By: Chris Nosek

The Carolina Hurricanes have been making the playoffs so much they look like a great success, however they haven’t been able to make a Stanley Cup Final let alone take home a title. Last season they finished second in the Metropolitan Division behind the Washington Capitals. New General Manager, Eric Tulsky, made it known that the organization wouldn’t be afraid to go after big name players regardless of what their contract might look like. He did this by acquirng Mikko Rantanen from the Colorado Avalanche. More surprisingly, Tulsky wasn’t afraid to move on from Rantanen just six weeks later when he showed hesitation on re-signing with the franchise.

Biggest Departure: Brent Burns, signed with Colorado as Free Agent

Last season the defense of the Hurricanes was anchored by Jaccob Slavin and Brent Burns. Even at 39 years of age, Burns still averaged almost 21 minutes of ice time per game and played all 82 games. He acontributed 29 points. While it was his fourth straight season playing all 82 games, it was his lowest point producing season since the COVID shortened year back in 2020-21. This coming season, Jalen Chatfield and Sean Walker will need to step up in big ways to account for the time Burns will no longer be on the ice.

Biggest Acquisition: K’Andre Miller, acquired via trade from New York Rangers

It seems Hurricanes had a feeling they weren’t going to be able to keep Burns at a number they were comfortable with. Instead they took advantage of the tumultuous situation between the New York Rangers and K’Andre Miller. Despite playing on the side opposide of Brent Burns, Miller should be able to fill in for a significant portion, if not all, of the minutes that Burns spent on the ice. Miller solidifies the left side of the Carolina defense over the long-term.

Best Contract: Jaccob Slavin, re-signed on July 1, 2024

Slavin has never jumped off the page offensively, but has been the ultimate defensive defenseman for a number of seasons. The 4 Nations Faceoff last season really put him on the map across the league for those who were less familiar with him. Playing over 20 minutes per night, Slavin carries only a $6.395 million cap hit. His level of consistency and defensive dominance provides a level of stability that, even if matched by one of the top-end forwards, the value is vastly better with Slavin.

Worst Contract: Jesperi Kotkaniemi, signed as RFA on March 21, 2022

Doubling down on his revenge offer-sheet, Don Waddel gave Kotkaniemi an 8-year contract carrying a $4.82 million cap hit. This season will be the 4th season of the contract, however the 25-year-old is still finding consistency to his game. Last season he found himself centering the fourth line and likely will be just as low in the lower lineup. The cost of his contract is far and away the worst value on the team given what he provides can be found by significantly lower costing players.

Notes:

Last season Eric Tulsky showed just how aggressive he is willing to be if he believes a move will help improve the team. It’s clear he wants to push this team to the next level and win a Stanley Cup. For some reason, the club is hesitant to turn the net over to Pyotr Kochetkov and this will likely continue as one reason for their post season losses. Kochetkov needs to be enter the playoffs in a rythem playing as the regular season ends. They will likely be in the playoffs again this season, but how far they get will depend entire on the matchups they land when the time comes.