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Carolina Hurricanes, Mike Vellucci Part Ways

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The Carolina Hurricanes are losing an important part of their development system, announcing today that they have mutually agreed to part ways with Mike Vellucci. Vellucci served as an assistant general manager, director of hockey operations and head coach of the Charlotte Checkers of the AHL, leading the team to a Calder Cup in 2019. In a statement, the coach notes that he has “been presented with an exciting opportunity” that he will be pursuing. A few hours later, it was announced that Vellucci will be the next head coach of the Wilkes-Barre Scranton Penguins, replacing the outgoing Clark Donatelli.

Vellucci has been with the Hurricanes organization for five years, coincidentally joining the franchise as his new boss in Pittsburgh, Jim Rutherford, was stepping down in Carolina. The two have worked together far longer than that however, going back to his days with the Plymouth Whalers. He took the head coaching position with the Checkers two years ago. In that time he posted a 97-43-12 record in the AHL and established the Checkers as one of the stingiest defensive teams in the league. A former NHL defenseman himself, Vellucci’s teams have long been known for their commitment in the defensive zone. That commitment has brought plenty of success, including past championships in the OHL and NAHL.

Prior to joining the Hurricanes Vellucci had coached the Whalers for more than a decade, helping develop dozens of NHL players including names like Tyler Seguin, James Neal, Rickard Rakell, Tom Wilson and J.T. Miller. It’s hard to imagine another AHL coach that would have been in more demand around the league.

Alex Nedeljkovic Re-Signs With Carolina Hurricanes

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The Carolina Hurricanes may not have new deals in place with Petr Mrazek and Curtis McElhinney, but that doesn’t mean they’re without goaltending altogether. Alex Nedeljkovic, fresh off a Calder Cup and AHL Most Outstanding Goaltender award, has re-signed with the team for the next two seasons. The deal is a two-way contract in 2019-20 worth $725K at the NHL level, and a one-way contract in 2020-21 that carries a $750K salary. GM Don Waddell released a statement on the young goaltender:

Alex had an outstanding season in Charlotte last year and was a major part of the Checkers’ success. We expect him to contend for a roster spot with the Hurricanes in training camp.

If it started right now, Nedeljkovic wouldn’t have much to contend with at training camp. The Hurricanes currently have just three other goaltenders in the organization and the only one with NHL experience is likely going to be bought out. That lack of depth will likely be dealt with in free agency next week, but there are obviously no guarantees when it comes to signing players on the open market.

That’s why the 23-year old Nedeljkovic is so important to the Carolina organization, and why he will likely get every chance in the coming years to prove he can be an NHL starting goaltender. In 100 regular season appearances with the Charlotte Checkers the last two seasons he has recorded a 65-26-3 record including nine shutouts, and was a huge part in taking home the first Calder Cup in franchise history earlier this month. His development since the team selected him 37th overall in 2014 has been exceptional, though it seems unlikely that the team is ready to hand the keys over completely for the 2019-20 season.

Still, getting him on a two-year contract at this point sets the Hurricanes up for success. Even if he doesn’t establish himself as an NHL starter by then he will still be a restricted free agent when the deal expires, unless of course he fails to play in 26 more NHL games and becomes a Group VI unrestricted free agent. That seems quite unlikely, but will depend on what the Hurricanes do on Monday in free agency.

Offseason Keys: Carolina Hurricanes

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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.

Carolina Hurricanes Buy Out Patrick Marleau

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4:00pm: The buyout is official.

11:41am: Even though the Carolina Hurricanes hoped to convince Patrick Marleau to stick around after arriving in a trade from the Toronto Maple Leafs, the expected buyout is going to move forward. Luke DeCock of the Raleigh News & Observer reports that GM Don Waddell admitted as much today, noting that the team will have to pay a $3MM signing bonus right away and then the remaining $833,333 split over the next two seasons. Since Marleau is on a 35+ deal however, the Hurricanes will not receive any cap relief and will continue to have his $6.25MM hit on the books for this season. A buyout will make Marleau an unrestricted free agent and a return to the San Jose Sharks is possible.

Thanks to his no-movement clause, Marleau will also not require waivers for a buyout. The 39-year old forward was acquired by the Hurricanes on Saturday along with a package that included a conditional first-round pick in a straight salary dump by the Maple Leafs. Toronto desperately needed some cap room to help them re-sign their trio of restricted free agents, and Marleau seemed ready to leave the organization and return to the west coast with his family.

One of the NHL’s true iron men, Marleau has now gone ten straight seasons without missing a single game and has played in at least 74 games every year of his career (save for the lockout-shortened 2012-13 where he played in all 48). During that career he has amassed 551 goals and 1,166 points in 1,657 games, putting him among the all-time leaders in each category. Unfortunately, he is still chasing that elusive Stanley Cup and has only even made it to the Stanley Cup Final on one occasion. His hope that a move to Toronto in 2017 would give him that opportunity fizzled when the Maple Leafs were ousted two years in a row by the Boston Bruins in the first round.

As his Cup dreams dwindled in Toronto, so did his play as Marleau recorded his worst goal-scoring season since his rookie year in 1997-98. With just 16 goals and 37 points he was no longer worth the $6.25MM hit for the Maple Leafs, who are trying to find a way to surround Auston Matthews, John Tavares and Mitch Marner with enough talent to go on a deep playoff run.

Wherever he signs (if he does at all), Marleau could potentially play for the league minimum of $700K given he is already earning nearly $3.5MM for this season.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images

Vegas Golden Knights Trade Erik Haula

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The Vegas Golden Knights have officially announced a trade that will send Erik Haula to the Carolina Hurricanes in exchange for prospect Nicolas Roy and a conditional 2021 fifth-round pick. According to Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic, the two teams were talking about this trade at the draft but didn’t get it worked out for some reason. If Haula is on the Hurricanes roster in 2020-21, or if he is traded next season for a player, multiple draft picks or a single pick between rounds 1-5, the Golden Knights will receive the 2021 fifth. If none of those things occur, no pick will be sent.

Haula, 28, played just 15 games for the Golden Knights last season thanks to a gruesome injury sustained in November. His year would finish with just seven points and though he was close to returning by the end of the Golden Knights’ playoff run, he wouldn’t be able to help them survive that wild game seven against the San Jose Sharks. In fact, he couldn’t help them at all for much of the season and Vegas got to see what it would be like to ice a team without the former Minnesota Wild forward. That absence plus the fact that the team desperately needs to shed salary this summer led to plenty of speculation that he could be one of the players on his way out.

The versatile forward had just one year left on his current contract, signed with the Golden Knights immediately after they plucked him from Minnesota along with Alex Tuch in the expansion draft. It carries just a $2.75MM cap hit, but with the ceiling set even lower than expected the crunch was on in Vegas to try and shed salary quickly. The fact that it seemed unlikely they would be able to re-sign Haula was only to the benefit of the Hurricanes, who bring in another talented forward to give them some more offensive punch.

It’s hard to remember given all the incredible storylines in the Golden Knights’ inaugural season, but Haula was another one of the players to shatter his previous career highs offensively after being offered a bigger role. He actually ranked second on the team in goals with 29 in 2017-18, establishing himself as a legitimate second-line center option and powerplay threat. The question was whether he would continue to line up in the middle now that the Golden Knights had Paul Stastny, another reason he became expendable this summer.

In Roy, the Golden Knights are at least getting back a little something of value in what was essentially a cap dump. The 22-year old forward was originally a fourth-round pick by the Hurricanes in 2015, but exploded offensively in junior hockey following his draft and seemed to be a classic case of a big frame taking a few more years to develop. The 6’4″ Roy continued to produce when he made the jump to professional hockey, recording seasons of 38 and 36 points for the Charlotte Checkers. The most impressive showing for the power forward may have been these most recent Calder Cup playoffs, where he was a force for the Checkers and recorded 15 points in 19 games en route to a league championship.

Still, this move was about getting some salary out of the way while moving out a body on the roster at the same time. The Golden Knights still project several million above the $81.5MM cap ceiling and have more work to do, and will continue to be one of the most interesting teams to watch this summer.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images

Teams Contacting Top RFAs As Interview Period Opens

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The NHL hasn’t seen an offer sheet in some time, but with an unprecedented amount of talent on the restricted free agent market this season some have speculated might be time for it to happen again. Today that speculation has turned into reporting that some teams are reaching out to at least inquire about the possibility. Darren Dreger of TSN reports that Mitch Marner’s camp has received calls from multiple teams, while Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic reports on similar situations regarding Kyle Connor and Sebastian Aho. The Toronto Maple Leafs, Winnipeg Jets and Carolina Hurricanes remain at the forefront of any negotiations with their young free agents, but even this kind of outside contact is irregular for the NHL offseason.

Today was the first day teams could contact restricted free agents, and while it has likely happened in the past the media chatter this year has been at another level. It is important to remember that the player has to agree to sign an offer sheet and his original team is then given a chance to match it. If they choose not to, that team receives compensation in the form of draft picks depending on the value of the signed deal.

The Maple Leafs and Jets especially are in tight financial situations given their proximity to the cap ceiling, and could be at risk of an offer sheet if a team were willing to go high enough with the salary. That said, giving up a number of future draft choices just for the opportunity to overpay a player does seem quite counter-productive in terms of building a competitive team. Still, the RFA group includes some incredible talent this year that may never be available again.

Carolina Hurricanes Partner With Greenville Swamp Rabbits Of ECHL

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The Carolina Hurricanes have a new ECHL affiliate, reaching a one-year agreement with the Greenville Swamp Rabbits. Swamp Rabbits President Steve Donner released a statement on the partnership:

This a landmark day for our franchise. A year ago, we set out on a goal to find a regional NHL partner to build a relationship with who is committed to development at the AHL and the ECHL level. In partnering with the Hurricanes, we have found that partner for player development with a huge added bonus of marketing synergy in the Carolinas.

The Hurricanes had previously been affiliated with the Florida Everblades, but watched them reach a new agreement with the Nashville Predators organization last month. Greenville will provide a much closer geographical match, located just a four hour drive away from Raleigh. The Swamp Rabbits meanwhile get an NHL affiliate again after operating without one last season. They previously were partnered with the New York Rangers from 2015-18.

Moving from Johnstown in 2010, the Greenville team was originally named the Road Warriors and made the playoffs in four consecutive seasons after the relocation. That success hasn’t continued, as the team has missed the playoffs in four of the last five years and haven’t won a postseason series as the Swamp Rabbits. In fact, the team went just 25-41-6 last season under the coaching of Kevin Kerr, and will hope to turn things around with this new affiliation. That hope may well come to pass, as the Everblades have been one of the most successful teams in the entire ECHL for many years, making the playoffs in all but one season since being affiliated with the Hurricanes.

Carolina Hurricanes “Leaning Toward” Scott Darling Buyout

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June 25: The start of the buyout period came and went without Darling’s name on waivers, but today Carolina GM Don Waddell told reporters including Chip Alexander of the Raleigh News & Observer that he is “leaning toward” buying out the veteran goaltender. He would not rule out a trade, but it still sounds like Darling’s time in Carolina is over.

May 19: The Carolina Hurricanes felt they were finally getting the starting goaltender it needed to take the team into the playoffs in 2017 when they traded for immediately signed the Chicago Blackhawks’ backup goalie Scott Darling to a four-year, $16.6MM contract. After two long and disappointing years, it looks like the Hurricanes are ready to pull the plug on the deal as David Pagnotta of the Fourth Period reports that Carolina intends to buy out the netminder when the buyout period opens.

If the Hurricanes do follow through with a buyout, the buyout cap hit would break down like this (according to CapFriendly):

2019-20: $1.233MM
2020-21: $2.333MM
2021-22: $1.183MM
2022-23: $1.183MM

Darling, who was the backup to Corey Crawford during the Blackhawks’ successful playoff runs, was acquired for a third-round pick in 2017. In his final season in Chicago, he posted a 2.37 GAA and a .924 save percentage in 32 games played, but had never served as a starting goalie. However, nothing went right once Darling hit the ice in Carolina. He struggled in his initial season in 2017-18 when he 3.18 GAA and a .888 save percentage in a career-high 43 games. Despite talk during the summer that Darling was committed to conditioning and getting back on track, the Hurricanes choose to claim goaltender Curtis McElhinney off waivers, giving them three goaltenders alongside Darling and Petr Mrazek. The three played in tandem, but Darling only made eight appearances, struggling even more. He finished with a 3.34 GAA and a .884 save percentage, eventually being placed on waivers and sent to the Charlotte Checkers of the AHL in hopes of him regaining his confidence. Instead, he continued to struggle, putting up a 3.40 GAA and a .882 save percentage in 14 appearances there, prompting the goaltender to take a leave of absence in which he never returned.

If the Hurricanes do buyout Darling, it will have to sign another goaltender before July 1 as teams need to have three goaltenders under contract, according to the CBA. At the moment, the team only has two goaltenders under contract, including Jeremy Helvig and Callum Booth, neither of which are in their 2018-19 plans. McElhinney and Mrazek are both slated to become unrestricted free agents, while AHL star Alex Nedeljkovic will be a restricted free agent this summer.

Chicago Blackhawks Acquire Calvin De Haan

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The long-running rumor that the Carolina Hurricanes would trade one of their talented defensemen has finally come to fruition. Except it’s not Justin Faulk, not Dougie Hamilton, not Jaccob Slavin or Brett Pesce. No, instead it is their most recent blue line addition, last summer’s free agent signing Calvin de Haan. After just one season in Raleigh, de Haan is on his way to Chicago, his new team announced. Accompanying him to the Blackhawks is prospect forward Aleksi Saarela and the return heading to Carolina is yet another defenseman, Gustav Forsling, and goaltender Anton Forsberg. 

This is not a swap that anyone could have reasonably predicted. The Hurricanes, who have had a logjam on the blue line for several years, finally move a defenseman, but yet again add another defenseman in return. Many were puzzled when Carolina first signed de Haan to a four-year, $18.2MM contract last summer given their existing depth on defense. Now they move him less than twelve months later and add another left-handed defenseman, albeit younger and much cheaper, to essentially take on the same spot in the organizational depth chart. Forsling, 23, played in at least 38 NHL games in each of the past three seasons, but remains a work in progress. Unlike de Haan, Forsling will have to fight for his starts against the likes of Jake Bean and Haydn Fleury, so in a way the ’Canes have at least changed their defensive dynamic. Forsling is a restricted free agent, but lacks arbitration rights and also much of a case that he is worth anything more than a short-term, low-value contract for now.

The second piece coming to Carolina is also intriguing and that is 26-year-old goaltender Anton Forsberg. The Hurricanes’ 2018-19 tandem of Petr Mrazek and Curtis McElhinney are both unrestricted free agents and recent reports suggest that neither is expected to return. Scott Darling still remains under contract despite rumors that he would be bought out this summer and could be in play again next season. Promising prospect Alex Nedeljkovic, a restricted free agent, is also due an opportunity at this stage in his young career. The acquisition of Forsberg is odd, as the Hurricanes still need a starting goalie and he is not the answer. Forsberg did not make an NHL appearance last season for Chicago and fell down the team’s depth chart and struggled with the full-time backup role in 2017-18. At this point in his career, Forsberg – who is also a restricted free agent – is little more than a third-string depth option, making that three such players for the ’Canes now and no real NHL options in net.

So, the strangest part of this trade is not that the Hurricanes added a defenseman and goalie that they did not need, but that they seemingly gave de Haan and Saarela away. Were this any other team, this trade would be viewed as a salary dump, with de Haan’s $4.55MM cap hit and a sweetener, Saarela, heading to a team for a couple middling pieces and cap relief. However, the Hurricanes are currently below the salary cap floor and are facing no financial constraints. Unless this is a precursor to Carolina adding $15MM+ in free agent signings or trade acquisitions, the team did not need to move de Haan for cap relief. Keep an eye out for the Hurricanes in the coming weeks.

Regardless of the Hurricanes’ motivations, this is a great deal for the Blackhawks. De Haan is a solid two-way defenseman who may only contribute moderate offensive numbers, but plays a shutdown defensive game and can move the puck. By no means is his salary an over-payment, as de Haan is an elite shot blocker, a strong physical presence, and a man-down asset. If there is one notable weakness to de Haan, it is that he is injury prone and is in fact currently sidelined following shoulder surgery and unlikely to be ready for the start of the season. Nevertheless, he is still a great defender when healthy. Saarela, seemingly an add-on, recorded 54 points in 69 AHL games last season and was even better in the postseason, adding 15 points in 17 games for the Calder Cup-winning Charlotte Checkers. Saarela is poised to make his NHL debut sooner rather than later and Chicago could wind up with a nice future scoring winger in the 22-year-old restricted free agent.

Snapshots: Puljujarvi, Myers, Smith

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Jesse Puljujarvi might have no plans of playing for the Edmonton Oilers this season, but that doesn’t mean the team is simply going to give up his rights. Mark Spector of Sportsnet reports that the Oilers will issue Puljujarvi a qualifying offer before tomorrow’s deadline in order to retain his rights even if the young forward plays in Europe. This is obviously the expected move as even though he hasn’t worked out in Edmonton the Oilers invested quite a bit of draft capital in Puljujarvi when the selected him fourth overall in 2016.

A qualifying offer for Puljujarvi would only amount to $874,125 in NHL salary, but would still be a two-way deal because he has played so few games for the Oilers the last three years. It seems very unlikely that he would accept it at this point, even if he does still need to prove his worth at the NHL level. Puljujarvi has recorded 37 points in his 139 NHL games, including just nine last season.

  • Tyler Myers is expected to be one of the top defensemen available this offseason now that Erik Karlsson has re-signed, and the Winnipeg Jets free agent may be in line for a huge contract. Renaud Lavoie of TVA Sports was on Sportsnet radio today and suggested that Myers may get a seven-year deal somewhere between $6-8MM per season. The 29-year old is coming off a seven-year, $38.5MM deal ($5.5MM AAV) originally signed with the Buffalo Sabres, and has the added benefit of being arguably the top right-handed defenseman left in free agency. Myers recorded 31 points in 80 games last season for the Jets, while averaging more than 20 minutes a night.
  • Goaltender Mike Smith has spoken to several teams now that the free agent interview period has opened according to Frank Seravalli of TSN, who notes that the “door isn’t completely closed” on a potential return to the Calgary Flames. Seravalli suggests that the Carolina Hurricanes could be a team to watch however, a team whose own goaltenders—Petr Mrazek and Curtis McElhinney—are also pending free agents.

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