Dudley hired by Hurricanes as senior vice president of hockey operations

Rick Dudley was hired as senior vice president of hockey operations for the Carolina Hurricanes on Tuesday.
Dudley, 69, was senior vice president of hockey operations for the Montreal Canadiens for the previous six seasons.

Dudley will report to Hurricanes president Don Waddell, furthering a relationship that dates to 1986, when Dudley was coach of Flint in the International Hockey League and hired Waddell as an assistant. They worked together most recently with the Atlanta Thrashers when Waddell, then general manager, hired Dudley as assistant GM in 2009.
"I took a look at the organization, and obviously Don Waddell and I go back a long way, that's probably the biggest reason I thought about Carolina," Dudley said. "I looked at the organization and I saw some of the work that they've done. I think (director of amateur scouting) Tony MacDonald and his staff have done a nice job assembling a group of young players that are very talented and with a few additions can be a solid hockey team, for a long time. … There's a lot of pieces there. There's things that need to be done to get it to the next level, but there's a lot of pieces there that can be worked with."

One of those pieces is the No. 2 pick in the 2018 NHL Draft, which the Hurricanes won during the NHL Draft Lottery on Saturday. The Buffalo Sabres have the No. 1 pick, and the Canadiens have No. 3.
Defenseman Rasmus Dahlin of Frolunda (Swedish Hockey League) is expected to be drafted No. 1. The Hurricanes' options at No. 2 could include forwards Andrei Svechnikov of Barrie (Ontario Hockey League), Brady Tkachuk (Boston University) and Filip Zadina of Halifax (Quebec Major Junior Hockey League).
"The top of this draft, I've watched a lot of this draft and there are some very strong players," Dudley said. "We're not going to give out any secrets, but you're getting a player that's going to help you a ton. … In this particular draft there are players that can change a franchise."
The Hurricanes are without a general manager and coach. Ron Francis was removed from his position as GM on March 7, and Bill Peters left Carolina on April 20 before becoming coach of the Calgary Flames three days later.
Dudley said he enjoyed his six seasons with the Canadiens, especially working with general manager and close friend Marc Bergevin.
"I felt like it was time for a different sort of challenge," he said.
Dudley also spoke with Tom Dundon, who took over as majority owner of the Hurricanes on Jan. 11.
"Rick brings a wealth of knowledge and experience to our management group," Dundon said. "He has been a part of building championship teams on every level of professional hockey and will play an important role in helping us build a winner in Raleigh."
The Hurricanes will be the ninth NHL team Dudley has worked for since he coached the Buffalo Sabres in 1989-90. He played 309 NHL games as a forward for the Sabres and Winnipeg Jets from 1972-81.
"I'm probably not that long for the game anymore but I'd like my last stop to be a very successful one," Dudley said. "And my gut tells me, and I hope, this is my last stop."