Jiri Tlusty Traded

According to TSN's Bob MacKenzie we've swapped Jiri Tlusty with Carolina for their 2009 first round pick Philippe Paradis. From Hockey's Future:

A mixture of physical presence and scoring skill, Paradis is an attractive prospect. He possesses a hard shot and has the ability to make room for himself and his teammates on the ice. Paradis isn't a player to back down from a challenge. Already an intriguing medley of grit and ability, if Paradis gets faster and stronger, he could become a dominant force in the QMJHL.

Honestly I'm going to have to try hard to trust Burke on this one. Jiri Tlusty was a point per game in the AHL last year and has 15 points in 19 games (though with a -7 rating). I think a lot of us were waiting for Tlusty's breakout season and maybe Burke's feeling is that Tlusty won't be able to make it in the NHL.

The trouble is that Paradis was a 27th overall pick meaning he went almost in the second round. What's more, Carolina went off the board to get him. Paradis is described as a Burke type player and yet his QMJHL numbers don't paint a very flattering picture (via HockeyDB):

0.73 PPG in the QMJHL isn't exactly setting the world on fire. I'm not going to count but looking at the QMJHL's stats page he's approximately two millionth in scoring there.

Canes Country's take on Paradis from the draft this summer doesn't make it seem like they were thrilled with the pick then:

But as they say, the draft is just step one in the careers of these players, and Paradis is a talented player that obviously caught the eye of the Hurricanes scouts.

What this most likely boils down to is that Tlusty is an RFA at the end of the year. Perhaps he made it clear he wouldn't sign in Toronto and forced Burke's hand? It's unlikely we would have gotten a first for him if he walked, so perhaps Burke liked grabbing Paradis instead of a second. Still it's rough that we traded a 13th overall pick who had a lot of promise for a 27th overall pick who doesn't look great at first glance.