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Carolina Hurricanes to Face Most Important Offseason in Years

By Matthew Nidiffer

RALEIGH, NORTH CAROLINA - MAY 30: Playoff towels are draped oj the seats before Game One of the Second Round of the 2021 Stanley Cup Playoffs between the Carolina Hurricanes and the Tampa Bay Lightning at PNC Arena on May 30, 2021 in Raleigh, North Carolina. (Photo by Grant Halverson/Getty Images)
RALEIGH, NORTH CAROLINA - MAY 30: Playoff towels are draped oj the seats before Game One of the Second Round of the 2021 Stanley Cup Playoffs between the Carolina Hurricanes and the Tampa Bay Lightning at PNC Arena on May 30, 2021 in Raleigh, North Carolina. (Photo by Grant Halverson/Getty Images) /
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Mar 17, 2021; Calgary, Alberta, CAN; Edmonton Oilers goaltender Mike Smith (41) makes a save as Calgary Flames center Sean Monahan (23) tries to score during the third period at Scotiabank Saddledome. Mandatory Credit: Sergei Belski-USA TODAY Sports
Mar 17, 2021; Calgary, Alberta, CAN; Edmonton Oilers goaltender Mike Smith (41) makes a save as Calgary Flames center Sean Monahan (23) tries to score during the third period at Scotiabank Saddledome. Mandatory Credit: Sergei Belski-USA TODAY Sports /

Free Agency, Trades, and the Entry Draft – Oh, My!

So, as it stands, the Carolina Hurricanes’ lineup would look something like this after all these re-signings:

  • Svechnikov – Aho – Teravainen
  • Necas – Trocheck – Niederreiter
  • McGinn – Staal – Fast
  • Lorentz – Geekie/Suzuki/Matheos – Jarvis/Geekie/etc.
  • Slavin – Hamilton
  • Skjei – Pesce
  • Gardiner – Lajoie/???
  • Nedeljkovic
  • ???

Now, the Carolina Hurricanes have a choice to make here, and it honestly remains to be seen how the prospects I slotted in up there even do, especially in training camp and preseason – the Canes could lean on their offensive depth and see how that works out, or they could focus on bringing in a proven upgrade to their Top 6/Top 9 forward group.

Our very own Nick Bass and Conor Power have discussed targeting several options, including acquiring Sean Monahan, trading for Vladimir Tarasenko in the event Seattle doesn’t claim him, swinging for the fences to get Jack Eichel, etc., so I won’t get too far into detail with that aside from mentioning that the money aspect could be figured out.

Luke Schull, another of our fantastic writers, made an incredible case for bringing back Trevor van Riemsdyk, which would definitely work out on the Canes’ 3rd defensive pairing.

When it comes to backup goaltending, the options are more optimistic than most of the other positions. It’s almost like that’s an article waiting to be written…

As far as free agency and trade acquisitions go, the Carolina Hurricanes have options to explore, especially if they can move some money off the books in the form of a trade involving Jake Gardiner.

Looking ahead to the 2021 NHL Entry Draft, the Carolina Hurricanes are yet again in a position to win the draft, as they have done most every year since 2018 or so, though the options there are almost assuredly not ready for NHL-level hockey just yet.

I put together a mock draft of the first three rounds of the 2021 NHL Entry Draft, and the outlook is definitely positive for the Canes this year; they should be able to add to their already impressive forward prospect pool, and easily begin rebuilding their defensive prospect pool with the 2021 NHL Draft Class.

For the first time in a long time, the Carolina Hurricanes have quite a bit to lose this offseason if I’m being pessimistic. If I’m being optimistic, the Canes have quite a bit to gain this offseason. If I’m being realistic (which I tend to err toward), we’ll likely see them end up somewhere in the middle.

Even this is a far cry from the basement-dwelling Carolina Hurricanes of yesteryear. Time flies when your favorite hockey team is good again, eh?

How Do the Canes Improve in 2021-22?. light. Trending

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