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The Carolina Hurricanes have been working to upgrade their roster since being eliminated by the Florida Panthers in the Eastern Conference Final for a second time in three years. While the Canes have already made some big moves, they may not be done yet and could still swing another big trade this summer.
Carolina started their summer by taking care of some of their own players, re-signing Eric Robinson and Logan Stankoven. They would then acquire K'Andre Miller from the New York Rangers. Still, the crown jewel of their offseason is the signing of Nikolaj Ehlers.
Ehlers will join the top line with Sebastian Aho and Seth Jarvis. The Hurricanes may continue to add offensive firepower. Last season, the Metropolitan Division runners-up had just one player score over 30 goals, which was Jarvis. Further, they had just three other players score over 20 goals. They attempted to remedy that situation during the season with the trade for Mikko Rantanen, but would trade him to the Dallas Stars shortly after acquiring him.
Even after bringing in Ehlers, the Canes have a solid amount of cap space. They have $10.6 million in cap space available this offseason. Carolina is short on draft capital in the 2026 NHL Draft, but has plenty in the 2027 and 2028 drafts to help facilitate a trade. They also have strong prospects in the system, even after moving Scott Morrow in the trade for Miller. The Hurricanes have been connected to multiple top-six forwards in the offseason, and could still pull a trade for one.
Hurricanes should trade with Penguins again
At the 2024 trade deadline, Carolina made a big move for a goal-scoring star. They traded with the Pittsburgh Penguins for Jake Guentzel. The former Penguin would be solid for the team. With his contract expiring, he was traded in the 2024 offseason to the Tampa Bay Lightning. Eric Tulsky was not the GM who brought in Guentzel, but he was with the franchise. He was the GM who traded him to Tampa. Now, Tulsky could look to Pittsburgh once again for a new goal scorer.
Carolina struggled heavily to score in their series with the Panthers. They scored just 10 goals in five tries, losing the series 4-1. It became clear in the series that they need more top-quality goal-scoring options on multiple lines. They have worked on a solution to make the top line more potent with the addition of Ehlers, but that still leaves the second and third line lacking.
There have been connections between the Hurricanes with both Bryan Rust and Rickard Rakell. The Penguins are in a rebuild, and while they still have Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin, they may be willing to part with one of their goal-scoring options on the top line. Rust was the 80th pick of the 2010 NHL Draft by the Penguins. He would break into the NHL in the 2014-15 season. Rust has been a solid goal-scoring option for the team. He has scored 20 or more goals in each of the last six seasons. This included a career high of 31 goals this past campaign. Further, he has had 40 or more points in each of the last six years as well, with a career high of 65 points this past year.
He also brings winning playoff experience to the franchise. He was part of back-to-back Stanley Cup-winning teams with the Penguins in 2016 and 2017. While he is 33 years old, he is under contract for the next three years. At a cost of just $5.125 million, the Hurricanes can easily absorb that contract. He may decline in years to come, but he is coming off the best year of his career. That makes the American-born winger very attractive.
The other option is Rakell. Rakell is a year younger than Rust. He is also under contract for three years at a cost of $5 million per year. Both players can play both wings as well. Rakell was the 30th overall pick of the Anaheim Ducks in the 2011 NHL Draft. He would join the league during the 2012-13 season and play four games. After a stint in the AHL with the Norfolk Admirals, the Swede would rejoin the Ducks and play there until being traded to the Penguins during the season in March 2022.
Like Rust, Rakell is coming off the best season of his career, with a career high in both goals and points. Last season, he scored 35 goals while adding 35 assists, good for 70 points. He has scored 60 or more points in two of the last three seasons and has scored over 30 goals three times in his career.
While both players would most likely play on the second line in Carolina, they would each bring a major point-scoring threat to the top-six. Acquiring either of Rust or Rakell could help the Hurricanes take the next step as they look to reach the Stanley Cup Final for the first time since 2006.
