The trading of Jake Guentzel's negotiating rights to the Tampa Bay Lightning is the latest in what is expected to be a long summer of change for the Carolina Hurricanes. Will they make it out better than they entered?

For a while now, the Carolina Hurricanes have been a critical darling of the NHL observer community – and for good reason: their management has made them one of the deepest, swiftest teams in the league, and consequently, much is expected of them on the ice.

However, the past couple months have been an adventure for the ‘Canes, and not necessarily a good one. After getting whacked by the New York Rangers in the second round of the Stanley Cup playoffs, Carolina has been looking at a series of diminishing returns. Let’s count them, shall we?

For starters, the Hurricanes’ entire management structure was turned on its ear, thanks to the departure of GM Don Waddell and the installation of former assistant GM Eric Tulsky as his replacement. And in the next few days, their roster could change significantly.

That process kicked off late Sunday morning with the trading of star winger Jake Guentzel’s negotiating rights to the Tampa Bay Lightning. Given that Carolina has approximately $26.2 million in salary cap space, you could see why many fans believe the ‘Canes have the cap space to keep Guentzel around. But a closer look tells you that they have to use that money to fill seven roster spaces. If you gave Guentzel, let’s say, $9 million per season, suddenly you'd only have $17 million for six roster spots. And that might hurt the Hurricanes when it comes to their all-around depth.

In addition, Carolina is likely to lose two veteran defensemen in Brady Skjei and Brett Pesce. Luckily, the Hurricanes have one of the deepest wellsprings of blueliners on the planet, so they’re not going to be a total disaster when Pesce and Skjei depart as UFAs. But that still leaves them worse for wear, especially when it comes to having injury insurance. No longer can they thrive if one or two key D-men go down with injuries. Instead, the 'Canes are a group that needs a bit more good fortune if they're going to keep pace in the highly competitive Metropolitan Division.

The worrisome news doesn’t end there, though. Star winger Martin Necas might still want out. The 25-year-old has done a lot of very good things for the Hurricanes, but he’s looking for a major increase on his 2023-24 cap hit of $3 million. And while he’s an RFA who ultimately doesn’t have full control of his near future, Necas is the type of talent teams will fall all over on the financial front, and he might look fondly on an offer sheet for his services, Necas may price himself out of Carolina’s budget, but even if he does return, that will mean less-lucrative contracts for the roster spots that remain.

All things considered, the potholes in the road to a Cup win have grown a bit larger for the Hurricanes. Tulsky’s task is to balance out the lineup, so we’ll see if he values quantity over quality with the players he does choose to fill out the roster. They’ve already taken a hit with Guentzel’s departure. They’re about to take more hits with Skjei and Pesce just about out the door. And because of the change that’s coming, they’re going to have a tough time hanging on to a top spot in the Metro.