3. Signing Top Free Agents
The Carolina Hurricanes are never going to be a the top destination for the best free agents on the market. Even when the Hurricanes are able to acquire top talent they usually have to do so at a premium. Remember the last top free agent the Hurricanes signed? Yeah, it’s that guy pictured up above Alexander Semin. While I’m not denying Semin’s talent, his play for the Hurricanes came nowhere near his $7 million price tag.
Obviously, the Hurricanes management at the time felt they needed to overpay to get very good (at the time) talent. So far we haven’t seen Ron Francis have to make decisions like these because the franchise is rebuilding. Building contenders requires judicious use of the free agency market, and given Carolina’s stature compared to other markets that may mean overpayment. Once the players are here, they love Raleigh, but it’s getting them here that’s the problem. If the team starts winning more a la Tampa Bay this won’t be so much an issue but as of right now it is.