Carolina Hurricanes: Previewing the 2022 Offseason
Necas, who has collected 5 points in his last 6 games (3G, 2A) is one of the Hurricanes’ most notable players and a massive part of their young core. Accumulating 114 points in just 189 games in the league, there’s no doubting that keeping Necas as a member of the Hurricanes is a top priority for both owner Tom Dundon and general manager Don Waddell.
The issue here is (as always) money. According to CapFriendly, the Hurricanes have a projected $20,250,583 in cap space going into the offseason, which quite frankly isn’t much when you factor in all the big contracts that are expiring. Necas is a fast, dominant center when he’s in his groove, who uses his skating abilities to seamlessly weave through the defense of the opposition, making him an excellent piece to Carolina’s already strong offensive core.
Undoubtedly, Necas is a player the Hurricanes NEED to prioritize re-signing. I don’t see an 8-year deal as something that would be in the cards for Necas, though he is a young talent, which as we all know by now, is something that Waddell prefers. Both Andrei Svechnikov and Jesperi Kotkaniemi received 8-year deals during this season, so I’m not too confident Waddell would be willing to add another one, especially with the other expiring contracts. I could see somewhere in the 5-year range, but only time will tell.
It’s also worth noting that Necas is an RFA this offseason, so there is the slight possibility that a team may decide to offer-sheet him (don’t even think about it, Montreal), but with how things went with Aho and Kotkaniemi, I doubt any teams want to test Dundon at this point. It’s sure to be quite an eventful summer for the Hurricanes in regards to the Necas situation, but I can say with complete confidence that Necas is going to return to the Hurricanes under some form of a deal.
Nino Niederreiter acquired back in January 2019, has been a great addition to the Hurricanes’ offense, accumulating 98 points throughout his tenure thus far in Raleigh. Set to be a pending UFA this summer, the Hurricanes have to look at all available options to determine what might be the best course of action. Do they choose to re-sign him for a considerable deal over names like Trocheck?
I’ll be honest, I’m not entirely sure what Carolina will decide to do with Nino. I do think he’s a player who’s high on their priority list, especially considering he’s been a consistent player when they need a big go-ahead goal, or a goal to get the game back even. There’s no denying that Nino has been one of the most consistent and reliable players since his arrival to Carolina back in 2019.
In regards to terms and money? I’d expect a significant pay raise is in order for Nino, though I’m not entirely sure what term we might be looking at for him. He’s perfect for the Hurricanes system, and it’s definitely a player they would want to lock up for a considerable amount of time, but obviously nothing like a 7-8 year deal.
As always with things like this, only time will tell how this plays out. I do see getting Nino to be quite the difficult process, as there are still a plethora of other pending contracts that need to be addressed, but that doesn’t eliminate the possibility of having Nino return to the already strong Hurricanes offensive core. Another big question to ask is: “If Nino goes, who would fill the hole to keep the strong offense complete?” Honestly, that all comes down to if the Hurricanes truly can’t sign him, or who’s available during Free Agency.
There’s no denying that Free Agency is set to have a decent list of names to choose from, so in the event, Nino cannot return to the Hurricanes, an alternative would have to be in order.
This name should be of no surprise to anyone: Vincent Trocheck. Accumulating 92 points in 129 games with the Hurricanes, Trocheck has not only gained massive support from the Caniacs but has been an incredibly stable and high-end talent for Carolina. With 47 points (19G, 28A) on the season, it leaves many wondering what exactly the Hurricanes’ upper management plans to do with Trocheck come the summertime.
Personally, I’m actually not sure where exactly Trocheck falls in Waddell’s list of priorities. Now, there is absolutely no denying that he’s likely up at the top, as he is an extremely important piece to this Hurricanes team, it’s just that with so many contracts up in the air, it’s hard to tell where exactly each of those contracts falls. We’ve got Necas and Nino, as we’ve already discussed today, but there are also players like DeAngelo, Domi, Stepan, Cole, Bear, you get the idea.
I do really enjoy having Trocheck on this team. He’s been a great addition ever since Carolina traded Haula, Wallmark, and two prospects for him, which I and many others agree was a complete steal, as neither Haula nor Wallmark are even with the Panthers anymore.
Ultimately, I think this is gonna be a bit of a battle between getting either Nino or Trocheck signed in the offseason. I’m not totally sure of the likelihood of securing both with all of the other contracts that still have to be worked out, but for certain, I believe one of them will return. Also, Trocheck is a super likable person, like SUPER likable. I know that may not mean much when we talk about on-ice performance, but it helps a lot of fans connect with him and grow to like him, and I think that goes a long way.
Who all do you hope the Hurricanes decide to keep? If they let someone walk, who do you feel should fill their place on Carolina’s active roster? Let us know!