The Best Deadline Trades in Carolina Hurricanes History
The Carolina Hurricanes have made a good number of trade deadline deals over the years, but which ones were the best?
With the trade deadline very quickly approaching, numerous fan bases around the NHL are itching at the thought of their teams potentially making some moves. The Carolina Hurricanes fanbase is right amongst them, as the team currently sits in the 8th and final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference.
Obviously, fans are hoping that GM Don Waddell and company would be relentlessly working the phones in at attempt to improve the team, although with numerous holes on the roster to fill, it’s hard to directly pin-point any one move that would make sense.
With Petr Mrazek and James Reimer facing injuries, as well as the same situation for Brett Pesce and Dougie Hamilton on the blue-line, the Canes have multiple question marks moving forward. The team’s depth scoring has also been suspect, and could use some improvement or at least some consistency.
But today, instead of looking towards the future, we’ll take a look at the past. The Carolina Hurricanes have understandably been involved in multiple trade deadline deals over the years, with some having panned out better than others.
As is the case from a usual sellers position, the Canes have had their fair share of good returns on some players. They’ve also added a couple rentals who really shifted the balance for their group. As always, sit back, visualize and enjoy.
The Recchi Deal
One of the most important trades in Hurricanes history, the deadline day trade on March 9, 2006 to acquire forward Mark Recchi was huge. The package Carolina gave up made the trade largely a robbery. The full deal was as follows:
To CAR: F Mark Recchi
To PIT: D Niklas Nordgren, F Krys Kolanos, 2007 2nd-round pick
On deadline day in 2006, the first-place Carolina Hurricanes went out and added another veteran piece to their puzzle (they’d added Doug Weight a month earlier) to gear up for their playoff run, and look for a replacement of sorts for the recently-injured Erik Cole.
At the time, Recchi, who’d waived his no-move clause to facilitate the trade from Pittsburgh, couldn’t wait to get underway with the team:
“I’m not going in there to be the savior, [I just] want to be a piece of a great hockey club. If I can be a little piece that can get it over the top, that’s what I’m looking for. It’s going to be a breath of fresh air for me.” Recchi said. “I just can’t wait to get there, lace them up and get in the lineup with these guys.”
At the time, Recchi had 24 goals and 57 points in 63 games for Pittsburgh, and immediately slid into a top-6 role in the Canes group. He filled a huge need for the playoff-bound Hurricanes, who didn’t give much up to get him.
“If we weren’t able to get Mark Recchi, we weren’t going to get anyone else.” said GM Jim Rutherford.
Recchi obviously went on to be a giant factor for the Hurricanes down the stretch. His 7 points in 20 regular season games with the team weren’t much to write about, but in the playoffs, when the team needed him, Recchi came alive.
He scored 7 goals and 9 assists in 25 post-season games, and was a major contributing factor in the Carolina Hurricanes’ Stanley Cup win. Recchi later went on to say the following about the 2006 Canes group:
“I joined the team with 20 games left and saw how much the guys believed in what they were doing and [we] stayed with it. We believed in each other” – Mark Recchi
As far as the Penguins’ side of the deal, in hindsight it looks as if the Canes got away with blatant robbery. Niklas Nordgren played just 15 games for the Penguins, and left for Europe after the season. Krys Kolanos never played a game for the team.
As far as the 2007 second-round pick went, Pittsburgh ended up trading it for forward Nils Ekman, whose production plummeted after the move. He lasted just 34 games in Pittsburgh and then left for Russia. The Pens also got goaltender Patrick Ehelencher in the deal, who spent his entire pro career playing pro in Germany.
All things considered, this trade was probably one of the best in Canes history, and has to be in the mix for one of the biggest steals in trade deadline history. Not only did they add a key component to their Cup-winning team, they gave up what amounted to nothing to do so. Well done, Jimmy Rutherford!
Acquiring Jussi Jokinen
Though this trade happened in the weeks heading into the deadline as opposed to on actually on Deadline Day, I couldn’t omit this deal from the list as it was more or less a deadline deal and had great implications on the team’s success.
The Carolina Hurricanes acquired Jussi Jokinen from the Tampa Bay Lightning on February 7th, 2009 in exchange for defenseman Wade Brookbank, forward Josef Melichar and the team’s 4th-round pick in 2009. Neither of the 3 assets Carolina gave up ever made any impact in the NHL.
As such, in hindsight the deal was an absolute stunner by the Canes. Jokinen immediately fit in with the Canes, and was an absolutely integral piece in their 2009 playoff run to the Eastern Final.
Jokinen, who scored the unforgettable goal to win Game 4 in the first round against New Jersey with 0.2 seconds left (which remains the latest regulation game-winning goal in NHL playoff history) scored 7 goals and 11 points for the Canes during their run.
Though that playoff run would go on to be the highlight of Jokinen’s Canes career, he did go on to have an outstanding 30-goal, 65-point season in 2009-10, and spent parts of 5 seasons with the team before eventually falling out of favour in the lockout-shortened 2013 season.
“The Juice”, who became a fan favourite during his time as a Hurricane, played 285 games for the team and scored 185 points for them. The package of players the Canes gave up in the deal played just a combined 24 games in the NHL after the deal, so it’s safe to label this deal as a big win in favour of Carolina.
Andrej Sekera to LA
At the NHL draft in 2013, the Carolina Hurricanes acquired defenseman Andrej Sekera from the Buffalo Sabres for defenseman Jamie McBain and a 2013 second round draft pick, much to the approval of Canes faithful (nightmarish McBain flashbacks incoming!).
Sekera was a rock for the Canes in his first season with the team – he scored 11 goals and 44 points from the blueline (both stats led all Canes defenders), drove play with strong possession numbers and played all situations for the team – leading the squad in ice-time per game.
His offensive numbers took a step back in 2014-15, but he remained a rock defensively for the team, and as a pending free agent, was commanding a long-term, big money extension from the team. The Canes were very much a budget team back then, and negotiations eventually went south.
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That led to the Carolina Hurricanes being forced into trading Sekera, which they did a couple of days before the trade deadline in February 2015. Sekera, who was dealt to Los Angeles, got a very solid return for the team – a 2016 first-round pick and prospect defender Roland McKeown, who was just 19 at the time.
Sekera went on to play just 16 games for the Kings, who actually failed to qualify for the playoffs, before eventually walking to free agency and signing a 6-year, 30-million dollar deal with the Edmonton Oilers that summer.
The Hurricanes went on to draft Julien Gauthier with the first-round pick they acquired in that deal, and Ron Francis expressed excitement in Roland McKeown, who at 19 was one of the Canes’ most highly thought of prospects at the time.
“Roland has served in leadership positions for Kingston and Hockey Canada and is a good defenceman that our scouts like.” said Francis.
Though McKeown has yet to break into the NHL and is now 24, he still remains in the organization and has been a huge part of Charlotte’s success in the AHL. Gauthier was obviously recently traded for Joey Keane, who becomes part of the overall trade tree.
While the deal maybe hasn’t quite gone on to harvest the fruit Carolina was expecting, the overall return for a 16-game rental was quite significant.
If nothing else, the trade should prove that giving up valued assets for rentals isn’t a sure thing by any means – as LA gave up a top prospect at the time, and a 1st round pick – for a guy who played 16 total games for the team and didn’t help them make the playoffs. Remember that today when Carolina either does, or does not make a move.
Eric Staal deal
This is a tough one in a few regards. First off, Eric Staal was the captain for the team and the face of the franchise, so it was a tough pill to swallow for a large portion of the fanbase. The initial return also seemed rather underwhelming for a guy who’d done so much for the franchise over the years.
In hindsight, it was a deal the Carolina Hurricanes would likely make 10 times out of 10. Without diving into the specifics, on the surface the deal still looks kind of “meh” – Eric Staal to the New York Rangers for prospect Aleksi Saarela, and 2nd-round picks in each of the 2016 and 2017 drafts.
Staal, who was meant to be a game-changing addition for the Rangers alongside his brother Marc, was a complete no-show in NYC – he scored just 3 goals in 20 regular season games, before going pointless in 5 playoff games as New York was handed a swift first-round exit. Staal was then shown the exit by the team.
As far as the Hurricanes’ return goes, Aleksi Saarela, despite showing some promise in the minors, never amounted to anything for the club and is now with his 4th NHL organization at age 23. The 2017 2nd-rounder yielded defenseman Luke Martin, who currently has a rather clouded future with the team.
The real key of the deal however, was the 2016 2nd round pick. The Hurricanes traded that pick to Chicago in June 2016 in the deal that brought Teuvo Teravainen to Raleigh, and he’s obviously been an absolute stud for the team.
All things considered, to get a guy like Teravainen from the trade tree has made the trade a massive win for Carolina, regardless of what happens with Luke Martin. Saarela was a prospect who had real promise as the time of the trade, but unfortunately never put it all together in Raleigh.
It’s gone on to be a very fitting return for once golden-boy Eric Staal, whose legacy looms large in Hurricanes history and indirectly continues to aid the team with the acquisition of Teravainen. Staal has also had a resurgence in Minnesota, so the trade has paid dividends for all involved (except the Rangers!).
Bonus: Nino Niederreiter
Though this trade happened over a month before the trade deadline last year, it basically served as the Carolina Hurricanes’ deadline move so I’m including it here as a bonus.
In a trade that largely instantly shocked the hockey world because of the sheer “wait, what?” effect the deal had on the surface, the Hurricanes have come out way ahead in the straight swap of Victor Rask for Nino Niederreiter.
Rask, who was doing absolutely nothing for the team besides taking up space (he had 1 goal in 26 games – making 4 million dollars) was moved for a slumping Niederreiter, who was coming off of 4-straight seasons scoring at a 20+ goal pace.
Rask has gone on to do … next to nothing in Minnesota, with just 6 goals and 15 points in 65 games as a member of the Wild. Nino, on the other hand, has become an integral part of the Hurricanes (although hasn’t been as effective as he initially was last season).
Regardless, Nino’s totals with the Canes are 24 goals and 57 points in 96 games, and played a huge part in the Hurricanes storming their way to the Eastern Finals last season. He also scored the game-sealing goal in Game 81 last year against New Jersey, to send the Canes to the playoffs for the first time in a decade.
Though Nino has gone through some struggles this year in Carolina, he’s miles better than Victor Rask on his best day and is still a key component to the Hurricanes’ success. In fact, the team really needs him to step up in the wake of their recent injury trouble.
Regardless of how the year has gone for him, this was a deal that the Canes would make a million times over. It literally cost a guy his job, and has reportedly made Wild owner Craig Leipold think twice about trading with Carolina.
All in all, an absolute robbery of a deal on all levels, and vital to the success of the Hurricanes.
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Question for CC Readers: What was the best deadline deal in Hurricanes history?