Top 3 players the Carolina Hurricanes need to sign this offseason
If the Carolina Hurricanes want to emerge as true Stanley Cup contenders, they’ll need to add to their talented roster.
After making it to the Eastern Conference Final last season, the Carolina Hurricanes rightfully had high hopes heading into this season. They overcame quite a bit of adversity to make the Stanley Cup Playoffs, where they had the opportunity to get some revenge on the Boston Bruins.
Instead, the Hurricanes, just like last year, are going home without lifting the Stanley Cup. Carolina has a very gifted roster, but it’s clear they need to add to it. They’ve got a strong young core with players like Jaccob Slavin, Sebastian Aho, Andrei Svechnikov, Teuvo Teravainen, Martin Necas, and Dougie Hamilton. But the Hurricanes have to surround them with the right pieces.
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The Hurricanes have usually shied away from free agency, but that’s a habit they’ll need to break. They have the pieces to make some trades, but they’ve also got to travel into the uncharted waters of free agency.
Let’s take a look at three players the Hurricanes should sign.
3. Tyler Ennis
The Carolina Hurricanes are going to have to look for some bargains in free agency. Tyler Ennis could provide a lot of value. He plays an up-tempo game, which Carolina likes to play. Another thing about him is he’s a versatile forward who can play at center or at either side on the wing.
Ennis is also capable of filling in just about anywhere in the lineup. He’s best used in a third or fourth line role, but if you need him to fill in on the second line, he’ll do just fine there. Ennis is coming off a huge injury, which is why he probably won’t be getting a big contract. If the Hurricanes can sign him for under $2 million a year, preferably for just one year, I think he’d be a great addition for them.
2. Dylan DeMelo
The Carolina Hurricanes only have four defensemen signed for next season. You can pencil in top prospect Jake Bean for one of those two open spots in the lineup. Haydn Fleury is likely getting re-signed as a sixth/seventh defenseman. But the Hurricanes could use some defensive depth and at the right price, I think it would be wise for them to bring in Dylan DeMelo.
There are several reasons why I think the price will be right for Carolina. First of all, DeMelo isn’t a household name.
Most of what he does goes under the radar because he’s played for the Ottawa Senators and Winnipeg Jets. Also, a lot of what DeMelo does well doesn’t end up on the score sheet.
Secondly, DeMelo’s more of a second or third pairing defenseman. The market for those is usually pretty weak. It’s hard to tell how this year’s market will look, but considering many teams are operating with not too much cap space, it wouldn’t surprise me if the Hurricanes could sign DeMelo for a cheap price.
1. Robin Lehner
Adding forward depth and defensive depth should be a big part of the offseason for the Carolina Hurricanes. But ultimately, the Hurricanes need to go after Robin Lehner. That needs to be their number one priority.
The Hurricanes biggest hole right now is their goaltending. Petr Mrazek and James Reimer are a decent tandem, but the Hurricanes haven’t had a number one goalie for a while. Lehner could fill that void.
Frankly, the Hurricanes should have signed him last offseason. Instead, they chose to re-sign Petr Mrazek for two years at $3.125 million. For less than $2 million more, the Hurricanes could have had Lehner.
The Hurricanes would have to trade at least one of James Reimer and Mrazek (maybe even both) to make signing Lehner make sense. But considering how weak the goalie market is this offseason once you get past Lehner and Holtby, trading them shouldn’t be too difficult. They’re signed to reasonable deals and each of them has one year left.
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Lehner should have gotten a long-term deal last summer. This year, he’s making it his point to prove that. Lehner’s been strong with both the Vegas Golden Knights and Chicago Blackhawks. He’d fit right in with those bunch of jerks in North Carolina.