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stormTRacker Podcast
Get Ready! The Canes Have $28.4 Million in Cap Space and Eric Tulsky Is Set to Make Big Moves!
The Carolina Hurricanes stand at a pivotal crossroads after their impressive run to the Eastern Conference Finals. With a staggering $28.4 million in cap space and 29 draft picks (including six first-rounders) over the next four years, GM Eric Tulsky finds himself in perhaps the NHL's most enviable position to build a Stanley Cup contender.
Erin, Katie & Tom break down the Canes' surprising success last season despite significant roster turnover, examining how shrewd acquisitions like Sean Walker and Shane Gostisbehere helped the team outperform national expectations. Through revealing exit interviews, we analyze which current Hurricanes are likely moving on and which young stars like Seth Jarvis and Logan Stankoven represent the future core.
The free agent market presents intriguing possibilities, with elite talents like Mitch Marner potentially available, though questions remain about whether marquee players would choose Raleigh. We evaluate alternative options like Brock Boeser, who brings much-needed size and scoring touch, while addressing the perennial search for a reliable second-line center with candidates such as Matt Duchene.
Defensively, the likely departures of Brent Burns and Dmitry Orlov create significant holes, leading us to explore trade targets like Rasmus Andersson who could complement young phenom Alexander Nikishin. With goaltending largely set between Frederik Andersen and Pyotr Kochetkov, the Hurricanes appear just a few strategic moves away from transforming from perpetual contender to champion.
What will Tulsky do with all these assets at his disposal? After coming tantalizingly close for years, can the Hurricanes finally break through? Join us as we play armchair GM and chart the potential paths forward for one of hockey's most fascinating teams heading into a critical offseason.
Highlights:
• $28.4 million in cap space available for the upcoming offseason
• 29 draft picks over the next four years, including six first-round selections
• Sean Walker and Shane Gostisbehere emerged as key acquisitions who made immediate impacts
• Exit interviews suggest Dmitry Orlov and several UFAs likely won't return
• Seth Jarvis, Logan Stankoven, and Scott Morrow showed promising development and commitment
• Top tier free agent targets include Mitch Marner and Nikolaj Ehlers, though both present fit concerns
• Brock Boeser offers scoring and size that could address team needs
• The 2C position remains a priority with Matt Duchene as a potential short-term solution
• Defensive core needs rebuilding with Burns and Orlov likely departing
• Trade targets include Jason Robertson, Pavel Zacha, and Rasmus Andersson
Well, it's great to be back Wait for a little while, as you know and really excited to be back in the seat here and having some fun talking hockey about the Hurricanes. What a year, though. It's just incredible. We remember laughing a little bit through the season, saying some of the analysts didn't think the Canes would make the playoffs. And there they are, in the finals of the Eastern Conference and they won a game which was great. In the finals of the Eastern Conference and they won a game which was great. So lots to build on and lots of good stuff this year. But I wanted to let's just touch base on last year, erin. What were your thoughts? Anything exciting jumps out at you. Things you didn't like what were you?
Speaker 2:thinking Well, I think it's, you know, funny that I looked back and I know you guys know this. But we look back to last season's predictions and my prediction for the Canes was that they would outpace everyone's expectations. I said that they would make it to the Eastern Conference final and maybe win a game, and that's exactly what they did. So in that sense, I'm kind of delighted that they managed to meet that target, because it was a pretty high target to set. As we know, they were coming in after a tremendously disruptive offseason where they lost a lot of really good players in free agency. They brought in players that people weren't really expecting them to step up and be able to play the Canes way right as well as they did. So that was the pleasant surprise, I think, and I think Eric Tulsky has to be given a lot of credit for that, because a lot of people have said well, you know he didn't bring in this person or that. Well, you know it was right for the time, because the team is certainly not going through any kind of a rebuild and you wanted to bring in players that you know would get the job done, whether it was for this year alone or for a couple of years, you know, because we have a lot of people coming up in the in the prospect pipeline and there's got to be room for them. So those, those were the good things, the good surprises, the only disappointment, I would say.
Speaker 2:I would actually put point to two things. The one was and this is not, it's not something that the Canes need to address but goaltending ended up being a disappointment during the season because we had again a long stretch with Freddie Anderson out with injury and then overlapping that Kachetkov was also out during that same time period. That time in the season, when we had Tokarski and Spencer Martin coming in and playing games, was the time that the Canes were their shakiest. They did not do well in front of those goaltenders and I think that that's something that they have to look at. Is, you know, okay, who do we? What do we need to do to make sure that we're not in that position again?
Speaker 2:And the other disappointment was, I felt, like the blue line, the scoring from the defense, was a lot lower and a lot weaker this year. So hopefully, as they're looking at making their offseason moves, they're going to be looking to improve that. I think one improvement is just having the young rookie, alexander Nikitian, projected to be in the lineup next season. He's going to be a huge addition from when it comes to scoring from the blue line. So that's pretty much where I see it, and I think that they did about as well as we could have expected, if not a little bit better. So what do you think, katie?
Speaker 3:Yeah, I think that the Canes definitely outperformed the national expectation for them that is without a doubt.
Speaker 3:I mean we even had the very famous bold prediction from the beginning of the season where one reporter suggested that the Canes would miss the playoffs altogether, which Canes fans knew that was totally bogus to begin with, but that's kind of where they sat and the level at which certain people had a perspective. I don't know that. I would go so far as the language people were using that it was some sort of retool year. Yeah, we lost some big pieces, but we still retained the core of our group and Jarvis had gotten extended and there was still plenty to like and, especially when you look at it in context of the Metro Division, the Metro Division was not going to be a strong division.
Speaker 3:It was very obviously set up to be probably the weakest of the four divisions in the NHL and I mean we had some surprises for sure. No one expected the Capitals to do as well as they did and no one expected the Rangers to fall on their face quite as dramatically as they did. But they just kind of swapped places, I guess, with where people thought they were going to be and the Canes were just steady on, kept pushing, kept battling and pretty much coasted into that second position in the Metro. So very happy with how they did and where they ended up. And the playoffs were a lot of fun.
Speaker 3:Once again, a lot of pundits were very dismissive of the Canes. Even looking at there were so many that picked the Canes to lose to the Devils even though they knew the Devils were coming in shorthanded. I mean it's very. It just goes to show how many people refuse to look at the Canes seriously. But we in the fan base we know and we knew they were going to step up and take care of business and they did. And they did the same against the Capitals too. The Capitals who won the division. The Canes took care of them in five games just like they did with the Devils didn't really break a too big of a sweat doing it, so very happy. Um, I guess if I had to put a pin in one area that I was disappointed in is I really felt like our top guys had more to give this season I don't think we talked a lot about that yeah, board, as I mean he, he was still a top player and he still had a bunch of big moments.
Speaker 3:But, yes, especially with where the canes are and where they need to be in the regular season and the post season, need need more from Ajo, need more from Jarvis, need more from Svetch. They had moments, but they need consistency over just having moments, and so that would be an area for sure Looking forward that I'm going to be keeping an eye on with the canes and their top players. I mean, we know we're going to have ajo and jarvis and most likely sfetch there, but then whoever else they add in is how do they step up? How do they produce? So is it going to be sporadic or is it going to be reliable production from those top guys?
Speaker 1:So, but overall, yeah, great season, fantastic Well you know, to me this season is really about Eric Tolsky.
Speaker 1:You know the summer was brutal for him coming in to take over and all these key players moving out in free agency and trying to figure out how do I build a team.
Speaker 1:And you know he, he and his crew did a nice job handpicking, you know, the second and third tier of guys that were available. I mean, it's really something, and some of those folks are going to be key players for an extended period. You think of Sean Walker and Shane Gossespierre and you look at folks like that who really came in and did a nice job. And then how about excitement during the season when he goes out and acquires Mikko Rantanen and shocks the heck out of us and decides he's going to take a major swing and all of a sudden the Hurricanes are the toast of the town and then, of course, with Mikko leaving, trying to turn that into something of value as well. So I think a lot of it, you know, comes down to the good work of Eric and his crew. This was, for a lot of folks, would be a very daunting season, and yet he was able to, along with the good coaching staff, get the Canes into the finals.
Speaker 1:I think that's an incredible story and, of course, we're going to look forward to see what Eric's got in mind this summer.
Speaker 1:One of the things that I thought was interesting as we wrap up the season always is the you know the exit interviews, when they're interviewed by the press and so on, and we get to hear some of the good words of them. And we did hear from some folks that I think are sounded like they're moving on. Sounded like they're moving on. The likes of Dimitri Orlov and even, to some extent, yusperi Kokuniemi didn't sound particularly excited in his interview as well. Were there folks that jumped out at you, katie? Who did you like in?
Speaker 3:the X interviews. I really liked Jarvis's interview. He was very well spoken. You can tell he's growing up and maturing before our eyes. He's has less of that kid about him and more of that, um, that young leader that is developing in the locker room. Uh, he talked a lot about his shoulder and what had been going on with that during the season. That had been re-aggravated in his plans for the summer and that he's, you know, not doing surgery but he's still going to try and strengthen it and his mindset for playing with it come this next season. And it was encouraging to hear that he said you know, I don't have to throw a spiral in hockey, so I should be good. My injury is not going to be able to affect.
Speaker 3:It's not going to affect how I play hockey, that I'm still going to be able to do all of the hockey things that I need to do.
Speaker 3:And obviously part of it, too, is he is looking towards the Olympics and hoping to put together a season where he can have enough contributions on the canes that he has selected to the Canadian Olympic team, just like he was selected for Four Nations.
Speaker 3:So I know that's a big thing on the back of his mind and it's something I think we all want for him as well, because that would be really cool for him just as a player, but also for us as fans to be able to watch him and see the way that he's able to contribute on such a big stage.
Speaker 3:We want that for him. But the other thing besides the personal injury piece that stood out to me is how he talked about yes, he wants good players to be acquired this season to help round out the Canes lineup, but he wants them to be the right players, that not just anybody can fit into the locker room, that they have a tight locker room, that they are a family, that they have basically a spirit to who they are as a team, not just as individuals, and the most important thing for him is that whoever joins the team is somebody who will embody and embrace that same spirit that they have going on, and that that was just so key from what I heard from, uh, from the different exit interviews and I love to hear that from him, cause you know, if he's saying that, that there are a lot of the other leaders that think and feel the same way.
Speaker 4:Yeah, I think there's definitely a lot of pieces out there that I think any team in the NHL would want to get, especially um, get especially um free agent wise. But I mean, you have to make sure they fit with the team, with the culture. Uh, I think what we have in that locker room is really special and you don't want um to disrupt that, and I think that's a big reason why we got so far this year with the team we did was how everyone bought in and everyone worked so hard just to get to the playoffs and prove those people wrong and then make a run like we did was really special and I think, uh, building off of that, when you can bring in high-end talent, that'd be great.
Speaker 2:But you also need to make sure they fit in with the culture and and the way the team's uh organized well, I'm gonna say that I really enjoyed, uh, the interview, the exit interview from lo Logan Stankoven, and I think that he was just so enthusiastic about being in Carolina playing for the Hurricanes. Fitting into the locker room, he said it took him about two weeks to fit in and then after that he just felt like he was, you know, just one of the guys and just his overall positive attitude. I think it was such a refreshing thing to hear after all of the Mikko Rantanen debacle and the speculation from the media oh, nobody wants to play in Raleigh, north Carolina. Here you have a kid who's clearly excited to be here and wants to be part of what's being built here. So that's just really refreshing to hear. And then he also talked a little bit about what he needs to do in the offseason. He talked about, you know, getting specifically working on his foot speed, his skating speed and his shot.
Speaker 2:And you know he's one young player, even though he's only 22 years old, that you don't look at him for a player of his size and say that he needs to work on his strength. He's very strong. So that's not. We're not looking at him saying, well, he needs to add muscle. That's not something that he needs to really do that much of. Certainly I'm sure he's the kind that's going to try to keep doing that as much as he can anyway, but for him to pinpoint specific areas that he saw that he needs to improve and to to focus on working through that this summer and making that the big part of what he wants to do so that when he comes back he can be an even bigger impact player for the Canes, you just you got to love where his head is at. You got to love what he's thinking about and just the nice things he said about the Canes fans too, and what it's like to play in the building when you're on the right side of that. It was a fun interview to listen to.
Speaker 5:For me, the next couple of weeks it's going to be take a step back, relax a bit, recover. From there it's back in the gym and on the ice again, definitely going to look to get a bit stronger and faster. Of course, I think the game's getting faster each year. So, um, for me, being a smaller guy, I think that's huge. Um, just keep working on the, the fundamentals and my craft. Uh, I think working on my shot is huge and uh, um, you know a little bit of, uh, lower body strength and whatnot. So so, uh, yeah, that'll be, that'll be huge this summer and, um, as much as, yeah, it's, it's tough losing out now. I think, uh, once you kind of sit back and and, uh, look at your summer, I'm, I'm excited for for the work to be put in and, um, yeah, definitely, uh, I'm already kind of looking forward to next season and the future.
Speaker 1:Okay. So Logan obviously very excited about the Canes and getting ready for next season. He's definitely buying in and drinking the Kool-Aid with the Hurricanes for sure. The other player I wanted to touch base on was Scott Morrow. You know Morrow came up, had a cup of coffee with the Canes and really started to show some things. But you clearly saw that he's got some work to do and I think what I was most impressed with was Scott. He certainly handled himself well in the interview and he talked about the areas that I thought he really needed to focus on, and that was clearly to get better foot speed. He's got to be quicker on the foot speed, he's got to be quicker on the blue and he's got to be stronger, and he realized, certainly playing against the Florida Panthers, that he's got some work to do um, yeah, like I said just uh, first and foremost working on my skating and then, um, trying to get a little bit stronger, um, so I can be more physical, especially in the defensive zone.
Speaker 6:So, um, I mean, I still feel like I have physically a lot of room to grow and, um, in terms of my body, I'm still a young kid and, um, I think there's definitely more I can add as far as just off the ice in the weight room. So that'll be a lot of my focus okay.
Speaker 1:So Scott Morrow, uhgan stankov and seth jarvis all three players that certainly look like they have a future with the hurricanes and they're certainly dedicated to come back in the fall and and try to make a difference. That's exciting news. But there's other exciting news to be discussed and that, of course, is going to be the draft coming up and free agency, and of course there's lots of rumors of trades and so on, and I thought we'd have the chance to play Armchair General Manager today and have some fun with that. A couple of things about the Cains. They are probably one of the most enviable teams in terms of this summer opportunity that there is. Let's take a look at this. They've got $28.4 million in cap space. So Eric Tolsky had $1.50 last year in cap space. This year he's got $28.4 million, so I think he's going to have some fun with this.
Speaker 1:The Canes have 29 draft picks over the next four years, including six first-rounders. I mean this is insane and of course, they bolstered that in the big Nico Rantanen trade. That was a great move by Eric. A couple other key prospects who could be made available Bradley Nadeau and Scott Morrow again were both on the AHL top prospect team. Now this is an interesting team because a lot of the folks who come off those top prospect teams become significant NHLers. And you know, if you look at the team, they have three forwards, two defensemen and a goalie. The Canes had two members of that team and that has not been done before.
Speaker 1:So this is you know. You talk about the Hurricanes prospect base and there's so many others we've talked about this year. This is a pretty enviable position and then we've got several of the key players already under their long-term deals and very team-friendly deals. If you look at where the cap's going over the next few years, it's going to go up over $100 million. So you know, you think about what is the best possible situation for Eric to go to work. I think we're probably laying it out. So, first things first. What's Eric going to do with the existing canes on unrestricted free agents? Who's he going to sign? Who's going to go? What are our thoughts on that? Katie, why don't you kick it off?
Speaker 3:Well with the current unrestricted free agents, I don't know that I'm particularly confident that any of them are coming back. I know there's been a lot of chatter about whether or not they are going to resign burns and I think that while the sentiment certainly is nice, I'm not sure that the practical, um, the practical application of him coming back makes a whole lot of sense, because it puts the Canes in a bind in one or two different ways, depending on where he's utilized. If you keep him up with Slavin, the same problems that happened this last season are going to continue and perhaps even grow because of the age-related regression. If you put him down on the third pair with goss despair, then there's really deep, big defensive concerns as far as that's concerned, and you know where you move everyone else out. Then there's just not a lot of flexibility. Then you're done. You don't need to work on the decor anymore.
Speaker 3:And is that decor strong enough or stronger than the one we had last season? And I think the answer to that clearly is no. As far as the others are concerned, I'll let you guys tackle some of the other forwards, but the one forward I did want to speak up for is I don't know that he is going to be back, but I would love to see Tyson Jost back because I thought, for what he was he did a really good job. So if he was willing to do that same role that he had this year where he was either an AHL or, in case of injury, can come up and fill in for somebody I really appreciated his professionalism and the way that he went about his job he can play center or wing, and so that gives Rod additional options as well.
Speaker 3:So he is one that I would particularly like to see back because of who he is and the role he would have with the team. He would not be an everyday player, but all teams have to expect injury at some point, and I think he would be a great plug and play sort of guy. Um, but I'll pass it on to you, aaron, as far as your thoughts on some of the other uh, canes, ufas.
Speaker 2:Okay, um, I think that we all um, the consensus feeling out there is that Dimitri Orlov is fact moving on. I don't think that's a big surprise. There were a few people early on that thought, well, maybe they'll keep him around to be a mentor to Nikitin, but that would force one or the other of them to play on his offside, which is not a great solution on the defensive line. So I don't think that he's coming back. There's been no talk of that. There's been very it's been pretty much silent. As far as Jack Roslevic is concerned as well, we have not heard anything, and I think that's just a reflection of the reality that Roslevic started out really, really well. He got a lot of goals.
Speaker 2:For the Canes Things tapered off, but the truth is, because he played as well as he did here, he's going to get some good offers, and the Canes are not going to be interested in meeting those levels. There are teams that are desperately in need of help at center right now to a degree that we can't even really imagine, and the fact that Jack is one of those players who can play center or wing makes him a good, versatile option for teams that are in that position. That you know, they just they have to have somebody. You know, and there are so many people out there right now looking for players who can play, as in the middle, six center roles, you know. So I'm thinking that Roslovich will get the opportunity to do that and I'm thinking that he would probably prefer that over a resigning with the Canes, where he would essentially be a winger and not necessarily have the opportunities to play center, except here and there, and certainly at the price that the Canes would want him to accept. I don't think that he's going to want that price.
Speaker 2:Eric Robinson is the other one who has come in. You know, there's been conversations, there's been little flutters of well, we're getting close to maybe seeing him sign. It hasn't happened and I think that my take on that is simply this depending on how the draft and free agency go for the canes and what they acquire and what they have to maybe take on in order to acquire the things they want to acquire, they're not going to know if they have room for eric robinson until they get through that process, not in a cap space sense, but in a roster position sense, because there are some teams right now that would be willing to be trade partners with the Canes, but the Canes would maybe have to take a cap dump player back, and those are usually going to be your fourth line guys that maybe don't get a lot of money on the market. So if the Canes are in a position where there's a great trade opportunity for them but they have to take somebody back that's going to take one of those spots on the fourth line and they've already got William Carrier on the other side, then there might not be room for Robinson unless he's willing to be a 13th forward and at this point I don't think he should be willing to be that. He had a terrific year with the Canes and there should be a team out there that wants his services full-time. So it might just be a question of a lot of moving parts.
Speaker 2:I'm going to agree with Katie on the Brent Burns question. I think as much as he is a beloved player in the locker room, as much as they would love to have him continue to bring his services, it goes back to what I talked about being the disappointment for the Canes this year is not getting the scoring from the blue line when you look at Brent Burns' offensive numbers and how badly they collapsed between last season and this season. That is normal age-related regression, and I know that Rod Brindamore talked about in the Adam Gold interview how Burns is reinventing his game. He's becoming a great defensive guy, he's becoming a great penalty killer. The problem is the Canes still need scoring, and if you're not going to have that scoring in your defensive core, you know, then you've got to add a lot more on the forward side and it's just going to have to wait and see how that all works out. So that's my take.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I mean for sure the Canes have to make a decision on the blue and we'll talk a little bit about this. Do they want to go big? Do they want to try to get one of the bigger players that's available, if they are available, or do they want to, you know, kind of just add as needed with a you know six, seven defensemen? Maybe in that situation, depending on the deal that Burns has available, maybe they decide to bring him back on a team-friendly deal. I'm not writing it off at this point. We do know that Brent played very, very well in the playoffs for the Canes. He was rock solid back there and he was playing big minutes. So you know they have to replace that and so, unless they can get someone that can come in and, you know, take some serious minutes, I think they're going to have some questions to answer A couple of things.
Speaker 1:Hockey Comparables is an interesting site. They take a look at contracts and they try to get an idea of what you might expect in the next deal. They had Jack Roslevic at about $4 million over three years. He's definitely not coming back to the Hurricanes, I think that's for sure. They had Eric Robinson at $2.5 million for two or three years, that's not bad. With the cap going up, that's a team-friendly deal. If he's going to play minutes on the fourth line or fill in occasionally on the other lines, I like Robinson a lot and I think he was a solid player all year. I would not be unhappy if he returned. But I'm kind of like you in this too, erin, because the other situation we've got is if the Canes do make a move for a scoring forward, guess what? Somebody's moving down and that's likely Jackson Blake or someone like that. So now you've got a bit of a log jam on the forward side and it's going to be interesting to see how that plays out. So I'm kind of with you on Robinson. I think they hold off a little bit on that.
Speaker 1:I'm wondering if they're thinking today they jumped the gun on Taylor Hall. You know they signed Taylor to a three-year deal, three-something mil team-friendly deal. That's fine. I did not think he did much in the playoffs and I'm wondering if you know, maybe gosh I don't know if I would have been upset if they would have let him go and kept Robinson, you know, and certainly upgraded on that two left wing spot. But they have Hall now. So we'll have to see how he comes back to camp in the fall. Maybe he'll be refreshed. Okay, so taking a look at that, and if we say nobody's coming back, the Canes need to make some moves and, as we said at the outset, they got a lot of cash. They got a lot of so, right at the top of the list, they need a scoring winger. The Canes are still a little bit light in the offensive side. What do we got?
Speaker 2:Erin. Well, we're going to start with everybody's favorite free agent, Mitch Marner. I think I'm going to join the consensus out there that says that Marner is probably heading west. He's probably going to a big city. My personal thought is that, because there's been so much smoke and discussion about Vegas, I think Vegas is a very high likely team the Los Angeles Kings. The thing about the Kings is that they haven't done much in recent years. So again, it would be that same situation for Marner that if he was to contemplate coming to Carolina, is he ready to be the guy, is he ready to be this player that you know somehow puts them over the top where they are right now, especially, you know, with some of. I mean, they have an aging center core. They're still really good they're. You know they're not. They're not by any means on their last legs. But does Marner want to sign for with a team where a lot of that is going to be in flux within the next few years? I think Vegas is a more likely spot. Yes, now, if he was to sign with with Carolina, he would clearly be the number one star on the team.
Speaker 2:He. It's a small market. It's a nice place to raise a family. He did just, you know, welcome his first child, so that it's a small market. It's a nice place to raise a family. He did just, you know, welcome his first child, so that's not a bad thing. I'm sure that those kinds of things are being.
Speaker 2:You know, the case is being made to Marner for those kinds of things, and there's a report today that he might want to go out and check out some cities and not sign on day one. I think there will be ink on a contract on July 1st. I don't necessarily believe that that's the case, but there's a lot of things that he would probably benefit, and the Canes would certainly benefit. I just don't know that a player of Marner's type is going to be ready to sign on the dotted line in a small hockey market when he's used to playing in Toronto.
Speaker 2:Anything's possible. One thing that I think we should keep an eye on, though, is that if he did go to Vegas, if Vegas was his choice, then Vegas is going to need to clear cap space, and there are some players there that would become extremely interesting to the Carolina Hurricanes if that was going to happen. So a lot of moving parts, but Marner is definitely the most star-quality player available, this free agency. So everyone is going to be in pursuit, and Carolina is definitely. We know from the reporting they have been one of the contenders to try to land him and we'll just have to see what happens.
Speaker 1:But I know there's some others. Yeah, just to talk about Marner for a second. Just a couple of quick comments here, erin.
Speaker 3:Sure.
Speaker 1:There was a rumor that seems to have been substantiated, of a three-team deal when Mikko Rantanen was traded to Dallas and Rantanen would have gone to Toronto, marner would have gone to Vegas and he would have got some pieces from Vegas. And I think, you know, one of the pieces the Canes are kind of looking at is William Carlson, so you know, a centerman for the Vegas Golden Knights. So again, if they get in a situation where they sign Marner, maybe they have to make a move with someone like Carlson. They're pretty deep at center so they can make that move. The other thing is, I think, you know, if we look at Marner, we look at the fact that he, you know he's been playing in a big market. Is this going to be something that he wants to continue with? You know that's going to be a key question because you know, again the Canes a little bit of a different place, a different situation. The other concern I have, which is the optics of Jake Gensel leaving and then, of course, miko Rantanen. So you know, you kind of hope that you know that doesn't come into the mix and he says, well, look, these guys don't want to play there. I guess I shouldn't be there. You know, maybe they know something, I don't know.
Speaker 1:Anyway, I'm kind of with you on Marner. I don't expect necessarily he's going to be a hurricane. It'd be great if he was. He's a heck of a hockey player. He's a Rod Brindamore type guy. As we know. He was seventh in the Selkie voting, so defensively responsible and a hundred point guy, that's not bad. Okay, who's next? What do you?
Speaker 2:got next Erin. Well, I was going to turn this one over to Katie, actually because this is a player that has been mentioned In connection with both of her teams, and that would be Nikolai Ehlers. There was even some I saw a post today that you commented on An ex, I think, katie About someone speculating that maybe Colorado would do a Natchez for Ehlers swap, because the Colorado Avalanche also like Nik Ehlers. So tell us about Nik Ehlers and why he would fit with the Canes and why you don't want him to go for Natchez.
Speaker 3:Well, first, I'm not sure that that would really happen because of Winnipeg and Colorado being in division rivals. Of course, the rumors are all swirling around Natchez right now it's. Natchez for Ehlers, natchez for Paterka, natch's. Right now, it's nature's for Ehlers, nature's for Paterka nature's for whoever, it's just crazy I'm. I'm just so over it.
Speaker 3:Um, but as far as as far as Ehlers is concerned is I've watched a lot of Ehlers and he could fit with the Canes. Um, he has some of the same concerns that I have, like with Marner. He is pass first, shoot first. Um, yeah, he's defensively responsible, but he, when the going gets tough, he doesn't get tougher. Um, same same as with Marner. He really disappeared against the abs.
Speaker 3:Um, not this past playoffs, but the playoffs before in the first round, and he just, I, just, I don't know. I understand that he's a fit for for Carolina, but sometimes I think being a fit for Carolina is bringing in the same type of player that we already have. And we have those players. We don't need more of them. We need to look more for the big strong, go to the front of the net, shoot the puck, create traffic, create tips, that sort of player. So I know he's a big name out there, I know he's really popular with a lot of canes fans. So my saying this probably is making a lot of people a little unhappy, but ehlerslers, ehlers is a lot of same old, same old as far as I'm concerned when it comes to the Canes and they're really a lot of the UFA wings out there.
Speaker 3:That's kind of the same concern with them. It's either not enough defense or too light or pass first style winger. There really isn't someone out there that profiles the way that the Canes need to beef up their roster and the play from their wingers.
Speaker 1:Well, I mean, I think definitely the Canes will be in on Ehlers, They'll be in on Marner, along with a lot of folks. So you know we'll have to wait and see if those guys are in the mix. Either one of those players would be a nice add, but, like you, I'm a little concerned with their size. I'm a little concerned with, you know, playing against the Panthers in you know some final series and having to go with some more smaller guys, so we'll have to see how that plays out. And having to go with some more smaller guys. So we'll have to see how that plays out. The numbers that they're talking about with Ehlers are $8 or $9 million on seven years. That's okay. The Barner, of course, is $13 or $14. So if you get Ehlers, you get a little bit of extra cash to play with. Now you mentioned there aren't guys out there that can score, that are bigger and can make things happen. Maybe not good defensively, but I like Brock Besser.
Speaker 1:This guy had a 40-goal year a couple years ago with the Canucks. He's 6'1", he's 208 pounds. I think last year was an off year for the Canucks in general. So he got 25 goals in what was an off year for the Canucks, so that's not bad. When he was on his 40- 40 goal year he was impressive. I watched a lot of Canucks highlights. I saw a lot of what he was doing and he looked really, really good. And he's still young enough.
Speaker 2:He's a guy that six of his eight years in the NHL he's had 23 or more goals, so this guy scored. The impressive part of that is that he has missed time with injuries, so these aren't 82 game seasons. If he can stay healthy, you could see somebody who could theoretically be quite a high goal producer, and that would be something that would be of interest to any team that acquires him. If he can stay healthy, then he's probably going to have a really good season.
Speaker 1:And he's probably going to be under the radar a little bit because they're all going after Ehlers and they're all going after Marner. So a guy like Besser I suspect he could get Besser for $7 or $8 million on a long-term deal, which is fine. I think he's $28, $29, so it's no problem, but he's a guy that you know. If they signed Brock Besser, I would be happy. I think that'd be excellent and that's what they need. He's not the best defensive player in the game. I don't really care. We've got like 18 other players. That defense is first, you know. So I'm kind of thinking I wouldn't mind a guy that gets out there and hangs around and just scores goals. Now, the other thing he does really well is the power play. So his numbers on the power play are very, very strong and the Canes need that. They need a guy on the power play that can score, get in front of the net, get in their face. We've been talking about this for eons and that's exactly what Brock Besser does. So again, he becomes an option. If they don't do Ehlers, they don't do Marner, I'm okay with Brock Messer, okay. So that's one situation.
Speaker 1:The other situation, on the forward side, which we beat To death Is still sitting there, and there are some players in free agency that are available, and that's, of course, the 2C spot, which has been the Achilles heel of the Canes for so long, since Vinny Trocek left and whether you like Vinny or not, he was definitely a solid center for the Hurricanes for a period of time. By the way, rumors are that Vinny might be available, so maybe we'll be calling the Rangers to get Vinny back. But just kind of fun stuff going on. As you say, there's so much out on the airways these days you can have fun with just about any player that's out there. 2c situation.
Speaker 1:I thought we'd kick it off and say that one of the teams that the Canes are going to be looking at and talking to, I think, through all this activity of trades and free agency, of course, is the Dallas Stars. The Stars are in a real tough situation from a cap perspective. They've got $5 million left in cap space and I think they have 16 of 23 players signed. They're in a world of hurt. So, kicking it off, at the center spot, they've got a couple of guys that might be available either, or that would be Matt DeShane and Mikael Granlund Katie. What are your thoughts on these two guys?
Speaker 3:I'll start off right away by saying I don't think Mikael Granlund works at all. He's too small. He doesn't have the strength in his game that would be needed for the for rod brindamore to trust him over jordan stahl with the kinds of minutes that we would be needing from what we would call a 2c.
Speaker 3:We obviously know that brindamore would not call it a 2c. It's very fluid with him, but what we would call a 2c, he just wouldn't gain that trust. So I I'm not particularly worried about grantman dushane's a little bit more interesting um. He is a proven leader. He is strong in the locker room. He has great relationship with his teammates. Um, this last season he was a point per game player, really contributed a lot, and that was even on the stars third line. A lot of the time he can contribute on the power play.
Speaker 3:So, just like aaron mentioned with besser, that would be an area that duchesne could really help, if not on the first power play then definitely on the second. He's great at face-offs. There's a little bit of question on defense but again, depending on who gets to be his line mates and who works with him, that can be worked with, as long as those defensive lapses aren't super costly. Because the center market is a little thin. Especially if someone like Bennett re-signs with his current team, as he is expected to, it's going to get even thinner and so if the Canes are going to go the way of the free agent market to find their 2C, it's probably going to be something that's a bit of a bridge over the next two to three seasons instead of a long-term deal, and that's another way that Duchesne makes sense.
Speaker 3:He's 34, so another two to three seasons shouldn't be a problem. The Canes are used to that. They already have Stahl in his mid to late 30s. Now Having somebody else in his mid-30s for a few years would kind of fit the way that they operate anyway, and I don't see that Duchesne would rock the boat too much in that case.
Speaker 1:Yeah, for sure. And a quick comment on Granlin. Granlin may be signed to be a winger and have the option to go back into center at times. If they ended up with still going with Kokuniemi and I know that sounds kind of unrealistic, but it's always possible A guy like Mikhail Granlin would be a nice add because he can play the wing plays extremely well in the wing, I think, more so than center, but he could go back into center something like Rostelek did. So it would give you a little bit of depth as well. So you know, I don't rule out the fact he could come in as a, as a winger center, as opposed to trying to fill that 2c spot I'm going to disagree with you there, just because I've actually heard um some interesting.
Speaker 2:I put it out on on x and I said you know, what do we think of uh mikhail grandland as a an option for, uh, the carolina hurricanes? I heard from a couple of interesting people. I heard from the Finnish scout, anna Karvanen, who said that her impression of Granlund is that he does not fit the Carolina Hurricanes at all. The way that he scores is primarily off the rush. The Canes have a very low transition game. There were a couple of other points that she made that that kind of went along those same lines.
Speaker 2:And then I'm not going to say his name right, I apologize, I can't remember how to pronounce it Dan Kingerski, who reports for the Pittsburgh Penguins. He chimed in and he added that he agreed that Grandland would be a very bad fit for the Carolina Hurricanes, that he did not do well in the system in Pittsburgh and that Rod Brindamore's system is that plus even more so. So he did not think that Granlin would be a player the Canes should pursue at all. So I love when people with that kind of background and knowledge and inside information speak up, because they both like Granlin, they both think he's a really good player, but their first impression is not for the Carolina Hurricanes. He would not do well there, and I think we've had enough experience of guys being brought in because they're good players and then they just don't fit the system. I don't really think the Canes should repeat that. So hopefully they've got the same intel and more so, and I'm pretty sure they do with Tulsky and Church and, as you know, Eric, he's focused on doing that.
Speaker 1:So if this is actually the case and I haven't watched Granlund that closely to see if he could fit the style He's- just a nice player. He's a good player.
Speaker 2:That's why I love getting this kind of, because nobody has time to watch every team and see everybody. I wouldn't know where, granlund but to hear from people that have this really good inside information, it's wonderful. That's one of the things I love about being part of the hockey community.
Speaker 1:On on Twitter. I just love guys that score hat tricks in the playoffs. There you go, so back to Shane and and the discussion of a kind of a bridge player, which we've been talking about, and I think the other one, if he's available and this is to be determined is John Tavares.
Speaker 2:Tavares is an elite player. He'd be great for any team. I don't think he's going to be available because, with Mitch Marner moving, the Toronto Maple Leafs have no reason not to resign Tavares, and I'm almost 100% certain that they will. What do you think, katie?
Speaker 3:Agree, and I also think that his foot speed is a bit of an issue as far as playing in the system that the Canes like to play in. That he would struggle there perhaps. So definitely, it's just unlikely period, because I think he's going to stay with Toronto, definitely. It's just unlikely period because I think he's going to stay with Toronto. But secondly, as good as he is in a lot of areas, I'm not sure that he would work with the way that the Canes do their offensive attack, especially in transition.
Speaker 1:And I don't disagree with what you're saying. I don't see John Tavares as a hurricane, but he is out there, so I thought we should mention him for sure, john. Tavares as a hurricane, but he is out there, so I thought we should mention him for sure. The only other center that anybody talks about is Pugh Suter. With Vancouver, I have no particular interest in Suter, anybody?
Speaker 2:Nope, I think he's more of. Again. There's another player that's more of what they already have he's a 3C at best who has been having to play 2C in Vancouver because of their shaky situation once JT Miller left. But no one expects him to continue there. And you know he's I think is he 28 years old, I believe, and he just now, I think he had his season career high of 20 goals and 45 points and that really came from getting those extra minutes on deployment. So no one sees him staying in that role. It's just not his role. So if we want another 3C, sure, but if we want to go get a 2C, I think are we going to corner the 3C market and make other teams come begging to Carolina.
Speaker 2:I mean it could be an interesting strategy, but no, I don't think so.
Speaker 1:So generally, I mean, as we look at the center ice side, there's not a lot available and there may not be anything available on the free agent market. So we're going to have to talk a little bit about possible trades and other things to solve that. A couple of other quick things the defensive core we talked a little bit at the front side. You know, do the Canes go big or stay home? Do they go with mostly what they have and get a player here or there? There's only two significant free agents that are available right now in defense Aaron Ekblad and Ivan Provorov. Those are the two top names and it sounds like both of them are staying home. Yep, so if that's the case, then we can take those off the docket as well. I mean, aaron Eckblad to me would be the ideal pick for the Canes. They could pay him $8 million. $9 million I don't care. He would be unbelievable alongside Jacob Slavin. I can't imagine a better first pairing in the league. He's a tremendous player 6'4", 220, he's everything. That guy's just an incredible player. But is he going to be available? We'll wait and see If, for whatever reason, he decides to go to the open market for more cash or whatever. I'm sure the Canes will be all over it, but I just don't see it.
Speaker 1:A couple of other guys out there there's somebody I've been taking a look at is Nick Purbix. Now here's a guy that's a younger defenseman, he's 27. He's again 6'4", 200-plus pounds, good, solid D player. You know he's worked very, very well in Tampa. I don't know what their plans are for him, but he's he would be available on a friendly 2.5 or $3 million deal for three years.
Speaker 1:This is the kind of guy I think would be a nice add to the Canes. He could play alongside a Shane Goss despair. He's a solid defensive defenseman and again he's, he's still a young guy, so he's got some upside. So you know there's players like that floating around that are out there. You've got a bunch of veterans that you know. If the Canes decide, I'm just going to add a 70 or somebody that can fill in a 60. You've got, you know, brian Dumoulin, who I thought was phenomenal for the Devils, goodness gracious. He played 30 minutes a game and he's out there and he's probably a $3 million deal for a couple of years. Ryan Lindgren I don't know what his plans are with the Avalanche Katie is he staying with the Avalanche?
Speaker 3:It doesn't look like it.
Speaker 1:No, it doesn't look like it, so he'd be in the same range three or four mil for two or three years Henry Yoki Haryu was out there two or three million for a couple of years these guys are okay.
Speaker 1:They're fine defensemen. They're not great. Nate Schmidt I love Nate Schmidt. I think he's been sensational for Florida in that 5-6 role. He's looking at one or two million dollars for a couple of years. These guys could be fit in quite nicely. And I think the Canes you know, depending on how they decide to go with the D might make a decision like that. Somebody like that, who's going to be enough? Now the wild card of wild cards. What about Tony D?
Speaker 2:No, we're not bringing Tony D'Angelo. The third time is not the charm, Tom. I had that for one of us. Oh, you just had to throw that in there I've played with slavery before and done very well. They would sign Brett Burns before they would bring back Tony D'Angelo and I would be sitting there holding up a go Burns-y sign, because I would prefer Burns back to signing Tony. Tony's an exciting player at times.
Speaker 2:He can move the puck for sure he played well for the Islanders, though I thought he played pretty well, but he's just too volatile of a player and at this point in the Canes' evolution towards a true cup contender, the last thing they need are players of that caliber. I would rather have them call up Dominic Fensore and see what he can do for a little stretch of time than bring Tony D'Angelo in, because if you want to talk about a really fast, kind of on the small side but puck-moving defenseman I mean I was impressed with Fensore I'd give him another shot.
Speaker 1:Well, dominic Don is incredible. I'm glad you brought up his name because he's one of my favorite players coming up.
Speaker 2:I liked him. Very short sample size, but I liked what I saw, so I'd be more than happy If they have to. If we're a few injuries deep and we're getting call-ups from the AHL, you know, don't bring on Tony, just call Dominic. That's my take.
Speaker 1:Let's look at the D situation, then I mean, it's a tough one, right, right, if you take a look at the free agent situation, if you can't get one of the big fish, your defense isn't good enough. You still, if you're losing Burns and you're losing Orlov, you've got some holes on the blue that you've got to fix. Ok, so we're going to have to, we're going to have to peel the onion back a little bit more here, because I don't, I don't think there's an easy solution of free agency. Ok, so now. So I think you know we're going to be talking trades.
Speaker 1:Now, one other area that we haven't talked a lot about is goaltending, and of course, you know, the general consensus today is the Canes are going to go forward with Freddie, and good news, he was announced on the Olympic team for Denmark, which is great, and he had a great season for the Canes, no question. But injury is always a concern with Fred and Piotr Kocekow. Now I did hear the other day and I don't know if this is substantiated or not that the Canes are taking calls on Piotr. This would not surprise me. You know, we've talked a lot about Piotr in the past. His inconsistent play is a bit of a concern, and I think the fact that he couldn't step up in the playoffs, you know, creates a bit of a problem for the Canes. So let's assume they're the two guys. What are your options from there? You've got to have a third goaltender for sure, right?
Speaker 3:Yeah, but a third goaltender is going to be somebody else, in the mold of a Spencer Martin who can play a lot of time down in Chicago and then, as needed, be called up to fill in. Heaven forbid, should we deal with another injury situation like we've done, like we have the past couple of years? I definitely think the Canes plan right now is to move forward with Freddie and Piotr as is, despite whoever they have as that third goaltender. It could be that other, and I am not even going to remotely try to pronounce his name, it could be that other Russian goaltender that they just signed, but as far as the Canes themselves are concerned, it's Freddie and Piotr until otherwise needed.
Speaker 3:The thing is, is there just really aren't any goalies, be it free agent or trade or otherwise, that are available that are a clear-cut improvement over either of those two? They either have similar levels of play or similar types of injury histories or that sort of thing. So I think, especially for the regular season heading into the trade deadline, the Canes are very comfortable with the platoon that they have between Freddie and Piotr, and doing it that way, I think, will give Kochekov, especially, one more opportunity to prove that last year was an anomaly. It's not who he is. He's growing into all of the potential that he has shown in the past and he is ready to take that starting role come the 2026-27 season. So I do think they are looking to give him that opportunity to stabilize his game some and move forward stronger, ready to be that number one goalie. What about you, erin? What do you think of the situation?
Speaker 2:I actually agree with you. I agree with you because I mean they might be taking calls, because they might be taking calls on everybody and you know if there was. I think that those rumors go around, but I think that unless a really superior goaltender was coming back in that trade, they wouldn't be listening to any of those calls. So and there aren't, like you said, there aren't that many that are known to be available, unless somebody is going to be shipped ahead of hitting UFA status, which that would probably be happening at the trade deadline, not now anyway. So I think that when you look at Kuchetkov's season last year, you have to take into consideration the fact that there was that huge block of games between Freddie going out for what eventually became knee surgery and Freddie returning. So not only was Kuchetkov himself injured with a concussion and out for two weeks during that stretch, but then he had to do the returning from a concussion scenario. We know because we've seen this before.
Speaker 2:Kuchekov had a concussion last season when he came back. It took him a good 10 to 12 games to really get back into the rhythm of things, because guess what? Concussions leave a bigger impact on players than anyone in the NHL ever wants to talk about. So I think that you have to have a season where Kuchekov is healthy and also where either Anderson remains healthy or they maybe have that third goaltender. That's a little bit better than a Martin or a Tarkarski who can come up and help lighten the load.
Speaker 2:Because when you're asking, I mean there was a stretch of games there where Peter was going every night and he was doing reasonably well doing that. But they're not used to that because they run a tandem in Carolina. That's not what they're prepared for, that's not how their game focus goes. He still kept them in it more nights than not, so I think he deserves some credit for that. You know that was a lot to ask of a young goaltender. So I don't see the organization feeling having negative thoughts about Piotr at all. I think, if anything, when you look at the goaltending breakdowns that happened over the course of the year and this is true for the times when Freddie had some as well you've got to look at the defense. The Canes' defense was not at the level last year that it has been in previous years, and I'm talking team defense, not just the defensive players, but that a lot of it flows from the blue line, you know. So I don't think that the organization is saying, oh, this is all Peter's fault, you know, I really don't.
Speaker 3:No, I don't, I'm going to throw one more thing out there, though, real quick, tom. It just occurred to me, if they don't go for somebody in the mold of a spencer martin for a third goalie, what they're going to look for is they're going to look for a rehab project, somebody who can pass through waivers because nobody else wants to touch, but who has nhl experience and can come in and hold the fort for a while while someone's out with injuries. So the first goalie that comes to mind and there are, there are others, but the first one that comes to mind is someone like Alexander Georg. He just fell off the face of the planet for the abs and for the sharks this year.
Speaker 3:But if he wants to have a chance to stay in the NHL, this is the type of player I'm thinking of. If he wants a chance to stay in the NHL, he's going to have to swallow his pride a little bit.
Speaker 3:Take probably a third goalie type position because I'm not sure any team's really looking to have him, even as a backup, and be patient, take the opportunity in the NHL to figure things out and then, when opportunity presents itself in and on a team like the Canes it's more likely than not that there will be ample opportunity presenting itself Then see what he's able to do for you. So that would be. The other option is either somebody who is really more of an AHL goalie, who can come up and spare, do some spot work as an NHL goalie, like Martin, or you're looking for a reclamation project like Georgiev, someone that they feel like they can perhaps help to rediscover who he is for a season and provide some insurance that way.
Speaker 1:If the Canes sign Alexander Georgiev, I'll scream oh man, if it's for that role, that would be fine screen. Oh man, I watched a lot of his action with San Jose and I don't think I've seen a bigger sieve in my life. But that's okay. He might get back to his normal game. Okay, a couple of quick things.
Speaker 1:The only goalies that are available that we know right now by trade are exactly what you said. They're not the ones we're going to want Thatcher Demko and John Gibson, both of them solid goaltenders for sure, but injury problems, gibson getting older, I don't see those guys as the solution. The kind of goalies that are available to kind of be that third goalie. I kind of did a quick check on the free agent side and you've got guys like Alex Lyon. Okay, lyon, he's a solid number three, okay, and he can go back to the American Hockey League and come up and he's definitely a guy that showed with Detroit at different times. He can play. You've got guys like Dan Vlador. He's a free agent out of Calgary. I'm not sure anybody else wants him, but he's a guy that could be interesting. Maybe Anton Forsberg out of Ottawa, you know Forsberg and X Kane. So there's players, there's goalies out there, right.
Speaker 1:Vitek Vanacek is a free agent. All these guys are like $1-2 million a year, so they're peanuts right, and you can bring them in, and I think most of them would clear waivers, as you say too, katie, they're not nobody's rushing to get these guys. So I think there's a number of goalies that would be better than Spencer Martin and Dustin Tokarski, and I think the Canes will specifically do that because, don't forget, the Canes are only paying like under $6 million for their goaltenders like five and a half. It's ridiculous, like it's insane. What's Bob? Is he 11?
Speaker 1:I think Bob's 10 or 11 million a year. So another 2 million or 3 million for the Hurricanes on a goaltender is nothing and they know they need a third goalie. They got to have one because there'll be injuries for sure. So I mean at this stage I tend to line up with you on this that they're going to bring somebody in that's not a number one goaltender. I think they're going to keep the two guys. They have Good grief to have them on a $5.5 million deal. That's insane. So they've got an opportunity to bring somebody else in this place in NHL hockey as well. So if it's Alexander Georgia, wonderful, that would be funny, that would be a scream Okay.
Speaker 1:So I guess the kind of sadness about all of this is that we know next year is a much better year free agency wise. This year is pretty skimpy, frankly, and you know Eric's got all this money but I don't know if he can spend it. You know last year it was easier to get tier two and three guys, but this year there's hardly anything on that top tier that he's going to want to go after. So that moves us into the next phase and the final phase of our discussion and that's the trade side. You know Eric's proven. He has no reluctance in making trades and he has no reluctance moving players off the king.
Speaker 1:So you know there's very few untouchables. It's not like you're going to sit there and say he's not moving this guy, he's not moving that guy. He might other than very few. You know he's not going to move Ajo, he's not going to move Slavin. You know he's not going to move Chavez, but I think almost anybody else could be moved in the right kind of deal. So what are we hearing in terms of possible trades? Who are the big names that are floating and are any of them seemingly potential and of interest? Erin, what do you got?
Speaker 2:Well, I know that the Twitter world has been just aflame with talk about Dallas Stars players, because we all know what the Stars are up against. You know they're going to have to make some moves to move cap off and the big topic of conversation probably for the last week or so has been whether or not they would be willing to trade Jason Robertson, because Robertson, I think, is a UFA next year, because Robertson, I think, is a UFA next year. So they're obviously going to want to get ahead of that situation and to be, you know, either to re-sign him early or to go ahead and make a trade that will be advantageous to them. He's clearly the kind of player that the Canes would love to have. There's no question whatsoever about. You know, somebody who's had a couple of 40-goal seasons and all the rest of the things that he's done. The problem is that rumor mill tends to get ahead of reality and I think that there's been a little bit of a weakening of that position that he's going to get traded.
Speaker 2:I think that more people are kind of looking at it and saying, realistically, the Dallas Stars are not a foolish organization. They're not going to hand over their top goal scorer. They're not going to. They're not going to make this move. That's going to put them into a lot of difficulty and trouble. They did not bring in Miko Rantanen to trade out Jason Robertson. That is not the thinking here. So probably what will happen is that we'll see other players from the Stars realistically available as they try to shed cap.
Speaker 2:Apart from, you know, discussions we've already had, I think that the player that they would be interested in possibly would be Mason Marchment. Yes, I think that you know. I'll probably let Katie talk a little bit about what he's like, because you've seen him play more since he's in the Western Conference. But the one thing I would say is that the only hiccup that might happen is that we had that big rumor that he was going to come, and I was on free agency a couple of years back and he was going to come to Carolina and then he chose not to. So that's just one of those things that you don't know for sure if the player would be interested, and I don't know whether he has any kind of trade protection I didn't look into that, but what is he like as a player, katie?
Speaker 3:Marchment is very sandpapery. He gets under your skin. He participates in a lot of different antics and a lot of different antics. Avs fans were definitely complaining about all of the faked plays that he had to try and draw penalties, a lot of times successfully drawing a penalty, and like come on, refs, can't you see that he did not get high stick? So if he were to?
Speaker 3:come to Carolina. I hope he would perhaps play a little bit more on the up and up, but he definitely has that that size and that grit and kind of that edge to him that a lot of us have said that the Canes are needing. So that would potentially fill a role when he actually fits on the roster. Though is tricky because you're not going to put him with Stahl and he's not really that scoring winger that you would want him up next to Ajo or whoever the 2C is. So do you really want to bring him in to be a third line? I mean, maybe it could be interesting. Jankowski, marchment and Carrier would be a really, really hard, heavy fourth line to play against. But it just kind of goes to what the Canes need and their priorities. I wouldn't be surprised if the way that the Canes go is more in the direction of trading for an RFA instead of a UFA. Robertson actually is an RFA for one more season.
Speaker 1:Yeah, he's an RFA next year For next year.
Speaker 3:But it's only for one, and then he'd be a UFA for the season after that.
Speaker 3:This could potentially get him for two years, 25 years old RFA that still would have three or four years of cost-controlled contribution to the team. The one that a lot of people are talking about being traded because he's expressed a certain amount of unhappiness with his current team is JJ Paterka. He had a really good season last year, I think, over 20 goals and 60 some points and so and he's growing. I mean, just every single season seems to be getting better for him, and so if he were to continue a similar trajectory he could work really well, especially, say, on the second line, not not the top line. So any other trades for wingers.
Speaker 3:I think that I robertson is an intriguing one, marchman's an intriguing one because of the nature of where dallas is and the fact that carolina holds two of their first round picks within their control and so that's one advantage that carolina has that no other team can say, because um of the value of those picks to Dallas, especially because they're conditional, so it affects the following year's picks as well. But you go beyond that. I think the Canes are looking at more of a second-line winger or something that's RFA, where they can pay them but they will have term, they'll be cost-controlled, that sort of thing.
Speaker 1:Yeah, a couple things on that. You're right about Dallas. I mean, they are really skimpy on their draft picks. As you know, they sent a good number of them to the Canes, not just those two first-round picks but others. So they're pretty skimpy on the draft pick side. We would be a good partner for them and we've done deals with them before, so that's good news. You know, you look at, I think I keep thinking we're going to sign a winger, so that would mean that most of the activity would be at center right, unless an opportunity came for Jason Robertson, which changes everything.
Speaker 3:But let's assume he's not available.
Speaker 1:Now you're looking at center rights and you've got to start to think about how can the Canes solve their center problem. Now we know they spent a lot of time with Vancouver last year trying to craft a deal around Elias Pedersen. Now, interesting thing about Pedersen folks keep thinking he's off the market. But here's something interesting His no trade clause kicks in July 1st. Okay. So if the Canucks are thinking about moving him at all, they're going to want to do it before the draft or around the draft.
Speaker 1:And the other thing about Pedersen is he's on a pretty fat contract, a multi-year deal that goes for another seven years and it's it's like 10 or 11 million a year. It's a huge contract and he had a terrible year last year. And so you're in a situation where do you bank on the fact he's going to turn the corner or do you try to get what you can and get? You know he's still got value and clearly the Canes would be in the mix and they would definitely want to be a part of it. So I don't rule out discussions with Vancouver on Patterson. I think it's unlikely, but he's a guy I'm sure they're going to continue to pursue because he would be a real nice fix at that number two C spot and I think if he came to the Canes he'd get a new breath of life refreshed approach to the game, so I think it's all good.
Speaker 1:So he's out there. There's a couple of other centers we're hearing about. Pavel Zaka with the Bruins is an interesting name. He's just surfaced in the last week or so. The Bruins may be willing to move him. Of course they've got, you know, some depth at center and he's a guy that's had 57 and a 59 point season. He's a big player at 6'3 and over 200 pounds. Solid, defensively, good in the faceoff dot. He's a guy that would fit the canes. So a guy like Zaka. The only thing he's not a right shot guy, but I think we could live with him being a left shot center, but he's a guy that's available and possibly could be in the mix for the Hurricanes and I'd be delighted if they could get a guy like Palo Zaka.
Speaker 1:Another interesting one that's kind of in your side of the discussion, katie, is Lucas Reichel with Chicago. Reichel is a young player that was drafted with a lot of potential, huge potential, and he's been late, kind of coming into his game and he's a guy that apparently is available. He's on the Olympic roster for Germany, so we know he's a guy that's on the radar. I think that's the kind of move the Canes should make, maybe not to fill the 2C spot right now, but they need depth at center. The Canes are very, very thin with their young center crew and a guy like Reichel to me, if he's available, is the kind of guy they should be going for. There's just not a lot of guys like that.
Speaker 1:You know that look like they might be on the cusp of going to the next level with their game. So he's a name I'm very kind of interested in, because I've been watching a lot of Blackhawks the last few years and he occasionally looks like a decent player. So anyway, again, not a whole lot of discussion yet we talked about that Still early days. The blue line again we talked about the blue line. Do the Canes make a move on the blue? If they can't sign a big free agent? What are they going to do if they don't bring back Burns and Orlon? What's out there? Well, one of the names is Rasmus Anderson. What do we think about him?
Speaker 3:I'm very intrigued by Rasmus Anderson. He looks like he has a lot of upside. He had a down year this last year which might make certain teams hesitate, but I think a lot of that just had to do with the fact that Calgary had such a roller coaster year and I believe, he was less the cause or contributor to that roller coaster and more of the victim of that roller coaster, and that he still has plenty to give.
Speaker 3:As Aaron has noted on X, I think even today that Calgary is looking to shore up their center depth and would like a young three C type center. We got them. There might be somebody that the Canes have available that could help them in that area. You scratch my back, I'll scratch your back sort of scenario. So and the debate seems to be more of a do we hold on to Anderson and see if he plays well this season and therefore up his value so we can get a better return come the trade deadline? Or do we just try to find some stability and consistency now moving into the next season and not have the will they won't they of the trade?
Speaker 3:So that becomes the big question for Calgary is which direction do they decide to go? Do they decide to stick with him and see how the season progresses and where the team is at come the trade done vine? Or they do they decide to just go ahead and cut ties now and move forward with whatever deal they can find? But I definitely like Anderson. He would. He profiles well and that I think he'd play well alongside slaven and eat up top minutes. Or he could play alongside ghost and be that defensive stalwart, um, to kind of watch ghosts back while he does his thing. So either way, he seems like he could fit well into the cane system and has that right kind of attitude and mentality for what the Canes need and what they're looking for.
Speaker 1:Well, I mean Anderson. You said he had a struggle last year. He was minus 38. He was, I think, one of the worst players, I believe, with his minus. So he had a disastrous year defensively. But here's the thing about Anderson. He's been playing 24 minutes, 23 and a half minutes a game. This guy's playing huge minutes and I think that's part of what led to some of the challenges he faced last year. He was asked to do a lot more than probably he should have been asked and, of course, if he was playing those minutes alongside Jacob Slavin, I can assure you it wouldn't be mine. But I agree. The only concern I have right now is there are discussions going on between Calgary and his cap to see if they can do an extension. I think if that kind of gets bogged down, I think the idea of moving a certain centerman from the Hurricanes to Calgary is a brilliant move.
Speaker 1:The other name we keep hearing and I'll pass this one to you, erin, because I'm sure you've got some thoughts on it, but the other name we keep hearing over and over again is Eric Carlson. So you know Eric Carlson had a bit of a resurgence last year. He was outstanding in the Four Nations. No matter what you might think about Carlson, I thought he played very, very well and the reports on him were excellent. He's older, it's a short-term deal, but he's a guy that brings offense in big ways, and the canes had a lot of interest in anderson and in carlson before. So what are we thinking about? Eric carlson?
Speaker 2:honestly, I think that it would be, you know, just trying to redo the Brent Burns move. You know, to a certain extent it really would be, because when we picked up Burns from San Jose, was it three years ago?
Speaker 3:Three, years ago.
Speaker 2:He was still playing at a really good level and he was still producing a lot. So, over the time, what's happened is exactly what we expect he's still playing very well, but he's not producing. The Canes don't really need to be in that situation for three more years, with another player who's going to come in and produce well for the first year and then fall off because of his age and the fact that this is what happens and that we know that this is what happens. I really think that they need something longer term in solution, and I mean well, let me rephrase that either longer term or, depending on what the organization's true belief about Scott Morrow is which I know Katie and I you know we've had some discussions about Scott Morrow whether they'll keep him, whether they'll move him.
Speaker 2:If they really think that Scott Morrow has top, first or second pair uh, rhd in him, then it doesn't make sense to bring someone who's signed you know who's going to be I don't know how many more years Carlson has on his deal, you know but you definitely don't want someone who's going to be more than maybe one year at that point.
Speaker 2:If you're only doing a stopgap and then you ask, do we really even need to do a stopgap, or do you just play Walker with Slavin until Morrow is ready? I mean, there's a lot of moving parts, so I don't think it would be a great idea for them to bring in someone like Carlson, because we know that that's not what they see as the future of their blue line. So at this point, it's time to stop making those kinds of moves and time to start making moves that are focused on taking the next step to being a cup contender, but not just a one-shot, one-year cup contender, a perennial cup contender. That's what they want, and they're at the point in the organization where that should be a realistic goal for them.
Speaker 1:Well, and don't forget, rob Brindamore was saying that once all the free agents left, he had a bad feeling in his tummy that the Canes just weren't going to be able to get there and he wondered if they'd even get the playoffs. And then, by the time Eric and his crew was done, he started to say, hey, this isn't a bad lineup after all, for sure. Look, eric's got lots of cash, he's got an owner that wants a cup more than anything. He doesn't want to keep coming close, he wants to win the cup. And they've been at the altar too many times and I think the pressure is going to be huge this year huge for the Hurricanes to get to the next level, and I fully expect that Mr Tulsky and his crew are going to make some moves that will surprise us, because he's got everything he needs to do that. There isn't a team with a better situation than the Canes. So lots of excitement coming up.
Speaker 1:We've talked to a lot of players today. We've kind of weeded out a lot of the rumors that have been floating around, and you know it's a bit of a tough year. We'll have to see how that plays out, but there might be some of these players we've talked about today that are carrying the Hurricanes before too long. So that'll be a lot of fun and, as always, great to talk about the Canes, and I'm sure there'll be lots more fun in the coming days as the Canes start to make some moves and once the playoffs are over, of course, we're going to start to see much more in terms of the trade activity, the rumors and what we might expect in the coming days and, of course, the draft coming up. The Canes are in good shape.
Speaker 1:They've got a first rounder and some other draft picks this year and we'll have a chance to take a look and see what kind of moves the Canes can make there as well. So lots going on. We're going to stay on top of it and be back here as soon as there's some news that we can talk about. And, of course, as always, I want to thank all the folks who've been with us, listening or watching, for joining us and spending the time with us. We really appreciate it. If you like this episode, please press the like button. If you have comments or anything you'd like to say, please leave that in the comment section down below and we'll respond just as quickly as we can. And, of course, if you want to be alerted of future episodes of Storm Tracker, please press the subscribe button and the bell, and you'll be made aware just as soon as those are available. As always, aaron, katie and I are ecstatic. You spent time with us today and we look forward to getting together with you real soon.
