Hurricanes Have Multiple Options to Solve 2C Issue

While it’s hard to stomach splitting up Jarvis and Sebastian Aho considering they have such natural chemistry, Jarvis may be the best option on the current roster. He has a lot of the traits that you’d seek in that 2C role. He can carry the puck in transition, he’s a strong and diverse creator who can double as both a finisher and a playmaker, and he brings a steady 200-foot game with a relentless motor. When you really think about it, it’s almost a waste to have him on the wing just because of what he could likely accomplish with more space and the ability to roam the ice.

And while Jarvis is one of the team’s most effective players along the wall, maybe there’s another level he can reach if given the ability to lead his line. The Hurricanes have been searching for a right-shot center since Vincent Trocheck’s departure, and Jarvis is a righty. The problem he faces is that he has a career faceoff winning percentage of just 41.3%, and he was down to an awful 34.3% this past season — albeit on just 152 attempts. The bright side is that his coach, Rod Brind’Amour, is an all-time great faceoff guy and could teach Jarvis some of his tricks over the summer. There’s nobody better to learn from. Moving Jarvis to center would also open a space for Jackson Blake or Logan Stankoven higher up the lineup, which would add even more skill to the top-six. I feel like this would be a natural fit.

Logan Stankoven

Another potential internal option the Hurricanes could consider is moving Stankoven into the middle of the ice. He’s a natural center who has played there in both the Western Hockey League (OHL) and American Hockey League (AHL), and is also the coveted right-hand guy the team has been searching for. While there are always reservations about a 5-foot-8, 165-pound player as a centerman, Stankoven is a guy who plays well above his size. He’s fearless, he battles relentlessly and he’s shown to be a really solid two-way player.

What makes Stankoven such an enticing option is the level of creativity he offers with the puck. I’ve said before that to me, he may be the Hurricanes’ most individually dangerous talent since Jeff Skinner. Martin Nečas is a good candidate there as well, but his hands couldn’t consistently keep up to his feet — while Stankoven’s do. He can cut into the middle of the ice or burn defenders to the outside. He can rip the puck with velocity and precision, or hold onto it and open up a lane to pick out the open man. There’s very little he can’t do as a creator, and I feel like allowing him to carry the puck up ice and lead the attack can unlock another level of offensive production from him. 

He’d also need to improve his faceoff-winning ability and learn the fundamentals like defensive coverage assignments, but the template is there for Stankoven to become an effective centerman at the NHL level. Playing him alongside a bigger winger like Andrei Svechnikov would be beneficial as well, in terms of Svechnikov being a strong puck retriever which would allow Stankoven to work off of him. Overall, I could definitely envision both Jarvis and Stankoven at center being a worthy experiment, but it’s up for debate whether the Hurricanes want to risk the potential growing pains of this transition or if they’d rather scan the trade market to find a guy who’s already established.

External Options

Mason McTavish

Maybe my favorite and most realistic trade target for the Hurricanes is 22-year-old Anaheim Ducks center Mason McTavish. Beyond his young age being a perfect fit amongst the team’s rather young core, he’s a player who still has a lot of room to grow and round out his overall game. He just set career highs in both goals (22) and points (52) and would be an immediate upgrade as both a current and long-term option in the system. What McTavish brings is a nice blend of size (6-foot-1, 220 pounds), offensive ability and finishing. His defensive game is still a work in progress, but he can create offense using his size and leveraging and isn’t afraid to get to the dirty areas. His shot is hard and accurate, and he would be a seamless fit amongst the skilled wingers in the Hurricanes’ top-six. 

The cost of acquisition here is the real question, as an offer sheet is definitely not a plausible option. The Ducks have more cap space than any team in the league, so it’s hard to imagine any kind of offer sheet structure that the Ducks wouldn’t just automatically match. The Hurricanes would likely need to propose a trade here, and the cost wouldn’t be cheap — you’d likely be looking at the standard of a young roster player, a first-round pick and a top prospect. Maybe something along the lines of Jackson Blake, Jesperi Kotkaniemi and a first? Regardless, it’s a fit that makes a ton of sense for the Hurricanes on every level, and with McTavish reportedly not thrilled about his future in Anaheim, this may be a moment to take advantage of the situation and pry away a very talented young player.

Nazem Kadri

Another seamless fit for the brand of hockey the Hurricanes are itching to play, Nazem Kadri checks just about all of the boxes the team is looking for in a 2C. He’s coming off a season where he scored 35 goals, he’s still creating offense as well as he ever has, even at age 34, and he still brings that pesty, in-your-face, annoying type of style that has made him such an effective player over the course of his career. When you factor in his postseason success and his ability to elevate in key moments, you’re left with a player that is basically exactly what the doctor ordered for this Hurricanes group.

The only real drawbacks in adding Kadri would be the fact that he’s not a super great defensive player, and the fact that he has another four years on his contract which will take him to age 38. In my opinion, neither of these things should deter the Hurricanes from adding this player. They don’t need Kadri to be a shut-down defender, they’d need him to create offense, score goals and elevate the offensive upside of the team’s second line. As far as his contract, the $7 million average annual value (AAV) is not a problem if he manages to continue producing at his current rate, and even more so with the cap rising dramatically over the next few seasons. I’m sure the Calgary Flames will want a respectable haul for him, but he’s a player that I feel is definitely worth any price tag.

Marco Rossi

Marco Rossi is a player that I’m very familiar with, considering he played his junior hockey for my local Ottawa 67s of the Ontario Hockey League. I have to say, I’m a huge fan of this player. He just set career highs in every statistical category this past season with an impressive 24 goals and 60 points for the Minnesota Wild. He offers an enticing blend of speed, skill, and two-way effectiveness. It sounds as though he and Minnesota’s management have had a falling out, and I would love to see the Hurricanes take advantage of that as it’s very rare that a player of this caliber becomes available on the trade market.

Other Trade Options

The Vegas Golden Knights need to clear cap space to get compliant after their Mitch Marner addition, so the Hurricanes could target Tomas Hertl if he’s made available. Hertl scored 31 goals last season and has another five years left on his contract at an $8.14 million AAV. He’s big, he can score and he’s still a very good player at age 31. I’m sure Vegas would prefer to keep him and may look to move William Karlsson or Ivan Barbashev instead, but Hertl may be their most valuable asset to explore moving — and he was already falsely reported as traded to the Hurricanes, so it’s assumed there would be interest.

And finally, it’s hard to say if he’s even available, but it would be impossible to talk about trading for an impact center without mentioning Elias Pettersson. The 26-year-old is a former 100-point player and could be looking for a change in scenery after a whirlwind season in Vancouver. If he’s made available, you can guarantee pretty much all 31 teams would have interest in him — but the Hurricanes would have the assets available to pull off a trade of this magnitude.

If I had to guess, I feel like the Hurricanes’ course of action may be to see what they have in Jarvis and Stankoven. If the experiment fails, they can pivot during the season and look to the trade market, where it’s likely there will be guys available as teams falter and fall out of the playoff race approaching the trade deadline. As long as they have the issue solved by the time the postseason rolls around, there’s not a pressing rush to get this done immediately. Regardless, I expect the Hurricanes to explore all of their options over the course of the summer, both within and outside of the organization.