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Justin Faulk Garnering Interest, Micheal Ferland Could Be Dealt Soon

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The Hurricanes have been at the center of trade speculation lately with their surplus of defensemen that they are willing to deal from.  In the latest TSN Insider Trading (video link), Pierre LeBrun of TSN and The Athletic noted that interest has picked up lately on blueliner Justin Faulk.  The veteran was believed to be a strong trade candidate over the summer but instead, he has fulfilled his usual top-four role, logging more than 22 minutes a night on Carolina’s back end.  With a $4.833MM cap hit through next season, he’d likely yield a comparable return to Jake Muzzin.

Meanwhile, LeBrun adds that Micheal Ferland is someone that could be dealt sooner rather than later.  He notes that the winger’s playing style makes him more susceptible to injury and accordingly, there is some extra risk if the Hurricanes keep him around until the deadline.  He notes that Boston, Nashville, and Pittsburgh are among the teams that have shown an interest in the pending UFA so far.

Carolina Hurricanes Extend Jordan Martinook

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The Carolina Hurricanes have reached a two-year extension with forward Jordan Martinook that will carry an annual average value of $2MM. Martinook was set to become a restricted free agent for the final time this summer, and was arbitration eligible. A two-year extension will buy out a year of unrestricted free agency for the 26-year old forward. GM Don Waddell released a statement explaining the signing:

Jordan has really fit in well with our group and provides veteran leadership both on and off the ice. He skates with a relentless energy that epitomizes the way Coach [Rod] Brind’Amour wants the Hurricanes to play.

Martinook came over to the Hurricanes last spring in a deal that saw Marcus Kruger go to the Arizona Coyotes, and has been an effective player for them this season. With 10 goals and 13 points in 50 games, he’s chipped in enough offense to remain in the lineup while providing a physical element to the bottom-six. He’s also been arguably the team’s best penalty killer, a role which he’ll likely hold throughout the next two seasons. Carolina looks like they’ll be losing a physical forward in Micheal Ferland if they cannot reach an extension over the next few weeks, making Martinook that much more valuable if Brind’Amour wants to continue playing that style.

Amazingly, the $2MM cap hit makes Martinook the fourth highest paid forward on the Hurricanes next season only behind Jordan Staal, Nino Niederreiter and Teuvo Teravainen. That’s bound to change once the team hands out extensions to some of their other pending restricted free agents, but shows just how different their group could look next season. With captain Justin Williams scheduled to become an unrestricted free agent at the end of the year, the team needs to keep leaders like Martinook in the fold. $2MM per season brings very little risk along with it, given that the Hurricanes are not yet a cap ceiling team.

Poll: Which Team Is Under The Most Pressure To Make The Playoffs?

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When the NHL’s unofficial second half kicks off this week, there will be substantially fewer teams with playoff hopes than when the first half began back in October. Of course, no team has been statistically eliminated yet, but a quick look at the standings can help to rule out more than a handful of the league’s bottom-dwellers. In fact, The Athletic’s Dom Luszczyszyn had seven teams with less than a 5% chance of reaching the playoffs in his latest model: the Ottawa Senators, Detroit Red Wings, Los Angeles Kings, New York Rangers, New Jersey Devils, Chicago Blackhawks, and Philadelphia Flyers.

On the other hand, there are also quite a few teams whose first-half success has given them near certainty of playing beyond the regular season this year. Luszczszyn’s projections give eleven teams an 85% chance or better of qualifying for the postseason: the Tampa Bay Lightning, Calgary Flames, Winnipeg Jets, Nashville Predators, San Jose Sharks, Toronto Maple Leafs, Vegas Golden Knights, Pittsburgh Penguins, Boston Bruins, Columbus Blue Jackets, and New York Islanders.

This leaves 13 clubs remaining – the “fringe” teams – who are vying for a possible five playoff spots. Eight of these teams will miss out. Who least wants to be part of that group?

Well, the team who has been a member of the early off-season club the longest would certainly like to change things up. The Carolina Hurricanes have gone nine seasons since making a postseason appearance and have come close the last few years but fallen short. The team could crack 90 points this season for the first time in eight years, but it might not be enough in the tight Eastern Conference wild card race. The two other teams who are desperate to get back to the playoffs are the Buffalo Sabres, who are on a seven-year drought, and the Arizona Coyotes, who are six years out from a postseason appearance. The Sabres got off to a hot start this season and looked to be a surprise playoff team, but have regressed recently, with three wins in their past then games, and are now tied with Carolina for ninth place in the East. The Coyotes have been resilient in the deep Western Conference wild card race, battling injuries and inconsistency to stay in the mix, but Arizona has their work cut out for them the rest of the way.

Then there are the teams who have made the playoffs recently but not performed. The Blue Jackets – who have never won a playoff series in franchise history – will almost certainly have another shot this year, but what about the Florida Panthers? Many have dismissed the team this season, but the Panthers have plenty of talent and have fallen short of expectations until recently. They face an uphill battle to make the postseason but if they do, the team would have a chance to snap the league’s longest streak without a playoff series win. Florida has not won a round since 1996, a whopping 21 seasons without postseason success and longer than the Blue Jackets have even existed. That’s a substantial mark on the franchise. It’s been a decade now since the Colorado Avalanche have won a postseason series as well and now that they are armed with one of the league’s best forward lines, have a chance against anyone if they can win a spot. The Avs looked like a legitimate Stanley Cup contender early this season and with some trade deadline reinforcements could be a factor this spring. However, recent struggles have plummeted them into the thick of the wild card race in the West and they are in danger of missing the playoffs entirely.

Then, there are teams that simply entered the 2018-19 campaign with high expectations and need to meet them. The defending champion Washington Capitals are of course part of this group. Among the most likely fringe teams to make the postseason, it is nevertheless hard to ignore the disastrous play of the Capitals of late. Three wins in their past ten games, including a number of blowout losses, has begun “Stanley Cup hangover” talk and has legitimately injured Washington’s playoff odds. The team needs to right the ship soon or risk falling out of the current playoff picture. A team on the opposite trajectory are the Minnesota Wild, who have improved their play of late and have pulled away in the race for the final Central Division berth. Minnesota is another team that entered the season with high expectations and are still searching for the franchise’s first ever Stanley Cup final appearance. With hopes reaching new highs this season, a collapse for the Wild would be devastating.

Unlike the Capitals and Wild, there are also teams with high expectations who don’t have promising playoff outlooks right now. The Edmonton Oilers and the league’s best player, Connor McDavid, sit atop that list. Edmonton is currently in 13th in the Western Conference and in danger of dropping out of the playoff conversation sooner than any fringe team. The organization has already fired their head coach and general manager this season amid another year of disappointing results and face slim odds that this campaign will end any differently. McDavid and company maintain that the Oilers are a playoff-caliber team, but something has to change with this team down the stretch for that that hypothesis to be tested this postseason. The St. Louis Blues and Dallas Stars certainly look like playoff teams on paper, but both have been mediocre at best this season. The Blues, a popular dark horse Stanley Cup pick before the season, have been disappointing in every regard and there has been talk that the team could blow it up this season. A recent improvement paired with the struggles of others in the Western Conference playoff race have revived postseason hopes, but few expected that making the playoffs would be this difficult for St. Louis this season. The same goes for Dallas, who has had highly-publicized feuds between ownership, coaches, and players alike this year as the team continues to fall short of expectations. The Stars currently hold the top spot in the wild card race, but a recent history of late season collapses casts doubt over their ability to hold on to that spot.

There are still many teams whose playoff futures this season remain in question. These franchises all have varying degrees of desperation based on history and expectations. Of the 13 “fringe” teams, which team is under the most pressure to make the playoffs?

Which NHL Team Is Under The Most Pressure To Make The Playoffs?
Edmonton Oilers 27.24% (671 votes)
Washington Capitals 18.03% (444 votes)
St. Louis Blues 13.24% (326 votes)
Montreal Canadiens 8.53% (210 votes)
Buffalo Sabres 8.00% (197 votes)
Dallas Stars 7.43% (183 votes)
Minnesota Wild 5.40% (133 votes)
Carolina Hurricanes 4.34% (107 votes)
Colorado Avalanche 2.44% (60 votes)
Anaheim Ducks 2.31% (57 votes)
Florida Panthers 1.46% (36 votes)
Arizona Coyotes 0.89% (22 votes)
Vancouver Canucks 0.69% (17 votes)
Total Votes: 2,463

Mobile users, click here to vote.

Trade Rumors: Kreider, Athanasiou, Hurricanes

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Several sources have reported that New York Rangers forward Chris Kreider could be available ahead of the trade deadline this season, and while they’re not wrong, the New York Post’s Larry Brooks reports that it will take a “perfect deal” for the Rangers to give him up. Brooks writes that Kreider, the team’s leading goal scorer, is too valuable to give up while term remains on his contract. The big winger is signed through next season at a below-market $4.625 and the rebuilding club needs to take advantage of that while they can. Brooks goes so far as to state the team would prefer to re-sign the 27-year-old long-term if possible. So what would it take for them to deviate from those plans? Brooks believes the Rangers would ask for a young roster forward with similar offensive upside as a starting point or else an elite prospect. He even names players like Cale Makar, Martin Necas, Ryan Donato, Troy Terry, Eeli Tolvanen, and Cody Glass as preferred targets, all of whom are among the best pro-ready prospects in hockey. That’s a high asking price for a player of Kreider’s caliber and makes it seem as if the power forward isn’t going anywhere any time soon.

  • It seems that the Detroit Red Wings’ Andreas Athanasiou is finally off of the trade block. After two years of rumors about the young forward’s availability, TSN’s Darren Dreger stated on WGR 550 in Buffalo yesterday that it appears the Red Wings are no longer willing to move Athanasiou. While Detroit continues to struggle in the standings, they have made some strides in their rebuild this season with more young players taking on larger roles. Athanasiou has been one of those key youngsters, currently second in goals and third in points for the team and on pace to break his career-high in scoring within the next few games. With the 24-year-old finally meeting expectations and signed to a reasonable $3MM salary for another year, the cap-strapped Red Wings have many reasons to hold on to Athanasiou.
  • The Athletic’s Scott Burnside, Pierre LeBrun, and Craig Custance spent some time discussing the trade deadline status of the Carolina Hurricanes on the latest “Two-Man Advantage” podcast. The trio all agreed that there is a large market for forward Micheal Ferland right now and the power forward is nearly a lock to be dealt by the trade deadline. However, the more intriguing deadline story line in Raleigh is who among the defensemen are moved. As a bubble team, Carolina could be both a buyer and/or seller in the rental market, but are likely more focused on the long term with hockey trades. It has already been reported that the Hurricanes are willing to move one of their six impressive starters – all of whom are signed through at least next season – in exchange for forward help. However, Custance adds another reason why the team might need to move a blue liner sooner rather than later. He believes that Carolina’s best chance to sign impressive collegiate defenseman Adam Fox, the oft-forgotten third piece received from the Calgary Flames, is to sign him immediately following the end of his season at Harvard University and let him play down the stretch and possibly in the postseason this year. To do that, the Hurricanes would need to thin their current defensive group to allow for Fox to play meaningful minutes. All signs point to a defender being on the move out of Carolina. The only question now is which one.

Minor Transactions: 01/24/19

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The league is has gone dark as they prepare for the All-Star festivities to start tomorrow, and with it teams will be sending their eligible players down to the minor leagues. This is done to save a few days of cap space and give young players a chance to continue their development. As always, we’ll keep track of all the minor moves right here.

  • Along with Jordan Kyrou and Jordan Nolan who were sent down yesterday, the St. Louis Blues have assigned Mackenzie MacEachern and Sammy Blais to the minor leagues over the break. The Blues don’t play again until February 2nd, meaning the set of forwards can get some extra ice time in for the San Antonio Rampage.
  • Colin Blackwell has been sent down by the Nashville Predators, returning the 25-year old center to the Milwaukee Admirals after three games in the NHL. Blackwell is still waiting to register his first NHL point, and could get that chance later on in the year.
  • After bringing up Ryan Graves for last night’s game, the Colorado Avalanche have returned him to the minor leagues. Graves will be accompanied by both Dominic Toninato and Sheldon Dries, two other waiver-exempt players that can spend the break in the AHL.
  • The Carolina Hurricanes have returned Alex Nedeljkovic to the minors where he’ll resume starting for the Charlotte Checkers, and Haydn Fleury has also been sent down to get some more ice time. Fleury has been a regular scratch in the NHL this season as the odd man out among the Carolina defense corps.
  • Trevor Moore played again for the Toronto Maple Leafs last night but is now on his way back down to the AHL to participate in that league’s All-Star game. The speedy forward has made quite the impact this season with 19 goals in 32 AHL contests.
  • Joel Eriksson Ek spent some time in the minor leagues earlier this year to get his game right, and now he’ll get another chance to hone his skills in the AHL. Eriksson Ek and Luke Kunin have both been sent down for the time being, though one or both could see a recall immediately after the break.
  • The Vegas Golden Knights have flipped backup goaltenders, sending Maxime Lagace back down and recalled Oscar Dansk. Dansk won’t be starting anytime soon for the Golden Knights, but will receive a bigger paycheck while the team lets Lagace get back on the ice.

Maple Leafs Watching Hurricanes Defense Closely

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The Toronto Maple Leafs need help on the right side of their defense. The Carolina Hurricanes have a surplus of right-handed defenders. That match has been obvious for so long that trade speculation has run through basically every single potential move, and yet no move has actually been completed. Still, the speculation will continue today after Darren Dreger of TSN reported that the Maple Leafs had management members at the Carolina-Calgary game last night scouting the available defensemen—though he makes no mention of who those defensemen may be.

For that you have to look at the recent reporting from other sources, ones like Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic who recently wrote that the Hurricanes are willing to move a top-four defenseman before the deadline. Any of Dougie Hamilton, Brett Pesce or Justin Faulk could be considered top-four options (despite the obvious nature that not all three right-handed defensemen can technically be in the top-four), and any would fill a need for the Maple Leafs who have been searching for another quality option on the right side for some time. It’s no surprise that the team is watching Carolina closely, but there still isn’t any reporting that a deal is imminent between the two clubs.

There’s plenty of reasons why that may be the case. For one, the Maple Leafs don’t necessarily have a top-six forward to hand over given their recent struggles. William Nylander hasn’t yet been able to find his form since signing a big contract, and the team has now decided to put Auston Matthews and Mitch Marner together in order to try and spark something on offense. Add in that rookie Andreas Johnsson is dealing with a concussion and Patrick Marleau has taken a clear step backwards and the Maple Leafs might not be so quick to be trading away from their forward group at this point.

A top-six forward is what the Hurricanes have been looking for according to all reports, and not just a prospect that may contribute that kind of production in the future. The Hurricanes are now sitting just six points out of a wild card spot in the Eastern Conference and have made it clear that they want to win sooner rather than later with new owner Tom Dundon at the helm. Given that they’re probably going to have to trade away Micheal Ferland—currently second on the team in goals—if they can’t come to an extension in the next few weeks, adding future assets for their defensemen doesn’t really make sense if their target is the 2019 playoffs.

Teams break for the All-Star weekend after tonight’s games, and both Carolina and Toronto will also experience their CBA-mandated “bye week” after the festivities are over. That gives both clubs ample time to asses their rosters and determine what exactly they need to do moving forward. You can bet that as the calendar turns to February there will be more contact between the two teams, and more speculation from everyone else.

Poll: Which Carolina Defenseman Is Most Likely To Be Traded?

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With more reporting today that the Carolina Hurricanes are willing to move one of their defenseman, a debate has emerged over who would be the best target among them. The group is incredibly talented all around, but each player has their strengths and weaknesses. That makes for interesting decisions for both the Hurricanes and any inquiring team over what to prioritize as they look for playoff success. Is offensive skill at a premium in today’s NHL, or is a minute-munching penalty killer more valuable when the games get tighter?

Despite most of the trade speculation surrounding Dougie Hamilton and Brett Pesce, we’ll list the basic stats for each of the defensemen currently on the Hurricanes roster below. Cast your vote on who you think will be traded and make sure to explain why in the comments!

Dougie Hamilton:

25, right-handed
19:30 ATOI
48 GP, 6 G, 10 A, 16 P, -13 rating, 59% CF%
$5.75MM through 2020-21

Jaccob Slavin:

24, left-handed
23:04 ATOI
48 GP, 5 G, 16 A, 21 P, -13 rating, 55.2% CF%
$5.3MM through 2024-25

Justin Faulk:

26, right-handed
22:14 ATOI
48 GP, 3 G, 14 A, 17 P, -2 rating, 54.1% CF%
$4.83MM through 2019-20

Calvin de Haan:

27, left-handed
19:24 ATOI
48 GP, 1 G, 10 A, 11 P, +6 rating, 55.1% CF%
$4.55MM through 2021-22

Brett Pesce:

24, right-handed
19:38 ATOI
39 GP, 3 G, 8 A, 11 P, +14 rating, 54.2% CF%
$4.025MM through 2023-24

Trevor van Riemsdyk:

27, right-handed
15:16 ATOI
44 GP, 2 G, 7 A, 9 P, -2 rating, 53.1% CF%
$2.3MM through 2019-20

Haydn Fleury:

22, left-handed
12:40 ATOI
11 GP, 0 G, 1 A, 1 P, +1 rating, 52.5% CF%
$863K through 2018-19 (RFA)

Which Carolina defenseman is most likely to be traded?
Dougie Hamilton 37.17% (452 votes)
Justin Faulk 29.11% (354 votes)
Brett Pesce 13.73% (167 votes)
Trevor van Riemsdyk 6.74% (82 votes)
Calvin de Haan 3.87% (47 votes)
Haydn Fleury 3.87% (47 votes)
Jaccob Slavin 2.80% (34 votes)
None 2.71% (33 votes)
Total Votes: 1,216

[Mobile users click here to vote]

Carolina Hurricanes Willing To Move Top-Four Defenseman

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It’s been months if not years of speculation surrounding the Carolina Hurricanes and their depth on defense, but now as the team has started playing well and is pushing closer to the final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference things are heating up. Today, Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic reported (subscription required) that the Hurricanes are willing to move one of their top-four defensemen, and noted that both Dougie Hamilton and Brett Pesce are generating interest from around the league. Carolina is interested in landing another top-six forward, especially given that pending free agent Micheal Ferland is “all but gone” according to LeBrun.

Since the Hurricanes have already indicated that Jaccob Slavin is the one untouchable on the blue line, trading a top-four option would likely come down to Hamilton, Pesce or former co-captain Justin Faulk. Calvin de Haan does have some claim to a top-four role of his own, but between just signing with the Hurricanes in the summer and not being part of the overload on the right side, his availability seems more unlikely.

It won’t surprise anyone to find out that the Hurricanes are listening on a trade of this magnitude. This is the team that has jettisoned Elias Lindholm, Victor Rask, Noah Hanifin and Jeff Skinner in the last six months as they try to find a new identity under owner Tom Dundon and head coach Rod Brind’Amour. Dundon has made it clear that he wants to win and he wants to win now, something that they’re going to need more scoring to accomplish.

Hamilton and Pesce both represent huge targets for other teams around the league, but they come with much different financial situations. Hamilton, 25, is signed for just two years after this season and comes with a $5.75MM cap hit. After starting the season strong he has seen his minutes reduced of late, playing fewer than 20 minutes in 16 of his last 20 appearances. Pesce’s ice time meanwhile is headed in the opposite direction, logging four of his top-five totals in this month alone including nearly 23 minutes in a win over the Edmonton Oilers on Sunday. The 24-year old also comes with five additional seasons under contract at a reasonable $4.025MM cap hit.

The two come with very different on-ice profiles too however, as Hamilton is a possession-driving offensive option while Pesce is of the more reliable stay-at-home variety. In fact, Hamilton has recorded almost three times as many shots on net this season given his ample powerplay time, while Pesce easily leads the Hurricanes in short-handed time per game. That kind of stylistic gap will make it very interesting to see who the Hurricanes deal, as moving either one would open up an opportunity for someone else to step in. It also would offer some insight into what the acquiring team is after, especially as the playoffs draw closer.

Obviously it’s not even a certainty that one of the Hurricanes defensemen is moved at all, but as the trade deadline comes within view they will be one of the teams most watched for any activity.

Teuvo Teravainen Signs Five-Year Extension

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The Carolina Hurricanes have locked up one of their most consistent offensive performers, signing Teuvo Teravainen to a five-year extension. The deal will carry an average annual value of $5.4MM and keep Teravainen from reaching free agency until after the 2023-24 season. The 24-year old forward was scheduled to become a restricted free agent this summer. Carolina GM Don Waddell released a statement about the signing:

Teuvo has improved every year of his NHL career and has established himself as a cornerstone forward for the Hurricanes now and into the future. He has shown that he is capable of adapting and expanding his role with our team, becoming a key penalty killer for Rod [Brind’amour] this season. He’s still just 24 years old and we believe he will only continue to grow as a player.

Teravainen was acquired by the Hurricanes in a 2016 transaction that used their cap space as an asset, taking on Bryan Bickell’s contract from the Chicago Blackhawks alongside the young forward. In his first season in Carolina the part-time center recorded 15 goals and 42 points, but really broke out in 2017-18 when he was moved to the wing. Teravainen finished with 64 points last season, just one behind Sebastian Aho for the team lead. That kind of production, when added to the 39-point season he’s working on so far in 2018-19, made him a prime candidate for a long-term extension in Carolina.

This extension buys out just two years of unrestricted free agency, allowing the Hurricanes to keep the cap hit relatively low while still locking Teravainen up through his prime. His contract actually compares directly to one that the Hurricanes just acquired in Nino Niederreiter, who signed a very similar five-year contract in 2017 that carries a $5.25MM cap hit. Those two project to be Carolina’s top earning forwards next season, at least until Sebastian Aho signs his next deal which will likely also be of the long-term variety.

Carolina is trying to build a forward core that can stay and grow together over the next few years, and there was little doubt that Teravainen would be a part of that. Getting his deal done early also signals to the rest of their group that they’re willing to hand out reasonable long-term deals, something that was in question after failing to get anything done with Elias Lindholm before trading him out of town. Next on the agenda could be Micheal Ferland, who is a pending unrestricted free agent and top trade chip, but one the Hurricanes have indicated they would like to re-sign if possible.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images

Carolina Has Had Interest In Tristan Jarry

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The Hurricanes have shown an interest in Penguins goalie prospect Tristan Jarry in the past, notes Jason Mackey of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.  With Pittsburgh signing Casey DeSmith to an extension recently, Jarry’s name has come up as a speculative trade candidate between now and the February 25th trade deadline.  Carolina’s top two goalies at the moment in Curtis McElhinney and Petr Mrazek are both slated to become unrestricted free agents this summer so it wouldn’t be too surprising to see the Hurricanes circle back on Jarry at some point over the next month.

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