It has been a quiet few days for the Carolina Hurricanes. As of noon on Friday, July 3, the Canes are the only team in the league that hasn't signed a free agent, but there hasn't been a massive need for them to do so. There aren't any impactful names for the team to go after on the open market, and their trade options are growing scarcer by the day.
Even without anyone new on the roster, the Hurricanes are in a very good spot. They still have five of their six regulars under contract and a litany of players to choose from the AHL with NHL experience, all of whom would be viable options for the sixth and seventh spots. There's one X-Factor to the entire situation, and we'll get to him in a second.
The way I see it, the Hurricanes have several options, but three truly stand out for the team to choose from as we slowly meander toward training camp. Frankly, all of them would be suitable for the team, keeping them as the favorites to win the Metropolitan Division. Frankly, there's no reason not to trust the front office, especially after they won the Stanley Cup.
Option #1: Re-sign Alexander Nikishin and run it back
That X-Factor that I mentioned earlier is Alexander Nikishin, the team's lone RFA this season. He isn't eligible to be given an offer sheet, so that element of excitement is off the table. His name has been out there in trade rumors for the last several days, with the Rangers, Blues, and Kings all being named as potential suitors. However, he still hasn't gone anywhere.
It's being reported that he's looking for his next contract to be in the $8 million range, and we can go back and forth about whether he's really worth that after just one season, no matter how historic it was for the franchise. Of course, that's not to say that number can't come down a little. The Canes still control what happens next, after all.
With John Carlson no longer available to play on the right side, the easiest option right now would be to re-sign Nikishin and play with the same six defensemen that won the Stanley Cup. The team has the cap space to accommodate an $8 million deal, but that doesn't mean that's where it ends up. Of the available options, this feels like the most likely to happen, for now.
Option #2: Trade Nikishin and make another trade to add a defenseman
Then again, there's always the prospect that the relationship between Nikishin and the Hurricanes is beyond repair. We have nothing to suggest that's the case, but let's pretend for a second that it is. The Canes are well within their rights to search for a trade partner, though they've insisted throughout the entire process that they don't want futures for Nikishin. They want a player for him.
There's a chance that a Nikishin trade nets the team a defenseman to replace him. Or, it could be separate trades. A Nikishin trade could be the domino that really kicks the Canes' offseason into motion. A big reason for that is the lack of free agents of Nikishin's caliber to replace him with. That's what makes the trade route the toughest to call.
Ideally, his replacement would've been Zach Werenski. However, his relationship with Columbus has been patched over the last few days. One player I presented as an option in the past was Erik Karlsson. He has one year left on his deal with the Penguins at $10.5 million. He could be paired with Jaccob Slavin and do much of what Carlson could've done. This feels like the least likely route.
Option #3: Trade Nikishin and promote from within
If the Hurricanes decide that trading Nikishin is still the right direction to go in, and they don't add another top-notch defenseman to replace him, that wouldn't be the end of the world. The Canes know a thing or two about fighting through and using their depth to their advantage. It's exactly how they fought through the beginning of the season after injuries ravaged their team.
Should this scenario take shape, my presumed leader to replace Nikishin would be Joel Nystrom. He's entering the first year of a four-year extension, which he earned this season after playing just 23 games with the Canes. Obviously, Nystrom won't provide the same level of offense as Nikishin, posting identical scoring lines in the NHL (1-9-10 in 38 games) and the AHL (1-9-10 in 37 games).
Another option would be Charles Alexis Legault, who also made his NHL debut early in the season. Again, he's not a big-time scorer, but he is about as steady as they come defensively. There's also the option that they play someone on their off-side, allowing Juuso Valimaki to debut for the Canes. This feels like the most realistic option for the team, but we'll see how things play out.
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