Three players that the Hurricanes could consider for an offer sheet

In recent years, we have seen that the Carolina Hurricanes management is willing to consider any option to get the players that they want. We have seen them use the offer sheet even last summer when they were able to pry a young Finn out of Montreal. Now, we’re approaching another summer where there are a lot of restricted free agents on the market this summer.

Having shown off their prowess with a perfectly used offer sheet last summer, you have to wonder if Don Waddell, Tom Dundon, and the front office are willing to go back to that well after how well it worked. They got the player they wanted by cleverly manipulating the return, cap hit, and opponent’s position to leverage the player away from their current team. It was used perfectly last year.

So, if the Hurricanes decide to use that string of their bow again, who could they target. As I mentioned, a team that is going to be susceptible to an offer sheet has to be strapped for salary cap space, must have a player that isn’t of extreme value but is a good depth piece that could hopefully develop into something more, and have reasons to let the player walk away. Very few teams meet all of these scenarios.

Just because there are very few teams that are susceptible to an offer sheet doesn’t mean that we cannot go through the possibilities of what might happen this summer and embrace the chaos. We know that the Hurricanes have the guts to pull this off and if there is a team or more likely a player that the Hurricanes like for the value they can get them at, we could see them go out and attempt to do it again. Why not? It worked last year and if it ain’t broken, don’t fix it.

It is important to note how rare successful offer sheets are. I’ve referenced the one last year like five times at this point, I’m aware. But that doesn’t mean that it is certain to have it work again. It was the first successful offer sheet since 2007 for a reason and there’s a lot that needs to fall into place for the offer sheet to work. So let us start with the first potential target.

Rasmus Sandin

Toronto is going to be doing money gymnastics all summer long. They have $40 million dollars in cap just tied up in their big four forwards, with another $7 million tied up in their number 1 D man. They’re bargain bin shopping wherever possible and that makes them a prime contender to wield the threat of an offer sheet against. This might not be the most flashy player to do it with, but it’s an option.

Rasmus Sandin is not the kind of player that you’ll know as a household name. Come to think of it, Sandin is not someone that you should know in general. The defenseman was a first-round draft selection in the 2019 NHL entry draft. Taken 29th overall by the Toronto Maple Leafs, this is a player with a clear amount of talent and pedigree, which makes him a really good player to target.

At just 22 years old, Sandin has not made quite the impact in Toronto that the Leafs would have liked him too. He’s been suffering from injuries and just falling out of the lineup. At the time of writing this, Sandin has only played in 88 career NHL games and has just 6 goals and 22 assists for 28 points. That’s from the blueline remember, but it is not exactly a sure-fire asset. This is more in the same light as the previous offer sheet.

If the Hurricanes want to go down this route, he might be a very fitting recipient of an offer sheet given his potential. He’s a young defenseman and he is eligible for it despite being still relatively inexperienced at the NHL level. At a young age with a lot of talent, he could be a target that pays off big time for the Hurricanes if they run down this road.

Andrew Mangiapane

If you have spent any time on the Cardiac Cane website recently, you will know that I have been talking about the Carolina Hurricanes’ need for goal scoring. One free agent that might be somewhat realistic to acquire given Calgary’s cap issue is Andrew Mangiapane. Due to things outside of the control of the Toronto, Ontario native, the Calgary Flames might be in an awkward position with the winger.

Calgary has one of the biggest fish in terms of both the UFA pool and the RFA pond to re-sign and with very limited cap space available to them, Mangiapane might not be someone they can afford to keep around. He’s not going to be a flashy name that you see a thousand rumors linking him with an offer sheet, but there’s a perfect storm forming around him as an offer sheet target if he wants it.

Mangiapane tallied 30 goals and 25 assists for 55 points in 82 games for a pleasingly complete stat line. Mangiapane has been someone that the Flames have been able to depend on constantly as a producer in their top nine. On a team with so many offensive weapons, Mangiapane might just be another guy but he could look to get out of their shadows this summer and aid a team with scoring woes.

Mangiapane is a difficult one to pin point. If you offer him 4 million, Calgary probably matches so a 2nd isn’t going to be enough to get him. You could offer up the 1st, but at that point is it worth it? Of the three players I have talked about, Mangiapane is clearly the best of the three but it does raise questions about the likelihood of getting him and his value. Is he worth the first and third? I’ll leave that up to you to decide.

Question for Cardiac Cane readers: Is there anyone you think the Canes should offer sheet?