Today the fans of the Carolina Hurricanes said goodbye to another player from the old guard, as the team sent center Victor Rask to the Minnesota Wild in a good old-fashioned hockey trade for right wing Nino Niederreiter. While the acquisition brings with it many questions, it would be unfair to not acknowledge the contribution Victor Rask made to the Carolina Hurricanes organization.
Victor Rask came to the Carolina Hurricanes via the 2nd round of the 2011 NHL Draft. After spending three years in Charlotte he finally got his chance in Raleigh in 2014; he immediately became a solid contributor to the big club, contributing 11 goals and 21 assists in just over 16 minutes of ice time a night.
His second year in Raleigh was a coming out party of sorts, one that saw him finish second on the team in scoring and nearly double his goal total by putting 21 pucks in the back of the net, including 5 game winners. This was accomplished while maintaining an respectable 13.1 shooting percentage and an ATOI of just under 17 minutes. His performance was not limited to offensive side of the ice as he won 51% of faceoffs taken and had 46 takeaways.
It was during that 2015-2016 that Rask showed the flashes of potential that left fans wondering just how good this Swedish-born Center could be. Finishing second on the team in goals and assists behind Jeff Skinner, and leading the team in assists on the power play with thirteen. The second-year center’s play left fans clamoring for a future Rask to Skinner connection for many years to come.
Rask’s performance during the season earned him a big payday and the Hurricanes were more than willing to ante up for their “future number 1 center” as Rask was inked to a 6 year, $24 million dollar deal with an AAV of just $4m. At the time, it was felt that this was a good piece of business by then-General Manager Ron Francis, who said at the time:
"“Victor has gotten better every season that he’s been a part of our organization. He is a big part of this team’s present and future, and we are thrilled to sign him to a longer-term deal.”"
The following season saw Victor Rask don the alternate captain title part time, splitting the duties with Jeff Skinner. Rask was third on the Carolina Hurricanes in scoring with 45 points, despite a slight decline in goals to 16, but increased his assists total from 27 to 29. That new $4m AAV deal still looked like a good investment.
Over the next two seasons injuries and inconsistency limited Victor Rask to only 97 of a possible 128 games, including an almost career-ending hand injury this off-season courtesy of a pairing knife and a sweet potato dinner. Rask saw his minutes decrease as he was relegated to fourth line duties; even in a diminished role Rask remained a steady defensive center, one that could be relied on to kill penalties when needed.
During Victor Rask’s post-contract tenure in Raleigh he was the victim of a lot of unfair criticism from the fan base. Granted he never truly lived up to his contract. The numbers show before the injury bug bit him he was productive, if not a bit streaky. Yet Rask is still young (25) and could easily be a productive member on most NHL teams.
However like many players, Rask may benefit from a change in scenery and for the first time since I can remember, the Carolina Hurricanes actually received a real-life NHL player in the trade. So as the season progresses it is time to put the name Victor Rask in the past, admire his contribution with gratitude and look forward to the next move by our beloved Carolina Hurricanes.
Very few players stay with one team for their entire career; Victor Rask started his Carolina Hurricanes career brightly, but suffered a dip in form and that horrible injury to end his time with the Canes on a low. Just a day after we asked if the Canes should trade him, they did, and Nino Niederreiter is an excellent return for a player whom many Canes fans wanted to see traded, or even waived. We thank Victor for his efforts with the team, and hope that he gets to play playoff hockey for the first time in his career with the Wild.