"Most importantly, if we take all 10 picks, we have six in the top 73 of this draft," Francis said. "Whether we use them all or not, we have to make sure we're using the picks right."
The Hurricanes finished 36-31-15, eight points behind the Toronto Maple Leafs for the second wild card into the Stanley Cup Playoffs from the Eastern Conference. It was the eighth straight season they failed to qualify for the postseason.
Francis could wait to trade picks until after the NHL Expansion Draft (June 17-21) when the Hurricanes will lose one player from their roster to the Vegas Golden Knights.
The 30 other NHL teams must submit their list of protected players by 5 p.m. ET June 17. Vegas will be given the lists at 10 a.m. on June 18 and will have until 10 a.m. on June 21 to submit its selections.
Teams must protect seven forwards, three defensemen and one goaltender; or eight skaters (forwards/defensemen) and one goaltender.
Any player with a no-movement clause in his contract at the time of the expansion draft must be protected unless he waives it. All first- and second-year professional players, and unsigned draft choices, are exempt from selection by Vegas and do not have to be protected.
Vegas must select one player from each team to fill a roster of at least 14 forwards, nine defensemen and three goalies, with a minimum of 20 players under contract for the 2017-18 season. The value of the salaries must be at least 60 percent of this season's NHL salary cap (about $43.8 million).
Vegas also can sign any restricted or unrestricted free agent left unprotected by his team from June 18-21. These free agents would not otherwise be allowed to sign with a team different than the one they played for this season until July 1.
