Carolina Hurricanes: 5 potential free agent targets this off-season
Less than two months remains before the conclusion of the 2017-18 regular season. The Carolina Hurricanes soon turn focus to free agency.
Considering there’s still a lot to figure out for the Carolina Hurricanes before the conclusion of the 2017-18 NHL season, the off-season plan for the organization is still unclear. One things does loom large, the focus on the activity level of general manager Ron Francis a new majority owner Tom Dundon.
Francis has a laundry list of things to address, or at least shed light on during the off-season. If the Canes do make the playoffs this season, the pressure to make moves lightens up than if they don’t, and extend that long drought.
The free agent market this off-season is not as strong as it was in 2017. But, there’s still some huge names on the open market, as long as they do not re-sign before the summer of 2018 comes around. Most notably of all those names is New York Islanders superstar forward John Tavares.
Since the Canes did not do much at the Trade Deadline, they could be very active during the off-season. Francis showed last year that he can make some big moves in free agency, whether they can actually work out is a different thing. Justin Williams and Scott Darling were the two biggest moves from the 2017 off-season. One panned out so far and one has not.
The point is that fans will always be interested to see how this front office develops solutions to the Canes’ contention issues. They constantly find ways to underachieve and that is really testing the patience of the fan base.
Here’s five 2018 free agents that the Carolina Hurricanes could potentially pursue this off-season.
We’ve discussed the possibility of the Canes acquiring Toronto Maple Leafs standout winger James van Riemsdyk before. But, there are some road blocks to bringing in van Riemsdyk via trade, and now that the Deadline has passed free agency is the next way to acquire him.
If the Leafs do decide to let JVR walk, then there’s going to be a ton of suitors for him. He’s not the most expensive natural scorer in the league, and he’s still got some prime years of offensive production left on the table.
He’ll be 29-years-old at the beginning of the 2018-19 NHL season, with a little bit of room for improvement still left too. If van Riemsdyk lands himself in another good situation, he’ll have the potential to score more than 30 goals in a season.
He is the type of player that consistently produces at least 25 goals per season. That type of reliability, with a player that still has some good years left, is not commonly found in the free agent market at the price of JVR. It’s worth a try for the Canes.
JVR and former Buffalo Sabres and now San Jose Sharks left wing Evander Kane were both the subject of a few trade rumors. Those trade rumors ultimately landed Kane in San Jose and nothing came of JVR, as he is still with Toronto.
It’s not that surprising that Kane was dealt and the Leafs kept JVR. Moreover, it would have taken Francis and the Canes a lot to bring Kane into the mix at this moment. And, that commitment might not have been worth it considering he’s a free agent this off-season either way.
The deal that sent Kane to the Sharks did not involve a contract extension along the way. And, the Sharks do not show any signs of wanting to sign him to a contract extension at this point. But, those type of things can always change.
A main issue for Kane along the way has never been his potential and talent level. His attitude issues on and off the ice held him back during his career so far. He’s still young, at just 26-years-old at the beginning of the 2018-19 campaign, and could be worth the risk in Raleigh.
Most of the players on this list are big fish for the Canes to pursue, and would take a significant monetary commitment. However, the reliable Isles defenseman Calvin de Haan does not fit into either of those categories.
He might carry a somewhat significant price tag, but he’s a top four defender that is solid on both ends of the ice. If the Canes are looking to add a steadying force to the mix, and continue to add to the depth along the blue line, then de Haan is a great option.
Reaching the level that Carolina’s captain defenseman Justin Faulk did offensively in year’s past is not a likely result to get out of a player like de Haan. His skill is more neutral, and he’s probably more useful in the defensive zone than in the offensive.
The area where de Haan would bring the most value is in pairing with a player like Noah Hanifin or Haydn Fleury. Carolina has a ton of youth on the blue line. And, we saw a defender that Francis brought in like Trevor van Riemsdyk, that is a bit more conservative, pairs well with a young talent like Hanifin. Even pairing de Haan with Faulk could work out well.
The Columbus Blue Jackets are one of the bigger threats to take the Canes out of their current wildcard spot in the Eastern Conference. In fact, the Blue Jackets have the same amount of points as Carolina entering two key March 4 matchups for both squads.
A riskier move for a lot of teams across the league would be bringing in a player in the situation of Columbus forward Cam Atkinson. You’d be playing off one season worth of production to bring in Atkinson, and he’s still likely to command a high price tag.
This year, Atkinson had some injury issues, missing a decent amount of time from the lineup. He’s not anywhere near his 35 goal production from a season ago. At this moment, he’s played in 49 games and racked up 26 points.
The points per game mark is not too concerning for Atkinson, as a lot of changes under head coach John Tortorella could have caused some of the decline. But, any team that goes after Atkinson should proceed with caution. The potential of bringing in a 30-goal scorer that does not command that level of price tag for a 28-year-old is still intriguing.
All the talk surrounding the free agency pursuit of John Tavares is about to begin. He’s the prized possession of this round of free agency, and the Isles do have some doubts as to whether he’ll return to the organization next season.
Few forwards in the league have a better scoring touch than Tavares, a player that can easily rack up 70-80 points per season. And, given the right situation, Tavares could finally reach his potential that could land him around 90 points in any given year.
The thought of a center like Tavares connecting two young talented wingers like Sebastian Aho and Teuvo Teravainen is very intriguing. Few teams offer a value prop like that, and that could give the Canes a leg up.
Next: 3 needs that the Carolina Hurricanes did not address at the Trade Deadline
Saying that the Canes should go after Tavares in free agency is obvious. Not only does that sap the need to bring in a first line center, the Canes could also become a Stanley Cup contender for years to come. Landing Tavares is the ultimate goal for a ton of NHL teams this summer.