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Carolina Hurricanes: Why the Playoffs Should be Priority Number One

By Omar Abdelgawad

RALEIGH, NC - MAY 26: Eric Staal #12 of the Carolina Hurricanes celebrates his first period goal against the Pittsburgh Penguins during Game Four of the Eastern Conference Championship Round of the 2009 Stanley Cup Playoffs at RBC Center on May 26, 2009 in Raleigh, North Carolina. The Penguins defeated the Hurricanes 4-1 to clinch the NHL's Eastern Conference title.(Photo by Grant Halverson/Getty Images)
RALEIGH, NC - MAY 26: Eric Staal #12 of the Carolina Hurricanes celebrates his first period goal against the Pittsburgh Penguins during Game Four of the Eastern Conference Championship Round of the 2009 Stanley Cup Playoffs at RBC Center on May 26, 2009 in Raleigh, North Carolina. The Penguins defeated the Hurricanes 4-1 to clinch the NHL's Eastern Conference title.(Photo by Grant Halverson/Getty Images) /
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Future Free Agent and Trade Pick-ups

Making the playoffs doesn’t only mean experience for those who don’t have any, but drawing in those good players who want to experience it. Its no secret that most free agents are not drawn to Carolina. Calvin de Haan was probably the first in a long time to look at Raleigh and say “this is where I want to play hockey for the next several years”. Petr Mrazek saw it as an opportunity to reinvent himself and potentially steal a starting role. Justin Williams saw it as returning to the team he won his first Stanley Cup with. But outside of those three, free agents aren’t flocking to North Carolina.

The biggest reason for that is that free agents want to win. They want to go to the team they see the best opportunity of hoisting the Cup with. It’s why John Tavares signed with the Maple Leafs. It’s why Riley Nash signed with the Blue Jackets. Both were teams that made the playoffs last season. There is a huge difference to a free agent in joining a team that is looking for one or two more pieces to just make the playoffs, and a team that is looking for one or two more pieces to make a deep run into the playoffs.

Even with a stellar roster and high aspirations, a team that hasn’t made the playoffs in several years isn’t going to draw players that want to win. While calling up developed players and shaping them into the roles that this team needs is great, without that veteran leadership to help guide them to a championship, its almost pointless.

Its not only free agents from other teams that will find it easier to sign with the Carolina Hurricanes. The Canes would find it easier to negotiate with their own impending free agents already on the roster with the promise of playoff hockey. There are currently 23 future free agents (both restricted and unrestricted) for this team between the Hurricanes roster and the pipeline. Making the playoffs this year will help ensure that star players like Sebastian Aho and Teuvo Teravainen don’t end up wearing different jerseys in the years to come.

So what about trades? That shouldn’t matter right? Players have very limited say in where they get traded to. This is somewhat true. No-Trade or No-Move clauses in their various forms give players some control over who a trade partner might be. It’s how the Carolina Hurricanes received such a poor return for star forward Jeff Skinner. Being known as a team that doesn’t make the playoffs removes you from virtually all lists of places players wouldn’t mind being traded to. By simply breaking that mold and returning to the playoffs, suddenly getting traded to Carolina isn’t a career death sentence.

But even if Carolina landed a player in a trade that did not have a NTC or NMC of any type, there comes the concept of their attitude and fortitude about being here. Players are people after all. Take for example, Scott Darling. After finishing a stellar year as a backup with his hometown team the Chicago Blackhawks, the rights to signing him were traded to Carolina. Leaving his hometown team in order to attempt to lead the Carolina Hurricanes to a playoff drought-ending season proved too much for Darling, who showed up out of shape and couldn’t bring himself together well enough to survive the competition from Petr Mrazek or Curtis McElhinney. The end result was sending him on waivers and ultimately the Checkers.

Even a single playoff series will change the perception of this team across the league. Players will be more likely to consider answering when Don Waddell calls, more likely to include Carolina in their shortlist of teams they wouldn’t mind being traded to, and more likely to be excited to join a Carolina team that looks ready to steamroll its way though the playoffs and lift a Stanley Cup.

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