More Hurricanes speculation and suggestions plus the latest Blackhawks news at the NHL Rumor Mill today.
What should tornadoes do while escaping?
Hockey News: After the Carolina Hurricanes’ elimination from the Eastern Conference Finals, Adam Proto examined three areas they must address during the offseason.
Broto believes the Hurricanes must get bigger and better on their front lines. I suggest maybe Boston Tyler Bertuzzi and/or James Van Riemsdyk of Philadelphia, both of whom are set to become unrestricted free agents on July 1st.
Dealing with the goal is another area that needs to be addressed. Frederick Andersen And You are Ranta She also UFAs on July 1 while a promising Pyotr Kochetkov He has just 27 NHL games under his belt. He also believed that they should not touch their Defense Corps.
daily face: Matt Larkin believes the Hurricanes should trade a superstar “no matter the cost.” While they’re playing a solid collegiate game under head coach Rod Brind’Amour, they haven’t had a 40-goal, 90-point, or top-15 player over the past five seasons.
Larkin noted that the Hurricanes attempted possession Matthew Tkachuk from Calgary Flames Before he was traded this past summer to the Panthers. They also lobbied hard to get in Timo Meyer from San Jose Sharks before it is shipped to New Jersey Devils before the March trade deadline.
Could Hurricanes general manager Don Waddell be willing to do the same this summer? Larkin wondered if he would have partnered with players like Andrei Svitchnikov, Brett Pesci or Seth Jarvis if someone like Toronto’s Mitch Marner became available in the commercial market.
Athlete: Curie Lavalette also wondered about notable hurricanes such as Sebastian Oh And Teofo Teravainen who were one year away from UFA status.
Lavalette predicts that they will find a way to re-sign Ahu but Teraveneen’s future is even more uncertain. Given his struggles this season, he may be on his way out.
Martin Nicas He had an outstanding performance this season as he heads into his final season of a bridge deal. Lavalette wonders if the Hurricanes are willing to stick to the NICAS for the long haul. If not, his value in the trade market would never have been higher while his ceiling ($3 million) was very low.
Bystander note: The Hurricanes have over $24 million in cap space for next season with 17 active roster players under contract. Goal sorting will be a priority, but shouldn’t take up too much max space if they bring Andersen back on a short-term deal given the limited depth in this summer’s trade and free agent markets.
Adding a star is easier said than done. Yes, the Panthers landed Matthew Tkachuk Last summer in a big move. However, such deals are rare, expensive and risky. The Hurricanes have assets in terms of young players, prospects and plenty of room to pull it off. It remains to be seen if they can find a star available this summer. Their willingness to engage in a bidding war for land is also up for debate.
The latest in Blackhawk
Athlete: Scott Powers recently brought us up to speed on what he’s been hearing about the Chicago Blackhawks’ offseason plans.
For starters, don’t expect a huge surprise from the Blackhawks regarding the first overall pick. They are definitely using it to pick their best lead, Conor Bedard.
The Blackhawks aren’t optimistic about advancing up the draft rank with the first-place finisher (19th overall) they got from Tampa Bay Lightning. the Vancouver Canucks (11th overall) might make sense given their need to chip away at their paychecks for next season. Powers wondered if the Canucks would be tempted to give up that pick if the Blackhawks offered to get one of the contracts they’re trying to move by bundling a Lightning pick along with a second-rounder.
The Powers have indicated that the Blackhawks are willing to listen to offers from clubs trying to void contracts if it will bring them a high draft and/or quality prospect. He also indicated that they intended to keep their free agent contracts for short-term deals.
SPECTATOR’S NOTE: Blackhawks General Manager Kyle Davidson wasted little time establishing his reputation as a wheeler-dealer during last year’s draft. Lacking a first-round pick entering that draft, he appeared with three of them he used to pick Kevin KorczynskiAnd Frank Nizar And Sam Renzel.
Don’t be surprised if Davidson finds a way to move up the drafting order by weaponizing his salary cap space.