Hurricanes Rumors

2021 NHL Draft Selections By Team

July 24, 2021 at 8:23 pm CDT | by Josh Erickson Leave a Comment

Today concluded the 2021 NHL Draft, the first edition with 32 teams in the running. Some teams selected just three times (sorry, Toronto), while Don Waddell and the Carolina Hurricanes selected an NHL-record 13 times for a seven-round draft. After all the chaos of last night and today, catch up here on who your team selected and when.

Anaheim Ducks
Round 1, Pick 3: F Mason McTavish
Round 2, Pick 34: D Olen Zellweger
Round 3, Pick 66: F Sasha Pastujov
Round 3, Pick 76 (from CHI via MTL): D Tyson Hinds
Round 4, Pick 98: F Josh Lopina
Round 5, Pick 130: F Sean Tschigerl
Round 5, Pick 148 (from EDM via OTT): G Gage Alexander
Round 6, Pick 162: F Kyle Kukkonen

Arizona Coyotes
Round 1, Pick 9 (from VAN): F Dylan Guenther
Round 2, Pick 37 (from CBJ via OTT): F Josh Doan
Round 2, Pick 43: F Ilya Fedotov
Round 2, Pick 60 (from COL via NYI): D Janis Jerome Moser
Round 4, Pick 107: D Emil Martinsen Lilleberg
Round 4, Pick 122 (from PIT): G Rasmus Korhonen
Round 5, Pick 139: F Manix Landry
Round 6, Pick 171: D Cal Thomas
Round 7, Pick 223 (from MTL via CHI): F Sam Lipkin

Boston Bruins
Round 1, Pick 21: F Fabian Lysell
Round 3, Pick 85: F Brett Harrison
Round 4, Pick 117: G Philip Svedeback
Round 5, Pick 149: F Oskar Jellvik
Round 6, Pick 181: D Ryan Mast
Round 7, Pick 213: F Andre Gasseau
Round 7, Pick 217 (from TOR): D Ty Gallagher

Buffalo Sabres
Round 1, Pick 1: D Owen Power
Round 1, Pick 14 (from PHI): F Isak Rosen
Round 2, Pick 33: F Prokhor Poltapov
Round 2, Pick 53 (from BOS): F Alexander Kisakov
Round 3, Pick 88 (from FLA): F Stiven Sardarian
Round 3, Pick 95 (from MTL): F Josh Bloom
Round 4, Pick 97: F Olivier Nadeau
Round 5, Pick 159 (from MTL): F Viljami Marjala
Round 6, Pick 161: F William von Barnekow Lofberg
Round 6, Pick 188 (from COL): D Nikita Novikov
Round 7, Pick 193: F Tyson Kozak

Calgary Flames
Round 1, Pick 13: F Matthew Coronato
Round 2, Pick 45: F William Stromgren
Round 3, Pick 77: F Cole Huckins
Round 4, Pick 89 (from TOR via LAK): D Cameron Whynot
Round 5, Pick 141: D Cole Jordan
Round 6, Pick 168 (from LAK): F Jack Beck
Round 6, Pick 173: F Lucas Ciona
Round 7, Pick 205: G Arsenii Sergeev

Carolina Hurricanes
Round 2, Pick 40 (from LAK via NSH): D Scott Morrow
Round 2, Pick 44 (from CHI via CBJ): D Aleksi Heimosalmi
Round 2, Pick 51 (from NSH): F Ville Koivunen
Round 3, Pick 83 (from NSH): G Patrik Hamrla
Round 3, Pick 94 (from VGK via DET): D Aidan Hreschuk
Round 4, Pick 109 (from CGY via LAK): F Jackson Blake
Round 5, Pick 136 (from LAK via OTT): F Robert Orr
Round 5, Pick 147 (from NSH): F Justin Robidas
Round 6, Pick 170 (from OTT): D Bryce Montgomery
Round 6, Pick 187: G Nikita Quapp
Round 7, Pick 200 (from LAK): G Yegor Naumov
Round 7, Pick 209 (from STL): C Nikita Guslistov
Round 7, Pick 219: D Joel Nystrom

Chicago Blackhawks
Round 1, Pick 32 (from TBL via CBJ): D Nolan Allan
Round 2, Pick 62 (from VGK): F Colton Dach
Round 3, Pick 91 (from CAR): D Taige Harding
Round 4, Pick 105 (from VAN): D Ethan Del Mastro
Round 4, Pick 108: F Victor Stjernborg
Round 6, Pick 172: F Ilya Safonov
Round 7, Pick 204: D Connor Kelley
Round 7, Pick 216 (from FLA): F Jalen Luypen

Colorado Avalanche
Round 1, Pick 28: F Oskar Olausson
Round 2, Pick 61 (from NYI via NJD): D Sean Behrens
Round 3, Pick 92: F Andrei Buyalsky
Round 7, Pick 220: F Taylor Makar

Columbus Blue Jackets
Round 1, Pick 5: F Kent Johnson
Round 1, Pick 12 (from CHI): F Cole Sillinger
Round 1, Pick 25 (from TOR): D Corson Ceulemans
Round 3, Pick 69: D Stanislav Svozil
Round 4, Pick 101: D Guillaume Richard
Round 5, Pick 132 (from NJD): D Nikolai Makarov
Round 5, Pick 133: F James Malatesta
Round 6, Pick 165: F Ben Boyd
Round 7, Pick 197: F Martin Rysavy

Dallas Stars
Round 1, Pick 23 (from WSH via DET): F Wyatt Johnston
Round 2, Pick 47: F Logan Stankoven
Round 2, Pick 48 (from NYR via DET): D Artem Grushnikov
Round 3, Pick 73 (from VAN): F Ayrton Martino
Round 3, Pick 79: F Justin Ertel
Round 4, Pick 111: F Conner Roulette
Round 5, Pick 138 (from OTT via MTL, DET): D Jack Bar
Round 5, Pick 143: D Jacob Holmes
Round 6, Pick 175: F Francesco Arcuri
Round 7, Pick 207: F Albert Sjoberg

Detroit Red Wings
Round 1, Pick 6: D Simon Edvinsson
Round 1, Pick 15 (from DAL): G Sebastian Cossa
Round 2, Pick 36 (from NJD via VGK): D Shai Buium
Round 3, Pick 70: F Carter Mazur
Round 4, Pick 114 (from WPG via VGK): F Redmond Savage
Round 5, Pick 134: F Liam Dower Nilsson
Round 5, Pick 155 (from CAR via VGK): D Oscar Plandowski
Round 6, Pick 166: F Pasquale Zito

Edmonton Oilers
Round 1, Pick 22 (from MIN): F Xavier Bourgault
Round 3, Pick 90 (from PIT via SJS, MIN): D Luca Munzenberger
Round 4, Pick 116: F Jake Chiasson
Round 6, Pick 180: F Matvei Petrov
Round 6, Pick 186 (from PIT): F Shane Lachance
Round 7, Pick 212: D Maximus Wanner

Florida Panthers
Round 1, Pick 24: F Mackie Samoskevich
Round 2, Pick 56: D Evan Nause
Round 4, Pick 120: D Vladislav Lukashevich
Round 5, Pick 152: G Kirill Gerasimyuk
Round 6, Pick 184: F Jakub Kos
Round 7, Pick 210 (from WPG): D Braden Hache

Los Angeles Kings
Round 1, Pick 8: D Brandt Clarke
Round 2, Pick 42 (from OTT): F Francesco Pinelli
Round 2, Pick 59 (from CAR): F Samuel Helenius
Round 3, Pick 84 (from EDM via CGY): D Kirill Kirsanov

Minnesota Wild
Round 1, Pick 20 (from EDM): G Jesper Wallstedt
Round 1, Pick 26 (from PIT): D Carson Lambos
Round 2, Pick 54: D Jack Peart
Round 3, Pick 86: F Caedan Bankier
Round 4, Pick 118: D Kyle Masters
Round 4, Pick 127 (from MTL): F Josh Pillar
Round 6, Pick 182: D Nate Benoit

Montreal Canadiens
Round 1, Pick 31: D Logan Mailloux
Round 2, Pick 63: F Riley Kidney
Round 2, Pick 64 (from TBL): F Oliver Kapanen
Round 3, Pick 87 (from WSH via SJS): D Dmitri Kostenko
Round 4, Pick 113 (from STL): D William Trudeau
Round 5, Pick 142 (from PHI): D Daniil Sobolev
Round 5, Pick 150 (from MIN): F Joshua Roy
Round 6, Pick 191: F Xavier Simoneau
Round 7, Pick 214 (from MIN): G Joe Vrbetic

Nashville Predators
Round 1, Pick 19: F Fedor Svechkov
Round 1, Pick 27 (from CAR): F Zachary L’Heureux
Round 3, Pick 72 (from LAK via CAR): D Anton Olsson
Round 4, Pick 115: D Ryan Ufko
Round 4, Pick 124 (from COL via OTT): D Jack Matier
Round 6, Pick 179: F Simon Knak

New Jersey Devils
Round 1, Pick 4: D Luke Hughes
Round 1, Pick 29 (from NYI): F Chase Stillman
Round 3, Pick 68: F Samu Salminen
Round 4, Pick 100: G Jakub Malek
Round 5, Pick 129 (from BUF): D Topias Vilen
Round 6, Pick 164: D Viktor Hurtig
Round 7, Pick 203 (from ARI): F Zakhar Bardakov

New York Islanders
Round 2, Pick 52 (from EDM via DET): F Aatu Raty
Round 3, Pick 93: G Tristan Lennox
Round 4, Pick 125: F Cameron Berg
Round 5, Pick 157: F Eetu Liukas
Round 6, Pick 189: D Aleksi Malinen
Round 7, Pick 221: D Tomas Machu

New York Rangers
Round 1, Pick 16: F Brennan Othmann
Round 3, Pick 65 (from BUF): F Jayden Grubbe
Round 3, Pick 75 (from ARI via NJD, WSH): F Ryder Korczak
Round 4, Pick 104 (from LAK): F Brody Lamb
Round 4, Pick 106 (from OTT): F Kalle Vaisanen
Round 4, Pick 112: G Talyn Boyko
Round 5, Pick 144: F Jaroslav Chmelar
Round 7, Pick 208: D Hank Kempf

Ottawa Senators
Round 1, Pick 10: F Tyler Boucher
Round 2, Pick 39 (from SJS): F Zach Ostapchuk
Round 2, Pick 49 (from STL via BUF, VGK, LAK): D Ben Roger
Round 3, Pick 74: F Oliver Johansson
Round 4, Pick 123 (from CAR): F Carson Latimer
Round 7, Pick 202: D Chandler Romeo

Philadelphia Flyers
Round 2, Pick 46: F Samu Tuomaala
Round 3, Pick 78: G Aleksei Kolosov
Round 4, Pick 110: D Brian Zanetti
Round 5, Pick 158 (from VGK via WSH): D Ty Murchison
Round 6, Pick 174: D Ethan Samson
Round 7, Pick 206: F Owen McLaughlin

Pittsburgh Penguins
Round 2, Pick 58: F Tristan Broz
Round 5, Pick 154: D Isaac Belliveau
Round 7, Pick 194 (from ANA): D Ryan McCleary
Round 7, Pick 215 (from WSH): D Daniel Laatsch
Round 7, Pick 218: F Kirill Tankov

San Jose Sharks
Round 1, Pick 7: F William Eklund
Round 3, Pick 81 (from STL): G Benjamin Gaudreau
Round 4, Pick 103: D Gannon Laroque
Round 4, Pick 121 (from TOR): F Ethan Cardwell
Round 5, Pick 135: D Artem Guryev
Round 5, Pick 156 (from COL): F Max McCue
Round 6, Pick 167: F Liam Gilmartin
Round 6, Pick 177 (from STL): F Theo Jacobsson
Round 7, Pick 199: F/D Evgenii Kashnikov

Seattle Kraken
Round 1, Pick 2: F Matthew Beniers
Round 2, Pick 35: D Ryker Evans
Round 3, Pick 67: F Ryan Winterton
Round 4, Pick 99: D Ville Ottavainen
Round 5, Pick 131: F Jacob Melanson
Round 6, Pick 163: G Semyon Vyazovoi
Round 7, Pick 195: F Justin Janicke

St. Louis Blues
Round 1, Pick 17: F Zachary Bolduc
Round 3, Pick 71 (from SJS): F Simon Robertsson
Round 5, Pick 145: D Tyson Galloway
Round 7, Pick 198 (from DET): F Ivan Vorobyov

Tampa Bay Lightning
Round 3, Pick 96: D Roman Schmidt
Round 4, Pick 126 (from VGK via MTL): F Dylan Duke
Round 5, Pick 160: F Cameron MacDonald
Round 6, Pick 192: D Alex Gagne
Round 7, Pick 196 (from NJD): D Daniil Pylenkov
Round 7, Pick 211 (from NSH): F Robert Flinton
Round 7, Pick 224: F Niko Huuhtanen

Toronto Maple Leafs
Round 2, Pick 57: F Matthew Knies
Round 5, Pick 153: F Ty Voit
Round 6, Pick 185: G Vyacheslav Peksa

Vancouver Canucks
Round 2, Pick 41: F Danila Klimovich
Round 5, Pick 137: G Aku Koskenvuo
Round 5, Pick 140 (from CHI): D Jonathan Myrenberg
Round 6, Pick 169: D Hugo Gabrielsson
Round 6, Pick 178 (from WPG): F Connor Lockhart
Round 7, Pick 201: F Lucas Forsell

Vegas Golden Knights
Round 1, Pick 30: F Zach Dean
Round 2, Pick 38 (from DET): D Daniil Chayka
Round 4, Pick 102 (from DET): F Jakub Brabenec
Round 4, Pick 128 (from TBL via DET): F Jakub Demek
Round 6, Pick 190: D Artur Cholach
Round 7, Pick 222: G Carl Lindbom

Washington Capitals
Round 2, Pick 55: D Vincent Iorio
Round 3, Pick 80 (from NYR): D Brent Johnson
Round 4, Pick 119: D Joaquim Lemay
Round 5, Pick 151: F Haakon Hanelt
Round 6, Pick 176 (from NYR): D Dru Krebs
Round 6, Pick 183: G Chase Clark

Winnipeg Jets
Round 1, Pick 18: F Chaz Lucius
Round 2, Pick 50: F Nikita Chibrikov
Round 3, Pick 82: D Dmitri Kuzmin
Round 5, Pick 146: F Dmitri Rashevsky

East Notes: Leafs, Hamilton, Ovechkin

July 24, 2021 at 5:46 pm CDT | by Josh Erickson 1 Comment

After the conclusion of today’s 2021 NHL Draft, there’s a variety of news and notes from post-draft press conferences emerging quickly. NHL.com’s Mike Zeisberger reports from general manager Kyle Dubas’ presser today that the Toronto Maple Leafs are still interested in retaining both Alex Galchenyuk and Frederik Andersen. Now 27, it’s been a long road for Galchenyuk, who was drafted third overall in 2012. After playing for five teams over the past three seasons, Galchenyuk caught what seemed like a new wind after his mid-season acquisition from the Ottawa Senators, scoring 12 points in 26 games with the Leafs. Consistently playing among the Leafs’ top-six forward core, Galchenyuk displayed solid complementary ability when surrounded by better talent. The Leafs will likely hope that he can bring affordable depth scoring again to the team in a middle-six role this time around, hopefully adding another top-end talent in the offseason. And while the team has interest in retaining Andersen in goal, it may not be mutual. Andersen, in any scenario in which he returns, takes a significant cut in both pay and games played, serving behind Jack Campbell. But if Andersen is willing to accept a backup role, the offseason could allow him to return to full health and be a crucial contributor to next year’s Toronto roster.

Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reports that the Carolina Hurricanes are still trying to re-sign defenseman Dougie Hamilton, but that they’ll need an answer on a deal by the start of free agency on July 28th. TSN’s Darren Dreger follows up, saying that Hamilton is looking at an average annual value between $8MM and $9MM on his next deal. It’s interesting to note here that Hamilton isn’t looking for more money, especially considering the eight-year, $9.5MM AAV extension handed out yesterday to Seth Jones. Hamilton is on a five-year run of receiving Norris Trophy votes, including a career-high fourth-place finish this season. That’s in stark contrast to Jones, who’s coming off a weak season on both sides of the puck. Hamilton’s consistently posted better play-driving and defensive numbers throughout his career, as well. Regardless, Hamilton, who’s part of an elite class of defenders to hit unrestricted free agency in recent years, shouldn’t have any trouble getting his desired compensation, whether it be from Carolina or somewhere else.
The Athletic’s Tarik El-Bashir reports that Washington Capitals general manager Brian MacLellan hopes to have a contract extension with captain Alex Ovechkin finalized by the opening of free agency on Wednesday. It’s once in a blue moon that we see a new contract for one of the best players in NHL history, but this offseason will surely see one for the 35-year-old Ovechkin. What’s not for certain is that Ovechkin sees a raise on his previous deal, one that was paying him $9.5MM per season. Despite still being one of the best goal-scorers in the league, Ovechkin’s now finished under a point-per-game pace in two straight seasons and missed significant time with injury this season for the first time since 2009-10. A decent comparable could be the contract handed out to teammate Nicklas Backstrom, who makes $9.2MM per season. While it likely won’t be as long of a term as Backstrom’s five years, a similar cap hit could be in line for ’Ovi’ this offseason.

Columbus Blue Jackets Acquire Jake Bean

July 23, 2021 at 6:42 pm CDT | by Gavin Lee 24 Comments

The Columbus Blue Jackets may have traded Seth Jones, but they’re adding quite a bit of young talent to the blue line. After acquiring Adam Boqvist from the Chicago Blackhawks, the Blue Jackets have also nabbed Jake Bean from the Carolina Hurricanes in exchange for a second-round pick. The 44th overall selection, it was one of the picks that they received for Jones.

Bean, 23, was left unprotected by the Hurricanes in the recent expansion draft, but seemed to avoid a move when the Seattle Kraken decided to take Morgan Geekie instead. Instead, it only kept him in the Carolina organization for a few more days. He’s off to Columbus to negotiate his next contract as a restricted free agent, where there is suddenly plenty of playing time available.

That’s not something Bean is used to. The young defenseman was selected 13th overall in 2016 and has been stuck behind a deep defensive group in Carolina for years, despite dominating at the minor league level. In 2018-19 he recorded 44 points in 70 games as an AHL rookie, winning the Calder Cup in the process with the Charlotte Checkers. The following year he was given the Eddie Shore Award as the AHL’s best defenseman, scoring 48 points in 59 games to lead all players at the position. Despite that success, Bean received just two games of NHL experience before the 2020-21 season.

This year he stepped into a full-time role in Carolina but was still given limited minutes, averaging just 14:32 through his 42 appearances. He scored 12 points, including five on the powerplay, but rarely saw the ice at even-strength as the Hurricanes relied on Jaccob Slavin, Brett Pesce, Dougie Hamilton and Brady Skjei to soak up the 5v5 minutes. In Columbus, he’ll likely be given a much bigger chance to show what he can do as they look to build a new identity in the post-Jones world.

For Carolina, the move will raise some eyebrows, given the fact that Hamilton is a pending UFA. It’s not that Bean could directly replace him if he decides to sign elsewhere, but he at least is capable of providing some of the offensive upside that the group will be lacking. Of course, there would have been the issue of his RFA contract, and perhaps Bean was asking for more than the Hurricanes were willing to give. At any rate, they’ll now have to fill out the depth chart with other names but at least have an extra second-round pick to show for it.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images

Carolina Hurricanes Negotiating With Petr Mrazek, Jonathan Bernier

July 23, 2021 at 11:51 am CDT | by Gavin Lee 17 Comments

The Carolina Hurricanes traded away Alex Nedeljkovic yesterday, meaning they had no NHL goaltenders left under contract for the upcoming season. They do however have the exclusive negotiating rights to three veteran netminders and it looks like two of them could be in Carolina next season. Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic reports that the Hurricanes are in talks with Jonathan Bernier and Petr Mrazek, hoping to sign both.

Bernier, 32, was part of the return from Detroit yesterday and could very well represent an upgrade over the inexperienced Nedeljkovic. A veteran of nearly 400 regular season games, he posted a .914 save percentage in 24 appearances with Detroit last season, keeping his goals against average below 3.00 even behind one of the worst teams in the league. While those numbers certainly don’t hold up to the performance that Nedeljkovic put up in his short stint as the Carolina starter, Bernier has been rather consistent throughout his long career, never posting a save percentage under .904 in a full season.

Mrazek, on the other hand, has been a little less consistent over his 277-game career, though was excellent when healthy this year. In 12 appearances with the Hurricanes during the regular season, he posted an outstanding .923 save percentage and three shutouts.

The team did decide to go with Nedeljkovic over Mrazek in the playoffs though, which means bringing him back will not help the questions Carolina fans have been screaming since the trade was announced. At the very least, this will be a tandem with plenty of NHL experience, even if it does seem a bit underwhelming.

James Reimer, meanwhile, the other free agent goaltender in Carolina, is expected to go to market according to LeBrun. The 33-year-old had a .906 in 22 games with the Hurricanes this year, and has been a consistent performer–albeit usually in a tandem role–throughout his career.

Detroit Red Wings Acquire Alex Nedeljkovic

July 22, 2021 at 12:28 pm CDT | by Gavin Lee 45 Comments

The Detroit Red Wings have found a goaltender. The Red Wings have acquired Alex Nedeljkovic from the Carolina Hurricanes. The Hurricanes will receive Jonathan Bernier and a third-round pick in return. Bernier is a pending unrestricted free agent and has not signed with Carolina at this point.

Nedeljkovic, 25, burst onto the scene in Carolina this season, taking over the net when given the opportunity. After Petr Mrazek went out with injury, Nedeljkovic stepped in and posted a .932 save percentage in 23 games. He continued to play in the postseason for the Hurricanes, registering a .920 in nine appearances, but losing five of the games he played in. Nedeljkovic finished third in Calder Trophy voting as one of the league’s best rookies.

After that breakout performance, Nedeljkovic was set up for a huge raise in restricted free agency. The young goaltender was arbitration-eligible and could have landed a substantial award, something the Hurricanes did not feel comfortable paying. In Detroit, he quickly signed a two-year contract that will carry a cap hit of $3.0MM, which takes him to UFA status following the 2022-23 season. Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic reports that the deal will pay Nedeljkovic $2.5MM in 2021-22 and $3.5MM in 2022-23.

The Hurricanes now have three goaltenders, Bernier, Mrazek and James Reimer, who have all been starters in the past and will become unrestricted free agents on July 28. They do not have any real NHL options in the system, meaning there will be contracts to come at some point.

Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic was first to report the news on Twitter.

Carolina Hurricanes Re-Sign Morgan Geekie

July 16, 2021 at 2:29 pm CDT | by Gavin Lee 1 Comment

The Carolina Hurricanes have re-signed restricted free agent forward Morgan Geekie to a one-year contract. The two-way deal will pay Geekie $750K at the NHL level and $75K at the AHL level, but does come with a $125K minor league guarantee. Hurricanes GM Don Waddell released a short statement about the young forward:

Morgan played well in his first full NHL season this year. We’re excited for him to take the next steps in his development.

Geekie, 22, played 36 games in the NHL this season, and though he received an average of fewer than ten minutes a night, still registered nine points. That follows his debut in 2019-20 when he tallied four points in just two games, which had Carolina fans extremely excited about his future down the middle of the lineup. While that excitement may have waned a bit, Geekie still represents solid depth for the team’s bottom-six next season.

Not to be forgotten at this time of year is the expansion draft, which Geekie could play an important role in. The Hurricanes, like every other team, need to expose at least two forwards that are under contract through the 2021-22 season and have played at least 27 games last season or 54 in the last two. With a new contract, Geekie now meets that threshold, giving the team some more flexibility when it comes to choosing which forwards to protect this weekend.

If left exposed, he represents. a potential target for former Carolina and current Seattle GM Ron Francis, though there could be several more attractive options left unprotected by the Hurricanes. No matter where he ends up, Geekie will have to battle for a full-time roster spot again next season and prove that he’s worth more than just a two-way deal the next time he hits restricted free agency.

Carolina Hurricanes Acquire Dylan Wells

July 14, 2021 at 11:18 am CDT | by Gavin Lee 3 Comments

The Carolina Hurricanes have acquired goaltender Dylan Wells from the Edmonton Oilers in exchange for future considerations. This move is designed to help the Hurricanes expansion situation, as Wells can fill the exposure requirement if tendered a qualifying offer this week. Wells is a pending RFA coming off a season as a taxi squad netminder.

Wells, 23, didn’t play a single game at any level during the 2020-21 season, and suited up only seven times for the Oilers AHL affiliate in 2019-20. Most of his professional career to this point has been in the ECHL, but perhaps he will get a bigger chance in the Carolina organization. The 6’2″ netminder was selected 123rd overall in 2016 but has struggled in his AHL chances, posting an 0-4-1 record in 2019-20 with a .878 save percentage.

Future considerations, in this case, are likely either nothing or a minor league trade that will be completed in tandem. Players on AHL contracts cannot be included in NHL deals, and the Oilers just recently did something similar in the Duncan Keith deal. A second AHL trade was completed the same night, sending a minor league forward to the IceHogs to replace Tim Soderlund.

The Hurricanes are set to protect Alex Nedeljkovic in the upcoming expansion draft and could have used Jeremy Helvig for the exposure requirements if they intend on extending him a qualifying offer. If not, Wells can now slide into that role as expansion draft fodder, without any real risk of being selected by the Kraken.

Offseason Checklist: Carolina Hurricanes

July 11, 2021 at 6:57 pm CDT | by Brian La Rose 1 Comment

The offseason is in full flight with the draft and free agency fast approaching. We continue our series which examines what those eliminated teams need to accomplish over the coming weeks and months. Next up is a look at Carolina.

The Hurricanes had a strong regular season, finishing first in the Central Division while slotting in third overall. However, it didn’t result in the playoff success that they were looking for as they were ousted in the second round by the eventual Stanley Cup champion in Tampa Bay. Now, GM Don Waddell enters the summer with ample cap space at his disposal – more than $29MM – but also some key areas to address which are noted on their offseason checklist.

Resolve The Hamilton Situation

Carolina made headlines last month when they gave pending UFA Dougie Hamilton permission to speak to other clubs early, basically giving him a head start on free agency. It’s an interesting move but it was necessitated by a sizable gap in contract talks. It allows Hamilton to see if he can get the contract his camp thinks he’s worth and if so, creates the potential for Carolina to try to get something in return for his rights.

The only card the Hurricanes have to play is that they can give Hamilton the extra year in basically what would amount to a sign-and-trade agreement. Otherwise, the negotiation rights on their own are only going to be worth a mid to late-round draft pick. That’s still better than losing him for nothing but it wouldn’t be much of a return.

If that happens, Waddell will likely need to turn towards trying to replace Hamilton. He’d be a big loss but at the same time, they should be bracing themselves to lose a defenseman to Seattle as well – one of Jake Bean or Brady Skjei – so there would be multiple holes to try to fill. There aren’t many impact blueliners on the open market so it may have to be addressed by a trade.

On the other hand, if Hamilton’s discussions with other teams don’t prove as fruitful as he hopes and the offers aren’t as strong as he hoped for, it’s quite possible he circles back and tries to work out a new deal with Carolina. If that’s the case, the window to do something will be limited as they’d likely want to wait until after expansion to sign him; that leaves one week to work a new deal out before the calendar flips to the new league year and with it, the ability to give him the extra year on his contract.

Make Goaltending Decisions

Carolina successfully managed to juggle three quality goaltenders down the stretch but that’s a strategy that isn’t going to be viable over the course of a full season. Accordingly, there are decisions to be made on all fronts.

Alex Nedeljkovic went from being passed on by every team in the league on waivers to their starter late in the year and in the playoffs. In doing so, he played enough games for the Hurricanes to retain his rights as a restricted free agent but with that carries arbitration eligibility. A recent report suggested that the team is at least kicking around the possibility of non-tendering him to avoid the risk of an arbitration award that’s too high for their liking. That wouldn’t preclude him from signing a new deal – it’s a route that teams have increasingly taken in recent years to keep their players – but it also creates an opportunity for him to hit the open market. Are they committed to him as their starter? With such a small track record (less than 30 career regular season games), that’s a hard commitment to make. Are they ready to commit a year or two with a significant raise to keep him around? They have a few weeks to make that call still.

The question then becomes which of their unrestricted free agents do they keep around. Petr Mrazek has the better recent track record but is he going to get an opportunity to have a bigger role than a platoon goalie? There are enough vacancies around the league that makes it a legitimate possibility which could price him out of Carolina’s desired price range. That could open the door for James Reimer to stick around. He’s not at the top end of the backup/platoon goalies out there but still shouldn’t be facing too substantial of a pay cut from the $3.1MM salary he made this season.

Of course, with 11 goalies in unrestricted free agency playing in at least 20 of 56 games this season, Waddell could opt to change things up and bring in a newcomer. There is a possibility that two of the three goalies come back. There’s a possibility that none of them do. Given how quickly the spending happens on goalies in free agency, this is a decision that will be made soon.

Re-Sign Svechnikov

A new deal for winger Andrei Svechnikov was something Waddell was hoping to get done last fall but it didn’t happen. Instead, the 21-year-old will hit restricted free agency for the first time but will not have salary arbitration eligibility.

With all of that cap room, it appears that they have the ability to give him a max-term deal if they wanted but a lot depends on their internal budget; will they be a cap-spending team? And from Svechnikov’s perspective, is this the right financial environment to lock in a contract that buys out some UFA years? Such a deal would put him over $7MM annually in all likelihood but he’s coming off a quieter year than his sophomore campaign. Would a bridge contract make more sense, allowing him to ideally get another strong couple of years under his belt, become eligible for arbitration, and work out a new deal as the salary cap starts to increase? At this point, this seems like the likeliest outcome.

Such a move can often take time. Without any other leverage beyond the remote possibility of an offer sheet (and Carolina matched the last one quite quickly), all Svechnikov can do if he doesn’t like the status of negotiations is wait and hope that Waddell ups his offer. Patience may be required on this front but a deal that boosts his price tag beyond the $3.575MM he could have earned by maxing out on his bonuses will be forthcoming.

Utilize Cap Space

Even by the time they re-sign or replace Hamilton, figure out their goalies, and leave enough room for Svechnikov, Carolina will have ample space to work with. They’ll need to reshape their bottom six with a trio of pending UFAs there (Jordan Martinook, Brock McGinn, and Cedric Paquette) but there will be an opportunity to add another asset even after addressing their other areas. If they’re going to be a budget team, their best bet may be taking on a contract with a higher AAV than salary and leverage that into adding another asset on top of the player. If they are spending to the cap, however, they could be a sneaky presence in free agency and even one impact addition could vault them into contention as they return to the Metropolitan Division next year.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images. Contract information courtesy of CapFriendly.

Expansion Primer: Carolina Hurricanes

July 10, 2021 at 1:51 pm CDT | by Brian La Rose 3 Comments

Over the last few weeks, we have been breaking down each team’s situation as it pertains to the 2021 NHL Expansion Draft. Which players are eligible, who will likely warrant protection, and which ones may be on the block to avoid the risk of losing them for nothing? Each team is required to submit their protection lists by 4:00 PM CDT on July 17th. The full eligibility rules can be found here, while CapFriendly has an expansion tool to make your own lists.

Back in 2017, the Hurricanes got off pretty easily in expansion as the Golden Knights selected Connor Brickley while accepting a fifth-round pick to stay away from other options. Brickley was a pending UFA and never signed with Vegas, ultimately going to Florida instead. Only losing a fifth-rounder is better than most teams fared back then but they’re unlikely to be similarly unaffected this time around.

Key Decisions

There isn’t much to decide between the pipes. Even if Carolina is considering non-tendering Nedeljkovic to avoid the potential for arbitration, he’s still the logical one to protect. Even if they wanted to leave him unprotected and protect Helvig for some illogical reason, they’d have to first tender him his qualifier which takes away the option to avoid arbitration. This one is easy.

It isn’t anywhere near as easy on defense. Sure, Slavin and Pesce are the obvious selections but it gets a lot tougher from there.

Skjei is a capable top-four defender and while his production has dried up since coming over in a trade from the Rangers, he’s still logging over 20 minutes a night and playing a significant role on their penalty kill. He has three years left on his deal at a $5.25MM price tag. That might be a little above market value considering the drop-off in points but if it is an overpayment, it’s not by much. And at 27, he’s in the prime of his career. Carolina is also less than a year and a half removed from trading a first-round pick to get Skjei so letting him go for nothing to Seattle would certainly sting. The Kraken need to pick up some notable contracts in their draft and Skjei would become an immediate fixture for them defensively if he was to be made available.

So why isn’t he the obvious choice? That would be the presence of Bean on the eligible list. The 23-year-old was a first-rounder himself back in 2016 and finally was able to establish himself as a regular this season despite being involved in 50 taxi squad transactions throughout the season; that number isn’t an exaggeration but the moves gave Carolina some salary savings. Is he ready for a top-four spot in the lineup? If so, he could be protected over Skjei and likely move into Skjei’s spot on the depth chart.

Hamilton also has to be considered here. He has been given permission to talk to other teams early which is a sign the two sides are far apart in contract talks but if Hamilton doesn’t get the deal he wants, he could circle back. If Carolina was able to sign him in the next week, he would then get the final spot. Meanwhile, Gardiner is a safe bet to be left protected after struggling in his first two seasons with the Hurricanes.

Up front, most of the spots are easily spoken for. Aho, Svechnikov, Teravainen, and Trocheck are all locks. Staal has a no-move clause which secures his spot as well. Niederreiter has been up and down since joining the Hurricanes and has a high enough contract ($5.25MM) that he could be left exposed but he was second on the team in goals this year; that’d be hard to part with so let’s put him on there as well. That’s six of the seven spots right there and enough sure-fire protectees to take away the eight-skater option which would allow them to keep both defensemen.

At first glance, Foegele would seem like the logical candidate. He has been a capable middle-six forward and has been productive in a limited role, notching at least ten goals in three straight years. However, he’s also arbitration-eligible and if they’re worried about Nedeljkovic’s arbitration eligibility, they could be concerned with Foegele’s as well. If they are, there’s no point protecting him if they’re considering non-tendering him.

Fast signed a pretty cheap deal in the fall, a contract that has two years left on it at a respectable $2MM. However, his numbers took a bit of a dip this season in more of a limited role than he was accustomed to with the Rangers. It’s still a good value deal but losing someone that’s on the third line with some frequency wouldn’t be a bad outcome for the Hurricanes.

Geekie is still largely unproven in the NHL with 36 of his 38 career regular season games coming this season. Most of that time was spent on the fourth line. However, he’s going to be cheaper than the other options and plays the premium position as he’s a center. So too does Lorentz but Geekie is a little younger which probably leaves Lorentz exposed.

Projected Protection List

F Sebastian Aho
F Morgan Geekie
F Nino Niederreiter
F Jordan Staal (NMC)
F Andrei Svechnikov
F Teuvo Teravainen
F Vincent Trocheck

D Brett Pesce
D Jaccob Slavin
D Brady Skjei

G Alex Nedeljkovic

Skater Exposure Requirement Checklist

When Vegas had their expansion draft, a minimum of two forwards and one defenseman had to be exposed that were under contract and played either 40 games in the most recent season or 70 over the past two combined. Due to the pandemic, those thresholds have been changed to 27 games played in 2020-21 or 54 in 2019-20 and 2020-21 combined. In creating our expansion list for each team in this series, we will ensure that these criteria are met.

Forwards (2): Jesper Fast, Steven Lorentz
Defensemen (1): Jake Gardiner

Carolina is able to meet the requirements with the above players but it’s the restricted free agents in Bean and Foegele that will be the most attractive to Seattle. Kraken GM Ron Francis is quite familiar with both players having drafted when he was GM of the Hurricanes. Both are young – Foegele has two years of team control left and Bean four – which means Seattle will be getting a longer-term piece. Bean would likely be the favorite to be selected but either way, they’re going to get hit harder this time than they were by Vegas and a fifth-round pick alone wouldn’t be able to protect everyone this time around.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images. Contract information courtesy of CapFriendly.

Hurricanes Considering Not Qualifying Alex Nedeljkovic Due To Arbitration Eligibility

July 10, 2021 at 11:37 am CDT | by Brian La Rose 2 Comments

It was quite the season for Hurricanes goaltender Alex Nedeljkovic. He cleared waivers to start the year and was expected to serve as their taxi squad netminder but an early injury to Petr Mrazek gave him an opportunity to play and he seized it, posting a league-best 1.90 GAA and a .932 SV% in 23 starts and was similarly stingy in the playoffs. Despite that, Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman notes in his latest 31 Thoughts column that Carolina appears to be giving some consideration to not tendering Nedeljkovic a qualifying offer. It’s not that they don’t want to keep him but rather that they’re worried about what an arbitration award would be.

With just 29 career regular season appearances, there are few close comparables for Nedeljkovic although Jordan Binnington of St. Louis could be one with the similarities in career trajectories. He signed a two-year deal after his only full NHL campaign with an AAV of $4.4MM. That’s below the walkaway threshold of $4.538MM per PuckPedia (Twitter link) which could give them some pause. If the Hurricanes go that route, it doesn’t guarantee he’d leave but Nedeljkovic would certainly be an intriguing late addition to the UFA market.

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