Richard Spalding after the Ducks' eventual elimination—and with seemingly good reason.

Yet Wisniewski remained a misplaced, unwanted part in Disneyland this summer and was apparently elated to have found a new team that actually wanted him. The Michigan native spoke to the News & Observer's Chip Alexander:

Wisniewski also noted to Alexander that he enjoys mentoring young players as part of his veteran role, and young defensemen are a commodity that the 'Canes indeed have a wealth of.

He performs well in the advanced stats category, as well, having posted a positive Corsi rating relative to his teammates in nine of 10 career seasons, per War on Ice.

Jamie Sabau/Getty Images

If the right-handed player can shift to the left side, he'll almost certainly partner with secure No. 1 blueliner Justin Faulk in 2015-16. If not, the second pairing wouldn't be a bad slot either, especially with him also expected to captain the power play. 

Wisniewski carries a $5.5 million cap hit with two years left on his contract. By then, Noah Hanifin, Haydn Fleury and others may well be ready to take over the 'Canes defense themselves—but by then, Wisniewski will already have done his job too.

And best of all, all of this comes to Carolina essentially in exchange for mere third- and seventh-round draft picks.

Well done, Ron Francis.

Mark Jones has been a Carolina Hurricanes Featured Columnist for Bleacher Report since 2009. Visit his profile to read more or follow him on Twitter.