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Carolina Hurricanes: 5 players who must go before next season

By Andrew Miller

CHICAGO, IL - MARCH 08: Justin Faulk #27 and Jordan Staal #11 of the Carolina Hurricanes talk in the first period against the Chicago Blackhawks at the United Center on March 8, 2018 in Chicago, Illinois. (Photo by Bill Smith/NHLI via Getty Images)
CHICAGO, IL - MARCH 08: Justin Faulk #27 and Jordan Staal #11 of the Carolina Hurricanes talk in the first period against the Chicago Blackhawks at the United Center on March 8, 2018 in Chicago, Illinois. (Photo by Bill Smith/NHLI via Getty Images) /
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CHICAGO, IL – MARCH 08: Justin Faulk #27 and Jordan Staal #11 of the Carolina Hurricanes talk in the first period against the Chicago Blackhawks at the United Center on March 8, 2018 in Chicago, Illinois. (Photo by Bill Smith/NHLI via Getty Images)
CHICAGO, IL – MARCH 08: Justin Faulk #27 and Jordan Staal #11 of the Carolina Hurricanes talk in the first period against the Chicago Blackhawks at the United Center on March 8, 2018 in Chicago, Illinois. (Photo by Bill Smith/NHLI via Getty Images) /

A theme of focusing on next season for the Carolina Hurricanes keeps going here with a look at what should change with the roster this off-season.

Finding the right roster combination for the Carolina Hurricanes is the main mission before the puck drops on the 2018-19 NHL season. Falling short of expectations, yet again, was not a good look for the Canes this season, as they will likely finish just a few points outside a wildcard spot.

Moreover, the Canes played best down the stretch when it did not matter much anymore. At the key point of the regular season, the Canes lost 12 of the 16 most important matchups of the year. That ultimately cost them their chance at ending the longest playoff drought of any franchise in the NHL.

To improve more entering the 2018-19 campaign, the Canes need to put themselves in the best roster situation possible. Carolina has a ton of cap space available to use during the off-season. Only the Arizona Coyotes and Edmonton Oilers have more cap room to work with in the summer.

This free agent class is more lucrative than there’s been in recent years. A class headlined by current New York Islanders superstar forward John Tavares will draw a ton of attention from every team around the league. If the Canes can show some of the better players available this summer that Raleigh is the place to be for a brighter future, the Canes will progress immediately.

Shaking things up was the theme of the second half of the season for the Canes, especially once they were eliminated from the playoff race. Here’s a look at five players that need to go before next season for the Carolina Hurricanes.

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