Subscribe
Follow Us
The Carolina Hurricanes advanced to the Eastern Conference Final in the 2023 Stanley Cup Playoffs, and the team is arguably going to be even better next season after a few shrewd offseason moves. Canes GM Don Waddell signed sandpaper forward Michael Bunting and the best defenseman available on the free agent market in Dmitry Orlov on July 1. He followed it up by inking former Hurricane Tony DeAngelo to shore up the D-core, and signed the team's best player in Sebastian Aho to an eight-year extension.
Although Carolina was shockingly swept by the Florida Panthers in the ECF, the future is undoubtably bright in Raleigh, and the team should absolutely be considered one of the teams to beat in the Eastern Conference next season. After winning the Stanley Cup back in 2006, the Canes have been swept in three straight ECFs dating back to 2009, and the goal for the current iteration of Rod Brind'Amour's team is to finally put together a complete playoff run.
Even stacked teams can get better
Looking at the Hurricanes' roster, the team is deep at every position. Adding DeAngelo and Orlov to a defensive unit that already features Brent Burns, Jaccob Slavin and Brady Skjei instantly makes the D-core one of the strongest, if not the best, in the entire National Hockey League.
The goaltending is sorted for 2023-24 as well, with Frederik Andersen and Antti Raanta both re-signed this offseason, forming one of the most formidable goalie duos in the league. The forwards are also excellent, but it's there where the team can be improved before opening night. Currently, Jesperi Kotkaniemi is occupying the 2C role for the team, which certainly isn't bad, but he would be more suited to a 3C role. Carolina should find a way to bring in a top-six forward, specifically a center to play under Sebastian Aho, allowing Kotkaniemi to move down the lineup. And there's one player who sticks out right away.
Ideal trade target: Elias Lindholm
Every team in need of top-six center depth should be checking in on Calgary Flames forward Elias Lindholm after it was reported that he isn't planning to re-sign with the team when his contract expires next summer. It was Carolina who drafted Lindholm with the No. 5 pick in the 2013 NHL Draft, and he spent five seasons in Raleigh before being included in the 2018 trade that sent Dougie Hamilton to the Canes and Lindholm north to Canada.
The 28-year-old is an excellent two-way player right in the middle of his prime. He scored 40 goals and 82 points in 82 games in 2021-22, and followed it up with a respectable 64-point campaign last season. He would instantly turn Carolina's top-six into one of the league's most deadly units, and he would look great next to either Andrei Svechnikov, Martin Necas, or both.
It was reported at the NHL Trade Deadline that Waddell had actually inquired into Lindholm's availability, according to The Athletic's Michael Russo and Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman.
Article Continues Below
“The Athletic's Michael Russo confirmed what had been suspected: that Carolina made an inquiry to Calgary about Elias Lindholm,” wrote Friedman back in March. “There's almost zero chance the Flames would have considered it now – too soon and still coming to grips with this season. But they've got six interesting players with one year remaining on their current contracts, so the calendar dictates this will be a direction-defining summer.”
Time to trade Brett Pesce
Not only does an Elias Lindholm homecoming make sense, but the Hurricanes have the pieces to dangle in a potential deal with Flames GM Craig Conroy. TSN's Pierre LeBrun reported earlier this offseason that “the Carolina Hurricanes consider re-signing defenseman Brett Pesce a top priority this offseason, but if that doesn't happen, he will be getting traded before the start of next season.”
An extension still hasn't happened, so it looks like a trade is the logical conclusion for both player and club in 2023;”the Hurricanes are also pretty resolute that if they can't extend Brett Pesce, they will move him this summer to get max value on the asset with a year left on his contract,” wrote LeBrun.
Pesce is entering the final season of a six-year contract he signed back in 2017, and the 28-year-old is still considered one of the game's best right-shot defensive defenseman. A deal that potentially includes Pesce, another roster player and a draft pick would probably be enough to bring Elias Lindholm back to Carolina, and solidify them as one of the top teams in the NHL. The Hurricanes are already the Metropolitan Division's best team, but with Lindholm, they could be Stanley Cup favourites.
