Carolina Hurricanes: 5 players would benefit from a change of scenery in Raleigh

Further into playoff contention than they’ve been in the past seven seasons, through mid-February, the Carolina Hurricanes can still make a Deadline splash.

The NHL always has players that will score 20, 30, and sometimes even 40 goals each season when they’re expected to be in a secondary scorer role for the year. That leads to some extra intrigue when franchises start to shop around for answers to their contention questions during the NHL Trade Deadline. The Carolina Hurricanes, and general manager Ron Francis, are likely to fall under that category as the final push to the playoffs begins.

In February 2018, this thinking is not going to be an exception. With the scoring finally rising on a nightly basis across the league, the time is now to nab an underrated natural goal scorer before they become an even hotter commodity in free agency.

Unexpectedly rough seasons from teams like the Chicago Blackhawks, New York Rangers, and Ottawa Senators have also opened doors to new trade ideas. And, with the way that the trade market trends in general now, even contenders can move valuable pieces, if the return is even or better.

Landing a player familiar with the Metro, with success against this division in the past, is a great way to look for the Canes, or any other team in the brink of contention in the same group. And, the Canes have something unique building that makes Raleigh an attractive destination for possible trade targets.

Players that need a change of scenery normally qualifies as someone who is either in a bad situation and performing well despite that, or having an unusual slump this season. Sometimes a fresh new attitude and work ethic is all that’s needed to revitalize an NHL player’s career.

The methodology used by the Canes, under Francis, is going to get a lot of exposure in the coming weeks. With the Deadline just eight days away, Carolina needs to make a move fast.

How to think about the Deadline, from the Hurricanes perspective

For the Canes, contention is a tricky thing. In fact the other division in the Eastern Conference, the Atlantic Division, has all top three teams ahead of the Metro’s best teams in the overall league standings. While the Metropolitan Division does not feature any of the top teams in the league altogether at this moment, it’s still the tightest of all four of the divisions.

Carolina is sure to be in a dog fight with a few other Metro teams down the stretch. The Rangers seem to have given up and will “blow it all up” at the Deadline. However, the New York Islanders (who are the most recent opponent to take down Carolina), New Jersey Devils, Philadelphia Flyers, and Columbus Blue Jackets are all well within 10 points, and just a few momentum swings, from swapping spots in the playoff picture completely.

Few teams have been mentioned more around trade rumors and media discussion for the 2018 Deadline than the Canes. Players like co-captain defenseman Justin Faulk and All-Star defenseman Noah Hanifin have sat on the trade market for nearly the entire season, or at least had their name mentioned around possible trade deals.

Here’s 5 players that the Carolina Hurricanes could land that need a change of scenery from their current team.

A player that most NHL fans are very familiar with is now officially being shopped. Former Jackets star and current Rangers winger Rick Nash is a viable target for most of the teams in the Metro. The idea of Nash back to Columbus to rejoin the Jackets seems to be picking up steam.

If the Canes are looking for a way to prevent the team that is struggling the most offensive in contention with them in the division, let’s hope Nash does not end up in Columbus. The Jackets were a Stanley Cup contender entering the regular season, and in the early months.

Moreover, since Carolina does not have any meetings left with the Jackets in the regular season slate, they don’t have much of an impact on each other’s playoff paths. Meanwhile, the Canes have a bevy of contests left with the Devils, Isles, and Flyers.

A scoring winger, that also brings a veteran voice to the locker room, is an intriguing thought for a team that is only one point out of a wildcard spot. And, with Carolina’s struggling to find consistent scoring with all the youth on the roster, Nash could help steady out the production.

There’s already been some discussion as to the possibility of a trade with the Montreal Canadiens. That trade discussion involved more than just the talented and young Habs forward Alex Galchenyuk. Montreal captain Max Pacioretty might be shopped at the Deadline too.

Either Galchenyuk or Pacioretty would be an ideal trade target for Carolina. By his standards and overall talent ceiling, Galchenyuk is having a worse than anticipated stat line through 57 games played.

While Galchenyuk averaged close to .75 points per game in 2016-17, he’s down nearly .2 points per game this season. He’s notched 12 goals and 33 points so far. A hot streak in the final quarter of the season could boost him up near the 50-point mark.

More than anything, Galchenyuk needs players that can play at his speed surrounding him. If the Canes managed to land him before the conclusion of the 2018 Deadline, he could center the two top scorers on the team this season, Sebastian Aho and Teuvo Teravainen.

For the Calgary Flames 21-year-old center Sam Bennett, the flashes are there, but the consistent production is not. Bennett’s most productive season came during his rookie campaign, in 2015-16, where he racked up 18 goals and 18 assists.

Since then, it’s been a struggle for him to even get close to 30 points. And, he played in all but one contest with the Flames last season. Sometimes, it’s just not meant to be with the team you’ve spent your entire professional career with.

This is definitely a risky idea for the Canes. Bennett still carries a lot of value with his name and that also means he’ll command a high price tag. However, Calgary does have a need to fill along the blue line, and Faulk and Hanifin would both be good targets for them to pursue.

With the offensive youth movement that Francis is building, Bennett fits in great with the organization’s future plans. It’s still in recent memory where Calgary selected Bennett with the fourth overall pick of the 2014 NHL Entry Draft. There’s still time to tap into that massive ability he could have in his prime years in the league.

In terms of players who are slumping in the last few years that have a lot of scoring touch and natural ability who need a change of scenery, no forward fits the bill in the Western Conference more than the son of Toronto Maple Leafs legendary grinder Tie Domi, 22-year-old left wing Max Domi.

With just four goals and 26 points on the season, on the roster of the league’s worst team, Domi needs to find greener pastures. This skilled forward showed us all what he can do in the last season where the Arizona Coyotes reached the 35-win mark, in 2015-16.

The 2015-16 season was also the first year for Domi in the league. He racked up 52 points in 81 games and contributed a ton to the limited success that the Coyotes had that season. Domi also finished up sixth in the Calder Trophy voting.

Where Domi fits in with the Canes is similar to that of Bennett. Both players are not producing at the levels expected of them, and joining a faster and younger group of forwards would benefit them. Domi, especially, could use the added motivation of joining a team in playoff contention.