On day two of the NHL draft teams around the league are still trying to make trades to make their team better. One team that was really busy today was the Carolina Hurricanes. Carolina made two trades today, first was acquiring goalie Eddie Lack from the Vancouver Canucks for 2015 third round pick, and 2016 seventh round pick.
Last season Eddie Lack had a record of 18-13-4, GAA of 2.45 and a save percentage of .921. Everyone had their eye on Vancouver last season because of the lofy expectations that were placed on them after reaching the playoffs the season before. Lack was a big part of the success that Vancouver had last season as they made it to the playoffs, but were eliminated in round one by the Calgary Flames.
There is a lot to like about Eddie Lack, he can make big saves in clutch moments, great at protecting the crease, and he knows how to put a team on his back and win the game on his own. There are some things that Lack needs to work on, but going to a place like Carolina and getting out of a pressure environment like Vancouver will be good for him.
Carolina is making a smart move here starting goalie Cam Ward, who has been on the downfall for the past few seasons. Ward has not been the elite goalie that he once was. Maybe bringing in some competition in Lack will bring out the elite goalie in Ward that he once was. Lack will be a good backup for when Ward has a bad game or if Ward is not playing that good he can step in and produce for Carolina.
Vancouver just tried to get the best offer for Lack, but with the potential that Lack has they could of gotten more than draft picks in return. Vancouver was robbed in this deal because no one in this deal will make an impact on the team. Yes, draft picks are good but they are third and seventh round picks. If they just held on to him a little longer into the offseason they could've possibly received a first for Lack, or something even better.
In other news, to make room for Eddie Lack on the roster Carolina traded backup goalie Anton Khudobin to the Anaheim Ducks for James Wisniewski. Wisnewski spent last season with the Columbus Blue Jackets and Anaheim Ducks scoring eight goals and recording 26 assists.