With the postseason and draft now finished, the activity is really about to pick up with free agency now just days away. What storylines lie ahead around the league in what is shaping up to be a busy NHL offseason? Next up in our Offseason Keys series is a look at the Carolina Hurricanes.
Expectations couldn’t have been much lower in Carolina heading into 2018-19. They had missed the playoffs for the ninth straight season and dealt away Jeff Skinner for an underwhelming return over the summer. However, new head coach Rod Brind’Amour implemented a more aggressive style and the Hurricanes responded right away while the new goaltending duo of Petr Mrazek and Curtis McElhinney helped take advantage of their strong back end to give them a strong performance between the pipes. The end result was a surprising run to the Eastern Conference Final. Now, GM Don Waddell must figure out how to add to his roster to try to get them to take that next step.
Reassemble Their Goaltending
Mrazek and McElhinney provided Carolina with strong goaltending in 2018-19 for the combined cost of what a typical backup makes on the open market ($2.35MM). There’s no chance of that happening a second time; both goalies will be seeking more than that combined amount in free agency. By all accounts, at least one of them will be on the move.
The recent Calvin de Haan trade yielded them an option for the backup position in Anton Forsberg but he’s not going to be contending for the starting role anytime soon. Scott Darling is a strong buyout candidate and isn’t expected to be in the mix either.
Over the next few days in all likelihood, Waddell will need to bring another starting goalie in. There isn’t too much available on the trade market so it’s expected that a free agent signing will be on the horizon. Expect what’s left of what they saved in the de Haan deal to help go towards filling this spot.
New Deal For Aho
The top priority for the Hurricanes is getting a contract done with pending restricted free agent Sebastian Aho. He’s coming off of a career year that saw him eclipse the point-per-game mark for the first time while leading the team in scoring in both the regular season and the playoffs. On top of that, he did so while also transitioning to being a full-time center, something that only boosts his negotiating leverage.
Unfortunately, there appears to be a sizable gap that needs to be bridged. Sportsnet’s John Shannon reported in an appearance on 630 CHED (audio link) earlier this week that Carolina’s initial offer was for a max-term eight-year contract with a $6MM AAV. Meanwhile, TSN’s Frank Seravalli adds that Aho’s first request was a five-year deal with a cap hit of $9.5MM. As is always the case, opening salvos are always skewed to the extreme but that’s still a large difference.
The term of the deal is going to be interesting. While it would have been realistically assumed a few months ago that a long-term contract (seven or eight years) would be likely for Aho and many of the others in this bumper crop of restricted free agents, there seems to be a recent shift towards taking a few less years and getting to unrestricted free agency earlier and in the prime of their careers. If the money winds up being too much for Carolina’s liking, they’ll likely wind up reducing the term of the deal. In the meantime, Aho is free to discuss contracts with other teams as the RFA interview window has now opened up.
Re-Sign Or Replace Secondary Scoring
While Aho and Teuvo Teravainen rightfully drew most of the attention, their next top two scorers are both slated to hit free agency next week. One of those isn’t believed to be too much of a flight risk as captain Justin Williams is believed to be in a situation where he’ll either re-sign or retire. The other, Micheal Ferland, is far from a guarantee to return and he has garnered considerable interest on the open market already.
Re-signing those two would go a long way towards keeping their attack intact from last season, one that finished right in the middle of the pack in goals scored. While there is hope that players like Andrei Svechnikov can produce more in his second year and that midseason acquisition Nino Niederreiter can continue his second-half pace from 2018-19, expecting that to happen without adding some insurance would be risky.
Fortunately for the Hurricanes, secondary scoring on the wing is the strong spot on the open market as there are quite a few top-six wingers available on top of Carolina’s pair. That means that if one of Ferland or Williams opts not to re-sign, they should have ample opportunity to find a replacement in free agency.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
i think the islanders should make a run for AHO they need a young team
“Offseason Keys: Carolina Hurricanes” Geez, Brian, I could’ve saved you a bunch of typing with the Dundon-approved answer: “Go so cheap (well below the floor), we’ll be able to cozy up to the Earth’s mantle for warmth this winter! Note to Gary B. & Bill D. at NHL HQ: you can’t fine us if you can’t find us!”
As Don Cherry said, “Those Jerks”
I kinda feel sorry for Don Waddell. He had a nice cushy job running Gale Force Holdings only to get dragooned by Dundon to double as GM due to Dundon being to cheap to pay anyone else to take the job. Waddell already said he wants to go back to his previous gig, but what competent person would take the GM job there for what Dundon would offer them?
Let’s see, the Canes under the cheapskate Dundon, the unhappy Waddell, and to the chagrin of Don Cherry managed to beat the then reigning Stanley Cup champion in 7 games, the Islanders in four straight reaching the final four of the Cup playoffs pushing the team all the way back to the 28th pick in the draft. By the way, how did your team do?
Ever hear of the broken clock theory? The hockey version of that is every 10 years you make the playoffs regardless of how inept you are.
Haven’t heard of that one, but it should be good news for Sabres fans.