Carolina Hurricanes: The perks and drawbacks of a Laine trade

The Carolina Hurricanes have been linked to Patrick Laine again

With more rumors having arisen exposing the Carolina Hurricanes’ interest in the Finnish winger, is it worth it for the Canes to pursue the sniper?

I really wish that the Carolina Hurricanes would end their interest in this player, but seemingly nothing will discourage the front office from exploring all possible avenues to acquire the Finnish phenom. Patrik Laine‘s trade rumors will not stop surfacing regarding his disdain in the frozen tundra of Winnipeg. It has been released that Winnipeg wants some certain pieces from Carolina.

Those pieces are Martin Necas and Brett Pesce. There’s a lot of reasons to be skeptical of this., but there are a few reasons to consider it. It’s one where it really raises an ultimatum of what to do. Does adding Laine make this team better when you subtract Pesce and Necas? Can Carolina afford to add Laine? Well, these are all interesting questions.

Starting with the contract situation. Laine makes $6.75 million dollars this season and then is a restricted free agent. It coincides with the needed renewals of Andrei Svechnikov and Dougie Hamilton. With a projected $28 million in cap space with those three and 8 other free agents to re-sign or replace, it gets a little too tight for my appreciation. I cannot 100% say it would be affordable without harming other parts of the team.

What about the deal itself? Well, in order to evaluate this, we must look at Laine in comparison to the Carolina package.

Starting with Laine, he’s currently got a career average of around 35 goals a season. Considering he’s only 22, it’s safe to assume he’s going to be a 40-45 goal scorer, possibly with career highs in the 50s. He averages 62 points a season, and that will only go up. His production isn’t the problem. Defensively he is suspect on a good day, and he really isn’t that great with his awareness.

With all due respect to Laine, but I’ve often found myself wondering if he would be anywhere near as highly regarded as he is without his sensational shot. However, elite shooting is a rare commodity and it makes him quite valuable in the right situations. Laine also has a tendency to want to play with the best players, and I don’t know that he breaks up the SAT line.

Moving on to Necas and Pesce, I will start with Necas. A rookie who was 4th in scoring among Carolina Hurricanes forwards and that is exempt from the pending Seattle Expansion draft is someone that should not be moved so hastily. He’s an incredible skater, as fast as anyone and as a right-handed shot, he’s kind of a band-aid on the ax wound of the unbalanced shooting arrangements.

Pesce is one of the best analytical defensive defensemen in the NHL and his value cannot be understated. What he does in his own zone consistently will fly under the radar because he never makes any highlight real defensive plays, mainly because he’s in the perfect position to break them up normally. A right-handed shooting defenceman too, a rare and desirable piece in today’s NHL.

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So why does this trade make sense? Well, Carolina’s leading scorer in the bottom 9 didn’t have 40 points. Finding a scoring touch outside the SAT line is going to be important if the Canes want to push for the cup this postseason and Laine will certainly add that. Alongside some of the guys who don’t have that elite shot, he could find himself scoring for fun.

Why is it a bad idea? Well, remember I said Hamilton needs a new contract? Pesce is the only right-handed defenceman on the roster under contract for next season. Trading him away gives Dougie more leverage in his deal. It makes no sense. Also, Necas very well could become a 30-35 goal scorer. It’s not worth losing both of them to get Laine in my opinion. That said, I’m often wrong.

Should the Carolina Hurricanes go after Patrik Laine? I would say no. I would suggest his work ethic and his defensive game are not up to the level of the standards set by Rod Brind’amour and his coaching staff. I am not Don Waddell however. So we will see what becomes of the situation and if it works out for the better in Raleigh. At this price, it’s not worth it in my opinion.

Question for Cardiac Cane Readers: Do you think the Canes should go after Laine?