Carolina Hurricanes: Two Players to Potentially Trade Away
The Carolina Hurricanes will be faced with some tough decisions this offseason. Which two players could the Hurricanes part with?
The Carolina Hurricanes have put themselves in a great position when it comes to organizational depth. Unfortunately, that leads to some players that just don’t have a use on the roster anymore. Here are two players the Hurricanes should consider moving.
There are many factors that go into trading a player away. It can be cap space, lack of performance, or just an organizational logjam at a certain position. The Carolina Hurricanes will be faced with tough decisions this offseason and may have to move some pieces that’ll sting a little.
That, however, is just the nature of the business. Players are dealt in hopes of getting something in return for a player they’ll eventually lose anyway or to make the team better. The players I have the Hurricanes “trading away” would both be for the sole purpose of getting a return. That’s just how hockey goes.
The Hurricanes will have to eventually go back to the phones and see what they can get for players. Let’s examine why the Hurricanes may have to look to trade away James Reimer and Ryan Dzingel.
1. James Reimer
James Reimer, despite some solid play in the 2019-20 season, could be one of the players the Hurricanes look to move on from. The Hurricanes have Alex Nedeljkovic, who had some playing time last season, waiting to finally get a full season at the NHL level. And for the 2020-21 season, Nedeljkovic’s contract becomes a one-way deal.
Reimer was 14-6-2 in the 25 games he played in this season. He had .914 save percentage and a 2.66 GAA. He was one of the surprises this year for the Hurricanes as he provided his value after being acquired in the unloading of Scott Darling’s contract to the Florida Panthers. He proved to be what the Hurricanes needed for this season, but his time may be up due to some other factors. Age and a logjam at the position.
Stop, Drop, and Reimer pic.twitter.com/qvyHtEWFig
— Carolina Hurricanes (@Canes) December 20, 2019
Petr Mrazek would be the goalie you want to keep in this situation because of age. The logjam at the goalie position will force the Hurricanes hand to make a move somewhere. The Hurricanes have to give Nedeljkovic a shot just based on the amount of time they spent developing him. And due to the age of Reimer, I think that he is the one that is the most likely to be moved.
Reimer was a very solid piece for the Hurricanes, but with the current situation and an expiring deal, a team with goalie troubles may look to take a flier on him. I don’t think Reimer returns after the 2020-21 season if he were to stay on the team anyway. Why not try to take advantage and get something in return for him?
2. Ryan Dzingel
This was a free agent signing that simply just didn’t work out for the Carolina Hurricanes. I thought that Ryan Dzingel could build off his career-best season, splitting time with the Ottawa Senators and Columbus Blue Jackets.
He was coming off a 26 goal and 30 assist season and the thought was being on a team with more talent surrounding him that he would be able to build. He wasn’t able to. Currently sitting at 8 goals and 21 assists through the 64 games that he played in this season. He went without a point in his last 11 games and without a goal in his last 23.
Dzingel: Wait wait wait wait
— Carolina Hurricanes (@Canes) October 16, 2019
Necas: NOW!#LetsGoCanes pic.twitter.com/DkuUfuy9Gz
This scoring drought he was on was not beneficial to the Hurricanes push toward the playoffs. He was a liability on the ice and just couldn’t seem to get anything going. He didn’t seem to have the same impact he did in Ottawa, where he was dominant having two straight 20 goal seasons for them.
This is the case of a free-agency signing that just didn’t work out. The Hurricanes have made a trade of a player they acquired just after their first year when they moved Calvin de Haan to the Chicago Blackhawks. That move was for cap space reasons, but the Hurricanes weren’t afraid to move on.
Dzingel would be moved solely based on his performance this season. The Carolina Hurricanes signed him as a player that can be a consistent scoring threat for them. He was too inconsistent, and the Hurricanes can afford to move on from him.
Must Read. Reviewing the Hurricanes Trade for Brady Skjei. light
Question for CC Readers: Which Carolina Hurricanes player do you feel is the most likely to be traded?