Carolina Hurricanes Free Agent Defense to Target

This offseason, the Carolina Hurricanes have a lot of cap space to play with. They are one of only three teams that have over $30 million in cap space, the other two teams being the New Jersey Devils and Arizona Coyotes.

The Hurricanes’ defense is growing and will be even better next season. Carolina is harboring defensive stars like Justin Faulk and Noah Hanifin, and future stars like Brett Pesce and Jaccob Slavin. You may have not heard of some of these names but over the past few years the Canes have been quietly building a good squad for the future.

Carolina is the youngest team in the NHL, their average age being 26.3 years old, so adding a few veterans to the defense would not hurt at all. The guys with a few years under their belts can share their experiences and lessons they have learned over the years.

This year’s free agent class is a thin one compared to recent off-seasons if you look hard enough at the free agents on defense, you’ll find some diamonds in the rough.

There are a couple middle-tier defensemen who seem they could fit into the system if Ron Francis is willing to shell out the cash. The Hurricanes have enough cap space to pull off some bigger contracts this summer, and they will have to do so if they want the significant names because Carolina is not exactly an appealing of a market to free agents and other players, unless there are dollar signs in their future.

Both of the D-men that will be mentioned were on teams this season that made the Stanley Cup playoffs and one of them has made it to the Finals.

1. Alex Goligoski

Alex Goligoski started his career with the Pittsburgh Penguins, then on February 21, 2011 he was

traded to his current team, the Dallas Stars. In January of 2012, the Stars signed Goligoski to a 4-year, $18.4 million contract extension which meant $4.6 million per year for him.

Since then, Goligoski has been a sound puck-moving, 2-way defenseman. The 30-year old played all 82 games this season and recorded 5 goals, 32 assists, and a career best plus/minus rating of +21.

The Stars were kicked out in the second round of the playoffs by the Blues, and while Goligoski stacked up the points during his playoff run, his defensive play was less than impressive. His stat line during the playoff run was was 4 goals, 3 assists, and a plus/minus rating of -6.

Don’t take his defensive play during that run wrong though, the whole Stars team was sloppy and not themselves. Goligoski is still a star on the ice and deserves a little raise in salary next season.

What should they offer?

A good two-way d-man like Goligoski will be looking for a $2.5-$3 million raise, maybe more, from his $4.6 million this season. As with the summer free agent contracts, come outrageous offers and signings, but the Hurricanes should stay away from an initial nonsensical offer.

Ron Francis should offer a 4-year $31 million and then bargain with Goligoski and his agent for a final number, this offer might even be enough for Goligoski to be happy, as it is a more than fair raise and offer.

2. Roman Polak

The other defenseman the Hurricanes should take a serious look at is San Jose Sharks defenseman, Roman Polak. Now hear me out, I know he is not having a good Stanley Cup Finals series against Pittsburgh right now, but the rest of the Sharks team are doing horrible as well in the series.

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Polak scored 1 goal, 15 assists, and had a plus/minus rating of +6. These numbers are not sexy, but that’s what happens when you are a big, strong, stay at home d-man. Polak has a job to do, and that’s to keep the puck out of the net, not score 20+ goals per season. The Hurricanes need another d-man like Polak, especially if their goalie situation does not improve.

Polak’s last contract extension came in June 2011, when the St. Louis Blues signed him to a 5-year $13.75 million contract that carried $2.75 million AAV.

What should they offer?

On the open market, Polak will seen as a big, solid addition to the back-end and will see a couple million dollars raise.

Ron Francis should take a serious look at Polak and his potential. A smart offer for the big guy would be an affordable, 3-year $11.5 million contract. Polak might be looking for a longer term but the Canes shouldn’t budge on a 3 year deal, it is reasonable for a player like Polak.

There are other free agent defensemen on the market this summer, like Keith Yandle, Dan Hamhuis, Ben Lovejoy, and Luke Schenn that Carolina could look at but Goligoski and Polak are their best bets to make the team better.

Next: Carolina Hurricanes Preseason Schedule Announced

There are also other decisions to make like re-signing Victor Rask, Nathan Gerbe, and whether or not to bring back Cam Ward, but creating a good defense is something that should be on the Hurricanes’ docket.

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