Carolina Hurricanes Looking to Add to the Blueline?

Alec Martinez

The other, slightly cheaper option is Alec Martinez. As a left shot playing his off side in LA, Martinez also has an extra year on his deal with a similar cap hit of $4 million. At 32 years of age he isn’t in the future plans of the rebuilding Kings and could likely be had for a second round pick and prospect.

Like Brodin, Martinez is also averaging a little over 21 minutes a night. The eleven-year vet plays a quiet game in his own end. He’s an all-around solid player who isn’t known for anything flashy. The two-time Stanley Cup winner knows what it takes to win, and would be an excellent add in the locker room.

Having some familiarity with Justin Williams, it is safe to say the organization will be able to get a solid read on what Alec will provide the roster both on and off the ice should they decide to go that route. The same can be said about Brodin, having been teammates with both Nino Niederreiter and Erik Haula, Waddell will likely  do his homework on both players before pulling the trigger on any deal.

Of course, all of these reports and rumors were circulating about before Hamilton went down with a broken fibula. Ideally, the front office was looking to load up for not one but two stretch runs with one of the deepest bluelines in the league. With Hamilton out for significant time, and the Canes fighting for a wild card spot, their attention could be turned to other areas of need for the time being.

Just a few months ago there was a lot of smoke about the Carolina Hurricanes trading for Ducks’ forward Ondrej Kase but nothing ever materialized. This could very well be the case again this time around, but it’s always fun to speculate this time of year. After all, even without Dougie, the Carolina Hurricanes have one of the deepest defense cores in the league and should be fine with consistent goaltending.

Question for CC readers? If you were Don Waddell, would who be your number one target, Brodin, Martinez or someone else?