Carolina Hurricanes Would be Crazy to Not Re-Sign John Forslund

Carolina Hurricanes Broadcaster John Forslund Needs a Contract

When the clock struck midnight, John Forslund’s contract with the Carolina Hurricanes expired. It would be madness not to give him a new one.

John Forslund is a free agent right now. The best voice in the world of hockey is up for grabs. That bodes terribly for the Carolina Hurricanes who have ridden his excellent play by play calling since he arrived with the team from Hartford. He called the only Stanley Cup win in team history. He continues to be the only voice identifiable by the fan base as the voice of the Hurricanes.

And now, it looks like that era might come to an end. It absolutely shouldn’t. Anything less than a new contract for the legendary future Hall-of-Famer would be insanity and should not be considered acceptable by the fan base.

Problem is, the negotiations between Forslund’s camp and the team doesn’t seem to be on solid ground:

To be absolutely fair, this might be the worst time in the salary cap era to be concerned and fretting about keeping your legendary play by play announcer. Especially one that is well received by virtually everyone in the hockey world. The money is going to be an issue with no dependable income anytime soon for this team.

We have no idea where the negotiations really are. Last year we saw Don Waddell go on without a contract to the point that he was interviewed by other teams. In the end, he got a contract with the Carolina Hurricanes and the rest is now history. Hopefully, this is where this story is going and I will write a new article next week about a new contract.

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That said, Tom Dundon is going to have to dig deep into his billionaire pockets and shell out the money needed to keep Forslund one way or another. There simply is no room in this franchise to for the loss of it’s most notable TV and now Radio personalities.

Two seasons ago saw the loss of Chuck Kaiton, the Radio personality for the team. To a degree that made sense, even though it was a tough loss to handle. Radio simply doesn’t have the reach it once had, especially with younger generations.

But you cannot deny the power of TV and reach that John has when he is at the helm of the broadcast. When the game is going on, he is the Carolina Hurricanes. He becomes its identity with every “Hey, Hey, What’d’ya say!” or “The Canes are off and running!”.

To let him ride into the sunset would be a crime.

The only way for John to stop being the voice of the Hurricanes would be for him to officially retire and prepare for his phone call from the Hall of Fame. That’s it. He isn’t ready to retire yet. He isn’t ready to ride into that sunset. He wants to continue his work with the Carolina Hurricanes. He will have already earned whatever contract he asks for. That is the truth.

Tom Dundon has to stop this madness and be prepared to make the necessary financial sacrifice in order to retain him. Forslund’s value cannot be valued as simply a play-by-play caller. He is much more than that to this team.

He is a marketing gold mine and perhaps one of the best cheerleaders of this team. The energy and professionalism he brings into that booth every game night cannot be purchased anywhere else. Not only that but he makes everyone else around him better. From his color commentary partner, Tripp Tracey, to everyone he has ever interviewed. You can’t find that in anyone else.

So Tom, if you are reading this, or happen across this article in any way shape or form hear my plea and warning. Sign John Forslund or prepare to lose in more ways than one. Credibility, Authenticity, TV Revenue, and Marketability are just a few of the ways that having John Forslund at the helm trumps any and all replacements.