The Carolina Hurricanes have received near critical acclaim this offseason for their moves. While some were a little bullish on the sign-and-trade with the Rangers for K'Andre Miller, almost everyone had positive things to say about the team landing top free agent Nikolaj Ehlers. However, one former Hurricane made it clear this was the wrong decision for the team.
Once the dust settled the night before free agency, the former Jet was the top name on everyone's board, with most speculating that he'd be in Raleigh soon after hitting the market. The Canes got the job done with a six-year, $51 million deal. It was a big win for an organization that has been criticized for its inability to attract major talent.
Retired defenseman James Wisniewski took exception to the signing in an appearance on the Empty Netters podcast last week. Wisniewski played 552 games in the NHL during his career, including one with the Hurricanes. He tore his ACL, the second ACL tear of his career, during the 2015-16 opener. His Canes tenure ended in just 47 seconds in what would be his last NHL game.
During his appearance, Wisniewski lambasted the Hurricanes for signing Ehlers in favor of letting Jack Roslovic walk. Roslovic scored 22 goals for Carolina last season, tying his career high and finishing third on the team. Meanwhile, Ehlers scored two more goals and had 63 points in 69 games while also outperforming Roslovic in the playoffs.
On the surface, this feels like an apples and oranges comparison. There is no world where comparing Ehlers and Roslovic is fair. Roslovic would absolutely have been cheaper than Ehlers, but the Canes needed a forward to pair with Sebastian Aho on the top line. Ehlers is an improvement over Roslovic, and his track record shows it.
Had the Hurricanes not signed a top-tier forward this offseason, everyone would be blasting the front office for failing to act. I think this is an isolated incident where an individual doesn't like one move. It should be taken with a grain of salt. I'm not putting much stock into Wisniewski's dissent. One opinion isn't enough to overshadow how good this move was for the Hurricanes.