Carolina Hurricanes Could Have a Change In the Wind
Brady Skjei and Jack Drury James Guillory-USA TODAY Sports
The Carolina Hurricanes have a reputation as a strong regular-season club that keeps coming up short in the playoffs.
Their elimination from the second round last Thursday by the New York Rangers has observers anticipating some big off-season changes.
Luke DeCock of The News & Observer believes the Hurricanes will remain contenders next season, but their roster could have a different look.
The Athletic's Mark Lazerus also anticipated a “roster reckoning” in their future. He pointed out that GM Don Waddell will have the salary cap space, trade bait and roster flexibility to pull it off.
Those changes won't extend to the coaching staff. On Saturday, the Hurricanes signed head coach Rod Brind'Amour and his staff to multi-year contract extensions, with Brind'Amour getting a five-year deal.
The Hurricanes have eight players eligible to become UFAs on July 1. They include forwards Jake Guentzel and Teuvo Teravainen and defensemen Brady Skjei and Brett Pesce.
The Hockey News' Ryan Henkel reports Guentzel loved his experience with the Hurricanes since being acquired from the Pittsburgh Penguins before the trade deadline. He's open to re-signing with them.
Lazerus believes the Hurricanes have the cap room to retain Guentzel. He's completing a five-year deal with an average annual value of $6 million. PuckPedia indicates they have over $28 million available next season with 16 active roster players under contract.
Teravainen prefers staying in Carolina. He's had brief discussions with management with both sides agreeing to wait until after this season.
Skjei and Pesce said they're also hopeful of staying. During Friday's 32 Thoughts: The Podcast, Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman doubts that Pesce would be back, saying contract talks fell through between the two sides last summer.
Hurricanes forwards Martin Necas, Seth Jarvis and Jack Drury will become RFAs on July 1.
Friedman believes the Hurricanes could peddle Necas this summer as they prioritize re-signing Guentzel. He also noted that Jarvis has surpassed Necas on their depth chart, making him more of a contract priority.
Necas could draw plenty of interest in this summer's trade market. The Hockey News' Michael DeRosa suggested the Buffalo Sabres keep an eye on the 25-year-old winger, while Rob Couch believes the Nashville Predators should jump at the opportunity. New Jersey Hockey Now's James Nichols thinks Necas could be a good fit with the Devils if the price is right.
The Hurricanes' asking price and the cost of Necas' new contract could be expensive. He's completing a two-year contract with an average annual value of $3 million with arbitration rights and could seek to more than double his money.