Carolina Hurricanes head coach Bill Peters should opt-out of his contract

VANCOUVER, BC - DECEMBER 5: Head coach Bill Peters of the Carolina Hurricanes looks on from the bench during their NHL game against the Vancouver Canucks at Rogers Arena December 5, 2017 in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. (Photo by Jeff Vinnick/NHLI via Getty Images)"n
VANCOUVER, BC - DECEMBER 5: Head coach Bill Peters of the Carolina Hurricanes looks on from the bench during their NHL game against the Vancouver Canucks at Rogers Arena December 5, 2017 in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. (Photo by Jeff Vinnick/NHLI via Getty Images)"n

It makes all the sense in the world for Carolina Hurricanes head coach Bill Peters to use his opt-out to test the waters of free agency

The Carolina Hurricanes are in a transitional period. They haven’t made the Stanley Cup Playoffs in nearly a decade. New majority owner Thomas Dundon has put the franchise on notice, already removing Ron Francis from his general manager position. Thanks to an opt-out clause in his contract, head coach Bill Peters might be next.

This clause allows him to opt-out of his current deal, which pays him $1.6 million per season. However, Peters must exercise this clause by Friday, April 20. The Hurricanes would like to keep him, as they aren’t exactly pushing him out like they did with Francis.

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It makes all the sense in the world for Peters to use this as an opportunity to test free agency. First of all, just because he opts out, this doesn’t mean he’s necessarily not coming back to the Hurricanes. If nothing else, Peters might want to take a significant risk and use his opt-out as a way to get paid more money.

At $1.6 million, though coaches’ salaries aren’t always made public, he ranks among the lowest paid coaches. According to Cap Friendly, the only known coaches who make less than that per year are either first-time coaches or Barry Trotz. Peters has been coaching the Hurricanes since 2014. He’s been around long enough to warrant a higher salary.

Secondly, maybe Peters doesn’t want to stick around. Going out on your own terms is better than being fired (which might happen since Dundon recently referenced having options). There are several lucrative coaching jobs out there.

For starters, the New York Rangers need a new head coach. Coaching for an Original Six team might be appealing to Peters. Also, the Hurricanes are famous for being a budget team. Meanwhile, the Rangers are the wealthiest team in the league. Peters can expect a pay raise if he gets hired by them.

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Should he become available, perhaps the Calgary Flames would express interest. If the Washington Capitals decide not to bring back Trotz, whose contract expires after this season, Peters would be an obvious candidate to replace him.

His opt-out clause provides him with a ton of leverage. Peters could use it to force the team to either commit to him long-term or let him move on. Should he opt-out, he’ll throw a monkey wrench into the coaching market.

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