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Alex Nedeljkovic

Free Agent Focus: Carolina Hurricanes

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Free agency is now just a little more than a month away and many teams are already looking ahead to when it opens up.  There will be several prominent players set to hit the open market in late July while many teams have key restricted free agents to re-sign as well.  Coming off a disappointing playoff exit, the Carolina Hurricanes have an extremely eventful summer ahead of them.

Key Restricted Free Agents

F Andrei Svechnikov – Despite taking a small step back this season offensively, Svechnikov was a large part of arguably the most successful regular season in Hurricanes history. While seeing the highest ice time of his career, Svechnikov dipped below the 20-goal mark for the first time in his career and was moved up and down the lineup under coach Rod Brind’Amour. It’s not all bad for the young Russian winger, though, as he still managed a respectable 42 points in 55 contests. It was largely a better effort defensively this season for Svechnikov as well, still boosting his value as he earned those extra minutes. With proven 20-goal ability and 30- and even 40-goal potential, Svechnikov likely sees a huge raise on his entry-level contract in the neighborhood of $6MM. It’s interesting to note that Svechnikov is not eligible for arbitration, meaning that negotiations will have to be resolved purely between the team and his agent.

F Warren Foegele – It was another solid season for the 25-year-old forward, who’s settling nicely into a third-line scoring role with Carolina. After being drafted 67th overall in 2014, Foegele crossed the 200-game threshold with his final game of the 2020-21 season. Even through shortened seasons, Foegele’s now scored between 10 and 15 goals in three straight campaigns with his ice time creeping up year by year. He’s trusted in both zones by the coaching staff, and a longer-term, lower-dollar deal could end up benefitting both sides down the road.

G Alex Nedeljkovic – One of the two Calder Trophy finalists who’s up for a new deal next season, Nedeljkovic was a pleasant surprise this season that helped stabilize the Carolina crease. Nedeljkovic sported a sparkling .932 save percentage to lead the league in that category, paired with a 15-5-3 record. Nedeljkovic continued his strong play into the playoffs, as his .920 mark was more than enough to keep the team competitive. He’ll indisputably be given the inside track on the starters’ job next season in Carolina, and will likely earn a short-term, Jordan Binnington-esque contract this offseason.

Other RFAs: F Yegor Korshkov, F Morgan Geekie, F Spencer Smallman, D Jake Bean, D Maxime Lajoie, G Jeremy Helvig

Key Unrestricted Free Agents

D Dougie Hamilton – While he didn’t have the ideal contract year, Hamilton will be a huge commodity this offseason. A respectable offensive force on the blueline, Hamilton finished 2020-21 with his seventh straight 10-goal campaign. His ability in transition is huge in ensuring that his team is the one with the puck on their sticks, and his 6′ 6″ frame isn’t exactly something to mess with. With a 62-point pace this season over 82 games, he continues to be one of the highest-scoring defenders in the league. The demand for UFA defensemen this season is high, and rumors of a sign-and-trade have swirled surrounding Hamilton. While it’s seeming unlikely he’ll return to Raleigh, there’s always a chance.

G Petr Mrazek – Injuries largely forced Mrazek into a backup role this season. However, it didn’t impact his play when he was in the net – he had arguably one of the best seasons of his career. His .923 save percentage was his highest as a Hurricane, and while his 12-game sample size is certainly a prohibiting factor, it only reinforces Mrazek’s reputation as one of the best tandem netminders in the league. With Nedeljkovic assuming the starting role, it’s unlikely Mrazek will be content to return as a backup. Another team can promise more games and more dollars, which will likely be deserved for the 29-year-old Czech native.

F Brock McGinn – The proposition of McGinn returning to the Canes is, at this point, anybody’s guess. While he showed flashes of strong potential with a 30-point season in 2017-18, McGinn, now 27, has cooled off since then. He’s still been a solid depth contributor, and he even saw some ice time with Sebastian Aho on the first line this season. But with the strength of Carolina’s prospect pool, it may not make much sense to re-sign an aging, declining depth winger. With nearly 350 games of NHL experience, he’ll find a home next season, whether it’s in Carolina or not.

Other UFAs: F Cedric Paquette, F Jordan Martinook, F Max McCormick, F Sheldon Rempal, F David Gust, D Jani Hakanpaa, D Roland McKeown, G James Reimer, G Antoine Bibeau

Projected Cap Space

The Hurricanes have been smart in building a contender, signing players to affordable longer-team deals. It puts Carolina in a position to add big this offseason with nearly $30MM in cap space. They can’t be too playful with their cash, however. After all, they have both goalie spots to fill in addition to big contracts due on both offense and defense. With Nino Niederreiter, Vincent Trocheck, and Martin Necas all in need of extensions after 2021-22, this offseason could be crucial in maintaining long-term success in Carolina.

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

2021 Calder Trophy Finalists Announced

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The NHL has continued to release the finalists for their major regular season awards, this time giving us the top Calder Trophy candidates. This award is given to the top first-year player in the league and is voted on by the Professional Hockey Writers Association.

The finalists are Kirill Kaprizov of the Minnesota Wild, Jason Robertson of the Dallas Stars and Alex Nedeljkovic of the Carolina Hurricanes.

Kaprizov, 24, is the favorite for the award and has been for much of the season after finally agreeing to come over from the KHL. The skilled winger finished the year with 27 goals and 51 points in 55 games, injecting new life and excitement into a franchise that was lacking both. There’s going to always be a debate on whether Kaprizov should be eligible for the Calder, since he completed six seasons in the KHL before coming to North America, but what he did as a first-year player in the NHL shouldn’t be taken for granted. His play was outstanding all year and his Minnesota team was extremely close to upsetting the Vegas Golden Knights and advancing to the second round.

Just because Kaprizov is the favorite though, doesn’t mean Robertson should be forgotten. The 21-year-old Stars forward burst onto the scene with 45 points of his own in 51 games, finishing behind only Joe Pavelski for the team lead in goals and points. The 6’3″ winger was a second-round pick four years ago but just never stopped developing, adding strength and speed to his frame to go with some well-developed puck skills. Robertson looks like the next great Dallas player and a pillar to build around after a disappointing year.

Like many Calder races, there are the skaters and then there is the goalie. It’s difficult to compare the two directly, but the people in Carolina would certainly argue that Nedeljkovic’s contribution was more important this season. The 25-year-old netminder has battled in the minor leagues for years and was even waived at the beginning of this season, but when Petr Mrazek suffered an injury, Nedeljkovic finally got his chance. He never looked back, posting an incredible .932 save percentage through 23 regular season games, winning 15 of them and posting three shutouts. In the shortened season there was a real case for Nedeljkovic getting a Vezina Trophy nominee, given he led the league in save percentage and goals-against average (1.90), but after falling short there he’ll have to settle for being a Calder finalist instead.

Carolina Signs Goaltenders Pyotr Kochetkov, Eetu Makiniemi

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Saturday: The Hurricanes have now confirmed the signings, adding that each young keeper has inked a two-year entry-level contract. The two contracts are financially identical except for one detail: Kochetkov’s deal will carry and $842.5K NHL salary in both seasons, as well as an $185K signing bonus and a $70K AHL salary, while Makiniemi’s is structured the same but includes a raise to $892.5K in the second year. This makes the AAV on Makiniemi’s contract $867.5K.

Perhaps the more important update comes from the KHL’s Torpedo Nizhny Novgorod, who have announced a one-year extension with Kochetkov. This presumably means that the young keeper will spend the first season of his entry-level deal on loan to the KHL. Makiniemi is still expected to make the jump to North America for next season, which could give him an edge in the competition to determine which prospect keeper is the first in line for NHL starts.

Friday: There is about to be a total overhaul in the Carolina net. With Hurricanes goaltenders Petr Mrazek, James Reimer, and Antoine Bibeau all slated for unrestricted free agency this summer, the team is set to sign two talented prospects to join Alex Nedeljkovic in goal. Salary resources CapFriendly and PuckPedia are each reporting that young goalies Pyotr Kochetkov and Eetu Makiniemi have agreed to terms on entry-level contracts with Carolina. The duo are likely slated for the AHL for a season or two, but could challenge for NHL opportunities before too long.

Kochetkov, 21, was a highly-touted overage netminder in the 2019 NHL Draft, selected early in the second round by the ’Canes. After years of dominating the junior and minor league ranks in Russia, as well impressing on the international stage at the 2019 World Juniors, Kochetkov finally found some success at the top level in the KHL this season. Splitting his season between Torpedo Nizhny Novgorod and Vityaz Podolsk, Kochetkov was a serviceable backup with a sub-2.70 GAA for both teams and a .931 save percentage in the regular season and postseason for Torpedo. Looking to take the next step in his development, Kochetkov appears ready for the AHL and hopes that he can follow a recent influx of elite young Russian netminders and find success in his move to North America.

Makiniemi, 22, was a fourth-round puck by Carolina back in 2017. After years spent in the junior ranks in Finland, Makiniemi finally found a starting role in the Liiiga late last season. He was stellar in seven games down the stretch for Ilves, recording a .936 save percentage and 1.53 GAA. That was enough to earn him the top job for the team this year and while his numbers regressed somewhat, they did so in 34 games plus a playoff run. Having finally honed his ability at the pro level, Makiniemi also seems ready for the AHL. He may begin next season as the backup to Kochetkov, but is a legitimate threat to outplay his counterpart.

 

Alex Nedeljkovic To Avoid Group VI Unrestricted Free Agency

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At the beginning of the season, Alex Nedeljkovic seemed like his time in the Carolina Hurricanes organization was running out. Despite being the 37th overall pick in 2014 and having lots of success at the minor league level, the undersized goaltender hadn’t really ever been given a chance in the NHL. It seemed the Hurricanes were ready to move on when they claimed Anton Forsberg off waivers and then exposed the 25-year-old Nedeljkovic to the rest of the league, but when he went unclaimed, plans changed. He could then be put on the taxi squad, meaning Forsberg was suddenly expendable.

But still, a split between the Hurricanes and Nedeljkovic was fast approaching. Given his age and minimal NHL experience, he was a prime candidate to be eligible for Group VI unrestricted free agency at the end of the season. He would be able to sign with whatever team he wanted and the Hurricanes would essentially lose him a few years early. Unless, of course, they found 20 games for him somehow in this shortened 56-game schedule. That seemed impossible with Petr Mrazek and James Reimer both on the roster, given he’d only played in six NHL games previously.

The impossible has happened, as Nedeljkovic was given an opportunity to run with the starting job when Mrazek suffered a long-term injury. Now 12-4-3 on the season with an eye-popping .930 save percentage, Nedeljkovic will start his 20th game tonight, meaning he is no longer eligible for Group VI UFA status (provided he makes it through 30 minutes of this evening’s match). Instead, he will be a restricted free agent with arbitration rights and one of the most interesting cases to watch this offseason.

Carolina hasn’t committed yet to any goaltender for the 2021-22 season, as both Reimer and Mrazek are on expiring contracts. Both of the veterans will be unrestricted free agents. Nedelkjovic meanwhile could potentially have stolen the job long-term, if the front office believes this performance is indicative of his true talent level (or close to it). There’s a good argument to be made that he should be in consideration for the Calder and Vezina trophies as he currently leads the league in save percentage and goals-against average. He hasn’t played as much as some of the leaders—Juuse Saros, Andrei Vasilevskiy and Marc-Andre Fleury have all started at least 30 games—but as head coach Rod Brind’Amour continues to give him starts, he’s inching towards his totals being “enough” for voters to take notice.

For a goaltender who was available for nothing at the start of the season, it’s been quite the turnaround for Nedeljkovic. It’s about to pay off handsomely in the offseason, even if he will be now be restricted.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images

Hurricanes Open To Moving A Goaltender

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With Alex Nedeljkovic thriving in recent weeks and Petr Mrazek set to return soon from his thumb injury, Carolina is nearing a goalie logjam on their hands with James Reimer also in the mix.  Speaking with Sara Civian of The Athletic (subscription link), GM Don Waddell indicated that they’re comfortable carrying three goalies on the active roster for the rest of the season but also suggested that he’d be open to moving one by April 12th as well:

If we’re gonna do something at the trade deadline, maybe one of the chips is one of our goalies. I can’t say which one. It depends.

Nedeljkovic has been on quite the run in March, posting a .939 SV% in seven starts and has once again become waiver-eligible in the process.  While he cleared back in January, it’s safe to say that he won’t pass through unclaimed if they were to try it again, especially with the frequency that goaltenders have been getting claimed since the start of the regular season.

As for Reimer, he is having a decent season with a 2.68 GAA and a .909 SV% in 17 appearances, numbers that are right around his career averages.  He isn’t a starting goalie at this stage of his career but he’d represent an upgrade for several teams at the backup position.

It would be difficult to envision Mrazek being moved at this point.  He has been limited to just four games this season due to the thumb injury and went into the year as their presumptive starter (or 1A to Reimer’s 1B, at least).  While Nedeljkovic is on a nice run right now, it probably hasn’t been enough to make their most proven goaltender expendable at this point.

It’s worth noting that Carolina has a bit of cap flexibility with the ability to add more than $6MM in full-season salary, per CapFriendly.  While none of their goalies makes much (Reimer leads the way at $3.4MM, Mrazek is at $3.15MM, and Nedeljkovic is at just under $738K), the Hurricanes certainly aren’t in a situation where the cap is going to dictate what happens; they can easily afford to carry all three the rest of the way.  Both Reimer and Mrazek are pending unrestricted free agents as well.

As for what Waddell would like to add, be it with one of his goalies or something else?  He told Civian that a right-shot defender would be ideal as they only have two on the roster in Dougie Hamilton and Brett Pesce so adding another one to balance out their third pairing would make some sense.  Depth defenders are pieces that often move around this time but it shouldn’t take one of their goaltenders to move one unless they’re setting their sights a bit higher.  We’ll see what direction Waddell ultimately goes in the coming weeks.

Injury Notes: Mrazek, Letang, Thornton

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The Carolina Hurricanes are going to be without starting goaltender Petr Mrazek for longer than initially thought. Head coach Rod Brind’Amour said today that the injury suffered against the Dallas Stars on Saturday is “more serious” than they originally believed and Mrazek may even require surgery. That’s terrible news for a goaltender who was leading the league with a .955 save percentage and 0.99 goals-against average through his first four appearances. Mrazek had already recorded two shutouts on the year and looked to be playing at an entirely different level in the early going.

For the Hurricanes, it means James Reimer will take most of the load, while minor league netminder Alex Nedeljkovic will get a chance to serve as the primary backup. The 25-year-old Nedeljkovic was placed on waivers earlier this season but the Hurricanes managed to hold onto him. He has just six appearances at the NHL level but won the AHL Goaltender of the Year award in 2019, leading the Charlotte Checkers to a Calder Cup.

  • The Pittsburgh Penguins won’t have Kris Letang in the lineup tonight as the star defenseman continues to be evaluated for an injury he suffered on Saturday night. The Penguins have lost almost all of their defensive depth to injury this season, but at least one silver lining continues to grow. Pierre-Olivier Joseph has been a shining light for the team in the early going and logged nearly 26 minutes against the New York Rangers on Saturday in just his fifth NHL game. He’ll be asked to carry a heavy load if Letang is out long-term, given the lack of offensive upside many of the other options possess.
  • Joe Thornton and Nicholas Robertson were both on the ice for the Toronto Maple Leafs today as they continue to work their way back from injury. Head coach Sheldon Keefe told reporters including Kristen Shilton of TSN that nothing has changed in the recovery timelines originally given, which were a minimum of four weeks. The Maple Leafs have a few days off before resuming the grind of the condensed season on Thursday in the first of three straight games against the Vancouver Canucks.

Leo Komarov, Alex Nedeljkovic Clear Waivers

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Jan 13: Both Komarov and Nedeljkovic have cleared waivers and can be assigned to the taxi squad or minor leagues.

Jan 12: The big waiver day was yesterday, with teams putting dozens of players on the wire at the same time to prepare for the upcoming season, But the New York Islanders weren’t done there, as Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet reports that Leo Komarov has been placed on waivers today. After claiming Anton Forsberg from the Edmonton Oilers, the Carolina Hurricanes have also placed Alex Nedeljkovic on waivers.

Komarov, 33, has fallen off a cliff offensively since his early days with the Toronto Maple Leafs but is still a coach’s favorite given his in-your-face playstyle and defensive responsibility. To see him on waivers with the Islanders is something of a surprise, but certainly not much of a risk given his contract that carries a $3MM cap hit through the 2021-22 season. The Islanders are dancing a tight rope with regards to the salary cap and will gain some additional flexibility should Komarov clear. He’ll then be able to be moved at will to the taxi squad, periodically burying part of his cap hit.

Still, it seems likely that the veteran forward will get into the lineup at some point as the Islanders navigate the condensed schedule. A veteran of 457 regular season games, he played in 17 postseason contests with New York last year, scoring three points.

Nedeljkovic’s placement perhaps is even more surprising, given he was seen as the “goaltender of the future” for the Hurricanes relatively recently. The 25-year-old won the AHL Goaltender of the Year award for the 2018-19 season when he and the Charlotte Checkers took home the Calder Cup but did see something of a regression last season when he posted just a .906 save percentage in 29 minor league appearances.

Still, risking him to the rest of the league is certainly not ideal, especially if it was because of their claim of Forsberg today. While he has much more NHL experience, it still seemed as though Nedeljkovic had more upside. That is exactly the kind of reasoning a team may use to claim the young goaltender, though they would then need to carry him on the NHL squad until they can slip him through waivers themselves.

Central Notes: Strome, DeKeyser, Nedeljkovic

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The Blackhawks and RFA center Dylan Strome have made some progress as they attempt to work out a new contract, notes Scott Powers of The Athletic (subscription link) who classifies the status of negotiations as closer than before.  The 23-year-old made an immediate impact with Chicago after being acquired from Arizona in 2018 with 51 points (17-34-51) in 58 games but those numbers took a step back last season with just 38 points (12-26-38) in 58 contests.  Without arbitration rights, Strome doesn’t have much leverage other than trying to drag out negotiations in the hopes of getting Chicago to up their offer but he should still come in at a number that’s well above his $832.5K qualifying offer.  With Kirby Dach and Alexander Nylander out with long-term injuries, Strome’s importance is considerably higher so it wouldn’t be surprising to see both sides take another run at getting a deal done over the next day or two.

More from the new-look Central Division:

  • Red Wings defenseman Danny DeKeyser took part in a full practice today for the first time since suffering a back injury back in October of 2019, relays Ted Kulfan of The Detroit News. The team intends to be cautious with his playing time early on considering how much time he has missed so while he has logged over 20 minutes a night in each of the last seven seasons, it seems unlikely that he will see that much action early on in 2020-21.
  • Alex Nedeljkovic’s one-way salary should give him a leg up on the battle for the taxi squad spot on Carolina’s roster, suggests Michael Smith on the Hurricanes’ team website. The 24-year-old spent most of last season with their AHL affiliate in Charlotte but had a 3.05 GAA with a .887 SV% in four appearances with the Hurricanes last season.  He carries a $750K price tag in terms of salary while veteran Antoine Bibeau, who has a similar number of NHL games under his belt, is on a two-way deal.  In either situation, Nedeljkovic will need to pass through waivers unclaimed unless Carolina opts to carry him on their 23-man roster which would mean that they wouldn’t need to carry a netminder on their taxi squad.

Minor Transactions: 03/09/20

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Another exciting weekend has come and gone on the NHL schedule without a Philadelphia Flyers loss. The team is now tied with the Washington Capitals for first place in the Metropolitan Division after winning nine straight, while their cross-state rivals in Pittsburgh continue to fall behind. Tonight many hockey fans will have their sights trained on a game between the Vegas Golden Knights and Edmonton Oilers, two teams that could very well face each other at some point in the playoffs. As they and the rest of the league prepare, we’ll keep track of all the minor moves.

  • The New York Islanders have recalled Thomas Hickey once again as they continue to deal with injuries on the back end, and his stay could be a little longer this time. The team leaves for a four-game road trip that starts in Vancouver tomorrow, before returning home next week.
  • Janne Kuokkanen has been recalled for the first time by the New Jersey Devils after coming to the organization at the trade deadline. The Carolina Hurricanes still haven’t seen Sami Vatanen in action, but New Jersey will get a closer look at one of their new prospects.
  • Speaking of the Hurricanes, the team sent Alex Nedeljkovic back to the minor leagues today as Petr Mrazek prepares for his return. Mrazek may start tomorrow for the Hurricanes according to team reporter Michael Smith, though it has not yet been confirmed.
  • Martin Kaut has been recalled by the Colorado Avalanche, a notable occurrence for more than just the prospect’s pocketbook. If Kaut plays in two more games this season he would burn the first year of his entry-level contract, something that was cited as the reason for his recent demotion.
  • The Chicago Blackhawks have recalled Brandon Hagel under emergency conditions, giving him another chance at the NHL level. The 21-year old forward still hasn’t played a game for the Blackhawks, though this will be the fifth recall of his career.

Carolina Hurricanes Will Make Additions In Net

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4:43 p.m. — As expected, the Carolina Hurricanes announced they have recalled Forsberg and Nedeljkovic from Charlotte.

11:11 a.m. — Last night’s game against the Toronto Maple Leafs was nothing short of a once-in-a-lifetime event for the Carolina Hurricanes. The contest could not have gotten off to a worse start, with starter James Reimer being forced out of the game just six minutes in to the first period following a collision in net. Petr Mrazek entered the game in relief, but allowed a goal late in the period to give the Leafs a 1-0 lead. Things were looking up in the second frame following three Hurricanes goals, but then Mrazek was injured just over halfway through the period. This forced the team to turn to an emergency backup, 42-year-old Zamboni driver David Ayres, an employee of Maple Leafs Sports & Entertainment who had not played in a competitive game for more than five years. Yet, Ayres got the job done, allowing only two goals in nearly half a game (with some help from the team allowing just ten shots) to lead the Hurricanes to a 6-3 win.

While this was of course a tremendous story, the reality now sets in that the Hurricanes are now down both of their NHL goaltenders without any timeline yet as to when they may return to action. The timing of this is poor, seeing as tomorrow is the final day to make a trade this season and there is no time to wait for an official word on Mrazek or Reimer. The team is also in the thick of the Eastern Conference wild card race and can’t afford to take a chance in goal and miss out on potential points.

For now, TSN’s Pierre LeBurn reports that the team plans to recall both Anton Forsberg and Alex Nedeljkovic from the AHL’s Charlotte Checkers today. Fortunately, both netminders have seen plenty of ice time this season, spitting appearances 50/50, and have performed relatively well. If asked to take on some NHL starts, either one could fair well enough. Forsberg is a veteran of 45 NHL games, while Nedeljkovic has fared well in his two NHL appearances and was arguably the best goalie in the AHL last season.

However, if there is any suspicion that both Mrazek and Reimer could be out long term, it seems unlikely that Carolina would be comfortable fighting for a playoff spot and entering the postseason with only Forsberg and Nedeljkovic. For that reason, LeBrun adds that a number of teams have already reached out to the Hurricanes about moving a goalie and it seems likely that the team could make a move. In fact, the team was kicking the tires on adding another goalie even before these injuries, so many conversations have already been had. Sportsnet’s Chris Johnston reports that the teams main focus is on Chicago Blackhawks’ keepers Robin Lehner and Corey Crawford, both impending free agents, while other rental options could include veterans Jimmy Howard, Craig Anderson, or Ryan Miller or available backups like Aaron Dell or Louis Domingue.

One way or another, the names in net are about to change for Carolina. Perhaps it will only be short-term while their current duo heal up or maybe it could be a major long-term addition for the rest of the season and a hopeful playoff run. With the team also needing a replacement on the blue line given the injuries to Dougie Hamilton and Brett Pesce and also rumored to be in on several big-name forwards, including the Rangers’ Chris Kreider, the next 27 hours should be very busy for the Hurricanes.

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