Now that the NHL season is officially over with the Stanley Cup being raised by the Las Vegas Golden Knights, the rest of the NHL will begin the steps of the off-season.
The first significant part of the NHL off-season will be the buyout window that opens this Friday, June 16th. This window will be open until June 30th.
This is always a period of the off-season that can present some surprise players added to the free-agent market but for the most part, teams have already put the writing on the wall.
The Hurricanes will not have much movement in this period as they do not have many candidates for a buyout that would make sense. This team is also established and looking at ways to add without changing much in the locker room.
One player that could be an option for a buyout if Don Waddell wants to open up a roster spot and some cap space is Teuvo Teravanien.
Teravanien had a very down season and suffered an unfortunate injury in the playoffs against the New York Islanders. He was able to return for the Eastern Conference Finals but was noticeably rusty.
The 28-year-old forward has one year left on his contract with a cap hit of $5.4 million.
If the Canes do not plan to offer the Finnish player a contract extension, it could be affordable to cut him loose now and create space for a move to bring in a sniper.
Again, I do not see this happening as at the very least, Teravainen could be used in a trade to acquire a sniper if he is not in the long-term plans.
More importantly, the Caniacs can pay close attention to the other teams around the NHL as they cut loose some of their veterans. These new free agents will have contracts set to be paid but will be looking for new jobs at a discounted rate.
More than likely, the Hurricanes can provide a solid chance at the Cup while having secondary roles available for these players looking to make a rebound.