Assessing The Hurricanes’ Underwhelming Trade Deadline

There have been many unpredictable developments in the NHL this season, especially in the Metropolitan Division, where the Penguins and Islanders are unexpectedly holding playoff spots while the Devils and Capitals appear to be out of the race. Yet, one constant this year — as it has been nearly every year this decade — is that the Hurricanes are leading the division and poised for a strong playoff run.

Despite their impressive record and deep roster, it still seems like the Hurricanes missed an opportunity at this year’s trade deadline to elevate their team into the top tier of contenders by making just one or two small moves.

The Stars are in a similar position to Carolina, but Dallas made some moves by acquiring forward Michael Bunting and defenseman Tyler Myers. This isn’t to say those players were exactly what the Hurricanes needed, but Dallas only traded a second-, third-, and fourth-round draft pick for them.

Carolina didn’t need to be as bold as the Stars, given the depth on their roster, but they could have made a few small pickups to try and win their first Eastern Conference title in nearly 20 years.

There are reasons why Carolina might have been apprehensive. Sure, they got burned last season with the Mikko Rantanen deal, a short-lived acquisition that led to his quick trade to Dallas, and the year before, they traded for forward Jake Guentzel, only to see him leave and join Tampa Bay after their playoff elimination.

But again, Carolina didn’t need to add much, and what they did felt underwhelming as they only made one move to acquire physical forward Nicolas Deslauriers in exchange for a conditional seventh-round pick.

Much has been said about the Hurricanes’ lack of success in the postseason after the second round, and for good reason. The Hurricanes have made a habit of reaching at least the second round and have regularly played in the Eastern Conference Finals.

However, they have had almost no success advancing past the third round in the last two decades, dating back to 2009 when they were swept by the eventual Stanley Cup champion Penguins. Carolina was also swept in 2019 by Boston and in 2023 by Florida. Last year, they were eliminated in the third round once again, but this time they managed to secure a single win against the Panthers.

While their regular-season success is well documented, it seems their window is beginning to close, as their prospect pool is only average at best, and depth will eventually run out. Now, folks might point to their big acquisitions last summer and say those were the major moves, suggesting they were going all in, which is fair enough.

Last summer, Carolina acquired K’Andre Miller from the New York Rangers and also signed Nikolaj Ehlers as a UFA, giving him a six-year deal worth $51MM. Both moves indicated that the Hurricanes were willing to take risks and aim for a Stanley Cup.

Those moves, however, make the silence at this year’s trade deadline all the more puzzling. Why load up last summer only to hold back and not address shortcomings right before the playoffs?

You might look at Carolina’s lineup and think they have a flawless roster fill-out, but they do have some gaps in the lineup that could have been addressed.

The biggest issue for Carolina is on their fourth line, where journeyman center Mark Jankowski is anchoring the fourth-line center spot. No disrespect to Jankowski, who has kept his NHL career alive after several AHL stints, but he is not a center for a team with visions of winning a Stanley Cup this spring.

Jankowski is a suitable injury replacement or 13th forward, but regularly dressing him in every game of the playoffs probably isn’t ideal in a best-of-seven series. The 31-year-old Jankowski has six goals and nine assists in 51 games this season, which is acceptable for a fourth liner, but he has been used mostly in offensive zone situations, suggesting some sheltered usage.

The bigger issue for Carolina is what would happen to their center depth if someone like Sebastian Aho or Logan Stankoven were to get injured. Jordan Staal could step up to play in the top six, although it wouldn’t be ideal.

But suddenly, Jankowski becomes a top-nine center on a team with Stanley Cup ambitions. It’s a lot of hypotheticals, but injuries do happen, and an injury to a center could be disastrous for the Hurricanes.

Carolina didn’t need to make a big splash with a major acquisition; Teddy Blueger from Vancouver would have been enough, or even a Lars Eller from Ottawa (if he was available) would have worked too. Another option could have been a veteran like Erik Haula out of New Jersey. But Carolina chose to stand pat and hope they have the depth to make a run.

The same could apply to their defense, where Mike Reilly is currently getting regular shifts on their third pairing. Although Reilly has been a solid professional for quite some time, it’s not ideal to have him in the everyday lineup for the playoffs at this stage of his career.

It’s a bit less of a concern with Reilly because the Hurricanes have reinforcements on the way, including returning injured players like Shayne Gostisbehere and Charles-Alexis Legault. Reilly’s underlying stats have been quite good this season, but much like Jankowski, he’s been sheltered when he’s in the lineup.

Given the high costs at the trade deadline, it is understandable why Carolina would hesitate to add to their lineup. However, since they are firmly in their contention window, it was surprising to see them do so little to address their lineup deficiencies.

They might still make a deep run; however, if they fall short of their ultimate goal once again, they could end up regretting their inaction last week.