Cardiac Cane
Fansided

Seven unrestricted free agents the Hurricanes could sign to flush out their depth

By Conor Power

MONTREAL, QUEBEC - JULY 08: General manager Brad Treliving of the Calgary Flames and general manager Don Waddell of the Carolina Hurricanes talk on the draft floor prior to Round Two of the 2022 Upper Deck NHL Draft at Bell Centre on July 08, 2022 in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. (Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images)
MONTREAL, QUEBEC - JULY 08: General manager Brad Treliving of the Calgary Flames and general manager Don Waddell of the Carolina Hurricanes talk on the draft floor prior to Round Two of the 2022 Upper Deck NHL Draft at Bell Centre on July 08, 2022 in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. (Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images) /
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BOSTON, MA – FEBRUARY 08: Danton Heinen #43 of the Pittsburgh Penguins celebrates after scoring a goal in the second period of a game against the Boston Bruins at TD Garden on February 8, 2022, in Boston, Massachusetts. (Photo by Adam Glanzman/Getty Images)
BOSTON, MA – FEBRUARY 08: Danton Heinen #43 of the Pittsburgh Penguins celebrates after scoring a goal in the second period of a game against the Boston Bruins at TD Garden on February 8, 2022, in Boston, Massachusetts. (Photo by Adam Glanzman/Getty Images) /

Danton Heinen

Another player that was not qualified as a restricted free agent, Danton Heinen had quite the season with the Pittsburgh Penguins. A versatile winger that can play both sides almost anywhere in the lineup, the former Boston Bruins draft selection has made quite the name for himself already at the NHL level. As a former member of the Penguins, Bruins, and Ducks, he’s been around.

This is one of those things that someone is going to interpret as a bad thing because Heinen would be on his fourth team in four years, but to be fair to him, most of that is not his fault. Pittsburgh had to let him go because they couldn’t afford to keep him, Boston traded him to strengthen for a cup run, and Anaheim just didn’t see anything they liked in him.

Carolina would be taking on an inconsistent young player that can be a difference maker in games at his best, but rarely gets there. Normally, he won’t find the scoresheet, but he’ll fill the mold of being an annoying presence that can create without the end product. He’ll look like he can be a very dangerous player but he won’t ever show the finish, and it hurts his production.

In Pittsburgh last year, Heinen played with some better players and tallied a very respectable 18 goals and 15 helpers for 33 points. Adding 30 points to your lineup for nothing isn’t easy and he could be a nice depth piece. I understand that a lot of people will not agree with this idea, and I do understand why, but I thought it was worth discussing the potential help Heinen brings.

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