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The Carolina Hurricanes have not made a big signing yet, but they made one of the biggest trades of the offseason on July 1. K'Andre Miller went from the New York Rangers to the Hurricanes in a sign-and-trade with an eight-year extension in place. Carolina GM Eric Tulsky spoke about how Miller will fit with the team after the massive trade.
“I think his skating and recovery speed is going to be really effective for us,” Tulsky said, per NHL.com's Dan Rosen. “When we want guys to get up the ice, they need to be able to get back too. His natural ability and his skating is going to make it really effective for us.”
The Hurricanes needed defensemen this offseason, with Dmitry Orlov and Brent Burns hitting free agency. The top defenseman on the market was Vladislav Gavrikov, who signed with the Rangers. That created the opportunity for a Miller trade, which Tulsky hopped on. He paid a lot for him, however, giving up a first-rounder, a second-rounder, and prospect Scott Morrow.
The Rangers had a disastrous 2024-25 season, and Miller was not great either. But the Hurricanes expect him to improve when he gets next to Jaccob Slavin, one of the top defenders in the league. They have taken a large gamble on Miller, but one that could pay off in the postseason.
The Hurricanes have made the postseason in seven consecutive years but never reached the Stanley Cup Final. Rod Brind'amour has proven to be an elite regular season coach, but has not gotten over the hump in the postseason. An improved blue line is a huge step in the right direction for Carolina. But they need to score more goals.
The Hurricanes should be interested in adding Nikolaj Ehlers in free agency. One of the top free agents available is still out there, and there should be mutual interest.
