Carolina Hurricanes: 5 possible destinations for Micheal Ferland

There is no smoke without fire, as the old saying goes. With continued rumors that the Carolina Hurricanes will trade Micheal Ferland, we look at five teams who need to make a run at acquiring the feisty winger.

When the Carolina Hurricanes acquired Micheal Ferland as part of the Dougie Hamilton trade, fans assumed that we were getting a PIMS-happy middle six winger who would chip in occasionally with a few goals. Since joining the team, Ferland has happily dispelled that myth, and has proven to be a valuable contributor on the team’s top line alongside Sebastian Aho and Teuvo Teravainen.

Those unexpected performances have also given Ferland an indication of his value on the open market. A UFA in the summer, Ferland will then be a 27 year-old hockey player who hits, fights, and battles hard for every puck. This is his chance for a big payday, and no-one can blame him for asking for a sizeable increase on his current $1.75m AAV deal. Earlier in the season we suggested that an extension of $4.5m would suffice to secure Ferland’s services – but then he kept scoring, downed Austin Watson, and has proven to be a catalyst for the team on several occasions.

With the supposed asking price anywhere between $5m and $7m annually, it’s only right that Carolina Hurricanes GM Don Waddell look at the trade market to ascertain what he could recoup if he were to deal Ferland. A trade became even more likely when the Canes acquired Nino Niederreiter from the Minnesota Wild, as he too plays a physical style but is already signed long-term.

So assuming that Ferland will be traded, who needs his services the most? Here are five teams who could all use an infusion of goals, hits and truculence.