How The Carolina Hurricanes’ Trade Deadline Acquisitions Will Fit In

Vincent Trocheck

Though the package given up for Trocheck looks like a lot on the surface, when you really break it down it isn’t all that bad. Erik Haula was a UFA who was more than likely not going to be re-signed. Lucas Wallmark, who is precious, was a 4C on this team. Chase Priskie can’t skate at an NHL pace, and Eetu Luostarinen has bottom-6 potential.

Nobody the Carolina Hurricanes gave up in that deal was likely going to make real noise in the lineup. Trocheck however, who is just one year removed from a 31-goal, 75-point campaign, could very easily make some noise. He suffered an ankle injury which derailed his 2018-19 campaign, and a coaching change in Florida left his role diminished (he legitimately had defensemen skating on his wing at times).

As far as his impact this year, while his stats (10 goals, 36 points in 55 games) don’t look overly impressive on the surface, hockey mathematician Micah Blake McCurdy’s graphing-stats model paints Trocheck as a “good play-driving 5v5 player with strong impact on the powerplay”.

As far as his fit with the team, Don Waddell mentioned at his post-deadline press conference that Trocheck “is a top-6 player”, and it seems likely that Trocheck will slide in behind Sebastian Aho as the second-line center. Trocheck is also the first right-shot center the Canes have employed since Derek Ryan.

Coach Rod Brind’Amour expressed excitement in his new lineup addition:

“That was two of our brothers in [the trade] … but management felt that this makes us better, and we’re getting a really good player [in Trocheck]. We’re getting a guy who fits exactly what our team is all about, and fills a need [as a right-shot center]. The negative is we lose 2 guys who were a big part of what we were doing.”

Trocheck’s addition allows Jordan Staal to bump down to the 3C role, where he’s likely to be far more impactful as he won’t be as heavily relied on to create offense. Jordan Martinook likely shifts to 4C, and the Canes’ rotation of having an extra forward is no longer a problem.

Trocheck, who is signed for another 2 years at a reasonable $4.75M AAV, is just 26 years old. He plays all situations – he can kill penalties; and is a very effective powerplay forward – and gives the Hurricanes a dangerous 1-2 punch down the middle with him and Aho.

Not bad at all. Trocheck, who spent parts of 7 seasons in Florida, said the following about his trade to Carolina:

“I can’t wait to get to Carolina. They’ve got a great team there and I’ve heard nothing but good things about the organization.”

As far as his play-style, Trocheck thinks he offers more than just high-octane offensive ability:

“Being [a pest] is what I’ve become as a player. There’s several guys who don’t enjoy playing against me.”

Trocheck has stunning skating ability, and with 282 points in 420 career NHL games he’s a proven offensive threat. He’s quite electric, and will be a great addition into the Canes’ group, and he’ll likely play in the top-6.

Sami Vatanen

The first of two defensemen that the Hurricanes acquired, Sami Vatanen fills two major needs on the team’s blueline. Even when you consider his status as a rental, it’s quite shocking how cheap the Canes got him.

The package going to New Jersey consists of prospect F Janne Kuokkanen, minor-leaguer D Fredrik Claesson and a conditional 4th round draft-pick, which can be as high as a 2020 3rd round pick.

Vatanen, who is actually currently injured, is projected to return early in March according to Don Waddell. As such, the conditions on the pick is based on how many regular season games Vatanen plays for the team. If he plays less than 5, no pick is traded. Between 5-12 is a 4th, and 12+ is a 3rd.

Kuokkanen is a guy that some people had high hopes for, but he was a Ron Francis-regime pick, and has never really caught on with the new management. He’ll be 22 soon, and, with the influx of young talent into the Carolina Hurricanes organization, was facing an uphill battle to catch on in Raleigh. This trade will give him a fresh start, and better opportunity in New Jersey.

As far as Vatanen goes, he’s a right-shot defenseman, which the Carolina Hurricanes really lack with both Dougie Hamilton and Brett Pesce on IR. Vatanen is a good puck-mover, and is primarily an offensive guy but doesn’t give much up defensively. He’s a fine two-way presence, and will greatly help the top powerplay unit where Jaccob Slavin has struggled.

Unfortunately, while he looks like a great fit, Vatanen is most likely just a rental for the team. He’s scheduled to be a free agent on July 1st, and will likely command a raise on his current $4.875M AAV – and will likely come in somewhere around $5.5M or higher on his next deal. The Canes can’t afford that with the money already tied up in their D group.

In the Canes’ press release, Don Waddell offered the following on Vatanen:

“Sami is player that fits our system well,” said Waddell. “His skating, vision and puck-moving skills will help us out in all facets of the game. We expect him to return to the lineup in early March.”

Vatanen, who is 28, has 5 goals and 18 assists in 47 games for the New Jersey Devils this season. He’s averaged over 21:00 of ice time in each of his last six seasons, so he can play big minutes for the Carolina Hurricanes if necessary. All in all, he’s a great add, and fills a huge hole on the right-side of the Canes defense in the short-term.

Brady Skjei

Here’s the deal that divided both the Canes’ and the Rangers’ fan bases. Brady Skjei (pronouced SHAY) is a guy that people are either very high, or very low on. The Carolina Hurricanes’ brass are obviously believers in him, as they gave up a first-round pick for his services.

25-year old Brady Skjei, a 6’3, 210lb left-shot defender, is signed for the next 4 seasons at a $5.25 million AAV, so he figures to be a long-term solution for the Hurricanes. While he’s not seen as a dangerous offensive threat, he does have 8 goals and 23 points in 60 games this year.

Don Waddell was pretty ecstatic to get this guy:

“Brady is a big defenseman who checks all the boxes,” said Waddell. “He’s an excellent skater, he’s competitive, he can move the puck and he can defend. He’s under contract through the 2023-24 season, so this is another acquisition that helps us immediately and in the long-term”

Waddell, in his press conference, expanded on what the team thought of Skjei:

“Well.. He’s a big body, he’s a good defender. He could add a bit offensively but he’s a defender. He plays the game hard, plays the right way.”

Carolina is banking on Skjei, who has struggled a bit in New York this year, to retrieve the form that made him an effective blue-liner in years past. He’s supposedly been miscast by Lindy Ruff there this year, and in a less relied-upon role in Carolina, he could offer real value as a second-pair guy.

Rangers fans are torn on the deal, with some fans thinking that the team did well getting a first-rounder for Skjei; others are upset about the return for him. I’m not overly high on Skjei personally, but if the Canes front office likes him, I’m more than willing to give him a shot.

…. as long as it isn’t at the expense of Haydn Fleury in the lineup.

Recap

With these three guys adding a massive boost to the team, and the potential return of Dougie Hamilton and Brett Pesce closer to playoff time, these moves make the Carolina Hurricanes a much more dangerous threat this year than they were shaping up to be.

A lot also depends on the health of Petr Mrazek and James Reimer, but Waddell expressed optimism in their recovery timetables and noted that the team felt comfortable with Alex Nedejkovic and Anton Forsberg in the short-term while their main guys heal up.

All things considered, the Hurricanes have improved their roster in the immediate and long-term without giving up any other their top prospects or key roster players. and considering they literally bought the first-round pick they’re giving up for Skjei, it’s hard not to consider the Canes a winner of deadline day.

It’s going to make the final 21 regular season games very exciting to watch, and hopefully a lengthy playoff run will follow. If nothing else, the GM committee has proven they’re willing to go to whatever lengths to improve the roster, which is something that Ron Francis proved he wasn’t fit to do, and that should ignite real optimism in the future of the Carolina Hurricanes.

Question for CC Readers: How do you feel about the Hurricanes’ deadline trades?