While the Hurricanes are sitting on the outside looking in at a playoff spot and haven’t made the postseason since 2009, don’t expect GM Ron Francis to be too aggressive in trying to shake up and add to Carolina’s roster over the next couple of weeks. Speaking with Tom Gulitti of NHL.com, Francis indicated that he won’t be deviating from his approach to building the team and has the backing of ownership to stay the course:
“If we feel it makes our team better, we’re going to do it, but we’re not going to give up key pieces or key picks just to try to get into the playoffs. We’re going to try to keep building this thing the right way to build a championship team. That philosophy is going stay the same.”
With the Metropolitan Division being so tight, there’s a good chance Francis will wait until just before the deadline before deciding whether to be a buyer, seller, or to stay put.
Elsewhere in the Metro:
- Earlier in the season, it looked like a foregone conclusion that the Penguins would be dealing defenseman Ian Cole but Jason Mackey of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette suggests that this may not be the case now. Cole has worked his way back into the lineup which lessens Pittsburgh’s desire to move him and they may simply want to hold on to him for depth purposes as well. It still seems that there’s a good chance Cole will leave as a free agent in July, however, as Mackey notes that there is some friction between the blueliner and head coach Mike Sullivan.
- With Keith Kinkaid struggling and Cory Schneider (groin) still out of the lineup with no timetable for a return, Andrew Gross of The Record speculates that the Devils may have to consider adding a goaltender before the trade deadline. New Jersey also has veteran Eddie Lack who is currently the backup but he has struggled mightily in his limited NHL action so far this season. While it doesn’t appear as if too many goalies of note will be moved within the next couple of weeks, the asking price for some of the veteran depth options shouldn’t be too high.