With the offseason in full swing, it’s time to examine what each squad will need to accomplish over the coming months. Next up is a look at the Carolina Hurricanes.
Dominant regular season, disappointing second-round exit. That’s two years running for the Hurricanes, who are 90-32-16 over the past two regular seasons and have barely anything to show for it. With plenty of talent scheduled for unrestricted free agency and tough decisions cresting the horizon, this could be a huge offseason for general manager Don Waddell.
Is Martin Necas Part Of The Answer?
Forty points in 71 games isn’t bad. No one is saying that Necas deserves to be shipped overseas or jammed in the minor leagues. The 23-year-old is obviously good enough to contribute at the NHL level, and he’s proven it with 119 points over 203 career games. But time is starting to tick on his career in Carolina if he isn’t able to take the next step.
This is a player that was expected to be a leader by now, someone the Hurricanes could rely on to drive the second line and take some pressure off Sebastian Aho. Instead, he has been limited to the wing for basically his entire NHL career, saw a steep downturn in point production this year and has been essentially replaced by Seth Jarvis on the team’s depth chart.
Now a restricted free agent, there have been rumblings that Carolina could be open to moving the 2017 12th overall pick. Making a decision one way or another will have to be done soon, as Necas needs a new contract with the Hurricanes or any team they trade him to.
Replace Or Re-Sign Vincent Trocheck
If the Hurricanes do end up losing Trocheck to the open market, they’re going to need to find a second-line center. Jordan Staal has always been best suited as a third-line pivot, while Jesperi Kotkaniemi probably isn’t ready to take over that spot full-time. That means combing the free-agent market or making a trade, since there isn’t another obvious internal option.
Of course, the team could just keep Trocheck as well, but given what he is likely to command on the open market — at least in terms of contract years–they may not want to commit. That could put them in a difficult position when July 13 rolls around, scrambling to find a replacement that costs less and fits into their fast, retrieval-oriented system.
With Nino Niederreiter also set to become an unrestricted free agent, the Hurricanes have to be careful not to lose too much of their identity up front this season, chasing the answer somewhere else.
Sort Out The Defense
Hard to believe that a team like Carolina would need to add defense given their history of overstocking the position, but that appears to be the case this summer. Ian Cole and Brendan Smith are UFAs, Ethan Bear is on the trade block and Tony DeAngelo has already been given permission to talk to other teams, given the huge arbitration award he would likely receive if the team gave him a qualifying offer. The team isn’t in a desperate spot, but there could be several new faces on the back-end at the start of next season.
One interesting wrinkle is the presence of Jake Gardiner, who has been deemed healthy enough to resume his career next season. The 32-year-old hasn’t played in over a year, meaning it’s completely uncertain what the Hurricanes will actually receive from him on the ice. It’s hard to rely on him providing value anywhere near his $4.05M cap hit, muddling the situation even further.
Keep An Eye On Goaltending
For the second year in a row, Frederik Andersen disappeared with a mysterious injury when his team needed him most. The last time the veteran netminder appeared in a postseason game was the 2020 bubble, despite him winning the Jennings Trophy and finishing fourth in Vezina Trophy voting this year.
A .922 save percentage in the regular season is great, but if the Hurricanes can’t rely on Andersen by the time the playoffs roll around, none of it really matters. With him and partner Antti Raanta both heading into the final year of their respective deals, the Hurricanes will need to keep one eye open for any goaltending opportunities.
Sure, Pyotr Kochetkov looks like he might be something, but handing the keys over to a 24-year-old netminder in 2023-24 certainly doesn’t inspire a ton of confidence. If a chance to upgrade the position — even just health-wise —presents itself, Waddell and his staff need to strike.
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