Re-signability: A look at the Hurricanes' four RFAs

Qualifying Offer: $3 million - Arbitration Eligible

The Carolina Hurricanes acquired Puljujarvi from the Edmonton Oilers at the trade deadline in exchange for forward prospect Patrik Puistola.

The Finnish forward has long had a distinguished pedigree: 2015 Liiga champion, fourth overall pick in 2016, and a gold medalist and tournament MVP with Finland at the 2016 World Juniors Championship.

He was touted for a being a big, mobile winger who could score, but those talents haven't yet materialized in the NHL, so it's hard to say what Puljujarvi could be capable of. 

It's been well documented how he had a hard time coming over to North America with the language barrier and the Oilers lack of surrounding Finns, and he routinely bounced back and forth between the NHL and AHL, which all culminated in him returning to Finland for a few years before returning again in 2021.

How much did this affect and stunt his development? Who's to say, but it's apparent that his trajectory was severely impacted.

Currently, Puljujarvi's value is nowhere near his $3 million QO. 

He hasn't produced - though to be fair, he had been very unlucky at times - and he's seemed lost at time out on the ice. 

However, there were obvious glimpses of talent too. His skating and speed are very good, allowing him to effectively forecheck and he has a good stick when it comes to knocking down pucks and killing plays.

But the struggles show when he has the puck or when he's in the offensive zone.

I think he's a player that the Hurricanes can work with and mold into an effective, defensive winger, but I'm not sure they have the time or willingness to do that with their current window for contention. 

He will not be qualified, that's a guarantee, but could a one-year, low value deal be worked out to keep him around and see if Rod Brind'Amour and his fellow Finns can work some more magic? If I'm Puljujarvi, I'd sure hope so.

Verdict - Not Qualified

Qualifying Offer: $813,750 - Arbitration Eligible

The Canes acquired Coghlan from the Vegas Golden Knights as a sweetener in the Max Pacioretty deal, and after a strong showing through training camp and the preseason, it looked like he was going to win a spot.

However, he was not a starter come opening night and he only would appear in 17 games for Carolina over the course of the season. 

Despite that, the Hurricanes never seemed adamant about moving him, instead choosing to keep him on the roster as a depth piece.

It had to have been a frustrating year for the young defenseman, who probably felt like he could play in the NHL after appearing in 59 games and registering 13 points in those games in the season prior.

And obviously, the Canes felt like other teams would gladly have scooped Coghlan up if they had tried to put him through waivers, as they never tried. 

Coghlan has a big shot and had some games where he really was impressive in a sheltered, third-pair role, but there was also a lot of mistakes and moments where it was clear why he wasn't a mainstay.

So it's really a toss-up between if the team will want to still keep him around for that depth, especially with the lack of an AHL affiliate, or if they will allow the poor kid to actually get a shot to play somewhere else.

I'm more so leaning towards the cheap, depth piece, although the risk of arbitration would be interesting, especially since the team wouldn't be able to walk away from whatever the ruling would be.

Verdict - Qualified

Qualifying Offer: $787,500 - Arbitration Eligible

No matter what may happen in terms of his contract status, Mattheos is an inspiration and a warrior

The 2017 third-round pick has been in the Hurricanes' organization for a while now, and notably, after winning the Calder Cup with the Charlotte Checkers in 2019, he was diagnosed with testicular cancer.

Mattheos battled and beat cancer, ultimately returning back to the ice not too long after where's he continued to try and carve out a role.

He was a dominant player in the WHL with the Brandon Wheat Kings - he captained the team in his final year (2018-19 ) and scored 96 points - however, he hasn't been able to transition his game to the American league, having scored just 9 goals and 27 points in 112 games.

With more players on the rise, and the lack of a current AHL affiliate, the Canes may choose to let this contract simply run out.

Verdict - Not Qualified

Qualifying Offer: $874,125

The Hurricanes acquired Bokk from the St. Louis Blues as part of the Justin Faulk trade, but after the German winger failed to make an impact in the AHL, he returned to Europe this past season where he's still playing today. 

This is probably the end of his NHL aspirations, despite being a first-round pick in 2018 (25th overall).

Verdict - Not Qualified