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After a disappointing playoff run, the Carolina Hurricanes face a series of tough decisions this summer. From coaching to personnel, this team could look a lot different as they continue their pursuit of a championship next season.
By Spencer Knight – @stormsurge_pod / stormsurgepod.com
May 19, 2024
The Hurricanes have begun the 2024 off-season early than they hoped. As is true for 31 of the 32 teams in the league, another season has ended without winning the Stanley Cup. But this team is different than most. This year, the Hurricanes became just the 6th team in NHL history to have 3 straight 50-win seasons. The team has a young core including Aho, Svechnikov, and Kochetkov locked up long-term. The team also has roughly $30 million in cap space to set itself up for long-term success. This off-season will be a pivotal one in the team’s future. Here are five steps the Hurricanes must take to ensure it is a success.
Step 1 – Finalize the Coaching Staff
The first step for the off-season has already been checked off the list. Though not officially announced yet, former Hurricane Kevin Weekes reported last night that the Hurricanes and their entire coaching staff have agreed to multi-year contract extensions. (UPDATE: The Hurricanes made the extension official during the editing of this piece). Rod Brind’Amour highlighted the class of free agent coaches this off-season, but instead he will be sticking around with the Hurricanes.
Hired in 2018, Brind’Amour has led the Hurricanes to 6 straight playoff births, a first in franchise history. In his 3rd season as head coach, he won the Jack Adams award, which is the NHL’s “coach of the year” award. After the first round win against the Islanders this year, he became just the 2nd coach in NHL history to win a playoff series in each of his first 6 seasons as head coach. He boasts the best regular season winning percentage and 2nd best postseason winning percentage in franchise history.
Getting the coaching decision out of the way early in the off-season will provide clarity to the overall planning. Management will know what system the coach will be utilizing and can find players that best fit the roles needed for that system.
Step 2 – Determine Free Agent Priorities
One of the biggest discussion points for this off-season is dealing with the team’s free agent situation. There are 12 players who played a regular role on the team this season that are currently without a contract for next year. Only 3 of those players are Restricted Free Agents, or players for whom the Hurricanes retain the right to match any contract they sign with another team. While some of these free agent decisions will be easier than others, the overall process will be taxing.
Early in this off-season, and likely completed already, management will need to have a prioritized list of extension candidates. Some of the more obvious targets include Jarvis, Guentzel, and Skjei, while players like Raanta and DeAngelo are unlikely candidates.
Determining which free agents are back next season will provide clarity on roster holes that need to be filled externally. This should be handled ahead of free agency and ideally before the draft to ensure asset flexibility.
Step 3 – Restock Prospect Pool Through the Draft
For a while, the Hurricanes had one of the best prospect pools in the NHL. But the downside of sustained success is the depletion of the quality pieces of the prospect pool. Players like Aho, Necas, and Jarvis graduate from prospects to full-timers. Others, such as Ponomarev, Lucius, and Koivunen, are packaged up and traded away for a “win now” piece (in this case, Jake Guentzel). Additionally, as the team performs better in the regular season, their first round picks fall farther from the top where it’s harder to find elite talent.
An article from The Athletic from back in January ranked the Hurricanes prospect pool at 13th in the NHL. Upper mid tier, but on the decline, and also ranked before the Guentzel trade that shipped out 3 prospects. There are a few names to be excited about currently in the pool, but a well executed draft is crucial to keeping the pipeline full of quality players.
The Hurricanes will have the 28th overall pick in the upcoming draft. In addition to each of their own picks in the remaining rounds, the Hurricanes also own Ottawa’s and Toronto’s 6th rounders. One name appearing on many mock drafts for the Hurricanes first round selection is Nikita Artamonov. A lefthanded winger out of Torpedo of the KHL, he scored 23 points in 54 KHL games this season. Though unlikely to be roster relevant any time soon, he would be a nice addition to a depleted forward prospect corps.
Step 4 – Sign Prospects from the Reserve List
The Reserve List is a list of players for whom the Hurricanes retain exclusive signing rights. This could also be called the Unsigned Draft Pick list, as that is primarily who is on it. Those exclusive rights only remain for a certain period of time and will eventually expire.
This off-season, only 2 players remain whose rights would expire this year. The first is Zion Nybeck, whose exclusive signing rights expire on June 1, 2024. He just completed his second season with AIK of HockeyAllsvenskan, the 2nd tier of Swedish Hockey, in which he scored 44 points in 52 games. If signed, he would likely start for the Chicago Wolves as he transitions his game to the North American rink.
The other player is David Kase, brother of former Hurricane Ondrej Kase, and is unlikely to be signed. Already 27 and previously having an opportunity in the NHL, he is more likely to finish his career in his home country of the Czech Republic.
Step 5 – Fill out Roster for 2024-25 Season
With internal free agents and the draft handled, there will still be a few gaps on the roster. The priority will be to sign players who can fill that role for an affordable price. The system the Hurricanes play requires players that know their role and play it well. Players like Noesen, Martinook, and Chatfield know that well and have thrived as Hurricanes.
Which roster holes remain will depend on the decisions made with internal free agents. Currently, the Hurricanes have just 9 forwards and 5 defensemen signed for next season, with 5 of those players not having full time roles on the team last year. It is likely we will have to look externally for at least 1 defenseman and 2 or 3 forwards. Which roles those players will fill remains to be seen, but keep an eye on our website for updates.
A Look Ahead
This offseason promises to be an exciting one for the Hurricanes. Regardless of the decisions made, there will be plenty of major news to follow. You can keep up with it all here on our website, as well as by listening to our podcast. You can find us on your favorite listening platform here.
Additionally, we will be speculating with the rest of you as to what this off-season may hold. Be on the lookout for upcoming articles where we put ourselves in Don Waddell’s shoes and go through the steps listed here. Up next will be our attempt at prioritizing our free agents, along with some “Armchair GM” attempts at filling out the roster. We look forward to your comments and suggestions on these and other content this summer.
Always hungry for any news related to the Carolina Hurricanes.