The Carolina Hurricanes dealt Tony DeAngelo to the Philadelphia Flyers ahead of free agency and are beginning to hone in on some potential replacements to buff up the right side of the defense in his stead. According to Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic, with DeAngelo off to Philly, the Canes are targeting a pair of veteran right defenders, San Jose Sharks star Brent Burns and Montreal Canadiens' Jeff Petry.

After getting excellent production from DeAngelo on a bargain price, the Canes are now looking likely to splash the cash in order to find his replacement. They were never going to be able to retain DeAngelo at the $1 million price tag they landed him on after he was ousted by the Rangers. That proved true following his trade to the Flyers, where he quickly signed a two-year, $10 million deal.

Burns is currently signed on with the Sharks on an eight-year deal worth $64 million. He has three years remaining on his deal, carrying a cap hit of $8 million for each season, with a base salary of $3 million. The three-time All-Star and former Norris Trophy winner has spent the past 11 years with the Sharks. At 37, he is almost certainly on his last NHL contract, and the Hurricanes would be an excellent spot for Burns to finish his career.

As for Petry, the Canadiens veteran is entering just the second year of a four-year deal he signed in 2021. The 34-year-old is due to collect $6.25 million per season over the next three years. Despite having just re-upped with the Habs last offseason, Petry doesn't fit into the timeline of the Canadiens' rebuild, but would be a great fit on a contending team such as the Hurricanes.