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Carolina Hurricanes Acquire Brent Burns

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11:55am: The deal is now complete, according to LeBrun. The Hurricanes will receive Burns and Lane Pederson in exchange for Steven Lorentz, Eetu Makiniemi, and a conditional 2023 third-round pick. The Sharks will retain one-third of Burns’ remaining contract.

10:30am: While Carolina moved a notable defenseman at the draft when they sent Anthony DeAngelo to Philadelphia, it appears they’ve found his replacement.  Pierre LeBrun of TSN and The Athletic reports (Twitter link) that the Hurricanes are close to acquiring Brent Burns from San Jose.  Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman adds (Twitter link) that Carolina isn’t on Burns’ three-team trade list but it appears he’ll be willing to waive his trade protection to facilitate a move.  LeBrun adds (via Twitter) that multiple players are involved in the swap.

Burns has been a staple on the back end for the Sharks for more than a decade as an all-situations defender that logs heavy minutes.  A three-time Norris finalist (and one-time winner), the 37-year-old is coming off a pretty strong season as he led all San Jose defenders in scoring with 10 goals and 44 assists in 82 games in 2021-22 while logging a career-high 26:09 per game.

The reason that San Jose is moving him is his contract.  Burns still has three years left on his contract with a cap hit of $8MM and with the Sharks not having a lot of financial flexibility, it was expected that they’d try to move one of their three pricey veterans on the back end.  With both Erik Karlsson and Marc-Edouard Vlasic coming off tough seasons that have them on negative-value contracts, Burns was the logical one to try to move.

With Carolina, Burns shouldn’t be counted on to log anywhere near the type of minutes he did in San Jose with the Hurricanes and he could fit in nicely on their second pairing behind Brett Pesce.  He would certainly help replace the minutes that DeAngelo logged last season while being able to help cover the offensive gap left behind as well.

More to follow.

Carolina Hurricanes Re-Sign Stefan Noesen

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The Carolina Hurricanes announced Tuesday that the team has reached a new agreement with forward Stefan Noesen on a two-year, partial two-way deal to keep him in the Carolina organization. The contract has a cap hit of $762,500, with the breakdown as follows:

2022-23: $750,000 NHL salary, $500,000 minors salary, $550,000 guaranteed
2023-24: $775,000 NHL and minors salary

Noesen had a successful first year with the Hurricanes, guiding their AHL affiliate, the Chicago Wolves, to the 2022 Calder Cup. Noesen led the AHL in goals with 48 and added on 37 assists for 85 points in 70 games. He had a strong Calder Cup Playoffs run as well, notching 25 points in 18 games. It marked a full-time return to the AHL for Noesen, who had spent the majority of his time in the NHL from 2016-17.

Now 29, Noesen is still a reliable call-up in case of an injury but doesn’t have much everyday NHL upside anymore. He hasn’t registered a point in the NHL since 2019-20 when he had seven goals and two assists in 40 games split between the Pittsburgh Penguins and San Jose Sharks.

Poised to reprise his role as an alternate captain in Chicago next year, Noesen will be charged with helping lead a group of young Carolina forward prospects that includes Jack Drury, Ryan Suzuki, Jamieson Rees, and Noel Gunler.

 

Philadelphia Flyers Acquire Tony DeAngelo

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July 11: The Flyers have officially announced the two-year extension, which will carry an average annual value of $5MM exactly. DeAngelo will be scheduled for unrestricted free agency following the 2023-24 season.

July 8: The Philadelphia Flyers have added some offense to their blue line, acquiring Tony DeAngelo from the Carolina Hurricanes for pick No. 101 today, a third-round pick in 2023 (the lowest of the three they own), and a second-round pick in 2024. The Flyers will also receive pick No. 220 today.

Philadelphia general manager Chuck Fletcher released the following:

We’re very happy to add Tony to our team and I know he is very excited to join the Flyers. We did our due diligence and we strongly believe in Tony and his ability to help our team. He is a right-handed shot who moves the puck extremely well and will drive offense from the back end for us.

Because DeAngelo is a restricted free agent, the Flyers also needed to work out an extension with him. Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet reports that the deal will be for two years, while Charlie O’Connor of The Athletic adds that it will carry an average annual value of about $5MM.

After being exiled from the New York Rangers locker room and bought out at the end of the 2020-21 season, DeAngelo arrived in Carolina to try and re-establish himself as a premier offensive defenseman in the league. He did just that, scoring 51 points in 64 games, while generally staying out of the spotlight.

Still, the Hurricanes decided to move on before they had to, as the 26-year-old defenseman could have been kept through the arbitration process. Instead, he was given permission to speak with other teams about a potential trade and extension.

They found a taker in Philadelphia, who give up a good amount of draft capital for the right to sign DeAngelo to a relatively expensive contract. The Flyers have made it very clear that they have no interest in a rebuild, and this shows they are committed to trying to compete in 2022-23.

It also might point to the uncertainty surrounding the health of Ryan Ellis, who may not be ready for the start of the season. DeAngelo can run the powerplay and log minutes on the right side, though he doesn’t exactly have the same defensive chops.

For Carolina, who is also expected to move Ethan Bear at some point this offseason, there are some holes to fill on the back end. Jaccob Slavin and Brett Pesce can cover up a lack of depth to a point but it will be interesting to see how aggressive they are in free agency next week.

Free Agent Focus: Carolina Hurricanes

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Free agency is now less than a week away and teams are looking ahead to when it opens up.  There will be several prominent players set to hit the open market in mid-July while many teams have key restricted free agents to re-sign as well.  Next up is a look at the Carolina Hurricanes. 

Key Restricted Free Agents

F Martin Necas –Just one year ago, Necas looked like he would soon become one of the Hurricanes’ most important forwards. While that still might get there, his 2021-22 season was a step back. After scoring at a 63-point pace last season, many were expecting Necas to fulfill the promise that got him drafted twelfth-overall at the 2017 draft and become a true top-six forward. But for a variety of reasons, that didn’t happen in 2021-22, and Necas had a fine season, with 40 points in 72 games, but certainly not the clear-cut step forward many were expecting. The emergence of Seth Jarvis cut into Necas’ offensive opportunities, and Necas’ inconsistent nightly effort left many fans frustrated. TSN’s Pierre LeBrun reported that the Hurricanes may be tempted to trade Necas if they can get an offer for a young defenseman in return, although he also reported that the team is not actively looking to trade him, As a restricted free agent, Necas is likely in bridge deal territory and could get a deal around $3MM-$4MM, if not a bit more. While the Hurricanes did pull the trigger on a long-term extension for Jesperi Kotkaniemi before he had even finished his first season with the team, it doesn’t seem like they’ll go the same route with Necas.

D Ethan Bear – Bear is in a similar situation to Necas. We previously covered how Bear has been given permission from the Hurricanes to speak to other teams about other opportunities, and he too could be on the move this offseason, even though the Hurricanes want to re-sign him. Bear, 25, has seen his usage decline since he averaged nearly 22 minutes of ice time per night as a rookie with the Edmonton Oilers, and he was a healthy scratch for the entirety of the Hurricanes’ run to the second round of the playoffs this year. Bear wants to play, as any player does, and now has the opportunity to look for a team more willing to give him a consistent nightly role. A short-term bridge around his current $2MM cap hit, with maybe a small raise, makes the most sense here.

Other RFA’s: F Steven Lorentz, F David Cotton, F Stelio Mattheos, D Joey Keane, D Maxime Lajoie, D Tarmo Reunanen, D Jesper Sellgren, G Jack LaFontaine, G Beck Warm

Key Unrestricted Free Agents

F Vincent Trocheck – In April, we focused on Trocheck’s upcoming free agency situation in more depth. Not much has changed since then, though his productive playoff run (10 points in 14 games) should help his previously thin playoff resume. Trocheck is an established two-way pivot who is generally regarded as a solid second-line center. He can typically be relied on to produce around 50 points of offense, with the potential to hit even higher numbers in the right circumstances, as he did in 2020-21 with 43 points in 47 games and in 2017-18 when he had a career-high 75 points. Trocheck ranked third among Hurricanes forwards in shorthanded average time-on-ice per game with 1:46 and helped the Hurricanes to a top-ranked penalty kill finish in 2021-22 with an 88% success rate and a third-place finish in 2020-21 with an 85.2% success rate. Trocheck is also elite at the dot, and he won 54.6% of his faceoffs this past season. Trocheck’s defensive game earned him a third-place Selke Trophy vote, and he’s the sort of productive center who plays a 200-foot game that NHL GM’s are tripping over each other to acquire. Trocheck could earn a major contract this summer, with the potential to earn a similar deal to the seven-year, $7.14MM AAV deal Kevin Hayes got from the Philadelphia Flyers if there is a particularly interested suitor.

F Nino Niederreiter – In June, we took a look at Nino Niederreiter’s upcoming free agency in more depth. Niederreiter, 29, is a productive winger who can score around 20 goals and 50 points in most years, although he has had some less productive seasons. Niederreiter is a winger who belongs on an offensive line and can help support other skilled players in making and finishing plays. He’s not going to drive his own line or overwhelm anyone with his speed, skills, or physicality, but he’s the sort of productive offensive winger that can reliably staff any second line in the NHL. it’s unlikely that Niederreiter gets a raise from the $5.25MM he earned this season, and it’s actually far more likely that his next contract comes in below that number when you consider the flat-cap world NHL clubs are operating in.

F Max Domi – Domi has been a bit of an enigma so far in his NHL career, as he’s had years where he’s a highly productive fan-favorite top-six staple, and he’s also had seasons where he’s underperformed, butted heads with coaches, and struggled to make a positive impact on the ice. The true reality of Domi’s game and the value he brings to an NHL team likely lies somewhere in the middle, and his time in Carolina provides a blueprint of what teams can reasonably expect from Domi moving forward. The 27-year-old scored seven points in 19 regular-season games and six points in 14 playoff games, and became the Hurricanes’ Game Seven hero with two important goals in the team’s victory over the Boston Bruins. Domi brings real energy and offensive skill to a lineup, but he struggles to read the ice and effectively utilize his teammates. So while his offensive talent is undeniable (his 72 points on an otherwise offensively mediocre Montreal Canadiens team is proof of that) his vision is the largest factor that keeps him from being a consistent top-six force. If a team is reasonable with its expectations, they could get a solid middle-six scoring winger at a price that’s not likely going to be exorbitant.

Other UFA’s: F Derek Stepan, D Ian Cole, D Brendan Smith, F Josh Leivo, F Sam Miletic, F Stefan Noesen, F Andrew Poturalski, F Spencer Smallman, F C.J. Smith, D Josh Jacobs, G Alex Lyon

Projected Cap Space

As one would expect for a team with multiple established NHL-ers whose contracts have expired, the Hurricanes are not without room to maneuver under the salary cap this summer. CapFriendly projects them to have over $19MM in space to work with, although that projection is with defenseman Jake Gardiner still placed on long-term injured reserve. Gardiner is now healthy, ineligible for LTIR, and ready to play. If Carolina was the absolute most possible cap space to work with for Wednesday, they’ll have to move Gardiner and his $4.05MM cap hit.

Photos courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.  Contract information courtesy of CapFriendly.

NHL Announces 2022-23 Regular Season Schedule

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The news continues to break during what’s been a busy pre-draft week. The NHL has released the full 82-game schedule for the 2022-23 campaign, marking a return to normal dates and length for the first time since 2018-19.

2022-23 will see its curtains open overseas, where the San Jose Sharks and Nashville Predators will open the season at the O2 Arena in Prague, Czechia on October 7 and 8, 2022. The regular season will begin on the North American side of the Atlantic Ocean on Tuesday, October 11, 2022, with a classic doubleheader. The puck will drop at Madison Square Garden for an Eastern Conference Final rematch between the Tampa Bay Lightning and New York Rangers, followed by a Pacific Division showdown in Southern California between the Vegas Golden Knights and Los Angeles Kings.

The Colorado Avalanche Stanley Cup banner-raising ceremony will be the following night at home against the Chicago Blackhawks. The season will wrap up on April 13, 2023.

Some key events throughout the season include the 2022 Global Series in Tampere, Finland, where the Avalanche and Columbus Blue Jackets will play a pair of games on November 4 and 5, 2022. The 2023 Discover NHL Winter Classic is slated for January 2, 2023, between the Pittsburgh Penguins and Boston Bruins at Fenway Park, and the 2023 NHL Stadium Series is set for February 18, 2023, in Raleigh, North Carolina, where the Hurricanes will host the Washington Capitals. All-Star Weekend will be February 3-4, 2023, hosted by the Florida Panthers.

Offseason Checklist: Carolina Hurricanes

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With the offseason in full swing, it’s time to examine what each squad will need to accomplish over the coming months.  Next up is a look at the Carolina Hurricanes.

Dominant regular season, disappointing second-round exit. That’s two years running for the Hurricanes, who are 90-32-16 over the past two regular seasons and have barely anything to show for it. With plenty of talent scheduled for unrestricted free agency, and tough decisions cresting the horizon, this could be a huge offseason for general manager Don Waddell.

Is Martin Necas Part Of The Answer?

Forty points in 71 games isn’t bad. No one is saying that Necas deserves to be shipped overseas or jammed in the minor leagues. The 23-year-old is obviously good enough to contribute at the NHL level, and he’s proven it with 119 points over 203 career games. But time is starting to tick on his career in Carolina if he isn’t able to take the next step.

This is a player that was expected to be a leader by now, someone the Hurricanes could rely on to drive the second line and take some pressure off Sebastian Aho. Instead, he has been limited to the wing for basically his entire NHL career, saw a steep downturn in point production this year, and has been essentially replaced by Seth Jarvis on the team’s depth chart.

Now a restricted free agent, there have been rumblings that Carolina could be open to moving the 2017 12th-overall pick. Making a decision one way or another will have to be done soon, as Necas needs a new contract with the Hurricanes or any team they trade him to.

Replace Or Re-Sign Vincent Trocheck

If the Hurricanes do end up losing Trocheck to the open market, they’re going to need to find a second-line center. Jordan Staal has always been best suited as a third-line pivot, while Jesperi Kotkaniemi probably isn’t ready to take over that spot full-time. That means combing the free agent market or making a trade, since there isn’t another obvious internal option.

Of course, the team could just keep Trocheck as well, but given what he is likely to command on the open market–at least in terms of contract years–they may not want to commit. That could put them in a difficult position when July 13 rolls around, scrambling to find a replacement that costs less and fits into their fast, retrieval-oriented, system.

With Nino Niederreiter also set to become an unrestricted free agent, the Hurricanes have to be careful not to lose too much of their identity up front this season, chasing the answer somewhere else.

Sort Out The Defense

Hard to believe that a team like Carolina would need to add defense, given their history of overstocking the position, but that appears to be the case this summer. Ian Cole and Brendan Smith are UFAs, Ethan Bear is on the trade block, and Tony DeAngelo has already been given permission to talk to other teams, given the huge arbitration award he would likely receive if the team gave him a qualifying offer. The team isn’t in a desperate spot but there could be several new faces on the back-end at the start of next season.

One interesting wrinkle is the presence of Jake Gardiner, who has been deemed healthy enough to resume his career next season. The 32-year-old hasn’t played in over a year, meaning it’s completely uncertain what the Hurricanes will actually receive from him on the ice. It’s hard to rely on him providing value anywhere near his $4.05MM cap hit, muddling the situation even further.

Keep An Eye On Goaltending

For the second year in a row, Frederik Andersen disappeared with a mysterious injury when his team needed him most. The last time the veteran netminder appeared in a postseason game was the 2020 bubble, despite him winning the Jennings Trophy and finishing fourth in Vezina Trophy voting this year.

A .922 save percentage in the regular season is great, but if the Hurricanes can’t rely on Andersen by the time the playoffs roll around, none of it really matters. With him and partner Antti Raanta both heading into the final year of their respective deals, the Hurricanes will need to keep one eye open for any goaltending opportunities.

Sure, Pyotr Kochetkov looks like he might be something, but handing the keys over to a 24-year-old netminder in 2023-24 certainly doesn’t inspire a ton of confidence. If a chance to upgrade the position–even just health-wise–presents itself, Waddell and his staff need to strike.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images

Hurricanes Allowing Anthony DeAngelo To Speak To Other Teams

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  • Ethan Bear isn’t the only pending Hurricanes RFA blueliner that is being allowed to speak to other teams in the league as Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reports that defenseman Anthony DeAngelo has been granted permission to shop his services. The 26-year-old was one of the biggest bargains in the league in 2021-22, picking up 51 points in 64 games with just a $1MM AAV.  DeAngelo is arbitration-eligible this summer and with Carolina having a lot of key players to re-sign, there may be a price point that’s too rich for them to agree to.  Allowing DeAngelo to speak to other teams will give everyone a better understanding of what his market could be this summer.

Hurricanes RFA Jesper Sellgren Signs In Sweden

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After losing pending RFA blueliner Tarmo Reunanen to a team in Finland earlier this week, the Hurricanes have lost another pending RFA defenseman to a club overseas as Lulea of the SHL announced the signing of Jesper Sellgren to a three-year contract.

The 24-year-old was a sixth-round pick of Carolina back in 2018 (166th overall) and he transferred to Lulea’s system soon after so he’s returning to a familiar team.  This past season was his first full one in North America and he did relatively well, picking up 26 points in 73 regular season games with AHL Chicago while chipping in with three assists as the Wolves won the Calder Cup title.

However, with an NHL opportunity likely not coming, Sellgren has decided to head back home to a league he has already played parts of four seasons in.  While Carolina can still retain his NHL rights with a qualifying offer, by the time this contract expires in 2025, it will be lining up with him being an unrestricted free agent in the NHL.  Accordingly, the Hurricanes could simply decide to relinquish his rights later this month.

Nino Niederreiter To Test Free Agency

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  • Hurricanes winger Nino Niederreiter will test the open market when it opens up on July 13th, his agent Andre Rufener told Pierre LeBrun in his latest piece for The Athletic (subscription link). Rufener didn’t rule out the possibility of Carolina re-signing him but the 29-year-old will see what’s out there first.  Niederreiter is coming off his second straight season of at least 20 goals which should have his market somewhere close to the $5.25MM he had on his set-to-expire contract.

Tarmo Reunanen Signs In Finland

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The Carolina Hurricanes don’t have to worry about a restricted free agent negotiation with Tarmo Reunanen. The young defenseman has signed a two-year contract with Lukko in Finland after he failed to suit up for a single playoff game for the Calder Cup-winning Chicago Wolves.

Reunanen, 24, landed with Carolina at the deadline in a minor league trade in order to provide Chicago with additional defensive depth, something they proved unnecessary as they stomped their way through the AHL playoffs. His exclusive rights can be retained by issuing him a qualifying offer, though it does seem like this may be the end of his time with the Hurricanes.

A two-year deal will leave Reunanen 26 years old at its expiry, and just a year away from unrestricted free agency. He could at that point sign a contract to return, though this isn’t just a new opportunity–it’s a return home. He played several seasons for Lukko before coming over and had his only Liiga playoff appearance with them in 2019.

The Finnish blueliner didn’t even come over to North America until 2020, despite being a fourth-round pick in 2016. He managed four games at the NHL level with the Rangers and 69 more in the minor leagues, split between the Wolves and the Hartford Wolf Pack.

An offensively-gifted defenseman, he did rack up 37 points in those AHL contests but wasn’t able to really make a mark at the NHL level. He’s a name to keep an eye on down the road but one that very well may be staying overseas at this point.

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