2004
The Hurricanes' struggles continued into the 2003-04 season as they were well outside of the playoffs once the deadline rolled around. While the team had been making moves before the deadline, including the addition of a certain Hurricanes Hall of Famer, the team's only deadline move sent longtime captain Ron Francis to the Toronto Maple Leafs for a 4th-round pick in 2005. Francis made an impact for the Leafs, scoring 10 points in 12 games leading up to the playoffs. However, he contributed just four assists in 12 postseason games as the Leafs were eliminated, thus ending Francis' Hall of Fame career.
The pick the team received went on a journey. While Sportsnet did a great job of outlining the movement of every piece involved in the trade, the 4th Round pick was sent to the Blue Jackets. The Canes received a player and a pick in return. That pick, a 2006 4th Round pick, was sent to Chicago for Anton Babchuk and a 2007 4th Round pick. The pick in 2007 was part of a larger package that the team sent to St. Louis in January of 2006 to acquire Doug Weight. As a playoff rental, Weight scored 13 points in 23 games during the regular season before scoring 16 points during the team's run to the Stanley Cup in 2006.