The hype around the Carolina Hurricanes is at an all-time high after the recent acquisitions and the comfortable position in the standings. Adding the caliber of talent in Mikko Rantanen and Taylor Hall boosts this lineup. Rantanen recently won a Stanley Cup making him more attractive to this franchise.
It seems that since Rod Brind'Amour has taken over the helm this group of players has raised their respective levels of talent. The team makes the playoffs consistently and puts forth a good brand of hockey. The final piece is getting over the hump and into the Stanley Cup Finals for a chance to compete for the title. Last year Jake Guentzael and Evgeny Kuznetsov were brought to Raleigh to provide the same talent and experience to the Canes. As we all know that did not work out in the end and both players left the club.
The two new acquisitions bring an extra 34 goals combined, which will raise the scoring depth, but is this team ready to compete for a Stanley Cup? It may seem like a downer view but we need to prepare for the possibility of these moves not raising the team enough to compete for a Stanley Cup. Both players are on expiring contracts, which could make them assets if things go downhill in the next month. The likelihood of this is small, especially with a break for the 4 Nations tournament coming soon.
The Canes' ultimate demise in the playoffs last year was goaltending. Frederik Andersen and Pyotr Kochetkov's tandem is back, and the coaching staff does not appear to have raised their confidence in Kochetkov. Despite his success during Andersen's stint on the IR, Andersen's return could not come soon enough, so they put him back in the starters' crease.
The plan would be to extend Rantanen after the season, but that is easier said than done. It did not work out for Guentzel, and giving up a player like Martin Necas for a rental that does not return or contribute to a Stanley Cup would be a failure. With that said, if the Canes are not in a position to win the division, trading Rantanen should be in the cards.
Rantanen will command a large salary and is already being paid $9.25 million. It appears that he was willing to give the Avalanche a discount but I doubt that will be the case for any other team. If Eric Tulsky can sense that Rantanen is going to test free agency then it may not be worth seeing another acquired superstar leave in the summer.