For all intents and purposes, this is the best trade in Carolina Hurricanes history. It not only helped the Hurricanes on the ice for a decade, leading to three long postseason runs, but it has shaped the face of hockey in Raleigh for the last 25 years and counting. Without Rod Brind'Amour, the Hurricanes might've spiraled into obscurity. I'll apologize ahead of time because this is a long one.
Entering the 1999-00 season, the Hurricanes had yet to reach an agreement on a new contract with captain Keith Primeau. Since joining the Whalers in 1996, Primeau had recorded three straight 26+-goal seasons, including 30 goals in 1998-99 after being named the team's captain. He also enjoyed the first All-Star nod of his career.
With this success came the expectation to be paid among one of the league's best. What ensued was a five-month battle between Primeau's team and the Hurricanes' front office, dragging well into the season. On the ice, the Canes were struggling to stay above .500, though they remained in the fight for a playoff spot in the Eastern Conference.
After 48 games, the Hurricanes finally found a resolution, with the Philadelphia Flyers serving as their trade partner. The Canes sent Primeau and a 2000 5th-round pick to the City of Brotherly Love for goalie Jean-Marc Pelletier, a 2000 2nd-round pick, and veteran center Rod Brind'Amour. Along with the trade, Primeau agreed to a five-year, $22.75 million contract.
Primeau played the remainder of his NHL career with the Flyers, serving as the Flyers' captain from 2001 until his retirement in 2006. During his first full season in 2000-01, Primeau scored a career-high 34 goals and tied his personal best with 73 points. He earned his second All-Star nod in 2004. His son, Cayden, is now in the Hurricanes' organization after being acquired this offseason.
There's a world where Brind'Amour never becomes a Hurricane
While history became what it would, there were trades in place before the Canes and the Flyers came to an agreement. Both involved Coyotes forward Keith Tkachuk. The first would've sent Primeau, with a four-year, $16.9 million contract, defenseman Dave Karpa, and two picks to the desert for the power forward. However, Hurricanes owner Peter Karmanos vetoed the deal, putting it succinctly:
"Keith Tkachuk has a stupid contract"Peter Karmanos, on Tkachuk's contract
Tkachuk's salary was scheduled to jump $4 million in 2000-01, making him $8.3 million richer. To Karmanos, the Coyotes were trying to get out of a contract they couldn't fulfill. Despite there being a deal in place between Jim Rutherford and Phoenix GM Bobby Smith, Karmanos owned ultimate veto power.
With this deal off the board, a more intricate trade was seemingly close a month later. Once again, Tkachuk and Phoenix were involved, as were the New York Rangers. Primeau would've been traded to the Rangers for a package involving Petr Nedved. Then, New York would've flipped Primeau to Phoenix for Tkachuk. Once again, Karmanos was the naysayer, stopping it from happening.
Once the three-team deal was taken off the table, the Hurricanes returned to the Flyers to find Primeau a new home. The Canes reached out a month before with a proposal, but Philadelphia rejected it. Eventually, the Brind'Amour deal got over the finish line, ending the long dispute. However, we could be living in a different world if Karmanos hadn't stepped in.
While Tkachuk might've been a big name, Rod Brind'Amour was regarded by Rutherford as one of the best all-around centers in the league. He was never a 100-point scorer, but he topped 30 goals four times with the Flyers after being drafted by the Blues in 1988 with the 9th pick. An injury derailed the start of the season for Brind'Amour, holding him to eight points in 12 games once he was healthy.
The transition to Raleigh wasn't the smoothest for Brind'Amour. During the remainder of the regular season, he only scored four goals and 14 points in 33 games, totaling 22 points in an injury-saddled 45-game season. The Hurricanes fell short of the postseason.
Sandis Ozolinsh plays a big part in the narrative as well
While Brind'Amour was the most important part of the Hurricanes' return, the 2nd-round pick they received can't be ignored. It didn't lead to the Canes drafting a big-time player. Instead, they used it in a package to trade for one. Along with Nolan Pratt, the 14th pick, and an additional 2nd-rounder, the Canes sent this pick to Colorado to move up in the 2nd round and add defenseman Sandis Ozolinsh.
Ozolinsh was an established offensive defenseman in the NHL. He was a Stanley Cup champion with the Avalanche in 1996, a four-time All-Star, and a finalist for the Norris Trophy in 1997. With the Canes, Ozolinsh immediately kept it rolling. In 2000-01, he was named an All-Star once again, posting 44 points in 72 games. He added two assists in the Canes' six-game loss to the Devils in the playoffs.
Brind'Amour also started to look like a better fit. During his first full season, he finished fourth on the team in scoring with 56 points while topping 20 goals again. Brind'Amour was second to Sami Kapanen with four points in the playoffs. While it was well behind Primeau's scoring pace with the Flyers, it was a step in the right direction.
Along with Ozolinsh's acquisition at the 2000 Draft, the Hurricanes signed the defender to a five-year deal. However, they quickly changed course in 2001-02. He played well during his brief tenure, but the Canes opted for another trade. Ozolinsh and forward Byron Ritchie were shipped to Sunrise for the trio of forward Kevyn Adams and defensemen Bret Hedican and Tomas Malec.
This is where out story really starts to take shape. While neither Hedican nor Adams were game-changing, point producers, they fit their roles well. Brind'Amour enjoyed another 50-point season as the Hurricanes won the Southeast Division and clinched a playoff berth for the season straight campaign.
The start to the postseason was slow for Brind'Amour, but the BBC line, with Bates Battaglia and Erik Cole, demolished the Montreal Canadiens over the final three games, including a three-assist performance in Game 6 by Brind'Amour. He finished the 2002 run with 12 points, fourth on the team, as the Canes advanced to the 2002 Cup Final, a five-game loss to the Detroit Red Wings.
A hand injury derailed the 2002-03 season for Brind'Amour, holding him to 37 points in 48 games as the Hurricanes fell apart after their magical run. He returned for the 2003-04 season, but his numbers for the full season were on par with his injury-shortened effort. The league crashed into the 2004 lockout, but not before the Canes sent Malec and a 2004 pick to the Ducks for Martin Gerber.
Brind'Amour put the Hurricanes on his back in 2006
The league missed an entire season, and with a power vacuum in the Canes' locker room after Ron Francis' trade and retirement in 2004, the team needed a new captain. Brind'Amour stepped into that role and enjoyed a career renaissance at 35 years old. He was one of four players to top 70 points as the organization experienced its best season ever.
Where Brind'Amour's legacy truly reached a new level was during the 2006 postseason. There is no shortage of moments in almost every round. Early during the run, he scored a trajectory-altering goal, tying Game 3 in Montreal in the third period to prevent the Canes from falling into a 3-0 series hole. Brind'Amour scored a team-high four goals against the Canadiens.
He had another good series against the Devils before a slow round against the Sabres in the Eastern Conference Finals. However, Brind'Amour's series-winning goal in Game 7 is arguably one of the most iconic moments in franchise history. He added to his legend with a two-goal performance in Game 1 of the 2006 Final, including the game-winner. His Stanley Cup lift is one of the most memorable ever.
Brind'Amour received Hart votes for the first time in his career for his efforts after the lockout. He also earned his first individual hardware, taking home the Selke Trophy. How did he follow this up? By playing even better in 2006-07. Brind'Amour topped 80 points for the first time in over a decade, scoring 82 points and winning back-to-back Selkes, though the Canes couldn't defend their crown.
His numbers began to tail off after that. He scored 51 points in each of his next two seasons. Brind'Amour was stripped of the captaincy in the middle of the 2009-10 season, a controversial decision that painted the organization in a rough light. He retired at the end of the season after 20 years in the NHL, posting 1,184 points in 1,484 games.
In 2025, Brind'Amour remains the face of Hurricanes hockey
The transition to coaching felt like a natural fit for Rod Brind'Amour. After years of aiding in development and serving as an assistant coach, the Hurricanes announced Brind'Amour as their next head coach ahead of the 2018-19 season. From there, as they say, the rest is history.
Since taking over behind the bench, the Hurricanes haven't missed the playoffs. He has guided the team to three conference finals appearances, won the division three times, coached an All-Star team, and was the 2021 Jack Adams recipient, the first coach in franchise history to earn the distinction.
Over 25 years later, Brind'Amour is still one of the most recognizable faces in the game. It's often joked that he's in better shape than many of the players in the league, and he expects his teams to prepare similarly. He's entering his eighth season behind the bench with one major goal left to achieve.
This trade goes beyond simply acquiring Rod Brind'Amour. With their initial return and subsequent trades branching from it, the Hurricanes added four impactful players for their 2006 Cup run, three of whom were present for the 2002 run, too. Brind'Amour's playing career alone makes the trade a win, but turning it into several future champions for your team and a successful coach makes it the best.