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Canucks Showing Interest In Martin Necas

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The Canucks will be one of the teams interested in acquiring forward Martin Nečas’ signing rights if the Hurricanes shop him over the next few weeks, Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet said on The Jeff Marek Show today.

Rumors around the Canucks will be all over the place in the coming week as they attempt to re-sign a large slate of big-ticket pending RFAs and UFAs, including defenseman Filip Hronek and center Elias Lindholm. While they’ll try and get extensions done for whoever they can, it’s clear the team is thoroughly examining contingency plans in case they can’t come to agreements that would allow them to stay under the salary cap.

It isn’t the first time Vancouver’s been linked to Nečas. In a brief but bizarre saga before star center Elias Pettersson signed his eight-year, $92.8MM extension in March, Friedman reported the Canucks were in “advanced” talks with Carolina about a deal for the then-pending RFA. Today, Friedman confirmed on “32 Thoughts: The Podcast” that Nečas would have been part of the return to Vancouver had the trade gone through.

While the 25-year-old Nečas has played mostly on the wing with the Canes, his best season was also the only one where he logged any significant time at center. His performance in the faceoff dot will always be a concern – he’s won just 41.5% of draws in his career – but he led the club in scoring in 2022-23 with 71 points (28 goals, 43 assists) in 82 games while also lining up at center for the most games in his career.

Thus, he could be a logical replacement for Lindholm should the former Cane head to market (and, ironically, potentially replace Nečas back in Carolina). As things stand, the Nucks have $23.75MM in projected cap space next season with eight roster spots to fill. Nečas and Lindholm could both land deals in the $7MM range, although the latter is headed in the wrong direction as his production has consistently dwindled since his career year with the Flames in 2021-22. Lindholm likely repaired his value somewhat with his playoff performance, though, posting 10 points in 13 games for Vancouver while logging over 19 minutes per game.

Nečas also took a step back this season, seeing his production drop to 24 goals and 53 points in 77 games, but there’s arguably more upside/rebound potential with a player who’s four years younger. Vancouver would also be at less risk of seeing the deal become an albatross as it ages by handing out a long-term deal to the younger player.

Hurricanes Name Eric Tulsky Interim GM, Don Waddell Resigns

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Hurricanes general manager Don Waddell has resigned from his post, the team announced Friday. Eric Tulsky has been named the team’s interim GM.

Waddell informed Carolina owner/governor Tom Dundon of his decision this morning, telling him that he’d “come to the decision that now is the time for me to move to the next chapter of my career.” He was on an expiring contract and was being allowed to speak with other teams, Pierre LeBrun of TSN and The Athletic reported Thursday night.

The 65-year-old has already interviewed with the Blue Jackets about the league’s lone GM vacancy, Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet added.

After serving as the GM of the Atlanta Thrashers for all but their last season before moving to Winnipeg in 2011, Waddell was named the Hurricanes’ president in 2014, with an intermediary stint with the Penguins as a pro scout in between. He assumed GM duties on top of his president role before the 2018-19 season, overseeing the longest stretch of sustained success in franchise history.

While team pillars like Sebastian Aho and Jaccob Slavin were drafted before his tenure, Waddell was the GM who promoted Rod Brind’Amour to a head coaching role. He also drafted top-line winger Andrei Svechnikov with the second overall pick in 2018, drafted Seth Jarvis 13th overall in 2020, and moved to acquire top-pairing blue liner Brent Burns from the Sharks in the summer of 2022.

The Hurricanes haven’t won a game past the second round in the Waddell/Brind’Amour era, but they have made the playoffs for six straight seasons for the first time since relocating from Hartford in 1997. A run of three straight division titles for the Canes, a franchise record, ended thanks to the Rangers’ Presidents’ Trophy-winning campaign this season. He was named a finalist for the Jim Gregory General Manager of the Year Award in his first season at the helm.

The change at the top comes as the Hurricanes need to re-sign nearly half their roster to new contracts next season. Jarvis and Martin Nečas are their high-priority restricted free agents, although the latter is expected to be on the move this summer as they’re far apart in negotiations. Trade deadline acquisition Jake Guentzel, a trio of important depth forwards in Jordan Martinook, Stefan Noesen and Teuvo Teräväinen, as well as defensemen Jalen Chatfield, Tony DeAngelo, Brett Pesce and Brady Skjei, are all unrestricted free agents.

While the team says it’s begun a “full search” for a permanent GM, it would surprise few to see Tulsky have his interim tag removed. He landed his first NHL job as a data analyst with the Canes back in 2014 and was eventually promoted to director of analytics in 2017 before being named an assistant GM to Waddell in 2020. He’s viewed as the organization’s second decision-maker behind Waddell and was previously connected to recent GM vacancies for the Blackhawks and Penguins, as Friedman highlighted on Friday’s “32 Thoughts” podcast.

Assistant GM Darren Yorke will support Tulsky with managerial duties during his interim stint, the team confirmed.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports.

Bruins, Hurricanes Discussed Linus Ullmark Trade Before Deadline

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The Bruins were shopping 2023 Vezina Trophy winner Linus Ullmark at the trade deadline, as evidenced by reports he blocked a deal to the Kings with his 16-team no-trade clause. The Hurricanes were another one of the teams in talks to pick up the netminder, Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet said on Friday’s “32 Thoughts” podcast.

It’s fair to wonder if Boston and Carolina may re-engage on the framework of talks this summer with Ullmark still on the trade block. He has one season left on his contract with an affordable $5MM cap hit, and his no-trade list drops from 16 to 15 teams on July 1.

The Hurricanes got elite goaltending from Frederik Andersen in the regular season with a .932 SV%, but he was limited to 16 games due to blood clotting issues. He proceeded to struggle in postseason play, putting up an. 895 SV% as the Canes were eliminated by the Rangers in the second round thanks to a third-period collapse in Game 6.

Carolina has 24-year-old Pyotr Kochetkov waiting in the wings, too, after posting a .911 SV% in a career-high 40 starts, but advanced numbers suggest he wasn’t particularly far above average considering the shot quality he faced behind one of the best defenses in the league. He was good for 0.7 goals saved above expected on the year, per MoneyPuck – not a liability, but inferior to Ullmark’s consistently above-average showings since joining the Bruins in 2021-22.

In terms of a trade return, there’s a clear fit heading back from Boston to Carolina in pending restricted free agent forward Martin Nečas. Friedman didn’t disclose if he was part of trade discussions a few months back, but he certainly would be now if the teams resumed talks. He reported last week that Nečas’ ask on a contract extension is likely too far above what the Canes are willing to pay, and they’ll likely shop his signing rights this summer as a result.

While the Bruins’ offense performed better than expected after losing Patrice Bergeron and David Krejčí to retirement, they were limited to 2.38 goals per game in 13 playoff showings. There’s a clear opportunity to upgrade their top six with some increased spending money this summer, boasting $20.9MM in cap space to fill six roster spots, per CapFriendly. A large portion of that will go to a new deal for RFA netminder Jeremy Swayman, but trading Ullmark would open up an additional $5MM to use to help shoulder a Nečas extension. Evolving Hockey projects a seven-year, $7.5MM AAV deal for Nečas this summer outside of Carolina.

Hurricanes Allowing Don Waddell To Speak With Other Teams

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Until recently, the pending expiring contract for head coach Rod Brind’Amour was generating off-ice headlines in Carolina.  That file was taken care of recently with a long-term extension for Brind’Amour and the rest of the coaching staff.  Those deals were obviously also signed by team President and GM Don Waddell.

Now, it appears Waddell’s contract is set to draw some attention.  Pierre LeBrun of TSN and The Athletic reports (Twitter link) that Waddell’s deal is set to expire at the end of the league year and that the Hurricanes have granted him permission to speak to other teams.  LeBrun adds that Carolina has had internal conversations about a new GM in anticipation of his eventual departure.

Waddell has been with the organization for a decade now.  He was originally named President of Gale Force Sports & Entertainment, the parent company of the team, back in 2014.  Waddell then added the GM title to his duties back in May 2018 and has held both roles ever since.

His time with Carolina isn’t the only time the 65-year-old has worked in a front office as he also held both titles at times in Atlanta before leaving the team in 2011.  That type of experience along with Carolina’s recent success will be intriguing to some teams looking to add to their front office either as a GM, president, or both.

At the moment, the only GM vacancy is in Columbus, a team that is known to be looking for experience and will likely be looking to shake up their front office; bringing in someone with Waddell’s pedigree could certainly help that program.  To that end, Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reports (Twitter link) that Waddell interviewed with the Blue Jackets today.

It’s a bit surprising to see Carolina being willing to let the managerial architect of their recent success depart or at least talk to other teams about potential opportunities.  However, they do have some internal candidates who could be ready to be elevated to the top role.

Assistant GM Eric Tulsky has had interviews elsewhere over the years and could be deemed ready to take on the full-time GM role.  Darren Yorke, another Assistant GM, has been with the organization for the last 14 years, working his way up from video scout to his current title which he has held for the last four years.  Meanwhile, long-time Hurricane Justin Williams has been a Special Assistant to Waddell for the past four years and could be a dark horse candidate if the job does indeed become available in the coming weeks.

In the meantime, just when it looked like we were done with an off-ice contractual situation in Carolina garnering plenty of attention around the rest of the NHL, that clearly is no longer the case as now it’s Waddell’s time for the spotlight.

Hypothetical Landing Spots For Martin Necas

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With the excitement of the 2024 Stanley Cup playoffs and some notable events that have already taken place, one important news item buried over the last week is that the Carolina Hurricanes do not intend on signing forward Martin Necas to an extension this summer, and could look to move him in the offseason. Necas will become a restricted free agent on July 1st after his two-year, $6MM bridge deal expires.

Over the last four years, Necas has shown flashes of being a consistent scorer at the NHL level and other flashes of being a complimentary piece at best. Because of this, the General Manager Don Waddell and the Hurricanes organization do not seem adamant about meeting Necas’ demands, who likely has his eyes on a long-term deal. Since Necas is still only 25 years old, an eight-year contract extension would put him between 33 and 34 upon expiration, meaning this may be his only chance at signing a max contract.

Playing up and down Carolina’s lineup, Necas certainly looks more comfortable on the wing but has been known to line up down the middle on occasion. In 362 games spent with the Hurricanes, Necas has scored 97 goals and 243 points while also putting up 11 goals and 30 points over 59 postseason games, as well.

Not only has Necas shown an ability to put together strong seasons, but playing in Carolina’s system has allowed his possession numbers to flourish, posting a 63.6 and a 61.8 CorsiFor% in the last two years alone. In the right situation, Necas could prove to be a wise investment in the near and long term.

Since Necas lies somewhere between a top-line winger and a complimentary piece, and assuming the Hurricanes allow him to discuss an extension with the acquiring team, Necas would be wise to look for an already established team. The two that come to mind, in terms of need and style of play, would be the Colorado Avalanche and the Florida Panthers.

Even before the loss of winger Valeri Nichushkin for at least the next six months, the Avalanche have had a problem at the winger position since the loss of Gabriel Landeskog after the 2022 Stanley Cup run. With Landeskog once again expected to start the season on LTIR, and Nichushkin’s contract in the NHLPA Player Assistance Program, Colorado should have more than enough financial flexibility to sign Necas. With Zach Parise confirmed to have played his last game at the NHL level last week, and Jonathan Drouin potentially pricing himself out of Denver with a solid year, Necas could be a solid fit to move fluidly in the top two lines of the Avalanche forward core.

Moving back to the Eastern Conference; if any team was going to challenge the Hurricanes as the best defensive team in hockey, it would be the Panthers. Finishing behind Carolina in both CorsiFor% and penalty kill percentage, the Panthers were only one of two teams to suffer less than 200 goals during the 2023-24 regular season.

Unfortunately, Florida has a tough offseason coming up, with Sam Reinhart and Brandon Montour set to hit unrestricted free agency with too few dollars to go around. Acquiring Necas, will not completely replace the production left by Reinhart, but it would certainly soften the blow. Picking up Necas from the Hurricanes would also allow the Panthers to prioritize signing Montour to have a mostly intact defensive unit heading into the 2024-25 NHL season.

As far as the price for Necas, outside of a possible extension, should not be as steep as many would think. Since it has already broken out into the open that Carolina has no intention of giving Necas what he is asking for, the acquiring team would only be responsible for acquiring his signing rights out of the gate.

In this case, the Avalanche may be in a better position to acquire Necas from Carolina, as the Hurricanes may entertain an offer for the 24th overall pick of this year’s upcoming draft. Florida, on the other hand, does not have ownership over their first-round pick this year, having already sent it to the Philadelphia Flyers in the Claude Giroux trade.

Hurricanes Notes: Offseason Priorities, Nikishin, DeAngelo

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Hurricanes general manager Don Waddell was quite transparent while giving his end-of-season media availability today ahead of what will be a hectic offseason in Carolina. He’s already got one big-ticket item checked off after the team got head coach Rod Brind’Amour and his staff locked into long-term extensions over the weekend, allowing him to focus on retooling a roster with multiple high-profile pending free agents.

One area he’d like to add from outside the organization is a right-shot center (via the Raleigh News & Observer’s Chip Alexander). All five of their routine faceoff-takers this season were left-handed, although their performance on draws wasn’t an area of concern (52.6 FOW%). It does give some insight into potential UFA targets the Hurricanes will speak to, with Elias Lindholm, Jack Roslovic and Tyler Johnson among the top right-shot centers available.

In terms of retaining his UFAs on expiring deals, Waddell said that keeping his group of defensemen intact is one of his top priorities. “We haven’t sat down to prioritize player by player, but we know we’d like to try to keep as much of our defense together. We think we have one of the best d-corps in the league,” he said (via the team’s Walt Ruff). Among their top six players at the position, Jalen Chatfield, Brett Pesce and Brady Skjei are without contracts next season. Chatfield may be a solid bet to re-sign, but Skjei is arguably the highest-value defenseman on the market and reports last week indicated Pesce has likely priced himself out of Carolina.

When asked about his situation between the pipes, Waddell also wouldn’t rule out trading one of his three netminders under one-way contracts next season (Frederik Andersen, Pyotr Kochetkov, Spencer Martin). He stopped short of saying they were actively seeking to make a move to upgrade after Andersen cooled off with a .895 SV% in 10 postseason games but did say they would explore a move if an opportunity to improve at the position arose. Moving the 24-year-old Kochetkov is likely out of the question – he made a career-high 42 appearances for the Canes in the regular season with a strong .911 SV% and is signed for three more seasons at a $2MM cap hit.

Elsewhere out of Carolina:

  • Waddell also said the team remains interested in bringing over defenseman Alexander Nikishin from Russia for next season and would like to get him signed before the NHL Draft next month (via the North State Journal’s Cory Lavalette). Nikishin, still just 22, is already an Olympic medalist and has led Kontinental Hockey League defensemen in scoring in each of the past two seasons. He’s still under contract with SKA St. Petersburg through next season, though, and would need to buy himself out of the deal to join Carolina. He was named the team’s captain in 2023-24, responding with 17 goals and 56 points in 67 games with a +32 rating. The 6’4″ left-shot defender could comfortably step into a top-four role next season to ease the potential loss of Pesce and/or Skjei.
  • Depth blue-liner Tony DeAngelo, also a UFA in July, needs hand surgery this summer, Waddell revealed (via Lavalette). After he was bought out by the Flyers last summer, the Hurricanes brought him back for his second stint with the club but used him sparingly during the regular season, playing him for a career-low 14:20 per game in 31 appearances. He stepped into the lineup during their postseason run after Pesce sustained an injury early in the first round against the Islanders, posting two assists and a -1 rating in nine games while averaging 17:03 per game. There’s no timeline for his recovery, but he’s low on Waddell’s list of pending UFAs to re-sign regardless.

Fast Still Undergoing Tests Regarding Neck Injury

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  • Hurricanes winger Jesper Fast missed the entire postseason due to a neck injury and it appears the extent of it is still unknown. Speaking at his exit interview with reporters including team reporter Walt Ruff (Twitter link), the 32-year-old was still in a neck brace and indicated that he’s still undergoing tests to determine exactly what happened.  Fast had 19 points in 73 games during the regular season and will be entering the final year of his contract next season, one that carries a $2.4MM cap hit.

East Notes: Jarvis, Byram, Shattenkirk

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Carolina Hurricanes forward Seth Jarvis revealed he’s played through injuries for much of the season, sharing with reporters that he tore the labrum and rotator cuff in his right shoulder just 15 games into the year, per Chip Alexander of The News and Observer (Twitter link). Jarvis said he experienced pain and discomfort from the injuries all season long, though wearing a shoulder brace helped reduce how often his shoulder slipped out of place. He also shared that he broke his finger during Carolina’s Round One series against the New York Islanders, though Jarvis described that injury as more of an annoyance than anything.

To hear the extent of what the 22-year-old Jarvis suffered through this season is incredible. He had a career year despite operating with fewer than two healthy shoulders, recording a dazzling 33 goals and 67 points in 81 appearances. He ranked second on the team in both goals and points, behind Sebastian Aho’s 34-goal, 89-point campaign. Jarvis held onto that impressive scoring in the postseason, netting four goals and nine points in 11 games – tied for third on the team. He’s now set for free agency, having played the final year of his entry-level contract, and should be one of Carolina’s top priorities. The young winger’s performance this year was enough to earn him a substantial raise, but the promise of what he could do with a fully healthy season could earn him even more. Carolina is projected to have $27.35MM in cap space this summer, with Jarvis, Brady Skjei, Jake Guentzel, Teuvo Teravainen, and 10 other players facing free agency.

Other notes from around the league:

  • Buffalo Sabres, and Team Canada, defenseman Bowen Byram was suspended for one game of the World Championship after slashing Team Finland’s Jesse Puljujarvi in the nether region following a scrap in the slot (Twitter link). The incident marked a string of gritty plays between Canada and Finland in what would end up a 5-3 Canada victory. Byram has been an important piece of Canada’s blue line, recording four points in five games while serving on the team’s second pair. He’ll now miss Canada’s Sunday matchup against Team Switzerland, making way for Olen Zellweger to take on a bigger role. Zellweger currently has four assists in five games.
  • Boston Bruins defenseman Kevin Shattenkirk expressed his desires to play again next season to reporters on Sunday, shares Fluto Shinzawa of The Athletic (Twitter link). Shattenkirk, 35, concluded his one-year deal with the Bruins with 24 points in 61 games – adding one assist in six postseason games. While certainly not flashy scoring, the veteran defender showed his ability to make a difference on the third pair, and brought invaluable experience to the lineup. He’s now played for four different teams over the last six seasons and could be set to increase that number this summer, with no shortage of teams looking for cheap and reliable defensive depth.

Hurricanes Reach Extension With Rod Brind’Amour

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After weeks of speculation, the Hurricanes have indeed finalized their coaching situation for next season.  The team announced that they have agreed to multi-year extensions with head coach Rod Brind’Amour along with assistants Jeff Daniels and Tim Gleason, Chris Huffine, and Paul Schonfelder.  GM Don Waddell released the following statement:

Rod has been instrumental to the success we’ve had over the last six seasons. Ever since he joined the organization 24 years ago, Rod has embodied what it means to be a Hurricane. We hope to keep him a Hurricane for life.

While this deal doesn’t make Brind’Amour a Hurricane for life, it will keep him around for the foreseeable future as Pierre LeBrun of TSN and The Athletic reports (Twitter link) that this deal will run for the next five years.

A few weeks ago, a report from TSN’s Darren Dreger indicated that the Hurricanes had pulled an extension offer for Brind’Amour off the table, but that extension talks were advancing after the initial report. After Carolina was ousted from the playoffs at the hands of the New York Rangers, speculation began to emerge that Brind’Amour and the Hurricanes organization may be headed their separate ways.

The speculation advanced so much in the last few days, that Lance Hornby of the Toronto Sun reported that the Toronto Maple Leafs would be postponing their search for head coach to see if Brind’Amour would ultimately become available. However, their getting a deal done sheds some light on the Maple Leafs’ pivot towards Craig Berube as their next head coach.

A legendary part of the Hurricanes organizational history, Brind’Amour began his coaching career as Carolina’s Director of Player Development during the 2010-11 NHL season, one year after he retired as a player. Beginning in the 2011-12 season, Brind’Amour was named an assistant coach, a position he would hold until the 2018-19 season.

Taking over as the head coach at the beginning of the 2018-19 season, Brind’Amour helped turn around a Hurricanes team that experienced several years of mediocrity. In his first year behind the bench, he would coach Carolina to the 2019 Eastern Conference Finals before eventually being swept by the Boston Bruins.

The Hurricanes would reach the Eastern Conference Finals once more under Brind’Amour’s reign, this time being eliminated by the Florida Panthers in another sweep. Throughout his six-year tenure as head coach for Carolina, Brind’Amour has amassed an impressive 278-130-44 in the regular season, along with three Metropolitan Division crowns.

If there is one, the major drawback of Brind’Amour’s track record in Carolina is the lack of Stanley Cup Finals appearances. The Hurricanes have become one of the deeper teams on paper, but have been unable to conquer the Eastern Conference up to this point.

In 74 postseason games as a head coach, Brind’Amour and the Hurricanes have only recorded 38 wins, a 10% dropoff from their regular season success. With their last Stanley Cup Final appearance coming nearly 20 years ago, the time is now for Brind’Amour to coach this team to the promised land.

ESPN’s Kevin Weekes was first to report that Brind’Amour and his assistants received contract extensions. 

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Hurricanes Notes: Skjei, Pesce, Guentzel

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Carolina Hurricanes defenseman Brady Skjei has shared that getting a “fair offer” will be his top priority as he enters free agency, per Walt Ruff of NHL.com (Twitter link). Skjei is coming off a career year, posting a career-high 47 points in 80 games and averaging the second-most ice time on Carolina’s defense. The Hurricanes have expressed interest in hanging onto Skjei, but his strong performance – following an 18-goal season last year – has positioned him as one of the top names set to hit the open market.

Skjei, 30, is likely set to join the team he’ll finish his career with on his next deal. It’d be no surprise if that remained Carolina, who Skjei joined via trade from the New York Rangers in the 2019-20 season – with Carolina sending the 2019 first-round pick used on Hendrix Lapierre the other way. After five up-and-down seasons in New York, Skjei found a home in Carolina – becoming a much more consistent and reliable defender in all three zones. He’s appeared in 302 games and recorded 135 points – both ranked second among Hurricanes defensemen since 2019, behind Jaccob Slavin. Skjei, Slavin, and Brett Pesce have become pillars of the Hurricanes’ defense in the years since, though Carolina is already planning to part ways with the latter. That should give them more cap space to negotiate with Skjei, though they’re sure to have no shortage of competition in pitching a “fair offer”.

Other notes from Carolina:

  • Speaking of Pesce, he shared with Chip Alexander of The News and Observer that he was close to returning from injury before the season ended, sharing he was hoping to return in the Conference Finals. Pesce was bearing through a fracture in his fibula, near his ankle, suffered in Game 2 against the New York Islanders. He missed the final nine games of Carolina’s season – a quiet end to what was a quiet season, with Pesce posting a career-low 13 points through 70 games. He finished his closeout interview by adding that he’s hoping both he and defense-partner Skjei will find a way to re-sign in Carolina, saying “We don’t want our story to end, for sure. We both want to be back, it’s pretty obvious.”
  • New Carolina Hurricanes star Jake Guentzel didn’t rule out a return to Carolina during locker room clean-out, though he made sure to emphasize that it’s a business at the end of the day, shared Ruff (Twitter link). Guentzel was dazzling in Carolina, recording 25 points in 17 regular-season games and nine points in 11 postseason games. He was, in his usual fashion, one of the team’s most consistent performers in the playoffs, serving a strong role on Carolina’s top line after spending the regular season throughout the top six. Guentzel, 29, would challenge Steven Stamkos as the most coveted player on the open market this year, should he enter free agency. That excitement could have him interested in playing the field, though he made sure to speak highly of the Hurricanes in his final interview, sharing “This team for sure can win a Stanley Cup. I think it’s right there… I want to win more than anything and that’s all I care about.”

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