DALLAS, TX -- The Carolina Hurricanes own the 2nd overall selection in Friday's NHL Draft, but there are far more irons in the fire for GM Don Waddell.

Among them, a contract extension for defenseman Noah Hanifin, and the possibility of dealing center Jeff Skinner.

"Noah is a young player, with still plenty of upside in front of him," Waddell said Wednesday. "I mentioned to them (Hanifin's agent), that one team called me to ask me if we would consider trading him. I said, 'well, I'll listen to offers.' That was reported in the media the next day that we were trading him,  and now I've got 12-15 teams calling me asking if we are trading Noah Hanifin. I say the same thing: no, we're not trading Noah Hanifin, we're trying t get a long-term deal."

As for Skinner, things aren't as locked in. Skinner is in the final year of a six-year pact which has an Annual Average Value (AAV) of $5.725 million dollars. When asked if Skinner might be available to another team in a trade, Waddell indicated that anything is possible.

"Jeff's been our leading goal scorer for the last five or six years, averaging 30 goals a year. He's an important asset for us. It might be time to change the scenery, but saying that, we can't just give this player away," Waddell said. "We've got to get equal value for him coming back, whether it's a current player in the League, or a young player that we feel is going to play in the league. We're exploring all those options, but it's certainly not a fire sale."

Waddell indicated that the club has stayed in contact with goaltender Cam Ward regarding their situation in the Hurricanes net. Ward is an unrestricted free agent this off-season, but Waddell has stated in this off-season he wants to upgrade the goaltender position. Waddell would not elaborate if Ward would be in those future plans.

Other items from Waddell:

-The Hurricanes schedule, which will be released on June 21, is one of their friendliest for home dates. Waddell says there are 26 or 27 weekend home games on the schedule this season. Carolina's home opener is Oct. 4, against the New York Islanders

-Waddell indicated that the team is all but locked in to select Andrei Svechnikov with the 2nd overall pick, however he would field calls about trading the selection. "If you want to blow me away, we'll listen." Waddell said he has spoken to a number of teams, and that of the potential offers, "no one was even close." Waddell indicated that to move the 2nd overall pick, the deal would have to be one that the Hurricanes would "win," rather than just come out even.

-Regarding the final roster on opening night, Waddell says he anticipates strong competition for the few roster spots he expects to be open. He says moving up from the expected 11th pick to number two altered the openings slightly. 

-Waddell says some of the Hurricanes prospects are being evaluated to determine which players could be moved in trades to fortify other positions, but says that 5-6 of the forwards with the Charlotte Checkers will be competing for roster spots with the Hurricanes.