It is the final Monday of July, and the Carolina Hurricanes have been involved in some interesting news over the past 24 hours.
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Jeff Skinner‘s name has come in trade rumors, the defense is in question, and the Canes could possibly benefit from expansion after all.
Let’s take a look at today’s news.
Jeff Skinner on the Move?
Late last week, Luke Decock of the Raleigh News & Observer reported that Carolina Hurricanes general manager Ron Francis continues to field offers from teams regarding young forward Jeff Skinner, and has been doing so since before the draft.
According to the report, no offers have tempted Carolina’s GM so far.
Skinner’s name will stay in rumors for the rest of the summer, but it is clear that Francis has a high asking for the former Calder Trophy winner. He has had two 30-goal seasons prior to his 23rd birth day, something only 16 other players have done over the past 20 years. Skinner is in an exclusive group that includes the likes of Alex Ovechkin, Sidney Crosby, Jonathan Toews, Steven Stamkos, Phil Kessel, Rick Nash, Eric Staal, and several other NHL stars.
Many fans are calling for a Jeff Skinner trade, but perhaps it is much smarter to wait it out and see if he can rebound, especially considering the lack of scoring the team already has. It wouldn’t shock me if he went out and had another 30+ goal year next season. Keep in mind he won’t turn 24 until May of 2016.
Hurricanes Defense Questions
As of right now, the Carolina Hurricanes have 4 NHL defenseman on contract for next year – Justin Faulk, James Wisniewski, Ron Hainsey, and John-Michael Liles. That means two spots remain open for younger players or free agents.
Amongst the younger players that will compete for spots on the blue line are Ryan Murphy, Noah Hanifin, Haydn Fleury, Michal Jordan, Danny Biega, Rasmus Rissanen, and Trevor Carrick. There will be a lot of competition on the blue line, but that doesn’t rule out the possibility of adding more players to the fray.
Ryan Dadoun of NBC Pro Hockey Talk speculates that available UFA’s like Cody Franson and Christian Ehrhoff could be good fits in Carolina, as well as cheaper options like Jan Hejda and Andrej Meszaros. Ehrhoff’s agent even said last week that the Hurricanes have shown interest in his client. You can read more about that HERE.
With the loss of big, physical defensemen like Jay Harrison, Tim Gleason, and Brett Bellemore over the past few seasons, adding a guy like Jan Hejda for a year could be good. He stands at 6’4″, 230 pounds and can physically impose himself on opposing offenses. The biggest downside is the fact that he is 37, so it would be a short-term deal if the Canes were to bring him on.
I’ve said in the past that adding Christian Ehrhoff would be a good move for one or two seasons. He could be a perfect, capable stop gap so that young guys like Hanifin and Fleury can develop properly and step into bigger roles with the club.
Expansion News
In an interview with Amalie Benjamin of the Boston Globe, NHL commissioner Gary Bettman said the league is still skeptical about the applications submitted.
Bettman also practically ruled out any new applications being submitted or accepted in the future, noting that there was three groups from Seattle that showed interest, but did not apply. The commissioner also noted that their deadline has passed and they will not accept anymore applications as of now. Instead, they will focus on the two groups that actually applied.
In news that could benefit the Carolina Hurricanes, Bettman also said that, if Quebec was to get another team, they could play in the Western Conference. This would remove the need of moving an Eastern team out West, a scenario in which the Hurricanes would be a top candidate in all likelihood.
Quebec City and Las Vegas were the only two cities to submit an expansion application. If both teams were to be accepted, both could end up being in the Western Conference, making the conferences an even 16 teams each for a total of 32 teams, which would match the structure of the National Football League in that regard.