Deadline Primer: Carolina Hurricanes
With the trade deadline just days away, we continue our look at the situation for each team over the coming weeks. Where do they stand, what do they need to do, and what assets do they have to fill those needs? As we continue with the Metropolitan Division, here is a look at the Carolina Hurricanes.
In less than 100 hours, the 2019 NHL Trade Deadline will come and go. While there are many deals still to be made, most teams have at least decided if they are buying, selling, or sitting out at the deadline. Perhaps the one team still waiting to make that call are the Carolina Hurricanes, and for good reason.
Tuesday night was a rough result for the Hurricanes. The team fell to the non-playoff New York Rangers, while the Pittsburgh Penguins and Montreal Canadiens both picked up wins. Carolina now trails both of those teams by three points, while the Columbus Blue Jackets occupy the final wild card spot with a one-point lead and a game in hand on the Hurricanes. Despite their strong play of late, Carolina looks like the first team out in the Eastern Conference right now. Of course, that can change before the deadline. The ‘Canes have a winnable match-up tonight against the Florida Panthers, followed by a tougher test against the Dallas Stars on Saturday. How they perform, as well as the results for the Blue Jackets, Penguins, and Canadiens, before Monday will inform their deadline decision.
Carolina holds the NHL’s longest playoff drought of nine years and desperately would like to make the playoffs. At the same time, they are a young team who could really use the return on any trade assets if the postseason doesn’t look realistic. It’s a difficult choice to make, but where they sit in the playoff race after the next few days could cause them to lean one way or another or, perhaps the most likely outcome, no way at all.
Record
31-23-6, fifth in the Metropolitan Division
Deadline Status
TBD
Deadline Cap Space
$76.26MM in full-season cap hit, 1/3 used salary cap retention slots, 43/50 contracts per CapFriendly
Upcoming Draft Picks
2019: CAR 1st, BUF 2nd, CAR 2nd, CAR 3rd, CAR 4th, CAR 5th, CAR 6th, CGY 6th, BOS 7th
2020: CAR 1st, CAR 2nd, BUF 3rd, CAR 3rd, CAR 4th, CAR 5th, BUF 6th, CAR 6th, CAR 7th
Trade Chips
With their status at the deadline still so uncertain, chances are the Hurricanes will be involved in both the buyers’ and sellers’ markets, but could very well choose to do nothing at all. For discussion’s sake though, let’s say the Hurricanes decide to sell. Of the two options, selling is more probable as there are no pieces that Carolina could move that would automatically end their push for the postseason. The one player who would certainly be on the move is impending UFA power forward Micheal Ferland. Ferland, acquired from the Calgary Flames in the off-season, has been excellent in Carolina and is in fact on pace for a career high in points. However, Ferland seems destined to test the free agent market and the recent acquisition of Nino Niederreiter has made his departure manageable. Carolina would miss Ferland’s contributions down the stretch this season, but are prepared for life without him and would likely land a nice return if they chose to trade him. Several contenders are in search of grit and offense at this time of the year and Ferland checks both boxes.
Ferland is the only impending UFA skater thought to have any value on the trade market. Captain Justin Williams is not available and Greg McKegg has been a serviceable player that is more valuable to the ‘Canes as a depth option than any low-end return might be. However, goaltenders are a different story. Both Curtis McElhinney and Petr Mrazek are impending free agents and both have performed well this season, especially McElhinney. With Scott Darling still under contract next year, young Alex Nedeljkovic in consideration, and a strong goalie free agent class, it’s unclear if McElhinney or Mrazek will be back in Raleigh next season. With that in mind, the Hurricanes may be willing to part with one or the other at the deadline if the right offer presents itself. It goes without saying that if the team could move Darling, they would.
Elsewhere in the lineup, there continues to be speculation that the Hurricanes would like to deal from a position of strength on defense. With Dougie Hamilton, Justin Faulk, Brett Pesce, and Trevor van Riemsdyk on the roster, Carolina is flush with talented right-shot defenders. Chances are one will be dealt at some point soon. However, it will be in a hockey trade, with the ‘Canes getting a top-nine forward back in return. Such trades are uncommon at the deadline, so don’t hold out hope that the team will be make such a move before the off-season.
What if the Hurricanes are buyers? Then the list of trade chips is a slightly more extensive. Charlotte Checkers defensemen Haydn Fleury and Roland McKeown continue to wait patiently for roles in Carolina that may never come and the time may have arrived for the Hurricanes to move them in the right deal. The same could be said for another pair of impending RFA’s, forwards Andrew Poturalski and Saku Maenalanen, both of whom have been productive in the minors but underutilized at the top level. This is just the tip of the iceberg of what is an impressive pipeline for the Hurricanes, but as they’re not expected to be major buyers, top names like Martin Necas, Janne Kuokkanen, Jake Bean, and Adam Fox are likely untouchable. Carolina has plenty of draft picks to peddle as well, rather than moving their top prospects
Five Players To Watch For: F Micheal Ferland, G Curtis McElhinney, D Haydn Fleury, D Roland McKeown, F Saku Maenalanen
Team Needs
1) Top-Six Forward: It’s no secret that the Hurricanes desire a top-six forward. The team was in on William Nylander for months before he re-signed with the Toronto Maple Leafs (they could revisit that option this summer) and eventually swung a deal with the Minnesota Wild for Nino Niederreiter. However, scoring is still an issue. This season, only the Dallas Stars and New York Islanders have scored fewer goals per game than Carolina among teams in playoff position. The offense is stagnant at times and has been carried by Sebastian Aho and Teuvo Teravainen all year. Looking ahead, the likely loss of Micheal Ferland could further diminish scoring next season. Although the pipeline is loaded with capable forward in Carolina, the team needs a long-term top-six addition. It remains to be seen if such a player is available at the deadline this year. Expect the ‘Canes to kick the tires on Jonathan Huberdeau and Mike Hoffman, as well as the likes of Jason Zucker or Adam Henrique.
2) Value Forwards: If Carolina decides to buy in to playoff run this year, but the prices are too high on a long-term forward acquisition, the team would be better off trying to wait out the market to add some bargains than give up considerable future pieces for top rentals. For example, the idea of an Eric Staal return is great, but not an affordable option for Carolina. Instead, players like Richard Panik, Sven Andrighetto, or Alex Chiasson would come at a much lesser cost and would be less risky acquisitions in light of Carolina’s current playoff position, but would help fill some gaps in the lineup and create some more offense. The Hurricanes may very well stand pat at the deadline, but making even just a minor addition up front could go a long way.
Carolina Hurricanes Make Three Roster Moves
The Carolina Hurricanes put up five goals yesterday on the Philadelphia Flyers, winning their second straight and climbing within just a single goal of 100 on the season. They are one of only two teams (along with the Los Angeles Kings, who sit at 94) without 100 goals this year, a result of some very inconsistent play from their forward group. One player who prior to this season was lauded for his consistency at both ends of the rink is Jordan Staal, who unfortunately was placed back on injured reserve today with an upper-body injury. The former Carolina captain had missed time with a concussion in December before returning for just two games prior to the Christmas break and hasn’t suited up since.
In his place, the team has recalled minor league forward Greg McKegg under emergency conditions to give them an extra body up front. More importantly though, Haydn Fleury has been sent back to the AHL. The young defenseman has also been out with a concussion, missing the team’s last nine games. His assignment likely means that he’s ready to get back into game action, and the team will give him the chance to prepare in the minor leagues.
Fleury, 22, has played just ten games for the Hurricanes this season and finds himself fighting for a spot on one of the most crowded blue lines in the NHL. Despite the Hurricanes’ unimpressive 17-17-5 record, they still have an enviable group of defensemen that includes Jaccob Slavin, Dougie Hamilton, Calvin de Haan, Brett Pesce, Justin Faulk and Trevor van Riemsdyk. That’s not even mentioning the other young options like Jake Bean and Roland McKeown who are pushing for spots, giving Fleury more than enough competition to endure even without factoring in a head injury.
If the Hurricanes ever do consider trading one of their prized defensemen, there is no shortage of players ready to seize the opportunity and show they are full-time NHL players. Fleury will have to wait for that chance with the others in the minor leagues for now.
Training Camp Cuts: 9/30/18
It’s the last day of September and the start of the regular season is mere days away. Final cuts are looming and the decisions are going to get much tougher. While the drama really lies with the waiver wire over the next few days, keep track here of all the players otherwise sent down right here:
Buffalo Sabres (via team Twitter)
F Justin Bailey (to Rochester, AHL)
F Nicholas Baptiste (to Rochester, AHL)
Carolina Hurricanes (via CapFriendly)
F Patrick Brown (to Charlotte, AHL)
F Greg McKegg (to Charlotte, AHL)
Chicago Blackhawks (per CapFriendly)
G Collin Delia (to Rockford, AHL)
F Dylan Sikura (to Rockford, AHL)
Columbus Blue Jackets (per team release)
G Jean-Francois Berube (to Cleveland, AHL)
D Tommy Cross (to Cleveland, AHL)
F Zac Dalpe (to Cleveland, AHL)
F Dan DeSalvo (to Cleveland, AHL)
F Nathan Gerbe (to Cleveland, AHL)
F Miles Koules (to Cleveland, AHL)
F Mark Letestu (to Cleveland, AHL)
F Ryan MacInnis (to Cleveland, AHL)
D Michael Prapavessis (to Cleveland, AHL)
D Dillon Simpson (to Cleveland, AHL)
F Sam Vigneault (to Cleveland, AHL)
D Justin Wade (to Cleveland, AHL)
Dallas Stars (via Mark Stepneski of NHL.com)
F Erik Condra (to Texas, AHL)
F Michael Mersch (to Texas, AHL)
Detroit Red Wings (per team Twitter update)
F Jussi Jokinen (released from PTO, via MLive’s Ansar Khan)
F David Pope (to Grand Rapids, AHL)
D Vili Saarijarvi (to Grand Rapids, AHL)
G Harri Sateri (to Grand Rapids, AHL)
F Givani Smith (to Grand Rapids, AHL)
F Dominic Turgeon (to Grand Rapids, AHL)
F Filip Zadina (to Grand Rapids, AHL)
Edmonton Oilers (per team Twitter update)
D Jakub Jerabek (awaiting assignment)
Montreal Canadiens (per team release)
G Charlie Lindgren (to Montreal, AHL)
New York Rangers (per team Twitter update)
D Brandon Crawley (to Hartford, AHL)
Philadelphia Flyers (per team release)
D Mark Friedman (to Lehigh Valley, AHL)
G Carter Hart (to Lehigh Valley, AHL)
D Philippe Myers (to Lehigh Valley, AHL)
Tampa Bay Lightning (per team release)
D Erik Cerna (to Syracuse, AHL)
F Mitchell Stephens (to Syracuse, AHL)
F Alexander Volkov (to Syracuse, AHL)
Toronto Maple Leafs (per team Twitter update; Dhiren Mahiban)
D Andreas Borgman (to Toronto, AHL)
F Jeremy Bracco (to Toronto, AHL)
F Adam Brooks (to Toronto, AHL)
F Emerson Clark (to Toronto, AHL)
F Rich Clune (to Toronto, AHL)
F Pierre Engvall (to Toronto, AHL)
F Colin Greening (to Toronto, AHL)
F Carl Grundstrom (to Toronto, AHL)
D Timothy Liljegren (to Toronto, AHL)
F Mason Marchment (to Toronto, AHL)
F Trevor Moore (to Toronto, AHL)
D Calle Rosen (to Toronto, AHL)
F Dmytro Timashov (to Toronto, AHL)
D Sean Durzi (from Toronto, AHL to Owen Sound, OHL)
D Mac Hollowell (from Toronto, AHL to Sault Ste. Marie, OHL)
Washington Capitals (via The Athletic’s Chris Kuk)
F Riley Barber (to Hershey, AHL)
F Liam O’Brien (to Hershey, AHL)
Fifteen Players Placed On Waivers
Another busy day on the waiver wire as 15 players were placed on waivers today, according to TVA’s Renaud Lavoie (Twitter link). No players was claimed from yesterday’s group of 16 players, but with the regular season fast approaching, teams are continuing to make big decisions.
F Justin Bailey (Buffalo)
F Nicholas Baptiste (Buffalo)
F Riley Barber (Washington)
D Matt Bartkowski (Minnesota)
F Patrick Brown (Carolina)
F Erik Condra (Dallas)
G Andrew Hammond (Minnesota)
F Mike Liambas (Minnesota)
D Evan McEneny (Vancouver)
F Greg McKegg (Carolina)
F Michael Mersch (Dallas)
F Liam O’Brien (Washington)
F Kyle Rau (Minnesota)
F Matt Read (Minnesota)
F Anton Rodin (Anaheim) — placed on unconditional waivers (per Lavoie)
D Matt Tennyson (Buffalo)
There are a few interesting names, including the “Hamburglar,” who lost his bid to unseat goaltender Alex Stalock as the backup goaltender in Minnesota. Hammond hasn’t been a full-time backup since the 2015-16 season, but has shown flashes of brilliance when he’s hot, including getting into three playoff appearances for Colorado last year. One of those games, Game 5, Hammond stopped 44 of 45 shots in leading the Avalanche to a 2-1 victory over the Nashville Predators. However, he wasn’t able to keep that success going as he yielded five goals the following game as Colorado was eliminated.
The 23-year-old Bailey is another interesting player who has worked his way up level-by-level and was on the border of a regular spot. Bailey has had three stints in the NHL now and last year’s was one of the more successful ones has he tallied three goals and four points in 12 games. Baptiste is another 23-year-old in Buffalo, who got an even longer look with the Sabres, 33 games, but only managed four goals in that time.
Read is another player with tons of experience. The 32-year-old had played quite a bit in the NHL before struggling to get playing time in Philadelphia, while the 25-year-old Rau posted 23 goals in Iowa last season in the AHL.
Greg McKegg Re-Signs With Carolina Hurricanes
Greg McKegg didn’t file for arbitration before the deadline last week, but he’ll be playing for the Carolina Hurricanes organization anyway in 2018-19. The team has reached a one-year, two-way deal with the restricted free agent forward worth $715K at the NHL level according to Renaud Lavoie of TVA Sports.
McKegg, 26, played 26 games for the Pittsburgh Penguins last season before eventually being shipped to the Hurricanes for Josh Jooris. Adding McKegg made an immediate impact for the Hurricanes’ AHL affiliate, scoring 23 points in 19 games for the Charlotte Checkers, a level of offensive production never really seen before in his career. They’ll hope that he can bring that same scoring touch next season if he doesn’t make the NHL squad.
Making that squad will be tough even after the team traded away some of their center depth in Elias Lindholm and Marcus Kruger, as the team will likely be adding Martin Necas, Andrei Svechnikov and Janne Kuokkanen to the forward group on a full-time basis. Even if that doesn’t happen for all three, McKegg will be at best a depth option for the team next season and should see time with the Checkers. He is waiver eligible, but after clearing last season for Pittsburgh it’s unlikely he would be claimed.
Free Agent Focus: Carolina Hurricanes
Free agency is now a little less than a month away from opening up and there are quite a few prominent players set to hit the open market while many teams have key restricted free agents to re-sign. Here is a breakdown of Carolina’s free agent situation.
Key Restricted Free Agents: F Elias Lindholm – The Hurricanes weren’t able to find much success in terms of wins and losses in 2017-18, and much of that had to do with some inconsistency from nearly every position. One of the only players that has been able to find some of that consistency through his first few years in the league is Lindholm, who went about another 40-point season with solid contributions in the faceoff circle and the penalty kill. If the team were to acquire a real first-line center Lindholm would likely be pushed down in the lineup, but he’s proven that he can be an impact player that doesn’t hurt you at either end of the ice.
He’s coming off a two-year $5.4MM contract that he signed in 2015, and should get a healthy raise after recording 89 points in 153 games. Where that number lands isn’t exactly clear, but one could look at teammate Victor Rask‘s six-year $24MM deal as a point of comparison. Rask was also 23 at the time of that contract, though he didn’t have nearly as much NHL experience as Lindholm heads into this summer with.
D Noah Hanifin – The bigger question mark among Carolina restricted free agents is Hanifin, who could either be locked up long-term or shipped out of town. The rumor mill has swirled around the 21-year old defenseman for the past year, mostly because of the Hurricanes’ depth on defense. Hanifin would generate a ton of interest around the league and bring in a big package for the Hurricanes, but could be more useful stepping into a bigger role on the team next year and beyond. While it’s clear that Carolina will move at least one of their defenders, that could Justin Faulk with Hanifin instead being signed to a long-term deal.
No one can really get a read on owner Tom Dundon and GM Don Waddell, but there are clearly changes coming in Carolina. Hanifin will be an interesting measuring stick to see just how far the new executive group wants to go in shaking up the core of the team.
Other RFAs: F Phillip Di Giuseppe, F Joakim Nordstrom, D Trevor van Riemsdyk, F Andrew Poturalski, F Sergey Tolchinsky, F Greg McKegg, D Tyler Ganly, D Keegan Kanzig, F Lucas Wallmark, F Valentin Zykov
Key Unrestricted Free Agent: F Derek Ryan – Though Carolina needs some center help, it looks as though Ryan is destined for free agency as the team prepares to promote Martin Necas to the big club next season. Ryan, 31, has been a sneakily-good player since making his NHL debut at the age of 29 two years ago. With 38 points in 80 games this season and solid faceoff and possession statistics, there will be interest from around the league in the professional journeyman.
Heading to a new team is nothing new for Ryan, but he’ll likely be looking for a multi-year deal that can keep him in one place for a few seasons. After re-signing with the Hurricanes for just under $1.43MM last summer, there could be a hefty raise in order this time around. Ryan heads to free agency in a relatively weak center market, as after John Tavares and perhaps Joe Thornton, options get thin very quickly.
Other UFAs: F Lee Stempniak, G Cam Ward, D Dennis Robertson, D Jake Chelios, G Jeremy Smith, D Philip Samuelsson, D Brenden Kichton
Projected Cap Space: The Hurricanes have never been an upper-limit team, and head into this summer with more than $30MM in cap space depending on where the ceiling lands. While that should afford them the opportunity to be big players in free agency, it really comes down to how much Dundon is willing to spend in his first offseason. The team has previously worked under an internal budget that has limited big free agent splashes, but with a new owner in the mix the Hurricanes are something of a wildcard.
Their restricted free agents should take up a big chunk of that cap room, but there is certainly enough to go around if they decide to wheel and deal. They’d have to pitch any incoming free agents on a new Carolina organization, but with up-and-coming players and a veteran leader in Justin Williams on the roster, perhaps they could draw the attention of some of this summer’s biggest names.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images
Minor Transactions: 3/18/18
The Tampa Bay Lightning look to bounce back from a shutout loss to the injury-riddled Boston Bruins, the Vegas Golden Knights try to right the ship after a 4-5-1 run, the Washington Capitals and Philadelphia Flyers jockey for playoff positions, and the St. Louis Blues, Anaheim Ducks, and Calgary Flames look to stay alive in the postseason picture as the NHL provides a slate of eight intriguing games today. Here is how teams are preparing:
- The Buffalo Sabres have reassigned Justin Bailey to the AHL’s Rochester Americans. However, beat writer John Vogl indicates that it could be short-term. Bailey owes the AHL a one-game suspension, which he will serve tonight, but Vogl expects he could be back up with the Sabres on Monday. Buffalo is far outside the playoff picture and should be playing as many of their young players as possible down the stretch.
- With Carter Rowney dealing with injury, the Pittsburgh Penguins have recalled Josh Jooris on an emergency basis. Jooris was acquired from the Carolina Hurricanes at the deadline in an exchange for Greg McKegg, but was not expected to play much of a role for Pittsburgh. Yet, he’s already played in two games for the Penguins and could take on a regular role on the fourth line moving forward.
- CapFriendly tweets the Colorado Avalanche have activated forward Vladislav Kamenev off of injured reserve and is already playing with the team’s fourth line Sunday. Kamenev, who broke his arm in November one NHL after he was traded from Nashville in the Matt Duchene trade, has only played 17 AHL games between Milwaukee and San Antonio, putting up three goals and 13 assists. He had been on a conditioning loan with San Antonio for the past week.
- CapFriendly reported that the San Jose Sharks have recalled defenseman Tim Heed from the San Jose Barracuda of the AHL after being sent down Tuesday. Heed has served as a spare defenseman for most of the season for the Sharks as he’s played in 29 games this year, having put up three goals and eight assists.
Trade Deadline Recap: Eastern Conference
After a month of lead up, a sprinkling of trades over the last week or so, and a wild deadline day today, NHL teams are done with transactions for the 2017-18 NHL season. Here are the deals that improved contenders in the Eastern Conference:
Deadline Day
Tampa Bay Lightning receive:
D Ryan McDonagh
F J.T. Miller
New York Rangers receive:
F Vladislav Namestnikov
F Brett Howden
D Libor Hajek
2018 first-round pick
Conditional 2019 second-round pick
Columbus Blue Jackets receive:
F Thomas Vanek
Vancouver Canucks receive:
F Tyler Motte
F Jussi Jokinen
Columbus Blue Jackets receive:
D Ian Cole
Ottawa Senators receive:
F Nick Moutrey
2020 third-round pick
New Jersey Devils receive:
F Patrick Maroon
Edmonton Oilers receive:
F J.D. Dudek
2019 third-round pick
New York Islanders receive:
F Chris Wagner
Anaheim Ducks receive:
F Jason Chimera
Boston Bruins receive:
F Tommy Wingels
Chicago Blackhawks receive:
Conditional 2019 fifth-round pick
Pittsburgh Penguins receive:
F Josh Jooris
Carolina Hurricanes receive:
F Greg McKegg
Josh Jooris Traded To Pittsburgh Penguins
Even though the deadline has technically passed, trades will still leak out over the next hour. Josh Jooris has been acquired by the Pittsburgh Penguins from the Carolina Hurricanes, the Penguins announced. Heading to the Hurricanes is AHL center Greg McKegg and Jooris has been assigned to the AHL’s Wilkes-Barre Scranton Penguins to replace him.
An undrafted forward out of Union College, Jooris has carved out a role in the NHL for the last several years as a high-energy fourth line player. With 55 points in 204 career games, he won’t be relied upon for anything more than his usual role, but does give the team some NHL experience in the minor leagues in case injury strikes down the stretch.
McKegg was given a chance as the fourth-line center earlier in the year with Pittsburgh, but was pushed down the depth chart after they acquired Riley Sheahan. Now after adding Derick Brassard as well, his chances of making an impact with the club down the stretch were very slim. He’s off to the fifth organization of his short career, after being originally selected in the third round by the Toronto Maple Leafs in 2010.
Pittsburgh Penguins Place Greg McKegg On Waivers
The Pittsburgh Penguins have placed forward Greg McKegg on waivers today, after registering just four points in 26 games. The Penguins need a roster spot for an extra defenseman after Justin Schultz was injured yesterday. There’s no guarantee that McKegg is assigned to the minor leagues, but it is likely.
McKegg has been a full-time center for the Penguins until recently, but even when he was in the lineup hasn’t seen the ice very much. Averaging fewer than 10 minutes a night, he does contribute some on the penalty kill and has already nearly matched his career-high in goals this season. A former prospect of the Toronto Maple Leafs, McKegg has bounced around since being traded for Zach Hyman in 2015.
The Penguins are still out looking for help down the middle, which would eventually move McKegg out permanently. For now they’ll stick with Carter Rowney in the fourth-line role, but would likely rather Riley Sheahan to slide down after acquiring a different option for the third group.
McKegg is no stranger to waivers, having been placed their a handful of times throughout his career. The 25-year old could be claimed by another club looking for some depth at center ice, as he is on a minimum two-way deal and wouldn’t hurt a salary cap.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images