Carolina Hurricanes: Kris Versteeg and Joakim Nordstrom Will Fit in Perfectly
By Brett Finger
On Friday, the Carolina Hurricanes acquired forwards Kris Versteeg and Joakim Nordstrom, along with a 2017 3rd round pick, from the Chicago Blackhawks in exchange for Jake Massie, Dennis Robertson, and a 2017 5th round pick.
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The trade, on the surface, was an absolute steal for the Carolina Hurricanes. The club added two NHL forwards and a top-90 pick in 2017, and they lost two low-grade defensive prospects and a late-round pick in the same draft as their acquired 3rd rounder. The trade served as a salary cap dump of sorts for the reigning Stanley Cup Champions.
Kris Versteeg, 29, spent parts of the last 2 seasons with the Chicago Blackhawks, as well as 3 more seasons with the club from 2007-2010.
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In between his two stints with the Hawks, he split a year with the Toronto Maple Leafs and Philadelphia Flyers and, he spent parts of 3 seasons with the Florida Panthers.
Since breaking into the NHL at the ages of 22 and 23, Versteeg has not only been an efficient offensive weapon, but he has been a player that can contribute in all areas when on the ice.
He is a four-time 40+ point scorer and two-time 50+ point scorer. High level of play earned him a 4-year, $17.6 million deal following the 2011-2012 season with the Florida Panthers. The deal carries an AAV of $4.4 million dollars. The winger will be an unrestricted free agent next summer.
Since signing that big deal, Versteeg has not been the same player. An injury plagued 2013 season limited him to just 10 games with the Panthers. He played in 18 games with the Cats the following year before being dealt to the Chicago Blackhawks. Florida retained half of his salary in the deal, bringing his AAV down to $2.2 million for Chicago.
He’s do go on to finish the year with the Blackhawks and tallied 36 total points in 81 games played with the Panthers and Blackhawks in 2013-2014.
The 2014-2015 season was Kris Versteeg’s first full season with the Chicago Blackhawks since his first stint with the club, and he started to show signs of returning to former glory.
In 61 games last season, Versteeg netted 14 goals and had 34 total points with the to-be Stanley Cup Champions.
Throughout his career, the Lethbridge, Ontario native has proven himself to be a high-end point producer, and him being a right-handed shot should help him secure a top-six spot on the Carolina Hurricanes in training camp and beyond.
This will be a great opportunity for Versteeg to get back to his 40-50 point status. He is still just 29, he is fully healthy, he will get a much bigger role in Carolina than he did in Chicago, and he is coming off of a good season with the Hawks.
Kris Versteeg also knows what it takes to win. He is a 2-time Stanley Cup Champion, winning hockey’s holy grail with Chicago in 2010 and 2015.
He was a fan favorite on a modern-day dynasty, and his personality and leadership will make the already solid Hurricanes locker room a much more fun and comfortable one to be in. He also has 84 games of post-season experience with 42 total points.
Carolina Hurricanes
The Canes will have no problem handling his $2.2 million cap hit this season. He could end up being one of the best values on the team in the coming months.
Expect good things out of the new comer. He will likely slide in on the wing somewhere in the top-6 along side guys like Eric Staal, Jordan Staal, and Victor Rask, among others.
The other player the Carolina Hurricanes acquired in the trade has been somewhat overlooked, and that player is Joakim Nordstrom, a 23-year-old forward entering the final year of his entry-level contract.
The Blackhawks drafted Nordstrom in the 3rd round of the 2010 NHL Entry Draft. The young two-way asset will join an already crowded group of Swedish players in Carolina, a group that includes the likes of Elias Lindholm and Victor Rask.
Nordstrom isn’t the same player as a Rask or a Lindholm, however. Carolina Hurricanes GM Ron Francis has already expressed interest in using him in a defensive role, specifically on the penalty kill.
“Joakim is a solid, 200-foot player who can kill penalties.”
While this player doesn’t have the same offensive upside of other great young players on the team and in the organization, he is still young, and if put in the right role, he could see better numbers. Up to this point, Nordstrom has skated in 54 NHL games and he has tallied 6 points. Granted, his role in the NHL has been extremely limited so far. He has 52 points in 92 AHL games.
Another thing to consider with Joakim Nordstrom is that he still is on his rookie contract, which means he can be moved back and forth from the Checkers and the Hurricanes throughout the season, so expect the team to take advantage of that, as they likely will with defenseman Ryan Murphy.
As of right now, it looks like Nordstrom has a very good chance of cracking the opening night roster. He was an AHL all-star last season before being called up to the NHL for the remaining 38 games of the regular season, and, unlike any other young forward competing for a spot, he has won a Stanley Cup and has skated in 10 playoff games.
Nordstrom also has size that can make a difference. He stands at 6’2″ and 190 pounds. He can still afford to put on more muscle as he still is rather slender. That being said, the issue of size hasn’t been an issue for him early on in his career.
This season, the young Swede will likely play in bottom-six and penalty killing roles at the NHL level, and if he also sees AHL time with the Checkers, he will see plenty of playing time on a good, young club in Charlotte.
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Considering what the Carolina Hurricanes gave up in this trade (two-defensemen that are unlikely to make any sort of considerable impact at the NHL level), it was a complete steal. Not to mention, they also got a 3rd round pick for a 5th round pick in the deal.
Kris Versteeg and Joakim Nordstrom will both be at training camp later this month with the Hurricanes. Versteeg will wear #32 this season in Carolina, and Nordstrom will wear #42.