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Jonathan Huberdeau

NHL Announces Player Gaming Challenge

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The NHL is trying desperately to stay relevant even as their season sits in limbo and have today announced a new feature for fans to tune into. The NHL Player Gaming Challenge will be a tournament of EA SPORTS NHL 20 games featuring players from each of the 32 organizations. The tournament will go for four weeks starting on April 30th. The league and EA will donate a combined $100,000 in support of COVID-19 relief.

Because the Seattle expansion franchise doesn’t have any players to represent them at this point, Luke Willson from the Seattle Seahawks of the NHL will carry the torch.

The full list of participants:

Anaheim Ducks: Cam Fowler

Arizona Coyotes: Conor Garland, Clayton Keller

Boston Bruins: Jake Debrusk, Charlie McAvoy

Buffalo Sabres: Brandon Montour

Calgary Flames: Noah Hanifin, Matthew Tkachuk

Carolina Hurricanes: Warren Foegele

Chicago Blackhawks: Drake Caggiula, Alex DeBrincat

Columbus Blue Jackets: Elvis Merzlikins, Zach Werenski

Colorado Avalanche: J.T. Compher

Dallas Stars: Stephen Johns, Jamie Oleksiak

Detroit Redwings: Madison Bowey, Anthony Mantha

Edmonton Oilers: Caleb Jones, Darnell Nurse

Florida Panthers: Jonathan Huberdeau

Los Angeles Kings: Michael Amadio, Blake Lizotte

Minnesota Wild: Devan Dubnyk, Jordan Greenway

Montreal Canadiens: Victor Mete, Nick Suzuki

Nashville Predators: Filip Forsberg

New Jersey Devils: MacKenzie Blackwood

New York Islanders: Matt Martin

New York Rangers: Chris Kreider

NHL Seattle: Luke Willson, Seattle Seahawks (NFL)

Ottawa Senators: Brady Tkachuk, Chris Tierney

Philadelphia Flyers: James van Riemsdyk

Pittsburgh Penguins: Zach Aston-Reese, Bryan Rust

San Jose Sharks: Evander Kane, Marcus Sorensen

St Louis Blues: Colton Parayko, Robert Thomas

Tampa Bay Lightning: Tyler Johnson

Toronto Maple Leafs: Zach Hyman

Vancouver Canucks: Thatcher Demko, Adam Gaudette

Vegas Golden Knights: Ryan Reaves, Alex Tuch

Washington Capitals: Evgeny Kuznetsov

Winnipeg Jets: Anthony Bitetto, Kyle Connor

Select games can be seen on NBC Sports and Sportsnet ONE. All matches will also air within NHL Network’s on-air programming or its Twitch channel.

2021 All-Star Game To Be Held In Florida

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Friday: The league has officially confirmed that next year’s All-Star festivities will take place in Sunrise, Florida. Commissioner Gary Bettman added that there are discussions about adding “international flavor” to the events, possibly hinting at the return of the North America vs. World format or perhaps a new international tournament.

Tuesday: The Florida Panthers will host the 2021 NHL All-Star Game, according to George Richards of The Athletic. The event is expected to take place on January 29-30, just before the Super Bowl is held in Tampa.

The Panthers have hosted the All-Star festivities once before, back in 2003. That was in the middle of a disappointing season for the team where they finished in 24th place, a rank they will obviously try to eclipse this time around. The team had just one All-Star representative in 2003, Olli Jokinen, though Sandis Ozolinsh was actually selected for the game just before a trade to the Anaheim Ducks.

With Joel Quenneville at the helm and several top players in their prime, the Panthers could have more than just one representative next season. Jonathan Huberdeau and his 64 points will be there this year, but Aleksander Barkov, Evgenii Dadonov, Keith Yandle, Aaron Ekblad and others all have the ability to hit the ice at the mid-season celebration.

2020 NHL All-Star Skills Participants Announced

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Before Saturday’s All-Star Game three-on-three tournament, the NHL’s best will take the ice on Friday night in the annual All-Star Skills event. There has been considerable hype around this year’s competition, given both the new “Shooting Stars” event, in which players will fire the puck at targets on the ice from platforms in the stands, and the participation of stars from the women’s game, including their own three-on-three scrimmage. Now, the league has announced who specifically will be taking part in each event, both new and classic. Below is the lineup for each event:

Fastest Skater

Jack Eichel, Buffalo Sabres
Nathan MacKinnon, Colorado Avalanche
Connor McDavid, Edmonton Oilers
Mathew Barzal, New York Islanders
Chris Kreider, New York Rangers
Anthony Duclair, Ottawa Senators
Travis Konecny, Philadelphia Flyers
Quinn Hughes, Vancouver Canucks

Save Streak

David Rittich, Calgary Flames
Tristan Jarry, Pittsburgh Penguins
Jordan Binnington, St. Louis Blues
Andrei Vasilevskiy, Tampa Bay Lightning
Frederik Andersen, Toronto Maple Leafs
Jacob Markstrom, Vancouver Canucks
Braden Holtby, Washington Capitals
Connor Hellebuyck, Winnipeg Jets

Accuracy Shooting

Jaccob Slavin, Carolina Hurricanes
Tyler Bertuzzi, Detroit Red Wings
Leon Draisaitl, Edmonton Oilers
Jonathan Huberdeau, Florida Panthers
Nico Hischier, New Jersey Devils
Tomas Hertl, San Jose Sharks
Alex Pietrangelo, St. Louis Blues
Mark Scheifele, Winnipeg Jets

Hardest Shot

Mark Giordano, Calgary Flames
Seth Jones, Columbus Blue Jackets
Shea Weber, Montreal Canadiens
Victor Hedman, Tampa Bay Lightning
Elias Pettersson, Vancouver Canucks
John Carlson, Washington Capitals

Shooting Stars

David Pastrnak, Boston Bruins
Matthew Tkachuk, Calgary Flames
Patrick Kane, Chicago Blackhawks
Tyler Seguin, Dallas Stars
Brady Tkachuk, Ottawa Senators
David Perron, St. Louis Blues
Ryan O’Reilly, St. Louis Blues
Mitch Marner, Toronto Maple Leafs
American Women’s Elite All-Star (TBD)
Canadian Women’s Elite All-Star (TBD)

Women’s Three-On-Three

Team Canada: Meghan Agosta, Mélodie Daoust, Ann-Renée Desbiens, Renata Fast, Laura Fortino, Rebecca Johnston, Sarah Nurse, Marie-Philip Poulin, Natalie Spooner, Blayre Turnbull

Team USA: Kacey Bellamy, Alex Carpenter, Kendall Coyne Schofield, Brianna Decker, Amanda Kessel, Hilary Knight, Jocelyn Lamoureux-Davidson, Annie Pankowski, Alex Rigsby Cavallini, Lee Stecklein

All the action kicks off at 7:00pm local time in St. Louis, with coverage from NBCSN in the U.S and CBC, SN, and TVAS in Canada.

NHL All-Star Selections Announced

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Although it took some time, with each individual team rolling out their own selections, the final rosters for All-Star Weekend have come into focus. Below are each of the four divisional team, set to face off in the Skills Competition on Friday, January 24th and the All-Star Game on Saturday, January 25th:

Atlantic Division

G Frederik Andersen, Toronto Maple Leafs
G Tuukka Rask, Boston Bruins
D Victor Hedman, Tampa Bay Lightning
D Shea Weber, Montreal Canadiens
F Tyler Bertuzzi, Detroit Red Wings
F Jack Eichel, Buffalo Sabres
F Anthony Duclair, Ottawa Senators
F Jonathan Huberdeau, Florida Panthers
F Auston Matthews, Toronto Maple Leafs
F David Pastrnak, Boston Bruins (C)

Metropolitan Division

G Braden Holtby, Washington Capitals
G Joonas Korpisalo, Columbus Blue Jackets
D John Carlson, Washington Capitals
D Dougie Hamilton, Carolina Hurricanes
D Seth Jones, Columbus Blue Jackets
F Mathew Barzal, New York Islanders
F Jake Guentzel, Pittsburgh Penguins
F Travis Konecny, Philadelphia Flyers
F Kyle Palmieri, New Jersey Devils
F Artemi Panarin, New York Rangers

Central Division

G Jordan Binnington, St. Louis Blues
G Connor Hellebuyck, Winnipeg Jets
D Roman Josi, Nashville Predators
D Alex Pietrangelo, St. Louis Blues
F Patrick Kane, Chicago Blackhawks
F Nathan MacKinnon, Colorado Avalanche (C)
F Ryan O’Reilly, St. Louis Blues
F Mark Scheifele, Winnipeg Jets
F Tyler Seguin, Dallas Stars
F Eric Staal, Minnesota Wild

Pacific Division

G Marc-Andre Fleury, Vegas Golden Knights
G Darcy Kuemper, Arizona Coyotes
D Mark Giordano, Calgary Flames
F Logan Couture, San Jose Sharks
F Leon Draisaitl, Edmonton Oilers
F Anze Kopitar, Los Angeles Kings
F Connor McDavid, Edmonton Oilers (C)
F Elias Pettersson, Vancouver Canucks
F Jakob Silfverberg, Anaheim Ducks
F Matthew Tkachuk, Calgary Flames

Additionally, each divisional squad will have one more addition as decided by the Last Men In fan vote. Voting opens on January 1st and closes on the 10th. Here are the candidates:

Atlantic Division – Patrice Bergeron, Rasmus Dahlin, Dylan Larkin Aleksander Barkov, Max Domi, Jean-Gabriel Pageau, Steven Stamkos, Mitch Marner

Metropolitan Division – Teuvo Teravainen, Nick Foligno, Nico Hischier, Brock Nelson, Mika Zibanejad, Claude Giroux, Kris Letang, T.J. Oshie

Central Division – Jonathan Toews, Cale Makar, Jamie Benn, Ryan Suter, Matt Duchene, David Perron Patrik Laine

Pacific Division – Ryan Getzlaf, Clayton Keller, Johnny Gaudreau, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, Drew Doughty, Tomas Hertl, Quinn Hughes, Max Pacioretty

Bobrovsky, Panarin Traveling To Florida To Meet With Panthers

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With the NHL unrestricted free agent speaking period having opened earlier this morning, many players can begin to talk to other teams to decide what team they might want to play for next season. Two of the biggest free agents on the market, Sergei Bobrovsky and Artemi Panarin, are expected to participate immediately. The two stars are expected to arrive in Florida en route from Russia and TSN’s Bob McKenzie reports that they are expected to both meet with the Florida Panthers on Monday morning.

While the two big-named free agents from Columbus don’t necessarily come as a package, both have been speculated to end up with the Panthers. Florida has $20.48MM in cap space available, which could cover both players’ price tags, although the team also has some needs on defense as well. McKenzie also points out that while it wants to sign both players, Florida’s top  priority is signing a goaltender, which means that Bobrovsky is likely the team’s top free-agent candidate.

The team still has two goalies under contract in Roberto Luongo and James Reimer, but neither goaltender played well last year. Luongo, who still has three years remaining at $4.53MM, managed to appear in 43 games despite often dealing with injuries, but finished with a 3.11 GAA and a .899 save percentage. While nothing is official, the rumor is that Luongo wants to come back as the team’s backup. Reimer, the team’s current backup, has two years remaining on his contract at $3.4MM. He struggled as well last season, posting a 3.09 GAA and a .900 save percentage. The team is working on finding a trade partner willing to take Reimer’s contract in hopes of freeing up some extra cap room to make more changes. Bobrovsky, a two-time Vezina Trophy winner, would give Florida a impact goaltender for the first time in years. The 30-year-old didn’t have his usual strong season, posting a 2.58 GAA and a .913 save percentage, but finally stepped up in the playoffs after years of struggles, picking up six wins and a .925 save percentage.

Panarin has plenty of suitors, but many have felt for more than a year that the 27-year-old scorer was interested in moving to Florida and joining the Panthers. That thought was intensified after the Panthers signed his former coach Joel Quenneville to be their new head coach. Quenneville coached Panarin for his first two years in the league when he played with the Blackhawks and the two had a good relationship. It’s hard to believe that Panarin has only been in the league for four years, but in that time, he’s tallied 116 goals and 320 points. With his young age, he’d be a perfect fit alongside players like Aleksander Barkov, Jonathan Huberdeau and Evgenii Dadonov. Panarin is also being recruited by a number of other teams, including the New York Rangers, who hope to get a shot at signing the free agent.

 

Florida Panthers Fire Head Coach Bob Boughner

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The Florida Panthers wasted no time in making major moves at the start of their premature off-season. The team has announced that head coach Bob Boughner has been relieved of his duties. Boughner just finished his second season as the coach of the Panthers, his first NHL head coaching position. Assistant coach Paul McFarland has also been fired.

The team release from GM Dale Tallon read as follows:

We made a tough decision today and have relieved Bob Boughner of his duties as head coach. We didn’t meet expectations this season and share responsibility for that fact. After careful evaluation, we have determined that this is a necessary first step for our young team and we will seek to identify a transformative, experienced head coach with Stanley Cup pedigree to lead our team going forward. We’re grateful to Bob, Paul, and their families for their hard work and their dedication to the Panthers organization and we wish them the best of luck in their future endeavors.

Boughner’s departure should not come as any great surprise. As a first-time NHL head coach, Boughner was on a short leash from the start. After a slow beginning to his tenure, the Panthers were one of the best teams in the NHL down the stretch last season, but just narrowly missed the playoffs nonetheless. The expectation was that the team would ride that streak right into the new campaign, but 2018-19 did not go as planned. The team could never quite keep things together long enough to stick around the playoff picture. It was a disappointing finish for a team with high expectations.

If the Panthers were a rebuilding club, perhaps two finishes just outside the top-16 would have been enough for Boughner to keep his job. However, Florida is a deep, talented team with many players in the primes of their careers. Especially up front, the Cats had enough talent that they should have rivaled nearly any team in the league. Aleksander Barkov and Jonathan Huberdeau each cracked 90 points this season, while Mike Hoffman and Evgenii Dadonov reached 70. The Panthers were the first squad this season to have five 20-goal scorers, finished ninth as a team in goals for per game, and their power play – led by McFarland – was second only tot the rival Tampa Bay Lightning. Where Boughner and his staff clearly fell short was in preventing goals to the same extent they scored them. The Panthers were 28th in the league in goals against per game, allowing ten goals on average over a three-game stretch. Ironically, that did not come from allowing too many shots or struggling on the penalty kill, as Florida largely succeeded in both areas. Instead, Boughner’s scheme seemed to allow for too many high-danger chances and put his defensemen and struggling goaltenders in tough situations.

Admittedly, it’s not all Boughner’s fault. Roberto Luongo, 40, and James Reimer, 31, were a tired and injury-prone duo from the start that made keeping pucks out of the net a difficult task. The defense corps also lacked difference makers behind Keith Yandle and Aaron Ekblad, as Mike Matheson took a step back and others on the blue line were overexposed. However, as a former standout defenseman himself, the expectation was likely that Boughner could adjust to his personnel and do a better job of defending against goals. Given the individual talent of many of his forwards, the team could have survived with a more conservative style. However, that move was never made and it likely cost Boughner his job.

As for the next bench boss in Florida, the team’s desire for a “transformative, experienced head coach with Stanley Cup pedigree” is likely a not-so-subtle plea to former Chicago Blackhawks head coach Joel Quenneville. Quenneville is the best free agent coach available and really the only name that fits that description. He also shares a history with Tallon. Additionally, the Panthers are expected to pursue both Columbus Blue Jackets stars Artemi Panarin and Sergei Bobrovsky this summer and know Quenneville could be the key to bringing in former Blackhawk Panarin and his best friend. Quenneville has been linked to other teams around the NHL, but while other vacancies have since been filled by interim coaches who will receive further consideration, the job is open right now in Florida and Quenneville could be tempted to take it.

Panthers, Islanders Expected To Be Active This Off-Season

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With the New York Islanders sitting in second place in the Metropolitan Division and the Florida Panthers not yet out of postseason contention, eight points back of the final wild card slot with a game in hand, fans are not yet looking toward next season with plenty of meaningful games left this season. Yet, the two Eastern Conference teams are expected by many to be some of the most active players in the upcoming off-season. The Islanders could have more cap space entering the summer than just about any other team, while the Panthers have not won a playoff series since 1996 and are desperate to take a step forward. Both teams have needs and could look to fill them in explosive fashion this off-season.

Things have gone as well as they possibly could have this season for the Islanders. Despite losing John Tavares and entering the year with an unproven goalie tandem, the team is not only playoff-bound, but also the league leader in goals against average. Robin Lehner and Thomas Greiss have been stellar in net, the team’s young defensemen have taken a major step forward under new head coach Barry Trotz, and the offense has picked up the seemingly insurmountable slack that Tavares left behind. Yet, much of their success could be undone by free agency, which would leave the team in need of making several big additions. Lehner is an impending free agent and the Isles must decide whether or not to commit to the young reclamation project or else seek a long-term replacement, with 33-year-old Greiss only signed for one more year. Yet, the net is not even the greatest of their concerns. Captain Anders Lee and fellow top forwards Brock Nelson and Jordan Eberle are approaching free agency without new contracts. After losing Tavares last summer, it seems almost impossible that New York could also let Lee slip away. But can the same be said for Nelson and Eberle, who are also top-five scoring forwards for the Isles. The team may be in a position where they need to add considerable talent up front, as well as replenish depth.

Currently projected to have the fourth-most cap space of any team this summer, the Islanders could hypothetically re-sign Lehner and their trio of forwards without issue or else find free agents on the market. However, if spending power is not enough to bring in top free agents – like say Artemi Panarin and Sergei Bobrovsky – GM Lou Lamoriello could explore the trade market. The Athletic’s Arthur Staple writes that the Islanders’ newfound depth on the blue line could help to facilitate a major trade. He believes that the team wants to move forward with a young core of Ryan Pulock, Adam Pelech, Scott Mayfield, and Devon Toews on the blue line. He also mentions AHL All-Star Sebastian Aho as another key piece, while recent high draft picks Noah Dobson and Bode Wilde also deserve consideration. This youth movement has made top defenseman Nick Leddy expendable and Staple believes that he is a talent that could bring back an established top-six forward. The Islanders could also look to move veterans Johnny Boychuk and Thomas Hickey instead of or in addition to Leddy. That trade flexibility paired with ample cap space make the Isles a dangerous player on the trade market this summer, if not all of their problems can be fixed via free agency.

In fact, the Panthers could wind up being an ideal trade partner for the Islanders. Florida leads the NHL this season with five 20-goal scorers and has an offensive game and potent power play that few in the league can rival. However, their defense and their goaltending both leave a lot to be desired. The Panthers don’t have the cap space that the Islanders do, but The Athletic’s George Richards believes that the team plans to make trades to free up cap space in order to hit the free agent market with more bargaining power. Florida is another team that has been linked to the Panarin/Bobrovksy package, while they are also a team that could greatly benefit from adding Erik Karlsson. Richards writes that the team will be “aggressive” in pursuing top free agents, but that doesn’t mean they will succeed in drawing targets to a non-traditional hockey market.

As such, Florida could also wind up making noise on the trade market and a name like Leddy would be the caliber of player they would like to add. Mike Hoffman and Evgenii Dadonov have enjoyed strong seasons with the Panthers this year, but both have just one season remaining and could be on the trade block this summer. There were also rumors that Jonathan Huberdeau was a player that GM Dale Tallon listened to offers for at the trade deadline again and he could do so again for the team’s highest-paid forward. These are names that will move the needle for other NHL clubs. Veteran goaltenders Roberto Luongo and James Reimer? Not so much. However, the team needs to improve on its poor goaltending and to do so would need to move one (or both) of the tandem costing them a combined $7.933MM. This may involve Florida moving picks or prospects as well. There are many layers to the trade possibilities for the Panthers this off-season, making them a fascinating team to watch.

With weeks remaining in the regular season and the unknown of the postseason yet to come, the status quo could change for either one of these teams. As things stand though, there are major question marks for both squads that at this point don’t look like they can be answered until after the playoffs have ended. As soon as that happens, the Islanders and Panthers will become must-watch teams in how they approach the NHL Draft, the start of free agency, and the summer trade market. Both clubs could look drastically different in 2019-20 by way of an active off-season.

Snapshots: Three Stars, Rasanen, Free Agents

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The NHL has released their three stars for last week and a few new faces have finally received some recognition. Jonathan Huberdeau is the league’s top performer after putting up nine points in just four games. Though it may not be enough to push the Florida Panthers to the postseason this year, Huberdeau is having an outstanding season and has already recorded a career high 74 points in 69 games. That’s the kind of performance the Panthers were hoping for when they selected him third overall in 2011.

Second place last week went to Ben Bishop, who didn’t allow a single goal in his two appearances. Bishop has had an outstanding season and is actually carrying the best save percentage of his career at .930. The big goaltender also leads the league in goals against average, and has helped push the Dallas Stars into a playoff position. While Bishop has had plenty of recognition over his career, the third place spot went to a fresh face in Troy Terry. The young Anaheim Ducks forward put up seven points in four games and now has ten in 23 games on the season. Terry, 21, will be a huge part of any rebuild in Anaheim.

  • The Toronto Maple Leafs were already expected to soon sign forward Yegor Korshkov to an entry-level contract, and now may be bringing another prospect over from the KHL. A report out of Finland notes that Eemeli Rasanen has terminated the remainder of his contract with Jokerit—which only ran until the end of April—in order to sign an entry-level contract with the Maple Leafs. Rasanen was a second-round pick two years ago but returned to the OHL in 2017-18 before jumping to the KHL this season.
  • Speaking of unsigned prospects, Corey Pronman of The Athletic (subscription required) ranked the top free agents from various leagues around the world including those undrafted young players from the CHL and college ranks. Nico Sturm from Clarkson University comes in as the top unsigned option after putting up 41 points in 34 games this season. Sturm, a 6’3″ center, likely has a bottom-six ceiling in the NHL but is considered relatively pro ready.

Snapshots: Karlsson, Thompson, Lafreniere, Maple Leafs

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The San Jose Sharks got some good news regarding the status of star defenseman Erik Karlsson, who will miss his second straight game Sunday with a strained groin. Head coach Peter DeBoer confirmed that Karlsson is suffering from the same strained groin injury that kept him out for nine straight games in January and February. However, the injury won’t require surgery, according to NHL.com’s Eric Gilmore.

“It’s a version of the same injury,” DeBoer said after receiving the latest medical test results on the 28-year-old defenseman. “I don’t anticipate it being long term. No surgery, nothing like that. But we’re going to be obviously extra cautious and make sure.”

Karlsson is a key piece to the Sharks’ success this year as they try to overtake the Calgary Flames for the top spot in the Pacific Division. Karlsson has three goals and 45 points in 52 games, but has only played four games since Jan. 16. He re-injured his groin on Feb. 23 against Columbus. DeBoer said that all Karlsson needs is time, but there is no timetable on how long he’ll be out.

Deadline Primer: Carolina Hurricanes

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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.

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