As the trade deadline rapidly approaches, the Carolina Hurricanes have their eyes fixed on doing what’s best for the roster now without destroying the future. With most trades, you feel the excitement of what your team is getting alongside the disappointment of what your team is losing. Of course, sometimes trades are lopsided with a clear “winner.” But generally, a trade is a barter and you have to give to get. With a lot of focus on who the Hurricanes may target at the trade deadline, let’s take a look at the assets they have to give.
The Carolina Hurricanes Trade Arsenal
Finding the right trade partner is key to making any trade in the NHL. What this means is that you have to have something that team is interested in to get a player you desire. For example, do the Boston Bruins need another NHL-calibre goalie? No. Nor would a team like the Florida Panthers be very interested in picks and prospects. The good thing for the Hurricanes is that they have a variety of trade assets to move from NHL-ready players all the way down to unsigned picks and prospects.
The UFAs
The first group of Hurricanes trade assets come in the form of NHL-ready players on expiring deals after this season. This is the typical scenario for sellers at the deadline, but Carolina might entertain this as well. We previously wrote that reports indicated how talks with these UFAs had not really progressed. The names here include Brady Skjei, Brett Pesce and Teuvo Teravainen. After that tier, there are also UFAs in Stefan Noesen, Jordan Martinook, Jalen Chatfield and Tony DeAngelo.
With the exception maybe of DeAngelo, Carolina is not eager to move any of these players. But Carolina also has shown no problems in the past moving players on expiring deals. And one of these may become a trade casualty if it brings in a piece to help now and in the future. The Hurricanes won’t likely move one of these players for a true rental except maybe DeAngelo. We previously took a look at some interesting centres Carolina could target with term that might require someone like Skjei, Pesce or Teravainen going the other way here.
The Most Likely Nots
Martinook is likely not going anywhere as his value to Carolina is much higher than it is to any other team due to his connection and leadership to the team. Noesen and Chatfield are also likely not on the move. Somewhat like Martinook, they are likely not seen as having as high of value to others as what they bring to Carolina right now.
The Maybes
But the bigger names like Skjei, Pesce and Teravainen may become a piece to a bigger puzzle. Obviously, Carolina would be looking to upgrade there. Keep in mind that the acquiring team would be taking on a player with an expiring contract which hurts his value. This means it would likely take one of these players plus other pieces. But they may come into play.
The Most Likely with the Right Partner
DeAngelo is the true dangling trade asset in this group. He has been acting as the team’s seventh defenceman and hasn’t exactly blown the doors down for Carolina this year. But for a team needing an offensive defenceman that can quarterback a power play, they could take a flyer on DeAngelo. But it’s a weird spot because the acquiring team is likely looking to make a playoff push at this point if they are getting DeAngelo so the piece coming back would be interesting.
The RFAs
The next group of potential trade pieces includes Carolina’s upcoming RFAs. This group is not a “high on the likely to be traded list” but could be pieces used to acquire bigger prizes. Carolina’s RFAs after this season include Seth Jarvis, Martin Necas and Jack Drury from the NHL roster. One thing that increases an RFA’s value over a UFA is that there is still a degree of security for the acquiring team after this season. (i.e. a qualifying offer retains their rights) There are other RFAs but they will be in the prospects group below. Each of these three RFAs is in somewhat of a different grouping here.
The Most Likely Not
Seth Jarvis is the most likely not to be moved out of the three. Not only is Jarvis the youngest and the only one without arbitration rights, but he may also arguably be the most valuable to the Hurricanes all things considered. Not only is Jarvis having a breakout year statistically, but he has endless energy and plays the game in a way that fits Carolina’s style seamlessly. Whether complimenting Sebastian Aho on the top line or providing Jordan Staal‘s line with a more skillful scoring threat, Jarvis has become a key part of Carolina’s core. But if they look to acquire a major piece, Jarvis may become a casualty. Otherwise, he isn’t going anywhere.
The Maybe
Martin Necas is somewhat like Jarvis in that he is only getting moved for the right deal. But he is more likely than Jarvis due to several reasons. For one, he is older and does have arbitration rights. For another, he has been a rumoured trade piece for years now. The thing about Necas is there is no doubt as to his skill. The guy can fly on the ice, make moves to skate his way through defencemen, and find ways to put the puck in the net. In addition, he has a great shot that he utilizes on the power play.
But the struggle for Necas has somewhat been fitting into Carolina’s system as well. At times this, combined with his expiring contract status, lends to rumours of him being a big trade piece for Carolina. Again, like Jarvis, you only expect to see Necas go if a big piece is coming back as he continues to show his importance to Carolina even with some of his shortcomings.
The Most Likely…But Still Not High on the List
The final RFA, Jack Drury, is the most likely to go of the three. He may be the only RFA Carolina could move for a rental as he has the least high-end upside of the three. Drury has certainly grown this season and is currently anchoring the team’s second line while also seeing power play time. But there is definitely more of a question of if he is closer to his ceiling now. With that said, for the right player that may be an upgrade to Carolina, Drury could see himself on the move since he too has arbitration rights after this season. But him being the most likely of the three still doesn’t mean he is likely.
A Goalie
What once was a position of need might now be a position of surplus. In fact, Hurricanes General Manager Don Waddell recently stated that they may be looking at four NHL-level goalies soon with one possibly on the go. Pyotr Kochetkov has developed into an NHL starter, or at least a solid 1B option. He was the NHL’s rookie of the month in February. Frederik Andersen would likely be the starter otherwise and sounds likely to be returning very soon. These two are not likely to be on the move. This leaves Spencer Martin and Antti Raanta.
Antti Raanta
Raanta has been out with an injury lately and is a UFA after this season. He is a veteran and has been with Carolina for a few years now. As almost a father figure to many younger players in Carolina, it pulls a little on the heartstrings to entertain the idea of him leaving in a trade. But he might be one to watch. While he started the season basically at the bottom of the league in all goalie metrics, his play of late was better. However, given his age, injury history and overall statistics, Raanta alone is probably not bringing in much to Carolina.
Spencer Martin
Martin, on the other hand, has really been a solid pickup for Carolina. Arguably, he is a better number-three guy for Carolina over Raanta right now. He might not be a true starter or even a 1B option but seems to be a very good option as a true backup. Since Carolina picked him up on waivers, Martin has put together a very solid performance going 4-0-1 with .922 SV% and a 1.97 GAA. With many teams looking for some goaltending help this trade deadline, Martin might be a more attractive piece for Carolina to dangle. We previously explored the potential that Martin could become a trade piece or a solid depth piece and it is looking that way.
Since joining the #Canes…
– 4-0-1
– .922 SV%
– 1.97 GAAWhat a start for Spencer Martin ? pic.twitter.com/t3g5kZcNyZ
— Carolina Hurricanes (@Canes) March 1, 2024
Realistically, Raanta and Martin could see their way out of Carolina based on how things are looking. It’s hard to say whether either could provide much in return on their own. But the team holding onto four goalies may not happen either so it seems one of the two could be a likely trade candidate.
Picks and Prospects
The most obvious trade assets for Carolina are their picks and prospects. But this comes in as many varieties as there are flavours of ice cream. For a team in Carolina’s position, they are fortunate that they have had fairly good drafting over the years. Not to mention the sheer number of picks and prospects they have amassed gives them a fairly full cupboard to pick from.
The Likely No’s
The only asset from this group not in play here is probably Alexander Nikishin. The 22-year-old Russian has torn up the KHL and is Carolina’s top prospect on most lists, including ours here at LWOH. In fact, Craig Button recently listed him as the second-best NHL-owned prospect in the entire league.
After Nikishin, prospects such as 2023 first-round pick Bradley Nadeua, 2023 second-round pick Felix-Unger Sorum, and 2021 second-round pick Scott Morrow are likely on the no list as well. However, for the right piece coming back, these might be attractive pieces.
The Next Tier
After that list, Carolina frankly has a large list of players that could be in play. This includes their own 2024 first-round draft pick to possibly their top AHL-level player in Vasiliy Ponomarev to another European prospect having a great year in Ville Koivunen to players who might be close to NHL ready with some boom or bust qualities like Ryan Suzuki or Jamieson Rees. Then there are college prospects having good years in Jackson Blake and Jayden Perron. And don’t forget about Joel Nystrom in Sweden who has turned from a seventh-round draft pick to a potential close to NHL-ready prospect. Again, for the right price, any of these may be in play.
Everything Else
After these mentioned above, I would argue almost anything else could be in play with differing degrees of value. This group of trade assets could be a whole article itself but as a team looking to make some noise in the playoffs, let’s just say there are definitely options here with different degrees of availability.
Cutting the Chord
The last grouping of trade assets worth mentioning are players that Carolina might decide to cut the cord with early. As different rumours have swirled from time to time, here you might see someone like Jesperi Kotkaniemi or Michael Bunting come into play. Both seem unlikely to go but are worth mentioning.
The team clearly has invested in Kotkaniemi after signing him to an eight-year deal. At only age 23, he could still progress into the player they are hoping for. But again, for the right price, is this a player they feel is worth moving early in favour of a player that can help more now? Not necessarily a pure rental, but a player a little more mature? Might be something to watch.
While the team is likely to either do very little or go completely off the board at the deadline based on history, they have an arsenal of trade assets to work with. As the clock keeps ticking, it will be just as interesting to see who may be on their way out as who is on their way in.
Main Photo Credit: Russell LaBounty-USA TODAY Sports
