The Carolina Hurricanes and the NHL are approaching the trade deadline which will be on February 24th this season, just over 3 weeks away. Here are two moves they may make.
Let’s be honest, the Carolina Hurricanes have had a pretty weird season so far. The team started out hot (winning the first 5 games of the season) then proceeded to win 1 of their next 5. The first 10 games of the season for the Canes pretty much sums up the teams performances this year which have ultimately been inconsistent.
Not only has the team been inconsistent but the team has been devastated with injuries. Players such as Jordan Martinook and Erik Haula have missed time due to nagging injuries that each has aggravated. However, their absence likely cannot compare to the Carolina Hurricanes likely losing Dougie Hamilton for the rest of the season.
Not having Dougie in a Carolina uniform is really going to hurt this team and the squad is going to need several players to step up in his absence. Hamilton was to be an all-star where he ranked 4th on the team in points before his gruesome leg injury that will keep him out until at least playoffs.
The team has also faced speculation that Erik Haula may not be enjoying his time in Carolina. Again that’s also speculation and rumors, Haula not being happy with the organization is not 100% confirmed, however it is possible Rod may be wanting more out of Haula which could have him on the trading block.
The weird doesn’t end there. Canes legend and former Captain Justin Williams decided to return to the team in a 1 year deal worth 700,000 midway through the season. Williams addition is definitely a welcome one especially with the loss of Hamilton but the question remains of do the Canes have a Stanley cup contending roster?
I think this roster as it stands could make a deep playoff run but the team needs to make the playoffs first and get better performances for key players that haven’t necessarily producing how we may thought they would be. Players such as Nino Niederreiter and Jake Gardiner have underperformed so far in comparison to their expectations.
With Dougie Hamilton out, the Canes are going to need a boost in scoring as well as finding the right defensive lineup. Last year the Canes traded for Nino Niederreiter and he was a steal and immediate positive impact on the team by scoring 30 points in 36 games compared to this season where he has had 22 points in 50 games.
So what kind of deals should the Canes be looking at?
Dillon For Haula?
Pierre Lebrun has reported that the Canes have been interested in acquiring San Jose Defenseman Brenden Dillon. Dillon ranks first on his team in hits with 159 and 7th in the entire NHL. The Canes need more physicality added to their lineup and Dillon would be just the type of player to help Slavin shutdown opposing offenses.
The team would be making a risky move by trading Haula as he has shown glimpses of potential throughout the season as he has scored highly in spurts. Haula, however may be looking in a different direction and the team may want to address that if Haula actually no longer wants be with the organization.
Canes Get Point Production
The Canes could use scoring help and Tyler Johnson could be just the type of player the team needs. He has amassed 22 points in 45 games this season but has been known to be productive by producing 72 points in the 2014-2015 season. Trading Van reismdyk would give Haydn Fleury an opportunity to show what he is capable of before the Canes choose whether or not to resign him this offseason.
Not only could Johnson give the Canes point production but he is also a faster player that has been known to impact the game well. The only problem with this is that the Canes would have a high surplus of forwards and likely would have to get rid of another forward in event of this trade.
CC Readers: Who would you like to see traded to the Canes?