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Hurricanes, Oilers Have Discussed Jesse Puljujarvi Trade

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Earlier this week, the Oilers opted to drop down to a minimum-sized roster in order to get cap-compliant to activate winger Kailer Yamamoto from LTIR.  As luck would have it, the flu bug hit the team for yesterday’s game against the Rangers and the team wound up playing short a player as Klim Kostin was unable to suit up.  That’s not a viable situation for a playoff contender to have to navigate through for another couple of months before the season comes to an end so there has been an expectation that they will open up some cap space.

Jesse Puljujarvi has been widely speculated as the eventual cap casualty but, for the time being, they haven’t found a trade that works for them.  However, Sportsnet’s Mark Spector reports that there is a belief that the Hurricanes have indicated that they are willing to move winger Ondrej Kase (currently on LTIR with a concussion) to Edmonton for Puljujarvi but only after the Finnish winger has cleared waivers.  That would allow Carolina to shuffle him back and forth between the AHL if needed while seeing if a change of scenery could help get him going.

It has been quite a fall for the 24-year-old who was the fourth-overall pick in 2016 but hasn’t come close to living up to his draft billing.  This season, Puljujarvi has been quite limited offensively, scoring just five goals along with seven assists in 53 games, hardly the type of production they were expecting after he posted 36 points in 65 contests just last season.  It’s also hardly the type of return they were hoping for from someone carrying a $3MM cap hit.

Clearly, GM Ken Holland still believes he can salvage some sort of positive value for Puljujarvi as otherwise, he likely would have hit the waiver wire already.  If he was to be claimed, they’d free up the full $3MM in cap room and if not, the proposed swap with Carolina would open up $1.5MM in regular cap room and $1.5MM (Kase’s cap hit) in their LTIR pool.  While that wouldn’t be a great return by any stretch, it would certainly give them a bit more flexibility to work with as they either look to add a piece by the March 3rd trade deadline or to bring someone back up from AHL Bakersfield to avoid having to play short a player as they did last night.  We’ll find out soon enough if Holland is able to find a better option for Puljujarvi than this one.

Carolina Hurricanes Not Willing To Trade Alexander Nikishin

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Get ready for another mid-round pick by the Carolina Hurricanes to become an impact player at the NHL level. Over the years, the team has made a habit of picking the right defender outside the first round, even if some call it a crap shoot at that point.

Brian Dumoulin was 51st overall in 2009. Justin Faulk 37th in 2010. Jaccob Slavin 120th in 2012. Brett Pesce 66th in 2013. Now, they believe they’ve found another.

In Pierre LeBrun’s latest piece for The Athletic, he mentions that the Hurricanes have made it clear in trade talks that Alexander Nikishin is off the table. The insider notes that Carolina sees a “big future” in mind for Nikishin.

Selected 69th overall in 2020, Nikishin was already playing in the KHL at the time. But when they picked him, he had scored just three points at that level and hadn’t really been dominant in junior. The following year was much the same, with just five points in 20 KHL games, but things changed suddenly.

In 2022 he was surprisingly chosen for the Russian Olympic roster. This year, after a transfer to powerhouse program SKA St. Petersburg, he leads all defensemen in scoring by a mile. His 51 points in 62 games put him tenth in the league, just four points behind league leader Dimitrj Jaskin.

Nikishin’s contract in Russia expires at the end of this season, meaning he could sign an entry-level deal with the Hurricanes. Even if his impact can’t be felt right away, the Hurricanes may have found someone to help take over some of the responsibility down the road. None of the team’s defenders are signed past 2024-25, with Pesce, Jalen Chatfield, and Brady Skjei scheduled for unrestricted free agency after next season.

As much as they may want to upgrade the roster right now, Nikishin is apparently too valuable to lose.

Carolina Hurricanes Interest In Timo Meier Doesn't Hinge On Extension

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The latest edition of TSN’s Insider Trading saw analysts such as Pierre LeBrun and Chris Johnston discuss some of the highest-profile names available on the market ahead of the trade deadline. One of those is San Jose Sharks forward Timo Meier, and LeBrun gave significant updates on the two apparent frontrunners for his services: the New Jersey Devils and Carolina Hurricanes.

For the Hurricanes, it’s the opposite. LeBrun called them the more “open-minded” of the two front-runners, as they reportedly don’t need an extension worked out as part of the trade.

More Teams Showing Interest In Patrick Kane

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With Vladimir Tarasenko now off the market following his trade earlier this week, Blackhawks winger Patrick Kane is starting to generate more attention.  Earlier this week, he was linked to the Stars and the Rangers (with New York likely out of the picture now following the Tarasenko deal).  Three more teams have been added to that mix as Scott Powers and Mark Lazerus of The Athletic report (subscription link) that the Hurricanes, Wild, and Golden Knights have confirmed interest in the veteran.

Of course, it must also be noted that Kane might not necessarily have interest in any of those teams.  The 34-year-old has a full no-move clause in his deal and if he decides that he’s willing to waive it, it’s expected that the shortlist of options he’d provide Chicago with would be quite small, not unlike what happened with Claude Giroux last season when he okayed a trade from Philadelphia.

Carolina, Minnesota, and Vegas all have a fair amount of cap space which presents an opportunity where they might not need a third team to be involved to retain an extra 25% of the $10.5MM contract, assuming Chicago retains 50% as expected.  For the Hurricanes, Max Pacioretty’s season-ending Achilles injury opened up $7MM in LTIR room while the Golden Knights have plenty of room (at least for the time being) with Mark Stone and his $9.5MM eligible for LTIR; he hasn’t been placed there just yet.  Meanwhile, Minnesota has banked enough cap space (per CapFriendly) that they could absorb Kane’s contract outright.

What’s notable about these suitors – including Dallas from earlier – is that all of them project to be short-term options only for Kane.  With their existing commitments for next season, there’s basically no way they could afford the 16-year veteran at market value.  Would Kane want to go somewhere as a strict rental and then hit the open market in July or might his preference be to land with a team that has the intention to keep him for 2023-24 and beyond?  That will certainly be a question he ponders over the next couple of weeks before notifying Chicago of his intentions.

Trade Deadline Primer: Carolina Hurricanes

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With the All-Star break now behind us, the trade deadline looms large and is less than a month away. Where does each team stand, and what moves should they be looking to make? We continue our look around the league with the Carolina Hurricanes.

After narrowly losing in the second round of the playoffs to the Rangers last season, the Hurricanes made a pair of key veteran additions over the summer to look to cement themselves as a contender.  One of those players (Max Pacioretty) is now out for the season but that actually opens up some different opportunities for them to consider from a salary cap perspective with the veteran’s $7MM AAV now on LTIR.

Heading into action tonight, Carolina sits first in the Metropolitan Division and second in the Eastern Conference.  Accordingly, it’s not a matter of if they make a move but rather when they make it.

Record

34-9-8, 1st in the Metropolitan

Deadline Status

Buyer

Deadline Cap Space

$10.16MM in LTIR relief, 1/3 retention slots used, 45/50 contracts used, per CapFriendly.

Upcoming Draft Picks

2023: CAR 1st, CAR 2nd, CAR/PHI 3rd*, CAR 4th, CAR 5th, VAN 5th, CAR 6th, CHI 6th, CAR 7th
2024: CAR 1st, CAR 2nd, PHI 2nd, CAR 3rd, CAR 4th, CAR 5th, CAR 6th, CAR 7th

*-Carolina will keep the lower pick between the two

Trade Chips

While they’ll be a buyer, that isn’t to say that Carolina can’t sell as well.  With Frederik Andersen returning to the lineup just before the All-Star break and Pyotr Kochetkov back in the minors, it’s possible that they could look to move Antti Raanta and take advantage of what could be a light goalie trade market.  The pending unrestricted free agent has a very manageable cap hit of $2MM and has a nice 2.46 GAA in 19 games this season, almost identical to his output from 2021-22.  Such a move would come with some risk given Andersen’s injury history but if they’re able to get a decent asset for the veteran netminder, it might make it easier to part with one of their other trade chips.

One other roster player that seems like a reasonable candidate to move is Dylan Coghlan.  The defenseman was the sweetener that Vegas attached for them to take on Pacioretty’s contract and after playing in 59 games with the Golden Knights the year before, it felt like he’d be a useful depth piece.  However, the 24-year-old has only played in 16 games and has been a healthy scratch the rest of the way.  A pending restricted free agent, Coghlan’s $762.5K cap hit is easy for just about any team to absorb and chances are that some selling squads might want to take a look at him for the stretch run.

From there, they’ll turn to their futures pool of picks and prospects.  On the latter front, Jack Drury is likely to be of some interest.  The center has gotten his feet wet with Carolina this season, suiting up in 21 games and while he hasn’t produced much (just two assists), he’s only a year removed from putting up 52 points with AHL Chicago.  There’s some offensive upside to work with potentially.  2019 first-round pick Ryan Suzuki has yet to see NHL action and is in the midst of another injury-shortened season, playing in just 20 games with the Wolves so far.  Noel Gunler slid a bit further than expected in the 2021 draft, lasting into the second round.  His first full season in North America has gone well and his stock should be fairly high as a result.

Defensively, Scott Morrow will get some attention.  The 21-year-old is having another strong season at UMass and is getting relatively close to being NHL-ready.  That type of profile is always enticing to sellers.  Dominick Fensore is certainly an undersized blueliner (5’7) but he has had some success at Boston University.  He’s in his senior year and isn’t a lock to get a contract from Carolina.  If another team wants him, Fensore could be a secondary part of a swap.  Joey Keane’s rights might also be of small interest; after a decent showing on his entry-level deal, he somewhat surprisingly opted to play in the KHL this season where he has done relatively well.

Other Potential Trade Chips: F Dominik Bokk, F Patrik Puistola, F Justin Robidas

Team Needs

1) Top-Six Forward: While Pacioretty’s injury opens up some LTIR room, it also opened up a sizable hole in their top six to try to fill.  Carolina generally hasn’t favored going the rental route so it shouldn’t come as much surprise that Pierre LeBrun linked them to San Jose’s Timo Meier in TSN’s latest Insider Trading segment (video link).  That forward could also be a center with Martin Necas being more of a winger and the trio of Jesperi Kotkaniemi, Jordan Staal, and Paul Stastny not really being suited for top-six duty.

2) Playable Defensive Depth: It seems evident that there isn’t much faith in Coghlan when the team is fully healthy.  Finding a defender (or even two) that they’d be more comfortable using when injuries arise or to spell Calvin de Haan or Jalen Chatfield would be worthwhile.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Could The Hurricanes Opt To Pursue A Non-Rental Using Pacioretty's LTIR Space?

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With Max Pacioretty and his $7MM AAV eventually heading back to LTIR, the Hurricanes appear to be a team that will have ample cap space to make a move or two to upgrade for the stretch run.  However, in his latest piece for The Athletic (subscription link), Cory Lavalette suggests that while on the surface, a rental to replace Pacioretty (a rental himself) might make sense, Carolina’s trade history suggests that they’re likelier to target someone signed beyond this season.  Per CapFriendly, the Hurricanes only have $53.5MM in commitments for 2023-24 so it’s plausible that they could eye a longer-term piece which gives them considerably more options compared to teams that will need to be shopping for one-and-done players.

Latest On Max Pacioretty

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  • Carolina Hurricanes forward Max Pacioretty received a major health setback when he tore his Achilles tendon for the second time in this league year. Per TSN’s Chris Johnston on the network’s Insider Trading program, Pacioretty travelled to Turku, Finland for the operation to have his Achilles repaired. Johnston reports that the timeline for his recovery is expected to be around eight-to-nine months, although there is always the lingering possibility that these injuries have a more permanent impact on Pacioretty’s playing future than Pacioretty and every NHL fan would hope for.

Jacob Slavin Out With Lower-Body Injury

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  • The Carolina Hurricanes have announced that defenseman Jaccob Slavin has suffered a lower-body injury, and will miss tonight’s game against the New York Islanders. With Slavin out, the Hurricanes will be missing one of the NHL’s best defensive defensemen. Offseason trade acquisition Dylan Coghlan has moved into the lineup in Slavin’s place, and will have a chance to put some quality play forward in the absence of Carolina’s top blueliner.

Max Pacioretty Suffers Torn Achilles

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5:04 PM: The Hurricanes have now officially announced the news.

4:55 PM: It turns out Pacioretty’s MRI was done today, not on Monday as originally reported. In what is absolutely awful news for both Pacioretty and hockey fans everywhere, the MRI revealed, as reported by Luke DeCock of the Raleigh News & Observer, that Pacioretty tore his right Achilles tendon, just two weeks after returning to action. It’s the same injury he suffered in August, and although no firm timeline has been released by the team, it will in all likelihood knock him out for the rest of the season.

This news likely confirms that Pacioretty will eventually end up placed on long-term injured reserve. While Pacioretty’s health and recovery will undoubtedly be the Hurricanes’ first priority here, this development does impact their roster-building plans for the rest of the season. The additional cap space afforded by a Pacioretty LTIR placement could have a significant impact on the rest of the team’s season and the trade market as a whole.

For Pacioretty, the priority will be getting his health back in a good place. The 34-year-old forward has played some of the best hockey of his career in recent years, but he has been limited to only sporadic availability due to injuries. With this bit of news, it’s clear he now faces another long recovery on his road back to the ice.

12:47 PM: After just five games, Max Pacioretty is back on injured reserve. The Carolina Hurricanes moved the veteran winger after he suffered a non-contact injury last night to the same leg that underwent surgery to repair a torn Achilles tendon last summer.

The Hurricanes have not given a timeline for Pacioretty’s recovery, and according to Luke DeCock of the Raleigh News & Observer, won’t be making a determination until next week. They’ve moved his scheduled MRI to Monday.

It is brutal news for a player that worked so hard to come back, especially given how well he had fit into the Carolina lineup. Pacioretty had three goals in his first three games with the team, though was also held out for two games recently due to a lower-body injury.

If it is another torn Achilles, Pacioretty would be out for the rest of the season. Injuries have become something of a pattern for the 34-year-old in the back half of his career. A player once known for his durability and consistency, Pacioretty has now played just 44 games since the start of 2021-22.

Even worse, his contract will expire at the end of this season, making him an unrestricted free agent. If the injury is as serious as it seems, another months-long rehab will be a difficult pill to swallow, with no guarantee of a financial or competitive future.

For the Hurricanes, it could mean they suddenly have some extra cap flexibility to play with. Should Pacioretty head back to long-term injured reserve, the team could make any number of moves at the deadline. His entire $7MM salary could essentially be replaced if he is not going to return this season.

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