Carolina Hurricanes Offseason Review
By Zeke Lukow
We are a little more than a month out from training camp and there is a lot up in the air for the Carolina Hurricanes.
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Hurricanes GM Ron Francis has had a pretty busy couple of months, and the team has improved, but there are still some issues left to address. Lets look at the Carolina Hurricanes offseason moves to date and breakdown what it means for the team.
The Good
James Wisniewski/Eddie Lack Trades
These two trades are lumped together because the acquisition on Lack caused the trade of Khudobin, so the trades and assets involved in the trades are counted as one.
On day 2 of the draft Francis was able to upgrade the position of back up goalie for almost nothing. Francis dealt this year’s 3rd round pick and the 2016 7th round pick (aka nothing) for Eddie Lack. Lack (18-13-4) had a GAA of 2.43 and a SV% of .921 in 41 starts last year which were both better than Khudobin (8-17-6), who posted a GAA of 2.72 and a SV% of .900.
Now saddled with an extra goaltender, Francis decided to move Khudobin to the Anaheim Ducks for James Wisniewski. Wisniewski gives the Hurricanes another true top pairing defender, and came at such a low cost (a redundant back up goalie). There was no secret that Wisniewski didn’t fit in the Ducks system and should return to pre Ducks form.
In his last year full year with Columbus, Wisniewski registered 51 points (7g,44a) in 75 games.
To sum up the deal, Francis was able to upgrade goal tending and add a true top pairing defender for the low cost of a 2015 3rd round pick, a 2016 7th round pick and Khudobin. The days of overpaying in trades looks to be over.
The Bad
Buying out Alexander Semin
On face value many people are going to look at this and laugh because every NHL fan’s favorite past time is hating on Semin. I live in Washington, DC and I still hear about this signing all the time and they still boo him at the Verizon Center every time he touches the puck, even 3 years after he left the Caps! Sure Francs was able to get rid of some valuable cap but that comes at a large expense…
Semin’s buyout means that the Carolina Hurricanes are on the book for $2.3mil for the next SIX YEARS. He still has top 6 talent, lightning quick hands, and great puck possession that would make him worth the $7mil per year figure. As a small market team the Hurricanes are a noted budget team, so $2.3mil is no small number, and could come back to haunt the Canes.
Mandatory Credit: James Guillory-USA TODAY Sports
Semin had a very visible down year last year, only tallying 19 total points (6g, 13a), in 57 games, while battling through a wrist injury. in years prior he tallied 42 points (22g, 20a) in 2013-2014 and 44 points (13g, 31a) in the shortened 2012-2013 season. I thought that Semin should have been kept around for one more year to see if last year was the outlier or the trend. Even one more year would have reduced the 6 year buy out hit to a 4 year hit. I think overreacting this badly after one down year could end up being harmful in the long run.
The other area of concern about losing Semin is the lack of forward/scoring depth. Without Semin the Canes have a sizable hole to fill in the Top 6 and leaving the Canes with only 2 right handed forwards (Elias Lindholm and Riley Nash). The current top 6 for the team is E. Staal-J. Staal-Skinner and Gerbe-Rask-Lindholm, I’ll let that sink if for a moment.
The Ugly The Unknown
The big question mark that is still out there for the team is free agency. The Canes are lacking forward depth in the worst way, and it will be interesting to see what solutions are out there.
There are plenty of good players out there and Francis has made the smart move by waiting for asking prices to come down.
Small market teams like the Hurricanes target a specific type of player in free agency. Here are a couple that fit best with signings of years past.
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Jiri Tlusty
Whenever you talk about recycling players, it brings up memories of the Jim Rutherford days, and fans get weary; however, this is not a typical recycling job. Tlusty is the perfect signing for a budget team, he has been productive yet has flown under the radar by playing in Carolina and Winnipeg.
Tlusty’s last contract was for 1 year for $2.95 mil, and that number can come down. There is a lot of bang for your buck in a player like Tlusty. He adds a top 6 forward with decent size (6’0”, 209 lbs) and scored over 30 points (14g, 17a) last season.
Tomas Fleischmann
Fleischmann is a veteran winger that will cost much less than the $4.5mil price tag he had last year. He can add a veteran presence in the locker room to help develop the younger forwards and adds forward depth. Fleischmann is the definition of a bargain bin player, and we all know thats where the Canes shop for free agents.
Though Fleishmann’s production hasn’t been stellar, only 8 goals and 19 assists last season, he still has a Corsi for and primary scoring that is better than 58% of the league. Not only is his own Corsi been strong, but he has had a positive effect on linemates Corsi and scoring over the past 3 seasons.
Tell us what you think of the Carolina Hurricanes offseason so far. What transactions are you most excited about? Which are you most disappointed in? Keep the conversation going below.