On February 25, 2019, the Carolina Hurricanes acquired Tomas Jurco from the Florida Panthers in exchange for future considerations.
Forward Tomas Jurco was traded to the Carolina Hurricanes from the Florida Panthers hours before the NHL Trade Deadline. In exchange, the Canes surrendered future considerations, which likely included Cliff Pu, who was sent to Florida.
The trade may not have been a big move in comparison to the other trades throughout the day, but it was a big one for both Jurco and the Hurricanes.
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Jurco was pegged to be the next big thing when he was drafted by the Detroit Red Wings 35th overall in the 2011 NHL Entry Draft. With the Red Wings, Jurco blossomed in the AHL with the Grand Rapids Griffins.
However, he failed to translate successfully on Detroit’s NHL roster. After six years in the Red Wings organization, Jurco was traded to the Chicago Blackhawks in exchange for a 2017 third round draft pick.
With the Blackhawks, Jurco played the same role he did with the Wings where he would play both in the NHL and AHL. In the NHL, he started maturing and his play started to develop, but his playing style did not fit with Chicago. After his contract ended at the conclusion of the 2017-18 season, Jurco was left as an unrestricted free agent.
It was around the midway point of the 2018-19 season when Jurco was finally signed by the Panthers to a one year, two-way deal. Upon signing with the Panthers, Jurco was sent to the AHL to play with the Springfield Thunderbirds. The 26-year-old forward played 14 games with the Thunderbirds where he registered ten points (4 goals and 6 assists).
Now, Jurco finds himself playing for the Hurricanes organization where he hopes he can kickstart his career again. The 201 NHL game veteran has scored 22 goals in the NHL along with 28 assists, and he looks to add more to these stats.
The Hurricanes are a perfect fit for Jurco because they have an AHL team that feeds a large part of the players on the Hurricanes roster. This move could be what Jurco needed to showcase his skills and play in the NHL again.