Almost a week after the Carolina Hurricanes were eliminated from the Stanley Cup playoffs, media speculation continues on their plans for next season.
Sebastian Aho and Teuvo TeravainenMedia interest in the Carolina Hurricanes' off-season plans started soon after they were swept from the Eastern Conference final.
Most of the immediate speculation was over the future of pending free agents such as Jordan Staal, Frederik Andersen and Max Pacioretty. Some suggested they need to get bigger and better on their forward lines.
They could use part of their $24.1 million in projected cap space for 2023-24 to retain some of those UFAs. They could also be active in this summer's trade and free-agent market to bolster their roster for next season.
Daily Faceoff's Matt Larkin believes they should pursue a superstar no matter the cost. He observed that they haven't had a 40-goal scorer, a 90-point player or anyone among the NHL's top-15 scorers over the past five seasons.
Larkin indicated the Hurricanes attempted to acquire Matthew Tkachuk last summer before he was traded to the Panthers and Timo Meier before he was shipped to the New Jersey Devils. He wondered if GM Don Waddell would part with Andrei Svechnikov, Brett Pesce or Seth Jarvis if someone such as Toronto's Mitch Marner became available this summer.
The Raleigh News & Observer's Luke DeCock noted that several core Hurricanes players, including Sebastian Aho and Teuvo Teravainen, are a year away from UFA eligibility. He anticipated that they'll re-sign Aho but could peddle Teravainen if he doesn't into their plans.
DeCock also speculated they could sell high on young forwards such as Martin Necas or Jack Drury, who both struggled during this postseason. The Athletic's Cory Lavalette observed the 23-year-old Necas is coming off a breakout performance. With a $3-million cap hit for 2023-24, he could draw plenty of interest in the trade market.