The 2020 NHL free agency class could have a few hidden gems coming over from European leagues. Will the Carolina Hurricanes be bidders for any of their services?
Every year players playing overseas look to take their talents to North America and NHL during the offseason. Most of the time, these players are a bit of late bloomers looking to make the jump after a few successful seasons in the KHL, Liiga, SHL, etc. While not all of them will make an immediate impact at the NHL level, for teams looking to bolster their depth it’s worth the risk.
Over the past couple of seasons, we’ve seen the Carolina Hurricanes sign guys like Derek Ryan, Michael Fora, and Michal Cajkovsky with varying levels of success, with Ryan being the only player to have any impact at the NHL level. Even with that in mind, these moves, at the very least, provided the organization with the aforementioned depth.
Most of the time, these players tend to be young enough to where they come over on a two way, entry-level deals so, if the player fails to make the roster during training camp, they can always get some seasoning in the American Hockey League. Should they opt to return overseas like Fora and Cajkovsky did early into their tenures with the franchise, the organization isn’t out anything.
This year there’s once again a few players that are gaining some attention and buzz with scouts around the league. So, with that in mind, let us take a look at a few of the top guys possibly available and what they could potentially bring to the Hurricanes roster.