Remembering The Biggest Trade Deadlines in Hurricanes History: The Pre-Lockout Days
From the time they moved to North Carolina to the lockout in 2004-05, the Canes made some big moves to ensure both their immediate and future success.
By Ben Huffman
The NHL trade deadline is always one of my favorite days of the year. Unlike in most sports, this day is often chock-full of huge moves as playoff contenders and hopefuls look to bolster their lineups to make a late push for the Stanley Cup. Sometimes, those moves pan out beautifully. Other times, they fall flat. Throughout their history, the Carolina Hurricanes have seen plenty from both sides.
With this year's deadline approaching, I thought it would be fun to revisit some of the most notable deadlines in the team's history since moving to North Carolina. To avoid making one long article, I plan to look at various eras of the franchise to help paint this picture. I won't be touching on every deadline because that's a lot of trades, some of which have little to no bearing on the team overall.
To kick things off, I've started with the early days of the Carolina Hurricanes. With the Hartford Whalers relocating and taking up a new identity, the franchise was looking to establish itself as a serious force. In its first seven seasons, the team experienced the highest of highs and the lowest of lows. In Part 1, we'll cover the notable pre-lockout deadlines from 1998 to 2004.