The Carolina Hurricanes were certainly active at the opening of free agency, not only acquiring a bit of depth, but also landing a potentially big piece of the team's blueline.

Canes general manager Eric Tulsky spoke to the media in Raleigh Tuesday evening about the day.

Here's what he had to say:

Carolina Takes Big Swing On Talented New York Blueliner The Carolina Hurricanes made one of the biggest splashes of the day, trading a conditional first-round pick, a second-round pick and rookie defenseman Scott Morrow to the New York Rangers in exchange for defenseman K'Andre Miller.

On acquiring K'Andre Miller: We've been talking to [the New York Rangers] about him for a while. They were obviously looking at other players in free agency and needed to clear the cap space and also a roster spot. So we've been talking about what a deal could look like. Been working on it for a while. It was important to us to find a way to do it without giving up any major pieces off of our roster. Obviously Morrow was close, but he wasn't quite there for us last year at least. It's a big price to pay but we think he's a great fit for our system. You hear me talk a lot about how hard our scouting department works to identify players who will fit. He was one of them. He's a really powerful skater who can close out really effectively and take away time and space and the aggressive way we play is going to suit him very well. He's also very strong in front of the net, defending in front of the net, which is always helpful and important and something we can always get better at. I think his skating and recovery speed is going to be really effective for us. We want guys to get up the ice, but they need to be able to get back too. His natural ability and his skating are going to make him really effective for us.

On if the team will bring back either Dmitry Orlov or Brent Burns: It's hard to say for certain until they sign, but right now, I do not anticipate either one being back with us. Obviously that can change with one phone call, but that's where we are right now.

On the plethora of left-handed defensemen and if he's comfortable with someone playing on their offhand: So we've seen Slavin do it before, we've seen Gostisbehere do it before. I'm not sure how much either of the other two have, but we've had success playing people on their offside. It's obviously a little bit easier on the strong side, especially with the way we play with guys hammering down the wall in the offensive zone. That's easier to do on your strong side. But all of our left-shot D are effective with their stick and effective with their feet and should be able to do it if they need to.

On having so many players signed long-term: Every player is different and every situation is different. We've been fortunate to find certain players who we feel like are good fits. When we have them, we don't to have to find out every year what the contract is going to look like. We like to just get it done and have the understanding and know that they're going to be here long term and know that we can build around them. I think especially in the rising cap environment, sometimes making the bets earlier means the team is taking a risk. All the risk of injury or decline or underperformance falls to us, but it also leaves us upside if they perform well. Our goal is to be right often enough that it pays off.

On if the team is pursuing Nikolaj Ehlers: We've had talks with his agent and he's taking his time to field offers. He's obviously a very popular person right now and we're waiting to see where that goes. 

On being patient while still staying active in the free agency market: So we as an organization are always trying to look ahead. I think this summer, we came into it with a lot of cap space and watched free agency approach and saw everybody re-sign with their own team. The opportunity to find players to use that cap space on dwindled. We also had a lot of picks and prospects. So we had to pivot to another strategy to acquire players and that's how the K'Andre deal got done. We're always trying to look ahead and give ourselves options and make sure that we have the ability to keep adding to the team. Our goal is to just keep getting better and better and raising the bar. Hopefully we're doing that this summer. 

On signing Logan Stankoven to a long-term deal: Logan's been great. He's been fantastic on the ice. His work ethic and his ability to play hard, it just... He just plays the game the right way and he plays it the way we want a player to play. It's just been a dream since Day 1. He's also, off the ice, just an incredible guy and someone we wanted as part of our family for as long as we could. The opportunity to get that commitment and know that we'll have him here for at least eight more years beyond this one and hopefully another contract after that. It's really important to us. We see him as a core piece and someone who will be a part of what we build in the years to come.

On adding more goaltender depth: Spencer [Martin's] been really good for us these past couple of years, but he was ready to move on. He had another opportunity which he wanted to pursue. So we needed a new person to bring in to be that number three. Dustin [Tokarski] was also great for us in a number four role last year, but we were looking to get a little bit younger and so we brought in two players who we think are both capable of providing that depth and also have upside to grow into more than that and help give us opportunities to keep taking steps forward in the future.

On the addition of Mike Reilly: Again the word fit I keep using. This is another player who I think should look his best for us. He skates really well, he's effective coming down the wall in the offensive zone and pinching and has the speed to get back and to cover. He can get up all over the ice and we want players taking away time and space through the neutral zone and into the d-zone and he can do that. He has skill with the puck and the ability to transport it and make plays. I think he's going to be really effective for us.

Recent Stories

• Carolina Hurricanes Reportedly Acquiring Defenseman K'Andre Miller From New York Rangers
• Carlina Hurricanes Acquire Goaltender Cayden Primeau From Montreal Canadiens
• Carolina Hurricanes 2025 Development Camp Gets Underway
• Hurricanes Lock Up Standout Rookie On Max-Term Deal
• What Might A Jason Robertson Trade Package Look Like?
• Hurricanes Ink Russian Netminder To One-Year Deal
• Carolina Hurricanes Extend Qualifying Offers To RFAs; Three To Become UFAs

Stay updated with the most interesting Carolina Hurricanes stories, analysis, breaking news and more! Tap the star to add us to your favorites on Google News to never miss a story.