Hurricanes’ perfect trade target amid 2026 NHL Free Agency

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Hurricanes’ perfect trade target amid 2026 NHL Free Agency

Originally posted on NHL on ClutchPoints | Last updated Jul 27, 2026 12:18 AM ET

The Carolina Hurricanes are your Stanley Cup champions for the first time in 20 years. They won their Cup in a different way than previous champions. Not to disrespect those teams and their depth, but the Hurricanes truly epitomized the meaning of a complete team effort during their playoff run in 2026.

The Hurricanes won the Stanley Cup with contributions from every single player on the team. From captain Jordan Staal’s historic Stanley Cup Final run to Mark Jankowski scoring a game-tying goal in Game 2, Carolina rolled four lines, three defensive pairings, and two goaltenders to reach the mountain top.

Perhaps that’s why the Hurricanes have elected not to mess with the formula too much. Sure, there were reports about a potential Connor Hellebuyck trade. But that hasn’t come to pass, and likely won’t at this juncture. For the most part, Carolina has kept it quite simple.

The most notable move the Hurricanes have made this summer was a trade for a player they failed to sign. They made an attempt to bring John Carlson into the fold before he hit NHL Free Agency. This didn’t work, and he wound up signing with the Tampa Bay Lightning.

There is certainly still time for Carolina to make some big splash. They have the means to do it, and they have reportedly explored such a transaction. With this in mind, here is one perfect trade candidate the Hurricanes must bring in before the new season begins.

Blue Jackets’ Kirill Marchenko would fill major need for Hurricanes

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The Hurricanes, for all the talent and depth they have, missed one crucial element in the Stanley Cup Playoffs. They were able to score goals when they needed to. But their finishing still wasn’t the best it could be. Adding another player who can score goals would be a wise investment this summer.

Carolina has players who have a good track record in this department. Sebastian Aho, Andrei Svechnikov, and Nikolaj Ehlers are some of the players who could step up internally. At the same time, general manager Eric Tulsky has not been afraid to swing big when his team is in a position to do so.

The Hurricanes could target winger Kirill Marchenko through trade. The Columbus Blue Jackets winger is reportedly unwilling to sign a long-term contract with his current team. If Columbus elects to sell high, the Hurricanes have the pieces to make things happen.

It certainly wouldn’t be the easiest deal. The Blue Jackets and Hurricanes are division rivals, for instance. And that could make doing a deal a bit complicated. Furthermore, Carolina would also need to do this deal in a way that allows them to re-sign him next summer when he is a restricted free agent.

The division rival part of the calculation could certainly be overblown, especially when considering recent history. The Boston Bruins traded Brad Marchand in the division during the 2025 NHL Trade Deadline, for instance. And the Hurricanes swung a trade with their division rival, the New York Rangers, for K’Andre Miller last summer.

The financial aspects could be worked out within this trade. Carolina has some players they could offload to make salaries make sense. In any event, the important part is the Hurricanes acquiring another goal scorer for their top-six. Kirill Marchenko would be a fantastic fit for the Hurricanes now and in the future.

This article first appeared on NHL on ClutchPoints and was syndicated with permission.

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