Carolina Hurricanes Stay or Go: Restricted Free Agents Edition

Haydn FLEURY

For anyone who follows me on twitter (@FutureCanes) you already likely know where I’m going with this.

Haydn. FLEURY. is. GOOD.

I’m serious. This kid has had a pretty good season, considering how he was a frequent healthy extra early on in the season. He’s managed to score his first NHL goal (and has four total!), has already set a career-high with 14 points, and is rocking a career-best 54.4 Corsi percentage.

He has clearly, deservingly, earned the trust of coach Rod Brind’Amour along the way. After not playing more than 20 minutes in a game all season, Fleury surpassed the 20 minute mark in 4 of the last 5 Canes games before the season was put on hold, and was often the 2nd D behind just Jaccob Slavin.

He even led the Hurricanes in five-on-five ice-time against the Islanders on March 7th – which was beyond my wildest dreams. Fleury has also started 49.7% of his shifts in the defensive zone, as opposed to 55-60% in his previous two years, which shows the coaching staff isn’t trying to shelter him anymore.

Haydn Fleury has arrived, ladies and gentlemen.

The Hurricanes only have 5 defenders on their current roster signed for next season, and it seems unlikely any of Joel Edmundson, Trevor van Riemsdyk or Sami Vatanen will be re-signed as pending unrestricted free agents. I would definitely bet on Fleury being the 6th D.

He’s currently on a one-year deal making just $850k, and will surely get a bit of a raise on that in contract negotiations this summer. However, as he hasn’t fully blossomed as an NHL defender, there’s hope the Canes would be able to convince Fleury into a 2-year bridge deal, which would maintain his last year of RFA status in 2022.

An interesting thing to note is that Fleury will be eligible for salary arbitration this summer, so that could be a possibility should the team and Fleury not be able to agree on terms. However, I don’t envision that being a problem, and regardless, should Carolina decide they want to keep him, Haydn Fleury WILL be a Carolina Hurricane next year.

He’s established himself as an important do-it-all defender, and is arguably underrated by some fans based on his lofty draft status. At just 23 and still early in his NHL career, Fleury still has some untapped potential, and figures to be a key piece on the Canes’ blueline for years to come.

Verdict: Re-sign (likely a bridge deal – 2 years/2M per)

Warren Foegele

Another guy who’s taken a big step forward this year. After his fantastic playoff run last season, Warren Foegele has quietly had a real impact for the Canes as a (mostly) bottom-6 forward, and figures to be in the team’s plans moving forward.

Though not a world beater offensively, Foegele has already managed to double his output from last season, with 30 points, and has set a career-high with 13 goals despite playing 9 fewer games.

He’s also managed to keep up as a great possession player, although playing with Jordan Staal certainly helps in that regard. His Corsi rating is 53.7, and Foegele’s possession quality is +7.9 – which shows that the Hurricanes are generating far more scoring chances than their opposition with Foegele on the ice.

Foegele’s success comes via his honest playing style. He’s a relentless worker, he has good wheels and he goes to the dirty areas of the ice. He’s not a naturally skilled player, but he shows glimpses of offensive ability and has a nose for the net around the crease.

He’ll be 24 next week, but considering his overall career trajectory, Foegele has developed probably as well as the Canes could’ve ever hoped when they drafted him back in 2014. He’s become an ideal bottom-6 forward, and a guy who can step up into the top-6 should the situation call for it.

He’s also shown he’s a playoff performer, with his exceptional 5-goal effort during the Canes’ run to the East Final in 2019. Foegele was arguably the Canes X-Factor against the Washington Capitals, and was a major contributing factor to them knocking out the defending Stanley Cup champs.

Moving forward, Foegele will likely remain an integral part of the Canes’ lineup. The coaches trust him, he’s a regular on the penalty kill, and he’s become a reliable option in all situations. A new contract for him won’t break the bank either, so the team should easily be able to fit him in at a reasonable cap number.

All things considered, I don’t see a reason for Foegele not to be retained this offseason. The Canes have options with him. They could do a bridge deal, or they could look to get him locked up for longer term at a bit of an increased AAV if they believe in his trajectory as an NHLer. Regardless, expect Foegele to be a Hurricane in 2020-21 and beyond.

Verdict: Re-sign

Clark Bishop

Although Clark Bishop has played just 5 games with the Hurricanes this season, he was a pretty important piece for them at times last season so I figured I would include him on this list for a little extra content.

Personally, I kind of believe that Bishop is what he is at this point. He’ll be 24 on Sunday, and he’s never managed to take the “next step” offensively at any level he’s played at. He does have use as a utility forward however.

As Canes fans witnessed last season, Bishop has great speed and has been a positive possession player at the NHL level. Unfortunately, the results haven’t exactly matched up. The Canes have been outscored 15-9 across 25 games with Clark Bishop on the ice at even-strength, despite him starting over 60% of his shifts in the offensive zone.

Bishop also hasn’t really featured on special teams at all for the Canes, which makes his outlook bleak. He’s yet to carve out a permanent role at the NHL level, he’s about to turn 24, and is in a loaded group of Canes prospects.

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For Bishop, you have to think his best (and last) chance to make the Canes roster full-time will be this coming fall. But the Hurricanes anticipate to have all of Sebastian Aho, Vincent Trocheck, Jordan Staal and Jordan Martinook returning at center, and with Martin Necas always a possibility to play in the middle, it’s hard to envision Bishop emerging from that group.

To even get the chance to compete for a spot, Bishop will need a contract. I do believe he’ll get a one-year deal, because he’s an important player for Charlotte – but it’s possible Bishop will try to seek an NHL role elsewhere, and the Canes may be forced to look at trade options, or choose to not extend a qualifying offer to Bishop.

My current guess is that we’ll see Bishop re-signed, but will likely make more of an impact for Charlotte than he will for the Carolina Hurricanes. He’s a valuable guy to have in an AHL locker room, but he doesn’t quite move the needle at the NHL level; although he’s definitely capable of stepping in when injury strikes.

Verdict: Re-sign (two-way deal)

Question for CC Readers: Which of these 3 guys should be re-signed?