Carolina Hurricanes: The Rise of Lucas Wallmark in 2019

His Future

At just 24 years old and his best seasons likely ahead of him, it should be a no-brainer to have Lucas Wallmark around for the long haul. But Carolina is obviously stocked with depth throughout the organization, with good centermen already in place, as well as having high-upside centers in Ryan Suzuki, Jamieson Rees and Jack Drury with their sights on the NHL eventually.

Those guys are further down the road, but looking beyond just this season the future for Wallmark in Carolina is also rather cloudy. He’s scheduled to be an arbitration-eligible RFA after the season, which adds to the question marks looming around the Canes’ center-ice position.

Erik Haula is a UFA and could potentially be re-signed. Martin Necas projects as a center down the road (maybe sooner, maybe later?) – but when?, and the Canes also have a multitude of center prospects (Clark Bishop, Eetu Luostarinen, David Cotton) far enough along in their development to maybe fill a 4th-line role for cheaper than what Wallmark will command.

That’s obviously a problem for the offseason though, and that situation will sort itself out when the time comes.

For now, with the Hurricanes off to a solid start in their 2019-20 season and having aspirations of another playoff run, Lucas Wallmark will be a key component of their success. Whether the team is healthy or not, he’ll continue to be effective in whatever role he’s given.

He’s not flashy, so he’ll likely continue to fly under the radar, but he’s earned respect from the fans as one of the most quietly consistent players on this team.

He matches that with his quiet personality, but he’s a really genuinely likable kid, and hopefully, he’ll continue to be a fixture in the Carolina Hurricane’s lineup for years  to come, as he’s beneficial to this team in every aspect of the game.

Question for CC readers: Are you a fan of Lucas Wallmark’s game?