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Reilly Smith, Vegas Golden Knights (Amy Irvin / The Hockey Writers)

3 Free Agents the Hurricanes Should Pursue This Offseason

Originally posted on The Hockey Writers | By Zach Martin | Last updated Jun 19, 2025 8:45 AM ET

Now that the Stanley Cup has been awarded, it’s officially the 2025 offseason, and July 1 cannot come quickly enough. With the NHL salary cap rising from $88 million to $95.5 million on July 1, many teams will be looking to bolster their roster with high-end unrestricted free agent (UFA) talent this summer. The Carolina Hurricanes will have $28.415 million in cap space with some high-priced contracts coming off the books. They are expected to be aggressive this offseason, especially with high-end talent being available. One of the players the Hurricanes are linked to is Mitch Marner. While they have the necessary cap space to sign him, the Hurricanes would still be able to bring in other players as well. That said, there are three players in particular that they could acquire in free agency to hopefully join Marner in Raleigh this summer.

Matt Duchene

The Hurricanes need a second-line center, especially after Vincent Trocheck left for free agency following the 2021-22 season. They could inquire about Marco Rossi from the Minnesota Wild, even if he is a restricted free agent (RFA). On the flip side of that, they could even reach out about Ryan O’Reilly from the Nashville Predators. However, if they feel like they can acquire a veteran center to slide into the 2C spot behind Sebastian Aho, why not take a look at Matt Duchene? The 34-year-old Haliburton, Ontario native had himself a season with the Dallas Stars in 2024-25. Duchene tallied 30 goals and 82 points in 82 games for the Stars, while flipping between the 1C and 2C spots in the lineup. In the faceoff dot, he had a 52.4% success rate. Not bad for his second season with the Stars, where he finished with 25 goals and 65 points in 80 games back in 2023-24, while also having a 56.5% faceoff percentage.

Duchene just wrapped up a one-year, $3 million deal with the Stars, but the question is, what will his next contract look like? AFP Analytics has projected that he could sign a three-year, $21.5 million deal with the average annual value (AAV) to be around $7.17 million per season. That comes out to being 7.51% of the $95.5 million cap for next season. Could Duchene see a tad over $7 million per season at 34 years old? Maybe, but most likely it could be more so around the $6 to $6.5 million range, giving him a $3 million raise. It’s hard to see a team giving a guy like Duchene that kind of deal at 34, despite having a point-per-game season. However, it’s the NHL, and anything could happen.

If the Hurricanes can get Duchene around $6 to $6.5 million AAV for two seasons, that could benefit both sides in the short term. Regarding Duchene, he goes to another contender, one in the Eastern Conference, and gets second-line minutes behind Aho all season. Furthermore, he doesn’t have to be the guy in Carolina. He can just focus on his game. Regarding the Hurricanes, they get a player like Duchene, who’s had over 56-plus points over the last four seasons and two 30-plus goal seasons. Furthermore, it gives them time to find that next 2C after the 2026-27 or 2027-28 season.

While yes, Jason Robertson is the biggest talking point who could leave the Stars, what does a trade for him look like? Could the asking price not work out for the Stars and/or the Hurricanes? If it doesn’t work out, it won’t hurt going after Duchene to at least be the guy behind Aho in the center core for the next two or three seasons. If you could sign one and trade for the other, even better. Plus, they both know Logan Stankoven, and that could make the transition easier for one or both of those guys as well. Either way, if the Hurricanes go with a UFA veteran center, Duchene is a solid option for a couple of seasons at least.

Reilly Smith

Another winger the Hurricanes could bring in, along with Marner, is 34-year-old Reilly Smith. The Mimico, Ontario native tallied 13 goals and 40 points in 79 games split between the Vegas Golden Knights and the New York Rangers this season. Reilly has had proven success with the Golden Knights, especially after winning the 2023 Stanley Cup. Could he play in the top six for the Hurricanes? Maybe, but he can definitely be a top-nine forward for the two-way play that he brings with his game. Reilly, in 919 career games, has 226 goals and 553 points, while tallying 48 power-play goals and 15 shorthanded goals. He can be someone who slots within the second power-play unit and on the penalty kill if needed. His versatility could go a long way for head coach Rod Brind’Amour, and he knows what it takes to win a Stanley Cup. Plus, he was teammates with William Carrier, so having those two could bring some playoff luck for the Hurricanes.

Reilly just finished his three-year, $15 million deal with the AAV coming out to $5 million per season. AFP Analytics has projected a deal for Reilly to be around two years, $8.759 million, with the AAV being $4.39 million. If the Hurricanes feel like they can sign him to a two-year, $4.2 million per season contract, that could be a steal to add another player who can fit the system and be placed anywhere in the lineup for Brind’Amour. Reilly can play on both wings, which is something a good number of Hurricanes can do already. Adding Reilly gives the Hurricanes another layer of a versatile player who can play left or right wing and be placed anywhere in the lineup for matchups.

Also, giving Reilly two years, he fits in what the Hurricanes could give Duchene to have these two in the lineup at reasonable deals until at least 2026-27. If the Hurricanes acquire Marner for the 1RW spot, adding Reilly as the 2RW or even 3RW could be a steal for general manager Eric Tulsky. You add a bona fide winger who can play anywhere in the lineup and on special teams, plus it’s a cost-effective contract that doesn’t go past $4.5 million for only two seasons. Just by adding Marner, Duchene, and Reilly, the Hurricanes are already on their way with a solid offseason, and it addresses their needs.

Nate Schmidt

The final piece to the three-piece puzzle, outside of possibly going after Marner, the Hurricanes could add a defenseman this offseason. That defenseman, Nate Schmidt. Schmidt just came off winning the Stanley Cup with the Florida Panthers, so you’re adding another former Cup winner to the roster. Furthermore, the AAV for him is reasonable enough to acquire him along with possibly Smith, Duchene, and Marner. Schmidt just finished up a one-year, $800,000 deal for the Panthers; his next contract could still be reasonable as well to add him and others to the roster. AFP Analytics has projected him to sign a two-year, $5.991 million deal with the AAV coming to $2.995 million per season. If the Hurricanes bring Schmidt in for a two-year, $2.7 million per season contract, that fits well within the budget and adds another solid defenseman on the blue line. Furthermore, the Hurricanes will be adding a 6-foot defenseman who is physical and can play shutdown defense.

Schmidt had 71 blocks and 82 hits during the 2024-25 season while averaging 16:32 of ice time per night. Furthermore, he had a plus-4 rating while playing third-pairing minutes. Adding Schmidt frees up Sean Walker or Jalen Chatfield to play with Jaccob Slavin on the top pairing, and the other to pair with Alexander Nikishin. That way, you could have a pairing of Schmidt with Shayne Gostisbehere. While his five goals and 19 points in 80 games aren’t eye-popping, adding Schmidt gives the Hurricanes another lockdown guy who can help in the transition game, and possibly on the penalty kill.

Could the Hurricanes grab Vladislav Gavrikov? Yes, they could, but then it takes an extra move or two off the board. If the Hurricanes add Schmidt, then they can sign Marner, Duchene, and Smith to complete a solid four-man addition to the roster without giving up the future. Plus, they can always build during the season as well with the remaining cap ($1.869 million), along with trading pieces if need be. There are many avenues the Hurricanes can go down, but adding these three, with possibly Marner, could make the offseason a successful one. Only time will tell, though, with how the Hurricanes will attack the offseason.

Not Too Much Longer Until Free Agency

The Hurricanes have a ton of options this summer. With 21 draft picks for the next three drafts and $28.4 million in cap space to play with, they are expected to make some aggressive moves to improve the roster. With the right additions, they could take a major step toward becoming Stanley Cup favorites. This could be the most interesting summer to date for the team from Raleigh, North Carolina.