Remembering The Biggest Trade Deadlines in Hurricanes History: Return to Relevance
After nearly a decade without postseason hockey, it took some massive changes to turn a struggling franchise into a consistent threat in the Eastern Conference.
2020
In recent years, Don Waddell has earned a reputation for not doing much at the trade deadline. This season is the outlier. Little did we know what was about to happen a few weeks later. The Hurricanes were incredibly active at the 2020 deadline, making three moves. He made one minor move a week in advance, sending former top pick Julien Gauthier to the Rangers for Joey Keane. Neither has done much at the NHL level.
On the day of the deadline, the Canes were working the phones. To start the day, the team acquired Vincent Trocheck from the Panthers for a package of four players, led by Erik Haula and Lucas Wallmark. Both Wallmark and Haula would finish the season with Florida and joined them in the bubble for the postseason, providing little production before both left in free agency in the offseason. Chase Priskie, one of the prospects involved, made his debut in 2021 and played four games that season.
The other player involved was Eetu Luostarinen. He's the only part of the return who contributed anything for the Panthers, and he is still part of the team this season. Trocheck played 135 games for the Canes during parts of the next three seasons, scoring 96 points. He added 15 points in 31 postseason games before signing a huge deal with the Rangers in 2022.
2020, Continued
A big issue to address was the defense. Dougie Hamilton had broken his fibula in January, and Brett Pesce required shoulder surgery after getting hurt during the infamous EBUG game in Toronto. Upgrading the blue line with two guys out long-term became the focus. First, the team made a trade within the division, bringing in Brady Skjei from the Rangers for a conditional 1st Round pick in 2020. Skjei has become one of the Canes' most reliable defensemen during his time in Raleigh. Across the calendar years of 2022 and 2023, Skjei was fifth among all defensemen in goals (32), and he's climbing the franchise ranks for offensive production among blueliners.
Their second move to help the defense saw them make another divisional trade, acquiring Sami Vatanen from the Devils for Janne Kuokkanen, Fredrik Claesson, and a conditional 4th Round pick in 2020. Kuokkanen was a solid addition for the Devils, becoming a regular the following season and scoring 42 points in 108 games before signing internationally last season. Claesson only played five games with the Devils, scoring two points, before signing with the Sharks.
Even the pick they received could turn into something down the line. The condition placed on the pick was met, turning it into a 3rd Round pick, and with the 84th pick, the Devils selected goalie Nico Daws. While he's seen some action early in his career, Daws could be looked at as the goalie of the future for the Devils. Vatanen's acquisition was an interesting one because he was injured when the Canes traded for him. It was anticipated he'd be good to go by March, but COVID-19 struck and canceled the remainder of the regular season. Vatanen did return for the postseason bubble, recording three assists in seven games.
The final piece to discuss is the pick they sent to the Rangers, and context is incredibly important for this one. Before the season, the Canes struck a deal with the Maple Leafs to take on the contract of Patrick Marleau. To sweeten the deal, Toronto gave Carolina two picks, including a Top-10 protected 1st Round pick in 2020. Marleau's time as a Hurricanes lasted less than a week, being bought out to become a free agent. By bringing in Skjei, the Canes agreed to trade the lower of their two 1st Round picks to the Rangers.
With Toronto being eliminated in the Qualifying Round and the Hurricanes being ousted in the 1st Round by Boston, Carolina ended up with the 13th and 22nd picks, the latter of which was sent to New York. The 22nd pick went on a journey. The Rangers traded it to the Flames to move up three spots, and the Flames shuffled it to the Capitals to move down two spots. In the end, the Rangers selected Braden Schneider 19th overall, the Capitals selected Hendrix Lapierre 22nd overall, and Calgary selected Connor Zary 24th overall. All three players figure to be big parts of their teams' futures.
Selected before all of them, the Hurricanes used the 13th pick to select Seth Jarvis. In three seasons, Jarvis has become an instant favorite amongst the Caniacs. He has set new career highs in most offensive categories this season. The hope is that he'll be sticking around for a long time, with his rookie contract set to expire at the end of this season.
2022
On the surface, the one trade the Canes made at the 2022 deadline doesn't seem too spectacular. In a three-team deal with Columbus and Florida, the Hurricanes acquired Max Domi from the Blue Jackets and Tyler Inamoto from the Panthers. In return, the Canes traded Aiden Hreschuk to Columbus and Egor Korshkov and a pick to the Panthers. Most of the pieces in this deal, like Hreschuk and Inamoto, have yet to make it to the NHL, while Korshkov is playing internationally.
The only consequential piece of the deal was Max Domi. His finish to the regular season didn't provide too much, scoring two goals and seven points in 19 games. Legends are made in the postseason, and Domi will forever have a place as one of the unsung heroes of the postseason in franchise history. With the Canes and Bruins battling to a winner-take-all seventh game in the 1st Round of the playoffs, Domi played the biggest game of his career. He scored twice and assisted on another as the Canes eliminated the Bruins with a 3-2 win in Game 7. He finished with six points in 14 games as a playoff rental, but that one game will leave a lasting memory for many in this fan base.
2023
Last season's trade deadline will not be looked at fondly by some, especially after an injury that no one could've seen coming. Before the deadline, the Hurricanes brought in former 4th overall pick Jesse Puljujarvi from the Oilers for prospect Patrik Puistola. After struggling to start the season, the hope was that a change of scenery would be helpful for Puljujarvi. That wouldn't be the case. Puljujarvi had just two assists in 17 games before adding just one assist in seven postseason games. He underwent hip surgery in the offseason and signed with the Penguins during the All-Star Break.
On deadline day, the Canes' only move was to strengthen their defense. They traded a pick in 2026 to the Coyotes for Shayne Gostisbehere. Almost instantly, Gostisbehere made an impact. In his first two games, he scored two goals and four points, all on the power play. He wouldn't be able to keep up this pace, finishing with ten points in 22 games to finish the regular season. Gostisbehere added just three assists in 15 postseason games. While the Gostisbehere trade wasn't a bad deal, the fans would've liked to see the front office be a little more aggressive by bringing in a goal-scorer. This was emphasized more when Andrei Svechnikov went down with a torn ACL less than two weeks later.
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