Remembering The Biggest Trade Deadlines in Hurricanes History: The Dark Days Begin

2011

In one of the rare times during the "Dark Days" when the team was in the hunt, the Canes were in a playoff spot as the trade deadline neared in 2011. On February 18, they held the last spot in the Eastern Conference, but their first move was to off-load a player, sending Ian White to the Sharks for a 2nd Round pick in 2012. White was good for San Jose, scoring ten points down the stretch, but it also became beneficial for the Canes when they used the pick. With the 47th pick in 2012, the team selected Brock McGinn. In six seasons with the organization, McGinn became a fan favorite and scored one of the most iconic goals in team history.

A few days later, the Canes made another move with the Sharks, getting Derek Joslin for future considerations. Joslin scored five points for the team to finish the season before scoring just four in 44 games the following season. The moves kept coming as the team brought back a familiar face, trading Ryan Carter and a 5th Round pick in 2011 to Florida for Cory Stillman. In his second tour in Raleigh, Stillman was phenomenal, scoring 16 points in 21 games. Carter put together a respectable career, but he didn't amount to much for Florida during his short time. The Panthers never used the pick they received, though it would eventually be used by the Jets to draft Sean Kuraly.

The Canes and Panthers got together for another move four days after the Stillman deal. The Canes sent Sergei Samsonov to Florida for defenseman Bryan Allen. Where the Stillman move was good, this one wasn't as much. Samsonov finished the year with 14 points in 20 games, while Allen had just five in 19 games. He stuck around for the following season, scoring 14 points in 82 games. The Canes were solid to finish the season but once again failed to seal the deal. They were jumped in the standings by the red-hot Sabres, and the Rangers held their spot as the Canes finished two points outside of the postseason.