Carolina Hurricanes: 3 players to target at the Trade Deadline

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It’s March 18th, 2022, which means we are only three days away from the biggest event of the regular season: the Trade Deadline. Though the Hurricanes (41-14-6) already have a roster capable of making a deep Cup run, there are still some depth pieces they could acquire to add some insurance on defense.

Commonly asked by most interested in what potential moves the Hurricanes may choose to make is: “How could the Hurricanes pull off a large-scale move with the limited cap-space available?”

Most asking that do have a valid point. But with the news earlier about Jordan Martinook’s injury, there is a chance Carolina may get $1.8M in extra cap space, which provides some relief for the Hurricanes as they look for a depth defenseman.

It has been reported also that the Hurricanes have looked into diving into the offensive department, but it’s more likely they focus on depth left-handed defensemen. Today we’re gonna be diving into what potential options the Carolina Hurricanes may choose to get involved in.

The Fourth Period also suggests Carolina are looking for depth in both offense and defense as long as it’s inexpensive. – @CardiacCane

Today, we’re gonna take a look at three options the Hurricanes could choose to pursue.

GLENDALE, ARIZONA – FEBRUARY 20: Jakob Chychrun #6 of the Arizona Coyotes skates with the puck ahead of Alexander Radulov #47 of the Dallas Stars during the NHL game at Gila River Arena on February 20, 2022, in Glendale, Arizona. The Coyotes defeated the Stars 3-1. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images) /

Jakob Chychrun is undoubtedly one of the hottest names on the NHL trade market as of right now. He’s a young defensive talent that can add some serious depth to contending teams, and could definitely benefit from a change of scenery.

The only catch? The price. Chychrun is going to be a pricey acquisition, as most big-name targets are as of now, but that doesn’t necessarily mean it would be impossible to acquire him. Though pricey, he could be a nice added depth piece to Carolina. Furthermore, Chychrun still has terms left, meaning his cost isn’t such a bad thing when you put it into perspective, it just makes the acquisition aspect of it a little tougher to pull off.

This is definitely something that Arizona could choose to be picky on, as they have the option to wait until the summer to receive more deals from 32 teams, versus the few teams in on Chychrun currently due to him having time left on his contract, so it is possible we don’t see him get moved by the deadline. If the Hurricanes do attempt to acquire Chychrun before the deadline on Monday, it may require giving up some players that wouldn’t sit well with the fans based on Arizona’s demands, but sometimes moves have to be made if you wanna make a push for the Cup.

Sending numerous amounts of high-end draft picks, while normally an attractive piece, may not be considered such when we’re talking about Arizona. In 2022 alone, the Coyotes have 3 first-round picks, 5 second-round picks, 1 third-round pick, and 4 picks spread across rounds 4-7, so it’s unlikely the Coyotes will take just a large amount of picks alongside a prospect or so. It’s gonna be a steep price to pay, but Waddell may have the negotiation talents necessary to pull off an acquisition of a high-end defenseman in Jakob Chychrun.

Only time will tell how Chychrun’s situation will play out, but there’s no doubt Carolina is interested, and that he would significantly add depth to the team’s defense.

ANAHEIM, CALIFORNIA – FEBRUARY 22: Hampus Lindholm #47 of the Anaheim Ducks skates the puck against Alexander Barabanov #94 of the San Jose Sharks in the second period at Honda Center on February 22, 2022, in Anaheim, California. (Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images) /

Hampus Lindholm is a name you’ve probably heard a lot over the past two weeks. Carolina is most definitely interested in acquiring him, but Anaheim is asking for quite a lot of teams wanna make a move for him. However, at the time of writing this, he may be getting ready to be on the move.

Source says Hampus Lindholm won’t play tonight. Will be held out as the Ducks focus on a trade for him. @TSNHockey @TheAthletic – @PierreVLeBrun

Carolina is a team heavily interested in Lindholm, and they have attractive pieces that Anaheim may consider, so it will be interesting to see how a trade for Lindholm would unfold. Lindholm has a steep price to pay, as he’s looking for a long-term deal when summer rolls around and he needs to be resigned, and it’s unclear whether or not the Hurricanes plan to do a ‘sign-and-trade’ type of move or just simply acquire him as a rental.

If I’m Carolina, I’d definitely wanna lock a player like this up long-term. He adds large amounts of depth and could use a change of scenery, which could lead to an even stronger performance on the ice.

The only issue Carolina faces is the ability to make the room to sign Lindholm. Losing players like Trocheck and Niederreiter would relieve some cap-space, but not only is it incredibly unlikely (and not smart) to let go of both players, it doesn’t change the fact that players like Tony DeAngelo, Martin Necas, Ian Cole, and Ethan Bear (to name a few) still need new contracts heading into the 2022-2023 season.

Like all acquisitions Carolina may choose to make, it’s not going to be easy and will require a lot of thinking to work out financially, but Lindholm still sits as a target for Carolina to pursue.

ELMONT, NEW YORK – MARCH 11: Andrew Copp #9 of the Winnipeg Jets skates against the New York Islanders at UBS Arena on March 11, 2022, in Elmont, New York. (Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images) /

Lastly, we have Andrew Copp. Copp is a player that I personally feel has been a bit under-the-radar and hasn’t been talked about nearly as much as one would expect. Copp, who is both inexpensive and a good depth piece, would fill some of the Hurricanes’ defensive depth holes.

Andrew Copp could be a great fit for the Hurricanes #NHLTradeDeadline | #NHLTonight – @NHLNetwork

Copp could realistically fit really well with the Hurricanes, and similarly to Chychrun could benefit from being put into a new environment. Copp fits Rod Brind’Amour’s playstyle, which definitely adds to the fact that he’s an attractive piece to the Hurricanes.

There’s a part of me that feels this might be the splash that the Hurricanes could choose to make. He’s not overly expensive and could serve as a good rental if they choose not to extend him come summertime, though I don’t think it’s impossible that the Hurricanes could choose to find a way to keep him around.

Keep in mind, if Carolina chooses to put Jordan Martinook on LTIR, that gives them an extra $1.8M in cap space to make a move, so making a move such as this one now isn’t exactly out of the cards, and could open up plenty of options come the deadline on Monday. Waddell is known for making splashes on the deadline that aren’t overly significant, but fill the holes needed to stabilize whatever needs the Hurricanes currently have, in this case, left-handed defensemen.

If the Hurricanes do choose to skip out on players like Chychrun or Lindholm, I would definitely keep my eye on Copp as a potential pickup.

As mentioned earlier, Copp is getting a lot less attention than some other players on the market, making a sneaky acquisition such as this one a little more interesting. Carolina could use a player like Copp, there’s no doubt about it, and while it may not be such a big name like Chychrun, Giroux, or Lindholm, it doesn’t make his value any less than theirs, and could seriously boost the Hurricanes’ depth pool.

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