Marcus Kruger Traded To Carolina Hurricanes

As expected yesterday, the Carolina Hurricanes have acquired Marcus Kruger from the Vegas Golden Knights in exchange for a 2018 fifth-round pick. Kruger was acquired by the Golden Knights just a few days ago in a pre-arranged deal with Chicago. The Blackhawks had to wait to pay out a $2MM signing bonus on July 1st before moving Kruger for future considerations (which in all likelihood are nothing). It’s cap relief the Hawks were after, and they had to allow Trevor van Riemsdyk to be picked in the expansion draft to do it. 

van Riemsdyk was also traded to the Hurricanes after the draft, making this a pretty handy selection for the Golden Knights. In essence, instead of taking a player from the Blackhawks they received a second and a fifth-round pick. Carolina GM Ron Francis had this to say about his new center:

We were determined to bring in experienced players with winning pedigrees and Marcus is another addition who fits that mold. He’s a solid, two-way center who has achieved success both in the NHL and internationally.

Kruger has won two Stanley Cups with the Blackhawks, and several international medals with Sweden including Olympic Silver. The 27-year old already has 87 career playoff games under his belt, and should bring some of that experience to a young Carolina team looking to make an impact this season. The most important part, is that Kruger’s salary structure fits perfectly for the cap-floor team.

After the signing bonus was paid out, Kruger is owed just $1.45MM for the rest of the 2017-18 season despite his cap hit of $3.08MM. Next year his salary is just $2.3MM, meaning the Hurricanes will pay out a grand total of $3.75MM for two years of the checking center. Contracts like that are the lifeblood for a team that simply can’t pay up to the salary cap ceiling. Even better, Kruger is still a very useful player right in his prime. Though he’ll never be a top scoring threat, Kruger is a very effective checking center who has received Selke votes twice in his career, and is generally well regarded in a shut down role.

The Hurricanes have become a landing spot for several former Blackhawks, now with van Riemsdyk, Kruger, Teuvo Teravainen and Scott Darling set to play key roles next year. They’ve become a scavenging team, set to prey on teams that are in cap trouble. That plan looks like it will work for them, as with a new goaltender and maturing young core the Hurricanes should be a contender for a playoff spot as soon as next season. If they can acquire another offensive player for some of their defensive depth as many have expected, they’ll be even more dangerous.

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