Carolina Hurricanes: Ryan Dzingel Traded to the Ottawa Senators

Out of nowhere, the Carolina Hurricanes have traded forward Ryan Dzingel to the Ottawa Senators for forwards Cedric Paquette and Alex Galchenyuk.

While this trade comes out of the blue, it is a trade that should not be overly surprising. Dzingel has never seemed to be a fit for Rod Brind’Amour‘s style. While he has offensive skill, he experienced defensive lapses and appeared to be in the head coach’s doghouse, notably being a healthy scratch some games during the 2020 Stanley Cup Playoffs.

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Through 11 games this season, Dzingel has only four points (two goals and two assists). This will be his second stint in Ottawa, and he will look to find the same success he had the first time around. Hopefully for Dzingel, he can bounce back to form for a young Senators team.

For the Carolina Hurricanes, they get two guys who have the potential to help this team. It feels like Alex Galchenyuk has played for every team in the NHL. The former #3 overall pick of 2012 for the Montreal Canadiens is looking to regain the form he had at the beginning of his career. After having 30 goals in the 2015-2016 season, he has not been able to keep up that pace. However, if there is a head coach to help Galchenyuk get back that confidence, it could be Rod Brind’Amour.

He could be a weapon on the power play unit because he possesses a fantastic shot. The Hurricanes would certainly love that.

In terms of Cedric Paquette, the Carolina Hurricanes get a depth center with championship experience. A member of the 2020 Stanley Cup-winning Tampa Bay Lightning, Paquette adds grit and strength to the bottom-six. With Brock McGinn performing well with the big boys up front and Jordan Martinook having some underwhelming play of late, Paquette could slot into the fourth line and provide the same pressure those two can.

In terms of salary, this appears to be a cap move.

Ottawa take on the rest of Dzingel’s $3.375 contract. The two additions to the Canes total to $2.7 million, meaning the Hurricanes gain $675,000 in cap space. Though it might not seem like much, this is a big deal. In a year of struggle financially for all teams as well as the Hurricanes being right up against the cap, this gives Carolina some necessary wiggle room for when the trade deadline comes around if they want to make more moves.

Unfortunately, we will not be able to see Paquette or Galchenyuk immediately. The two will need to quarantine upon arrival due to COVID-19 rules traveling between Canada and the United States.

https://twitter.com/Canes/status/1360668591390130179

Overall, this is a wait-and-see trade, but has major focus on the salary cap. Galchenyuk still has loads of talent, but Carolina needs to find a way to re-unlock that. Paquette is a good depth move and brings more physicality. We wish the best to “Zinger” in Ottawa.

Question to CC Readers: Who wins this trade? Carolina or Ottawa?