Carolina Hurricanes: Best Trades of the First Ten Years

Trades are an exciting part of NHL fandom.  From gearing up for a playoff run to cutting ties with an underperforming talent and everything in between, let’s take a look at the best trades that the Carolina Hurricanes made in their first decade.

Something’s missing.

Sometimes you can put your finger on it, other times it’s more subtle.  Regardless of the cause, it becomes obvious that your team needs a change.  During the season, attempts may be made to fix the issue by recalling players from the minors, making a waiver claim, or taking a chance on an unsigned player.

More often, change comes via the trade route.  Once preseason expectations morph into harsh reality, general managers are left to supplement their roster by either betting that their team is a piece or two away from contention or waving the white flag and looking towards the future.

Before the newly christened Carolina Hurricanes took the ice in 1997, GM Jim Rutherford pulled the trigger on five trades, two of which we’ll examine here.  Over the franchise’s first ten years in North Carolina, Rutherford completed 74 trades, some masterstrokes, some misfires.

Sit back, relax, and join me in this retrospective of the best trades that the Carolina Hurricanes made over their first ten years.

The First-Ever Trade

While the next trade on this list is often misremembered as being the first trade in Hurricanes history, that honor actually goes to this move.  While garnering little attention at the time, this trade ended up having huge implications for the Carolina Hurricanes.

With the 1st round pick, San José selected Scott Hannan, a serviceable NHL defenseman who played 626 of his 1055 career games with the Sharks.

For the Hurricanes, that 2nd round pick became Brad DeFauw, who managed all of nine games in the NHL.  The real prize of this trade was that 3rd round pick which was used to select rugged winger and fan-favorite Erik Cole.

Cole played 557 games over two stints with the Hurricanes, putting up 168 goals and 195 assists.  Cole joined Rod Brind’Amour and Bates Battaglia on the BBC Line, a trio which put up 15 goals and 20 assists as the Hurricanes made a surprise run to the 2002 Stanley Cup Finals.

The 2005-06 season was a defining point in Cole’s career.  Sixty games into that campaign, Cole sat at 30 goals and 29 assists heading into a March 4th matchup with the Pittsburgh Penguins.  The eventual 7-5 Hurricanes victory was marred when Pittsburgh defenseman Brooks Orpik hit Cole from behind, sending the winger violently into the boards.

Orpik received a game misconduct while Cole received a compression fracture to a vertebra in his neck, an injury that kept him out of the lineup until Game 6 of the Stanley Cup Finals.  Orpik, who never apologized for the hit, was met with resounding boos anytime he touched the ice in Raleigh until his retirement earlier this summer.

Cole played for four other NHL teams during his career, last playing with the Detroit Red Wings in the 2014-15 season.  On September 20th, 2017, Cole signed a one-day contract which allowed him to retire as a Carolina Hurricane.

Dual Reclamations

As the summer of 1997 wound down, Rutherford sought to stabilize the goaltending situation and add some grit and offense.  On August 25th, he addressed both needs with one trade.

At the time of the trade, Gary Roberts had spent a decade in Calgary, amassing 257 goals and 248 assists.  A power forward, Roberts’ physical style led to nerve damage in his neck, resulting in Roberts playing in only 43 games total between 1994 to 1996 before announcing his retirement in June of 1996.

After a chiropractor was able to improve his condition, a determined Roberts set his sights on a return to the NHL.  He recorded 57 goals and 87 assists in 207 games (0.7 PPG) with the Hurricanes, serving as an alternate captain in the 1999-2000 season.  He went on to make stops in Toronto, Florida, Pittsburgh, and Tampa Bay before announcing his retirement in March of 2009.

Taken nine spots ahead of Martin Brodeur in the 1990 NHL draft, Trevor Kidd was pegged as the goalie of the future for the Calgary Flames.  While Kidd wasn’t bad in Calgary, the Flames opted to go with the tandem of Rick Tabaracci and Dwayne Roloson and betting on the potential of young prospect Jean-Sebastien Giguere.

In two season with the Hurricanes, Kidd appeared in 72 games, posting a record of 28-31-9 with a goals-against-average of 2.34 and a save percentage of .916.  His play slipped in 98-99 and he was subsequently taken by the Atlanta Thrashers in the Expansion Draft before being flipped to the Florida Panthers.

Roberts’ time with the Hurricanes easily outpaced Cassels’ stint in Calgary, giving Carolina the edge there.  While Kidd wasn’t spectacular, he was serviceable for one season, while Giguere fizzled in Calgary before blossoming with the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim.

While the Hurricanes traded away the better goalie, Giguere’s early indications weren’t great and this trade addressed their immediate needs.

Enter The Captain

Thank you, Keith Primeau.  After serving as captain of the Carolina Hurricanes for the 98-99 season, Primeau engaged in a holdout that lasted for over half of the 99-00 season.  Many Hurricanes fans were bitter, feeling betrayed by the captain and leading scorer.

Then came January 23, 2000:

In Brind’Amour, the Hurricanes got a warrior.  Yes, that’s a cliché and I don’t care because that’s exactly what he was.  During his time with the Hurricanes, Brind’Amour put up 473 points in 694 regular-season games and added 38 points in 72 playoff games.

He wore an ‘A’ on his sweater for four seasons before being named captain for the 05-06 season, a title that he held until 09-10 when he ceded it to Eric Staal and resumed a role as an alternate.  Despite the change, there was no question who the team leader was, and that’s no slight towards Staal.

Brind’Amour will always be remembered for leading the Hurricanes to the 2006 Stanley Cup and the joy he exuded when he hoisted the trophy, foregoing the ceremonial pose with NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman.  Rather than an intended snub, this was the product of overwhelming emotion.

He rounded out his career by winning the Selke Trophy as the league’s best defensive forward in both 2006 and 2007.  After retiring, Brind’Amour joined the Hurricanes coaching staff and served for seven years before being named Head Coach on May 8th, 2018.

While Primeau drew the ire of many with his holdout, he was a solid contributor to the Flyers, posting 213 points in 312 games.  Sadly, post-concussion syndrome led to Primeau announcing his retirement from the NHL on September 14th, 2006.

Adding Pieces for the First Cup Run

I’m going to change things up a little here, focusing on a series of trades that occurred prior to and during the 01-02 season.  Each of these trades brought in players who contributed and became fan-favorites.

Let’s start with a trade from July 9th, 2001:

Aaron Ward was a solid, stay-at-home defenseman for four years with the Carolina Hurricanes and there is no greater testament to his dedication than the 2006 Stanley Cup Finals.  Dinged from blocking a Chris Pronger slapshot (if that qualifies as “dinged”) and left dazed after a hard hit from Oilers winger Raffi Torres, Ward refused to admit injury.

With a decisive Game 7 on home ice, Ward opened the scoring and set the Hurricanes on their way to delivering the Stanley Cup to North Carolina.

The pick that Detroit received became Jiri Hudler, a versatile forward who scored 214 points over seven seasons with the Red Wings.  Hudler excelled during the 07-08 playoffs, racking up 14 in 22 games as Detroit captured the Stanley Cup.

Next up:

Returning for his second tour of duty with the Hurricanes, Sean Hill logged heavy minutes while bringing timely offense.  During the run to the 2002 Stanley Cup Finals, Hill averaged just under 26 minutes per game, facing the toughest opposition that the opponent had to offer.  Hill’s stat line with the Hurricanes (both stints included) reads at 157 points in 369 games with an average TOI of 23:42.

Steven Halko never saw game action with St. Louis.  He returned to the Hurricanes as a free agent prior to the 02-03 season.

Lane Manson, the player the Blues selected with the pick, never played in the NHL.

Jim Rutherford followed that up by adding forward and defensive depth:

Kevyn Adams and Bret Hedican were Hurricanes fixtures for years, both suffering the devastation of losing in 2002 and the euphoria of winning it all in 2006.  Both players brought unique skill sets, from Adams’ grit and tenacity to Hedican’s smooth-skating, that added needed depth to the Hurricanes.

Tomas Malec played in 43 games with the Hurricanes over two seasons without making an impact (at least not with his on-ice play, but more on that later).

While Sandis Ozolinsh had been an offensive wizard during his tenure with the Colorado Avalanche, he never gelled with the Hurricanes.  Byron Ritchie never had much of an impact with the Hurricanes, a trend that followed him to Florida, Calgary, and Vancouver.

With the forward corps and blueline addressed, Rutherford turned his attention to goaltending:

With Arturs Irbe firmly entrenched as the number one, Kevin Weekes was brought in to solidify the backup role.  Weekes had bounced around the league, playing on some really, really, bad teams and while he didn’t see much action down the stretch, he proved vital in the 2002 Stanley Cup Playoffs.

During the Hurricanes run to the finals, Weekes posted a GAA of 1.62 and a .939 save percentage and two shutouts.  His save on John Madden during overtime of Game 5 in the Eastern Conference Quarterfinals is the stuff of legend.

Shane Willis, the owner of a monster slap shot, showed promise as he hit the 20-goal mark in the 2000-2001 season.  Unfortunately, Willis’ game was never the same after he was on the receiving end of a patented Scott Stevens hit in that year’s playoffs.

Physical winger Chris Dingman spent only 30 games with the Hurricanes.  He stayed with the Lightning for the remainder of his career.

Guess Who

Justin Williams was a promising young winger with the Philadelphia Flyers, putting up 43 goals and 115 points in 226 games.  Flyers GM Bobby Clarke was looking for defensive help and, with Williams slotting below veterans Tony Amonte and former Hurricane Sami Kapanen, the youngster was shipped out:

In his first go-round with the Hurricanes, Williams played in 265 games and putting up 81 goals and 120 assists.  During the 2006 playoffs, Williams picked up 7 goals and 11 assists, including the coffin nail third goal in Game 7 of the Finals.

https://twitter.com/PointsBetUSA/status/1121237466810331136

After coming over from the Phoenix Coyotes, Danny Markov played 44 games for the Hurricanes and, while Markov was solid in Carolina, the presence of Glen Wesley, Sean Hill, Bret Hedican, Aaron Ward, and Niclas Wallin made Markov expendable.

Besides, any time you can add Justin Williams to your team, you do it.

The Swiss Keeper

With Arturs Irbe in decline and Kevin Weekes signing with the New York Rangers after the 2003-04 season, the Hurricanes were in need of a goalie.  On June 18th, 2004, GM Jim Rutherford found one:

See, I told you we’d come back to Tomas Malec!  With J.S. Giguere (him again) entrenched as the number one in Anaheim and Ilya Bryzgalov ready to break in, interim GM Al Coates shipped Martin Gerber to the Hurricanes.

Untested as a starter, Gerber’s Hurricane debut was postponed by the lockout that wiped out the 2004-05 season.

Boy, did he make up for lost time.

In his single season guarding the Carolina net, Gerber went 38-14-6 with a goals-against-average of 2.78, a save percentage of .906, and 3 shutouts.  While his faltering play in the postseason opened the door for Cam Ward to steal the show, the Hurricanes wouldn’t have posted a record-setting season without Gerber.

Kyle Klubertanz, the player taken with the pick, never played in the NHL.

We Want The Cup

Much like the lead-up to the 2002 run, I’m going to lump a few key trades together that were instrumental in the Hurricanes record season and Stanley Cup Championship.  The groundwork was laid in the offseason with the signings of veteran wingers Cory Stillman and Ray Whitney, both of whom played big roles in the Hurricanes’ regular-season and playoff success.

But we’re not here for free agents, we’re here for the trades and there were two whoppers:

In Doug Weight, the Hurricanes got an offensively talented veteran who was looking for his first Stanley Cup at age 35.  Weight put up 16 points in the playoffs before suffering a shoulder injury in Game 5 of the Finals.  While he was unable to play in games 6 and 7, he got his moment with the cup:

Neither Jesse Boulerice nor Mike Zigomanis had an impact with the Blues, combining for zero points in 14 total games.  Out of the picks and prospects that changed hands, only defenseman Matthew Corrente (the 2006 1st rounder) and goaltender Reto Berra (2006 4th rounder) ever saw NHL ice and neither made much of an impact.

Five days after Erik Cole suffered his neck fracture, Rutherford pulled off a move that brought another veteran forward to the squad:

Mark Recchi was having a good year, putting up 57 points in 63 games on an absolutely atrocious Penguins team.  While he only added 7 points in 20 regular-season games with the Hurricanes, Recchi put up 17 points in the postseason.  The depth that Weight and Recchi brought to Raleigh was instrumental in the team bringing the Cup home and marked the only time that the Hurricanes went with rental players for a postseason run.

Krys Kolanos never played a game for the Penguins (nor the Hurricanes), moving through Edmonton, Minnesota, and Calgary and finishing his career in the AHL.  Niklas Nordgren played 15 games with Pittsburgh before continuing his career in Switzerland.

Kevin Marshall, taken with the draft pick, played in 10 games for the Philadelphia Flyers in the 2011-12 season.

Despite the fact that both Weight and Recchi were gone following the Cup win, there’s no question that the Hurricanes came out on top in both of these deals.  More than that, these moves showed that Rutherford and owner Peter Karmanos believed that these moves would make the Hurricanes contenders.

They were right.

The Next Tier

I’m sure that at least a few of you are swearing at me through your screens.  But Jeb, what about this move?  How could you forget about Player X?

I wanted to focus on what I felt were the biggest trades during the first ten years.  While a lot of that is absolutely objective, there is a considerable amount of subjectivity that pops up.  Here are a few deals that didn’t make the main list but are worthy of note:

Hurricanes acquire Martin Gelinas and Kirk McLean

Despite his previous accomplishments, Kirk McLean had a very short stint with the Hurricanes.  On the other hand, Martin Gelinas spent 348 games with Carolina, notching 165 points.  In 35 playoff games, Gelinas added 11 points, none bigger than the overtime winner in Game 6 of the 2002 Eastern Conference Finals that gave the Hurricanes to their first-ever Stanley Cup Finals berth.

The Secret Weapon

A trade on the first day of the 2000 NHL Entry Draft gave the Carolina Hurricanes the first pick in the 4th round which was used to select Swedish defenseman Niclas Wallin.  Though Wallin played 517 regular-season games with the Hurricanes as a steady defender, he is best recognized for his postseason goal-scoring which includes two game-winners from the 2002 playoffs (including the Molson Miracle).  Wallin capped it off with a breakaway overtime winner in Game 2 of the 2006 Semi-Finals against the New Jersey Devils.

The Twilight’s Last Gleason

After losing the Sidney Crosby lottery, the Hurricanes held the 3rd overall pick in the 2005 Draft, using it to select defenseman Jack Johnson.  In need of help on the backend and with Johnson unwilling to sign, his rights were shipped to the LA Kings along with Oleg Tverdovsky in return for Tim Gleason and Eric Belanger.

While Belanger didn’t last a full season with the Hurricanes, Gleason’s hard-nosed style made him a fixture on Carolina’s blueline for 546 games over two tours.  One of my favorite memories of Gleason comes from Game 7 against the New Jersey Devil in the 2009 Quarter-Finals.

Down by one late in the 3rd period, Gleason slid on his knees to keep the puck in the Devils’ zone before moving the puck across to Joni Pitkanen who then wired a pass to Jussi Jokinen who, in turn, buried the game-tying goal.  Without Gleason’s desperation play, the Devils likely close the game out and send the Hurricanes home.