Hurricanes add another Stanley Cup hero from division rival
The Carolina Hurricanes are raiding their division rivals of their former Stanley Cup heroes ahead of Friday's NHL trade deadline.
After acquiring winger Jake Guentzel from the Pittsburgh Penguins on Thursday night, the Hurricanes added another big playoff performer just hours later, acquiring center Evgeny Kuznetsov from the Washington Capitals on Friday morning.
In exchange for Kuznetsov, the Hurricanes are sending a third-round pick to the Capitals, who are retaining half of the veteran forward's remaining salary through the end of next season.
Kuznetsov was recently placed on waivers by the Capitals and sent to the team's AHL team in Hershey after spending a stint in the NHL's player assistance program. At his peak, he was a dynamic offensive star who helped lead the Capitals to their first – and only – championship during the 2017-18 season, scoring some of the biggest postseason goals in franchise history along the way. He has been a shell of his former self since then as the Capitals have declined, but could excel with a fresh start on a legitimate contender.
The move is the latest in what has been an aggressive – and fascinating – trade deadline for the Hurricanes. Carolina has been one of the best teams in the NHL over the past six years but has never been able to break through and reach the Stanley Cup Final with this current core.
The one thing that has always held them back has been elite goal-scorers that can strike fear into opposing coaches and defenses. The Hurricanes do everything well as a team, playing a relentless defensive style that also out-shoots and out-chances its opponents by some of the largest margins in the league.
Carolina just doesn't have any true superstars. It's a team where the whole is greater than the sum of the parts. Guentzel and Kuznetsov not only provide them with two players who have the type of goal-scoring ability they have been lacking, they also bring serious Stanley Cup pedigree and big-game experience to a team that has to figure out how to get over the hump.
Whether it works remains to be seen. But the Hurricanes definitely addressed their biggest need and are pushing all of their chips to the center of the table to go all in.
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