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

When the Carolina Hurricanes lost in the Eastern Conference Finals in 2009, no one could've expected it would be the last taste of postseason hockey we'd experience for a long time. This signaled a significant shift in their dealings at the trade deadline. The shoe was on the other foot as the Canes supplied other contenders with players who could help boost their chances.

The next two parts of this series will focus on what has commonly become known as the "Dark Days" of the team's history. The plan is to split it by first tackling 2010 through 2014. During these days, we'll see a lockout-shortened season and a conference realignment. What we won't see is a lot of moments when the organization was pushing for the playoffs.

2010

The 2009-10 season was a lost cause early. By the start of 2010, the team was well out of the race, and by February, they started to move pieces. The first two dominos to fall were Niclas Wallin and Matt Cullen, who were traded to San Jose and Ottawa, respectively. On deadline day, they were extremely active.

The Hurricanes made five trades on March 3, trading Joe Corvo and Scott Walker to Washington in separate deals, Aaron Ward to Anaheim, Andrew Alberts to Vancouver, and Stephane Yelle and Harrison Reed to Colorado. In all, the team acquired four players and five picks. Unfortunately, none of them panned out. To add insult to injury, one of the pieces they acquired in the Corvo trade was a 2nd Round pick in 2011, which ended up being 57th overall. The Canes traded it to the Rangers for Bobby Sanguinetti. The Rangers later traded it to Calgary, who selected Tyler Wotherspoon. With the 58th pick, the Lightning selected Nikita Kucherov. There's no guarantee that the Canes would've selected Kucherov if they'd kept their pick, but it makes you think about what could've been.

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.

2013

Another lockout threatened to cancel the 2012-13 season as labor disputes and revenue sharing became big topics. Fortunately, a solution was met in January to salvage what was left of the season. This meant a shortened 48-game schedule. With fewer games, the Canes seemed to be doing alright. By mid-March, they led the Southeast Division and had the fourth-best record in the Eastern Conference. Within ten games, their season had collapsed.

A 1-8-1 stretch knocked the Canes below .500 and out of a playoff spot. With the writing on the wall, they opted to hit the trade market. They acquired Marc-Andre Bergeron from the Lightning for Adam Hall and a 2013 7th Round pick. No one involved in the trade provided much value, with Bergeron producing just four points in 13 games, while Hall was immediately placed on waivers, and the pick, Joel Vermin, played just 24 games in the NHL.

The next day, the team parted with Jussi Jokinen, one of the biggest parts of the 2009 postseason run, being traded to the Penguins for a conditional pick. Jokinen scored 11 points in ten games as they finished with the best record in the Eastern Conference. However, he recorded just three assists in eight games in the postseason. The compensation the Canes received remains a mystery because I couldn't find it anywhere. I'm not sure if the conditions were met, but there doesn't appear to be any record of it.