Trade Deadline Primer: Carolina Hurricanes

With the All-Star break approaching, the trade deadline looms large and is about a month and a half away. Where does each team stand, and what moves should they be looking to make? We continue our look around the league with the Carolina Hurricanes.

The Carolina Hurricanes have made their top status in the NHL undeniable this season. They’ve yet to have a losing record, despite facing injuries to top scorer Andrei Svechnikov and multiple goaltenders, including starter Frederik Andersen who is out indefinitely with a blood clotting issue. The Hurricanes have already iced five different goalies through the first half of the season, including waiver claim Spencer Martin and rookie Yaniv Perets. They even had veteran Jaroslav Halak on a professional try-out contract earlier in the season, though the 38-year-old wasn’t able to earn an NHL deal. But Carolina has persevered, fighting their way to ninth in the NHL and ranking in the league’s top 10 in goals for and against. They’ll be gearing up for another long playoff push when the Trade Deadline rolls around.

Record

28-15-5, 2nd in the Metropolitan

Deadline Status

Buyer

Deadline Cap Space

$8.73MM on deadline day, 0/3 retention slots used, 41/50 contracts used, per CapFriendly.

Upcoming Draft Picks

2024: CAR 1st, CAR 2nd, PHI 2nd, CAR 3rd, CAR 4th, CAR 5th, CAR 6th, CAR 7th
2025: CAR 1st, CAR 2nd, CAR 3rd, CAR 4th, CAR 6th, CAR 7th

Trade Chips

The Carolina Hurricanes have kept their roster fairly tight over the last few seasons and thus, don’t have much in the way of bargaining chips entering trade season. They are once again rumored to be shopping around Tony DeAngelo, who is in his second stint with the team after they traded him to the Philadelphia Flyers for a second, third, and fourth round pick in the 2022 summer. DeAngelo likely hasn’t done much to raise his value since that deal, seeing a decline in his production with 42 points in 70 games last season and just nine in 21 games this year. It’s been coupled with a decreased role, with the 28-year-old averaging just 14 minutes of ice time this season, significantly down from the 22 minutes he averaged with Philadelphia last season. Still, the hope of a revamped role leading to revamped scoring could be enough to convince a deadline seller.

The Hurricanes will otherwise likely be moving on from future assets. They’ve managed to hang on to almost all of their draft picks over the next three drafts and could be poised to cash them in with the wind behind them this season. They’ve also drafted well enough to manage parting with a few top prospects, like winger Noel Gunler who appeared in 42 AHL games and scored 23 points between 2021 and 2023, but is now on loan to the Liiga’s Karpat. Or they could move on from one of their two leading NCAA scorers in Bradly Nadeau – who ranks second on the University of Maine in scoring with 31 points in 22 games – or Cruz Lucius – who leads the University of Wisconsin with 22 points in 24 games.

With Carolina having reportedly taken Brett Pesce off the trade deadline, it’s hard to imagine many other names they’d be excited to move. They’ll be limited to a strict buyer status on deadline day, doomed to part with future capital if they want to build on this season. But they may have a silver lining financially, with CapFriendly estimating the Hurricanes will have roughly $8.7MM in deadline cap space. That could be enough to make bringing on cap feasible, likely cheapening any deal, or helping them contend for the more expensive players on the market.

Team Needs

1) Consistency In Net: The Carolina Hurricanes don’t necessarily need a goaltender. Pyotr Kochetkov has manned the team’s net serviceably, when healthy, tallying 11 wins and a .900 save percentage through 23 games. The 24-year-old is currently in the AHL, looking to make his return from a concussion suffered on January 11th that earned him a stint on injured reserve. Kochetkov’s de facto backup, Antti Raanta, has also managed 12 games this season, though he’s tallied a much lower .870 save percentage. But neither goalie has been able to evade the minors, with Kochetkov not making the Hurricanes out of camp and playing in three AHL games this season, and Raanta getting placed on waivers earlier in the year and appearing  in two AHL games.

Consistency in net has been Carolina’s missing piece this year. And while they could continue wishing for better health, this could be the best year to bring in a new name. There’s a long list of quality goaltenders on the trade block, including  backups Jake Allen and Marc-Andre Fleury. Both options could come at a cheaper price than top names like Jacob Markstrom or Kaapo Kahkonen, while still providing Carolina with an upgrade over Raanta. With Kochetkov hoping to return from injury soon, the Hurricanes don’t need to sell the lot for a new name. But anyone capable of staying active would provide massive value, especially as the team aims its sights on a deep playoff run.

2) A Big Splash: Carolina hasn’t had much to complain about this season. They’re getting plenty of scoring, with 11 players boasting 20 or more points, including three defensemen. They’re even poised to add a major scoring talent back into the lineup when Andrei Svechnikov returns from an upper-body injury that’s held him out of Carolina’s last three games. But there are plenty of big names on the open market that could put an already-strong Hurricanes team over the top. They could pull off a blockbuster deal to bring in Ottawa’s Jakob Chychrun or Vladimir Tarasenko, Philadelphia’s Sean Walker, or Pittsburgh’s Jake Guentzel. All four players would provide formidable depth to Carolina, without locking the team into lengthy contracts. It’d be a surefire boost to a Hurricanes lineup that’s pitted up against a strong divisional opponent in the New York Rangers. Carolina doesn’t typically jump for big-name Spring trades, but a rich market could sway them to upgrade while they still can.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports.