Carolina Hurricanes: Best Trades of the First Ten Years

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.