Get Ready! The Canes Have $28.4 Million in Cap Space and Eric Tulsky Is Set to Make Big Moves!

The Carolina Hurricanes stand at a pivotal crossroads after their impressive run to the Eastern Conference Finals. With a staggering $28.4 million in cap space and 29 draft picks (including six first-rounders) over the next four years, GM Eric Tulsky finds himself in perhaps the NHL's most enviable position to build a Stanley Cup contender.

Erin, Katie & Tom break down the Canes' surprising success last season despite significant roster turnover, examining how shrewd acquisitions like Sean Walker and Shane Gostisbehere helped the team outperform national expectations. Through revealing exit interviews, we analyze which current Hurricanes are likely moving on and which young stars like Seth Jarvis and Logan Stankoven represent the future core.

The free agent market presents intriguing possibilities, with elite talents like Mitch Marner potentially available, though questions remain about whether marquee players would choose Raleigh. We evaluate alternative options like Brock Boeser, who brings much-needed size and scoring touch, while addressing the perennial search for a reliable second-line center with candidates such as Matt Duchene.

Defensively, the likely departures of Brent Burns and Dmitry Orlov create significant holes, leading us to explore trade targets like Rasmus Andersson who could complement young phenom Alexander Nikishin. With goaltending largely set between Frederik Andersen and Pyotr Kochetkov, the Hurricanes appear just a few strategic moves away from transforming from perpetual contender to champion.

What will Tulsky do with all these assets at his disposal? After coming tantalizingly close for years, can the Hurricanes finally break through? Join us as we play armchair GM and chart the potential paths forward for one of hockey's most fascinating teams heading into a critical offseason.

Highlights:

• $28.4 million in cap space available for the upcoming offseason
• 29 draft picks over the next four years, including six first-round selections
• Sean Walker and Shane Gostisbehere emerged as key acquisitions who made immediate impacts
• Exit interviews suggest Dmitry Orlov and several UFAs likely won't return
• Seth Jarvis, Logan Stankoven, and Scott Morrow showed promising development and commitment
• Top tier free agent targets include Mitch Marner and Nikolaj Ehlers, though both present fit concerns
• Brock Boeser offers scoring and size that could address team needs
• The 2C position remains a priority with Matt Duchene as a potential short-term solution
• Defensive core needs rebuilding with Burns and Orlov likely departing
• Trade targets include Jason Robertson, Pavel Zacha, and Rasmus Andersson

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Well, it's great to be back Wait for a little while,
as you know and really excitedto be back in the seat here and
having some fun talking hockeyabout the Hurricanes.
What a year, though.
It's just incredible.
We remember laughing a littlebit through the season, saying
some of the analysts didn'tthink the Canes would make the
playoffs.
And there they are, in thefinals of the Eastern Conference

(00:21):
and they won a game which wasgreat.
In the finals of the EasternConference and they won a game
which was great.
So lots to build on and lots ofgood stuff this year.
But I wanted to let's justtouch base on last year, erin.
What were your thoughts?
Anything exciting jumps out atyou.
Things you didn't like whatwere you?

Speaker 2 (00:40):
thinking Well, I think it's, you know, funny that
I looked back and I know youguys know this.
But we look back to lastseason's predictions and my
prediction for the Canes wasthat they would outpace
everyone's expectations.
I said that they would make itto the Eastern Conference final
and maybe win a game, and that'sexactly what they did.

(01:00):
So in that sense, I'm kind ofdelighted that they managed to
meet that target, because it wasa pretty high target to set.
As we know, they were coming inafter a tremendously disruptive
offseason where they lost a lotof really good players in free
agency.
They brought in players thatpeople weren't really expecting

(01:21):
them to step up and be able toplay the Canes way right as well
as they did.
So that was the pleasantsurprise, I think, and I think
Eric Tulsky has to be given alot of credit for that, because
a lot of people have said well,you know he didn't bring in this
person or that.
Well, you know it was right forthe time, because the team is
certainly not going through anykind of a rebuild and you wanted

(01:42):
to bring in players that youknow would get the job done,
whether it was for this yearalone or for a couple of years,
you know, because we have a lotof people coming up in the in
the prospect pipeline andthere's got to be room for them.
So those, those were the goodthings, the good surprises, the
only disappointment, I would say.
I would actually put point totwo things.

(02:02):
The one was and this is not,it's not something that the
Canes need to address butgoaltending ended up being a
disappointment during the seasonbecause we had again a long
stretch with Freddie Andersonout with injury and then
overlapping that Kachetkov wasalso out during that same time
period.
That time in the season, whenwe had Tokarski and Spencer

(02:27):
Martin coming in and playinggames, was the time that the
Canes were their shakiest.
They did not do well in frontof those goaltenders and I think
that that's something that theyhave to look at.
Is, you know, okay, who do we?
What do we need to do to makesure that we're not in that
position again?
And the other disappointment was, I felt, like the blue line,
the scoring from the defense,was a lot lower and a lot weaker

(02:49):
this year.
So hopefully, as they'relooking at making their
offseason moves, they're goingto be looking to improve that.
I think one improvement is justhaving the young rookie,
alexander Nikitian, projected tobe in the lineup next season.
He's going to be a hugeaddition from when it comes to
scoring from the blue line.
So that's pretty much where Isee it, and I think that they

(03:11):
did about as well as we couldhave expected, if not a little
bit better.
So what do you think, katie?

Speaker 3 (03:18):
Yeah, I think that the Canes definitely
outperformed the nationalexpectation for them that is
without a doubt.
I mean we even had the veryfamous bold prediction from the
beginning of the season whereone reporter suggested that the
Canes would miss the playoffsaltogether, which Canes fans
knew that was totally bogus tobegin with, but that's kind of

(03:39):
where they sat and the level atwhich certain people had a
perspective.
I don't know that.
I would go so far as thelanguage people were using that
it was some sort of retool year.
Yeah, we lost some big pieces,but we still retained the core
of our group and Jarvis hadgotten extended and there was
still plenty to like and,especially when you look at it

(04:01):
in context of the Metro Division, the Metro Division was not
going to be a strong division.
It was very obviously set up tobe probably the weakest of the
four divisions in the NHL and Imean we had some surprises for
sure.
No one expected the Capitals todo as well as they did and no
one expected the Rangers to fallon their face quite as

(04:22):
dramatically as they did.
But they just kind of swappedplaces, I guess, with where
people thought they were goingto be and the Canes were just
steady on, kept pushing, keptbattling and pretty much coasted
into that second position inthe Metro.
So very happy with how they didand where they ended up.

(04:43):
And the playoffs were a lot offun.
Once again, a lot of punditswere very dismissive of the
Canes.
Even looking at there were somany that picked the Canes to
lose to the Devils even thoughthey knew the Devils were coming
in shorthanded.
I mean it's very.
It just goes to show how manypeople refuse to look at the

(05:04):
Canes seriously.
But we in the fan base we knowand we knew they were going to
step up and take care ofbusiness and they did.
And they did the same againstthe Capitals too.
The Capitals who won thedivision.
The Canes took care of them infive games just like they did
with the Devils didn't reallybreak a too big of a sweat doing

(05:25):
it, so very happy.
Um, I guess if I had to put apin in one area that I was
disappointed in is I really feltlike our top guys had more to
give this season I don't thinkwe talked a lot about that yeah,
board, as I mean he, he wasstill a top player and he still
had a bunch of big moments.
But, yes, especially with wherethe canes are and where they

(05:47):
need to be in the regular seasonand the post season, need need
more from Ajo, need more fromJarvis, need more from Svetch.
They had moments, but they needconsistency over just having
moments, and so that would be anarea for sure Looking forward
that I'm going to be keeping aneye on with the canes and their

(06:08):
top players.
I mean, we know we're going tohave ajo and jarvis and most
likely sfetch there, but thenwhoever else they add in is how
do they step up?
How do they produce?
So is it going to be sporadicor is it going to be reliable
production from those top guys?

Speaker 1 (06:23):
So, but overall, yeah , great season, fantastic Well
you know, to me this season isreally about Eric Tolsky.
You know the summer was brutalfor him coming in to take over
and all these key players movingout in free agency and trying
to figure out how do I build ateam.
And you know he, he and his crewdid a nice job handpicking, you

(06:48):
know, the second and third tierof guys that were available.
I mean, it's really something,and some of those folks are
going to be key players for anextended period.
You think of Sean Walker andShane Gossespierre and you look
at folks like that who reallycame in and did a nice job.
And then how about excitementduring the season when he goes

(07:09):
out and acquires Mikko Rantanenand shocks the heck out of us
and decides he's going to take amajor swing and all of a sudden
the Hurricanes are the toast ofthe town and then, of course,
with Mikko leaving, trying toturn that into something of
value as well.
So I think a lot of it, youknow, comes down to the good
work of Eric and his crew.
This was, for a lot of folks,would be a very daunting season,

(07:32):
and yet he was able to, alongwith the good coaching staff,
get the Canes into the finals.
I think that's an incrediblestory and, of course, we're
going to look forward to seewhat Eric's got in mind this
summer.
One of the things that I thoughtwas interesting as we wrap up
the season always is the youknow the exit interviews, when

(07:52):
they're interviewed by the pressand so on, and we get to hear
some of the good words of them.
And we did hear from some folksthat I think are sounded like
they're moving on.
Sounded like they're moving on.
The likes of Dimitri Orlov andeven, to some extent, yusperi
Kokuniemi didn't soundparticularly excited in his
interview as well.
Were there folks that jumpedout at you, katie?

(08:16):
Who did you like in?

Speaker 3 (08:17):
the X interviews.
I really liked Jarvis'sinterview.
He was very well spoken.
You can tell he's growing upand maturing before our eyes.
He's has less of that kid abouthim and more of that, um, that
young leader that is developingin the locker room.
Uh, he talked a lot about hisshoulder and what had been going

(08:38):
on with that during the season.
That had been re-aggravated inhis plans for the summer and
that he's, you know, not doingsurgery but he's still going to
try and strengthen it and hismindset for playing with it come
this next season.
And it was encouraging to hearthat he said you know, I don't
have to throw a spiral in hockey, so I should be good.

(08:59):
My injury is not going to beable to affect.
It's not going to affect how Iplay hockey, that I'm still
going to be able to do all ofthe hockey things that I need to
do.
And obviously part of it, too,is he is looking towards the
Olympics and hoping to puttogether a season where he can
have enough contributions on thecanes that he has selected to

(09:21):
the Canadian Olympic team, justlike he was selected for Four
Nations.
So I know that's a big thing onthe back of his mind and it's
something I think we all wantfor him as well, because that
would be really cool for himjust as a player, but also for
us as fans to be able to watchhim and see the way that he's
able to contribute on such a bigstage.

(09:42):
We want that for him.
But the other thing besides thepersonal injury piece that
stood out to me is how he talkedabout yes, he wants good
players to be acquired thisseason to help round out the
Canes lineup, but he wants themto be the right players, that
not just anybody can fit intothe locker room, that they have

(10:03):
a tight locker room, that theyare a family, that they have
basically a spirit to who theyare as a team, not just as
individuals, and the mostimportant thing for him is that
whoever joins the team issomebody who will embody and
embrace that same spirit thatthey have going on, and that

(10:24):
that was just so key from what Iheard from, uh, from the
different exit interviews and Ilove to hear that from him,
cause you know, if he's sayingthat, that there are a lot of
the other leaders that think andfeel the same way.

Speaker 4 (10:35):
Yeah, I think there's definitely a lot of pieces out
there that I think any team inthe NHL would want to get,
especially um, get especially umfree agent wise.
But I mean, you have to makesure they fit with the team,
with the culture.
Uh, I think what we have inthat locker room is really
special and you don't want um todisrupt that, and I think
that's a big reason why we gotso far this year with the team
we did was how everyone boughtin and everyone worked so hard

(10:59):
just to get to the playoffs andprove those people wrong and
then make a run like we did wasreally special and I think, uh,
building off of that, when youcan bring in high-end talent,
that'd be great.

Speaker 2 (11:09):
But you also need to make sure they fit in with the
culture and and the way theteam's uh organized well, I'm
gonna say that I really enjoyed,uh, the interview, the exit
interview from lo LoganStankoven, and I think that he
was just so enthusiastic aboutbeing in Carolina playing for
the Hurricanes.

(11:29):
Fitting into the locker room,he said it took him about two
weeks to fit in and then afterthat he just felt like he was,
you know, just one of the guysand just his overall positive
attitude.
I think it was such arefreshing thing to hear after
all of the Mikko Rantanendebacle and the speculation from

(11:51):
the media oh, nobody wants toplay in Raleigh, north Carolina.
Here you have a kid who'sclearly excited to be here and
wants to be part of what's beingbuilt here.
So that's just reallyrefreshing to hear.
And then he also talked alittle bit about what he needs
to do in the offseason.
He talked about, you know,getting specifically working on

(12:11):
his foot speed, his skatingspeed and his shot.
And you know he's one youngplayer, even though he's only 22
years old, that you don't lookat him for a player of his size
and say that he needs to work onhis strength.
He's very strong.
So that's not.
We're not looking at him saying, well, he needs to add muscle.
That's not something that heneeds to really do that much of.

(12:32):
Certainly I'm sure he's thekind that's going to try to keep
doing that as much as he cananyway, but for him to pinpoint
specific areas that he saw thathe needs to improve and to to
focus on working through thatthis summer and making that the
big part of what he wants to doso that when he comes back he
can be an even bigger impactplayer for the Canes, you just

(12:53):
you got to love where his headis at.
You got to love what he'sthinking about and just the nice
things he said about the Canesfans too, and what it's like to
play in the building when you'reon the right side of that.
It was a fun interview tolisten to.

Speaker 5 (13:07):
For me, the next couple of weeks it's going to be
take a step back, relax a bit,recover.
From there it's back in the gymand on the ice again,
definitely going to look to geta bit stronger and faster.
Of course, I think the game'sgetting faster each year.
So, um, for me, being a smallerguy, I think that's huge.

(13:29):
Um, just keep working on the,the fundamentals and my craft.
Uh, I think working on my shotis huge and uh, um, you know a
little bit of, uh, lower bodystrength and whatnot.
So so, uh, yeah, that'll be,that'll be huge this summer and,
um, as much as, yeah, it's,it's tough losing out now.

(13:50):
I think, uh, once you kind ofsit back and and, uh, look at
your summer, I'm, I'm excitedfor for the work to be put in
and, um, yeah, definitely, uh,I'm already kind of looking
forward to next season and thefuture.

Speaker 1 (14:11):
Okay.
So Logan obviously very excitedabout the Canes and getting
ready for next season.
He's definitely buying in anddrinking the Kool-Aid with the
Hurricanes for sure.
The other player I wanted totouch base on was Scott Morrow.
You know Morrow came up, had acup of coffee with the Canes and
really started to show somethings.
But you clearly saw that he'sgot some work to do and I think

(14:32):
what I was most impressed withwas Scott.
He certainly handled himselfwell in the interview and he
talked about the areas that Ithought he really needed to
focus on, and that was clearlyto get better foot speed.
He's got to be quicker on thefoot speed, he's got to be
quicker on the blue and he's gotto be stronger, and he realized
, certainly playing against theFlorida Panthers, that he's got
some work to do um, yeah, like Isaid just uh, first and

(14:56):
foremost working on my skatingand then, um, trying to get a
little bit stronger, um, so Ican be more physical, especially
in the defensive zone.

Speaker 6 (15:05):
So, um, I mean, I still feel like I have
physically a lot of room to growand, um, in terms of my body,
I'm still a young kid and, um, Ithink there's definitely more I
can add as far as just off theice in the weight room.
So that'll be a lot of my focusokay.

Speaker 1 (15:22):
So Scott Morrow, uhgan stankov and seth jarvis
all three players that certainlylook like they have a future
with the hurricanes and they'recertainly dedicated to come back
in the fall and and try to makea difference.
That's exciting news.
But there's other exciting newsto be discussed and that, of
course, is going to be the draftcoming up and free agency, and

(15:45):
of course there's lots of rumorsof trades and so on, and I
thought we'd have the chance toplay Armchair General Manager
today and have some fun withthat.
A couple of things about theCains.
They are probably one of themost enviable teams in terms of
this summer opportunity thatthere is.
Let's take a look at this.
They've got $28.4 million incap space.

(16:08):
So Eric Tolsky had $1.50 lastyear in cap space.
This year he's got $28.4million, so I think he's going
to have some fun with this.
The Canes have 29 draft picksover the next four years,
including six first-rounders.
I mean this is insane and ofcourse, they bolstered that in
the big Nico Rantanen trade.
That was a great move by Eric.

(16:30):
A couple other key prospectswho could be made available
Bradley Nadeau and Scott Morrowagain were both on the AHL top
prospect team.
Now this is an interesting teambecause a lot of the folks who
come off those top prospectteams become significant NHLers.
And you know, if you look atthe team, they have three

(16:50):
forwards, two defensemen and agoalie.
The Canes had two members ofthat team and that has not been
done before.
So this is you know.
You talk about the Hurricanesprospect base and there's so
many others we've talked aboutthis year.
This is a pretty enviableposition and then we've got
several of the key playersalready under their long-term
deals and very team-friendlydeals.

(17:12):
If you look at where the cap'sgoing over the next few years,
it's going to go up over $100million.
So you know, you think aboutwhat is the best possible
situation for Eric to go to work.
I think we're probably layingit out.
So, first things first.
What's Eric going to do withthe existing canes on

(17:32):
unrestricted free agents?
Who's he going to sign?
Who's going to go?
What are our thoughts on that?
Katie, why don't you kick itoff?

Speaker 3 (17:42):
Well with the current unrestricted free agents, I
don't know that I'm particularlyconfident that any of them are
coming back.
I know there's been a lot ofchatter about whether or not
they are going to resign burnsand I think that while the
sentiment certainly is nice, I'mnot sure that the practical, um

(18:03):
, the practical application ofhim coming back makes a whole
lot of sense, because it putsthe Canes in a bind in one or
two different ways, depending onwhere he's utilized.
If you keep him up with Slavin,the same problems that happened
this last season are going tocontinue and perhaps even grow
because of the age-relatedregression.
If you put him down on thethird pair with goss despair,

(18:26):
then there's really deep, bigdefensive concerns as far as
that's concerned, and you knowwhere you move everyone else out
.
Then there's just not a lot offlexibility.
Then you're done.
You don't need to work on thedecor anymore.
And is that decor strong enoughor stronger than the one we had
last season?
And I think the answer to thatclearly is no.

(18:47):
As far as the others areconcerned, I'll let you guys
tackle some of the otherforwards, but the one forward I
did want to speak up for is Idon't know that he is going to
be back, but I would love to seeTyson Jost back because I
thought, for what he was he dida really good job.

(19:07):
So if he was willing to do thatsame role that he had this year
where he was either an AHL or,in case of injury, can come up
and fill in for somebody Ireally appreciated his
professionalism and the way thathe went about his job he can
play center or wing, and so thatgives Rod additional options as

(19:29):
well.
So he is one that I wouldparticularly like to see back
because of who he is and therole he would have with the team
.
He would not be an everydayplayer, but all teams have to
expect injury at some point, andI think he would be a great
plug and play sort of guy.
Um, but I'll pass it on to you,aaron, as far as your thoughts

(19:52):
on some of the other uh, canes,ufas.

Speaker 2 (19:56):
Okay, um, I think that we all um, the consensus
feeling out there is thatDimitri Orlov is fact moving on.
I don't think that's a bigsurprise.
There were a few people earlyon that thought, well, maybe
they'll keep him around to be amentor to Nikitin, but that
would force one or the other ofthem to play on his offside,
which is not a great solution onthe defensive line.

(20:19):
So I don't think that he'scoming back.
There's been no talk of that.
There's been very it's beenpretty much silent.
As far as Jack Roslevic isconcerned as well, we have not
heard anything, and I thinkthat's just a reflection of the
reality that Roslevic startedout really, really well.
He got a lot of goals.
For the Canes Things tapered off, but the truth is, because he

(20:42):
played as well as he did here,he's going to get some good
offers, and the Canes are notgoing to be interested in
meeting those levels.
There are teams that aredesperately in need of help at
center right now to a degreethat we can't even really
imagine, and the fact that Jackis one of those players who can
play center or wing makes him agood, versatile option for teams

(21:03):
that are in that position.
That you know, they just theyhave to have somebody.
You know, and there are so manypeople out there right now
looking for players who can play, as in the middle, six center
roles, you know.
So I'm thinking that Roslovichwill get the opportunity to do
that and I'm thinking that hewould probably prefer that over
a resigning with the Canes,where he would essentially be a

(21:24):
winger and not necessarily havethe opportunities to play center
, except here and there, andcertainly at the price that the
Canes would want him to accept.
I don't think that he's goingto want that price.
Eric Robinson is the other onewho has come in.
You know, there's beenconversations, there's been
little flutters of well, we'regetting close to maybe seeing

(21:45):
him sign.
It hasn't happened and I thinkthat my take on that is simply
this depending on how the draftand free agency go for the canes
and what they acquire and whatthey have to maybe take on in
order to acquire the things theywant to acquire, they're not
going to know if they have roomfor eric robinson until they get

(22:06):
through that process, not in acap space sense, but in a roster
position sense, because thereare some teams right now that
would be willing to be tradepartners with the Canes, but the
Canes would maybe have to takea cap dump player back, and
those are usually going to beyour fourth line guys that maybe
don't get a lot of money on themarket.
So if the Canes are in aposition where there's a great

(22:28):
trade opportunity for them butthey have to take somebody back
that's going to take one ofthose spots on the fourth line
and they've already got WilliamCarrier on the other side, then
there might not be room forRobinson unless he's willing to
be a 13th forward and at thispoint I don't think he should be
willing to be that.
He had a terrific year with theCanes and there should be a
team out there that wants hisservices full-time.

(22:49):
So it might just be a questionof a lot of moving parts.
I'm going to agree with Katie onthe Brent Burns question.
I think as much as he is abeloved player in the locker
room, as much as they would loveto have him continue to bring
his services, it goes back towhat I talked about being the
disappointment for the Canesthis year is not getting the
scoring from the blue line whenyou look at Brent Burns'

(23:13):
offensive numbers and how badlythey collapsed between last
season and this season.
That is normal age-relatedregression, and I know that Rod
Brindamore talked about in theAdam Gold interview how Burns is
reinventing his game.
He's becoming a great defensiveguy, he's becoming a great
penalty killer.
The problem is the Canes stillneed scoring, and if you're not

(23:33):
going to have that scoring inyour defensive core, you know,
then you've got to add a lotmore on the forward side and
it's just going to have to waitand see how that all works out.
So that's my take.

Speaker 1 (23:47):
Yeah, I mean for sure the Canes have to make a
decision on the blue and we'lltalk a little bit about this.
Do they want to go big?
Do they want to try to get oneof the bigger players that's
available, if they are available, or do they want to, you know,
kind of just add as needed witha you know six, seven defensemen

(24:08):
?
Maybe in that situation,depending on the deal that Burns
has available, maybe theydecide to bring him back on a
team-friendly deal.
I'm not writing it off at thispoint.
We do know that Brent playedvery, very well in the playoffs
for the Canes.
He was rock solid back thereand he was playing big minutes.
So you know they have toreplace that and so, unless they

(24:31):
can get someone that can comein and, you know, take some
serious minutes, I think they'regoing to have some questions to
answer A couple of things.
Hockey Comparables is aninteresting site.
They take a look at contractsand they try to get an idea of
what you might expect in thenext deal.
They had Jack Roslevic at about$4 million over three years.

(24:51):
He's definitely not coming backto the Hurricanes, I think
that's for sure.
They had Eric Robinson at $2.5million for two or three years,
that's not bad.
With the cap going up, that's ateam-friendly deal.
If he's going to play minuteson the fourth line or fill in
occasionally on the other lines,I like Robinson a lot and I
think he was a solid player allyear.

(25:11):
I would not be unhappy if hereturned.
But I'm kind of like you inthis too, erin, because the
other situation we've got is ifthe Canes do make a move for a
scoring forward, guess what?
Somebody's moving down andthat's likely Jackson Blake or
someone like that.
So now you've got a bit of alog jam on the forward side and

(25:33):
it's going to be interesting tosee how that plays out.
So I'm kind of with you onRobinson.
I think they hold off a littlebit on that.
I'm wondering if they'rethinking today they jumped the
gun on Taylor Hall.
You know they signed Taylor toa three-year deal,
three-something milteam-friendly deal.
That's fine.
I did not think he did much inthe playoffs and I'm wondering

(25:56):
if you know, maybe gosh I don'tknow if I would have been upset
if they would have let him goand kept Robinson, you know, and
certainly upgraded on that twoleft wing spot.
But they have Hall now.
So we'll have to see how hecomes back to camp in the fall.
Maybe he'll be refreshed.
Okay, so taking a look at that,and if we say nobody's coming

(26:20):
back, the Canes need to makesome moves and, as we said at
the outset, they got a lot ofcash.
They got a lot of so, right atthe top of the list, they need a
scoring winger.
The Canes are still a littlebit light in the offensive side.
What do we got?

Speaker 2 (26:36):
Erin.
Well, we're going to start witheverybody's favorite free agent
, Mitch Marner.
I think I'm going to join theconsensus out there that says
that Marner is probably headingwest.
He's probably going to a bigcity.
My personal thought is that,because there's been so much

(26:57):
smoke and discussion about Vegas, I think Vegas is a very high
likely team the Los AngelesKings.
The thing about the Kings isthat they haven't done much in
recent years.
So again, it would be that samesituation for Marner that if he
was to contemplate coming toCarolina, is he ready to be the
guy, is he ready to be thisplayer that you know somehow
puts them over the top wherethey are right now, especially,

(27:20):
you know, with some of.
I mean, they have an agingcenter core.
They're still really goodthey're.
You know they're not.
They're not by any means ontheir last legs.
But does Marner want to signfor with a team where a lot of
that is going to be in fluxwithin the next few years?
I think Vegas is a more likelyspot.

(27:41):
Yes, now, if he was to signwith with Carolina, he would
clearly be the number one staron the team.
He.
It's a small market.
It's a nice place to raise afamily.
He did just, you know, welcomehis first child, so that it's a
small market.
It's a nice place to raise afamily.
He did just, you know, welcomehis first child, so that's not a
bad thing.
I'm sure that those kinds ofthings are being.
You know, the case is being madeto Marner for those kinds of

(28:02):
things, and there's a reporttoday that he might want to go
out and check out some citiesand not sign on day one.
I think there will be ink on acontract on July 1st.
I don't necessarily believethat that's the case, but
there's a lot of things that hewould probably benefit, and the
Canes would certainly benefit.
I just don't know that a playerof Marner's type is going to be

(28:28):
ready to sign on the dottedline in a small hockey market
when he's used to playing inToronto.
Anything's possible.
One thing that I think weshould keep an eye on, though,
is that if he did go to Vegas,if Vegas was his choice, then
Vegas is going to need to clearcap space, and there are some
players there that would becomeextremely interesting to the
Carolina Hurricanes if that wasgoing to happen.
So a lot of moving parts, butMarner is definitely the most

(28:55):
star-quality player available,this free agency.
So everyone is going to be inpursuit, and Carolina is
definitely.
We know from the reporting theyhave been one of the contenders
to try to land him and we'lljust have to see what happens.

Speaker 1 (29:08):
But I know there's some others.
Yeah, just to talk about Marnerfor a second.
Just a couple of quick commentshere, erin.

Speaker 3 (29:14):
Sure.

Speaker 1 (29:15):
There was a rumor that seems to have been
substantiated, of a three-teamdeal when Mikko Rantanen was
traded to Dallas and Rantanenwould have gone to Toronto,
marner would have gone to Vegasand he would have got some
pieces from Vegas.
And I think, you know, one ofthe pieces the Canes are kind of
looking at is William Carlson,so you know, a centerman for the

(29:40):
Vegas Golden Knights.
So again, if they get in asituation where they sign Marner
, maybe they have to make a movewith someone like Carlson.
They're pretty deep at centerso they can make that move.
The other thing is, I think,you know, if we look at Marner,
we look at the fact that he, youknow he's been playing in a big
market.
Is this going to be somethingthat he wants to continue with?

(30:03):
You know that's going to be akey question because you know,
again the Canes a little bit ofa different place, a different
situation.
The other concern I have, whichis the optics of Jake Gensel
leaving and then, of course,miko Rantanen.
So you know, you kind of hopethat you know that doesn't come
into the mix and he says, well,look, these guys don't want to
play there.
I guess I shouldn't be there.
You know, maybe they knowsomething, I don't know.

(30:27):
Anyway, I'm kind of with you onMarner.
I don't expect necessarily he'sgoing to be a hurricane.
It'd be great if he was.
He's a heck of a hockey player.
He's a Rod Brindamore type guy.
As we know.
He was seventh in the Selkievoting, so defensively
responsible and a hundred pointguy, that's not bad.
Okay, who's next?
What do you?

Speaker 2 (30:47):
got next Erin.
Well, I was going to turn thisone over to Katie, actually
because this is a player thathas been mentioned In connection
with both of her teams, andthat would be Nikolai Ehlers.
There was even some I saw apost today that you commented on
An ex, I think, katie Aboutsomeone speculating that maybe
Colorado would do a Natchez forEhlers swap, because the

(31:09):
Colorado Avalanche also like NikEhlers.
So tell us about Nik Ehlers andwhy he would fit with the Canes
and why you don't want him togo for Natchez.

Speaker 3 (31:19):
Well, first, I'm not sure that that would really
happen because of Winnipeg andColorado being in division
rivals.
Of course, the rumors are allswirling around Natchez right
now it's.
Natchez for Ehlers, natchez forPaterka, natch's.
Right now, it's nature's forEhlers, nature's for Paterka
nature's for whoever, it's justcrazy I'm.
I'm just so over it.

(31:40):
Um, but as far as as far asEhlers is concerned is I've
watched a lot of Ehlers and hecould fit with the Canes.
Um, he has some of the sameconcerns that I have, like with
Marner.
He is pass first, shoot first.
Um, yeah, he's defensivelyresponsible, but he, when the
going gets tough, he doesn't gettougher.

(32:01):
Um, same same as with Marner.
He really disappeared againstthe abs.
Um, not this past playoffs, butthe playoffs before in the first
round, and he just, I, just, Idon't know.
I understand that he's a fitfor for Carolina, but sometimes

(32:22):
I think being a fit for Carolinais bringing in the same type of
player that we already have.
And we have those players.
We don't need more of them.
We need to look more for thebig strong, go to the front of
the net, shoot the puck, createtraffic, create tips, that sort
of player.
So I know he's a big name outthere, I know he's really

(32:44):
popular with a lot of canes fans.
So my saying this probably ismaking a lot of people a little
unhappy, but ehlerslers, ehlersis a lot of same old, same old
as far as I'm concerned when itcomes to the Canes and they're
really a lot of the UFA wingsout there.
That's kind of the same concernwith them.

(33:05):
It's either not enough defenseor too light or pass first style
winger.
There really isn't someone outthere that profiles the way that
the Canes need to beef up theirroster and the play from their
wingers.

Speaker 1 (33:25):
Well, I mean, I think definitely the Canes will be in
on Ehlers, They'll be in onMarner, along with a lot of
folks.
So you know we'll have to waitand see if those guys are in the
mix.
Either one of those playerswould be a nice add, but, like
you, I'm a little concerned withtheir size.
I'm a little concerned with,you know, playing against the

(33:46):
Panthers in you know some finalseries and having to go with
some more smaller guys, so we'llhave to see how that plays out.
And having to go with some moresmaller guys.
So we'll have to see how thatplays out.
The numbers that they'retalking about with Ehlers are $8
or $9 million on seven years.
That's okay.
The Barner, of course, is $13or $14.
So if you get Ehlers, you get alittle bit of extra cash to
play with.
Now you mentioned there aren'tguys out there that can score,

(34:09):
that are bigger and can makethings happen.
Maybe not good defensively, butI like Brock Besser.
This guy had a 40-goal year acouple years ago with the
Canucks.
He's 6'1", he's 208 pounds.
I think last year was an offyear for the Canucks in general.
So he got 25 goals in what wasan off year for the Canucks, so
that's not bad.

(34:29):
When he was on his 40- 40 goalyear he was impressive.
I watched a lot of Canuckshighlights.
I saw a lot of what he wasdoing and he looked really,
really good.
And he's still young enough.

Speaker 2 (34:46):
He's a guy that six of his eight years in the NHL
he's had 23 or more goals, sothis guy scored.
The impressive part of that isthat he has missed time with
injuries, so these aren't 82game seasons.
If he can stay healthy, youcould see somebody who could
theoretically be quite a highgoal producer, and that would be
something that would be ofinterest to any team that
acquires him.

(35:07):
If he can stay healthy, thenhe's probably going to have a
really good season.

Speaker 1 (35:12):
And he's probably going to be under the radar a
little bit because they're allgoing after Ehlers and they're
all going after Marner.
So a guy like Besser I suspecthe could get Besser for $7 or $8
million on a long-term deal,which is fine.
I think he's $28, $29, so it'sno problem, but he's a guy that
you know.
If they signed Brock Besser, Iwould be happy.
I think that'd be excellent andthat's what they need.

(35:35):
He's not the best defensiveplayer in the game.
I don't really care.
We've got like 18 other players.
That defense is first, you know.
So I'm kind of thinking Iwouldn't mind a guy that gets
out there and hangs around andjust scores goals.
Now, the other thing he doesreally well is the power play.
So his numbers on the powerplay are very, very strong and
the Canes need that.

(35:56):
They need a guy on the powerplay that can score, get in
front of the net, get in theirface.
We've been talking about thisfor eons and that's exactly what
Brock Besser does.
So again, he becomes an option.
If they don't do Ehlers, theydon't do Marner, I'm okay with

(36:17):
Brock Messer, okay.
So that's one situation.
The other situation, on theforward side, which we beat To
death Is still sitting there,and there are some players in
free agency that are available,and that's, of course, the 2C
spot, which has been theAchilles heel of the Canes for

(36:37):
so long, since Vinny Trocek leftand whether you like Vinny or
not, he was definitely a solidcenter for the Hurricanes for a
period of time.
By the way, rumors are thatVinny might be available, so
maybe we'll be calling theRangers to get Vinny back.
But just kind of fun stuffgoing on.
As you say, there's so much outon the airways these days you

(36:58):
can have fun with just about anyplayer that's out there.
2c situation.
I thought we'd kick it off andsay that one of the teams that
the Canes are going to belooking at and talking to, I
think, through all this activityof trades and free agency, of
course, is the Dallas Stars.
The Stars are in a real toughsituation from a cap perspective

(37:19):
.
They've got $5 million left incap space and I think they have
16 of 23 players signed.
They're in a world of hurt.
So, kicking it off, at thecenter spot, they've got a
couple of guys that might beavailable either, or that would
be Matt DeShane and MikaelGranlund Katie.
What are your thoughts on thesetwo guys?

Speaker 3 (37:41):
I'll start off right away by saying I don't think
Mikael Granlund works at all.
He's too small.
He doesn't have the strength inhis game that would be needed
for the for rod brindamore totrust him over jordan stahl with
the kinds of minutes that wewould be needing from what we
would call a 2c.
We obviously know thatbrindamore would not call it a

(38:03):
2c.
It's very fluid with him, butwhat we would call a 2c, he just
wouldn't gain that trust.
So I I'm not particularlyworried about grantman dushane's
a little bit more interestingum.
He is a proven leader.
He is strong in the locker room.
He has great relationship withhis teammates.
Um, this last season he was apoint per game player, really

(38:27):
contributed a lot, and that waseven on the stars third line.
A lot of the time he cancontribute on the power play.
So, just like aaron mentionedwith besser, that would be an
area that duchesne could reallyhelp, if not on the first power
play then definitely on thesecond.
He's great at face-offs.
There's a little bit ofquestion on defense but again,

(38:49):
depending on who gets to be hisline mates and who works with
him, that can be worked with, aslong as those defensive lapses
aren't super costly.
Because the center market is alittle thin.
Especially if someone likeBennett re-signs with his
current team, as he is expectedto, it's going to get even

(39:11):
thinner and so if the Canes aregoing to go the way of the free
agent market to find their 2C,it's probably going to be
something that's a bit of abridge over the next two to
three seasons instead of along-term deal, and that's
another way that Duchesne makessense.
He's 34, so another two to threeseasons shouldn't be a problem.

(39:34):
The Canes are used to that.
They already have Stahl in hismid to late 30s.
Now Having somebody else in hismid-30s for a few years would
kind of fit the way that theyoperate anyway, and I don't see
that Duchesne would rock theboat too much in that case.

Speaker 1 (39:56):
Yeah, for sure.
And a quick comment on Granlin.
Granlin may be signed to be awinger and have the option to go
back into center at times.
If they ended up with stillgoing with Kokuniemi and I know
that sounds kind of unrealistic,but it's always possible A guy
like Mikhail Granlin would be anice add because he can play the

(40:18):
wing plays extremely well inthe wing, I think, more so than
center, but he could go backinto center something like
Rostelek did.
So it would give you a littlebit of depth as well.
So you know, I don't rule outthe fact he could come in as a,
as a winger center, as opposedto trying to fill that 2c spot
I'm going to disagree with youthere, just because I've

(40:38):
actually heard um someinteresting.

Speaker 2 (40:40):
I put it out on on x and I said you know, what do we
think of uh mikhail grandland asa an option for, uh, the
carolina hurricanes?
I heard from a couple ofinteresting people.
I heard from the Finnish scout,anna Karvanen, who said that
her impression of Granlund isthat he does not fit the
Carolina Hurricanes at all.

(41:01):
The way that he scores isprimarily off the rush.
The Canes have a very lowtransition game.
There were a couple of otherpoints that she made that that
kind of went along those samelines.
And then I'm not going to sayhis name right, I apologize, I
can't remember how to pronounceit Dan Kingerski, who reports
for the Pittsburgh Penguins.

(41:22):
He chimed in and he added thathe agreed that Grandland would
be a very bad fit for theCarolina Hurricanes, that he did
not do well in the system inPittsburgh and that Rod
Brindamore's system is that pluseven more so.
So he did not think thatGranlin would be a player the
Canes should pursue at all.
So I love when people with thatkind of background and

(41:45):
knowledge and inside informationspeak up, because they both
like Granlin, they both thinkhe's a really good player, but
their first impression is notfor the Carolina Hurricanes.
He would not do well there, andI think we've had enough
experience of guys being broughtin because they're good players
and then they just don't fitthe system.
I don't really think the Canesshould repeat that.

(42:07):
So hopefully they've got thesame intel and more so, and I'm
pretty sure they do with Tulskyand Church and, as you know,
Eric, he's focused on doing that.

Speaker 1 (42:18):
So if this is actually the case and I haven't
watched Granlund that closely tosee if he could fit the style
He's- just a nice player.
He's a good player.

Speaker 2 (42:26):
That's why I love getting this kind of, because
nobody has time to watch everyteam and see everybody.
I wouldn't know where, granlundbut to hear from people that
have this really good insideinformation, it's wonderful.
That's one of the things I loveabout being part of the hockey
community.

Speaker 1 (42:39):
On on Twitter.
I just love guys that score hattricks in the playoffs.
There you go, so back to Shaneand and the discussion of a kind
of a bridge player, which we'vebeen talking about, and I think
the other one, if he'savailable and this is to be
determined is John Tavares.

Speaker 2 (43:02):
Tavares is an elite player.
He'd be great for any team.
I don't think he's going to beavailable because, with Mitch
Marner moving, the Toronto MapleLeafs have no reason not to
resign Tavares, and I'm almost100% certain that they will.
What do you think, katie?

Speaker 3 (43:18):
Agree, and I also think that his foot speed is a
bit of an issue as far asplaying in the system that the
Canes like to play in.
That he would struggle thereperhaps.
So definitely, it's justunlikely period, because I think
he's going to stay with Toronto, definitely.
It's just unlikely periodbecause I think he's going to
stay with Toronto.
But secondly, as good as he isin a lot of areas, I'm not sure

(43:38):
that he would work with the waythat the Canes do their
offensive attack, especially intransition.

Speaker 1 (43:46):
And I don't disagree with what you're saying.
I don't see John Tavares as ahurricane, but he is out there,
so I thought we should mentionhim for sure, john.
Tavares as a hurricane, but heis out there, so I thought we
should mention him for sure.
The only other center thatanybody talks about is Pugh
Suter.
With Vancouver, I have noparticular interest in Suter,

(44:06):
anybody?

Speaker 2 (44:07):
Nope, I think he's more of.
Again.
There's another player that'smore of what they already have
he's a 3C at best who has beenhaving to play 2C in Vancouver
because of their shaky situationonce JT Miller left.
But no one expects him tocontinue there.
And you know he's I think is he28 years old, I believe, and he

(44:27):
just now, I think he had hisseason career high of 20 goals
and 45 points and that reallycame from getting those extra
minutes on deployment.
So no one sees him staying inthat role.
It's just not his role.
So if we want another 3C, sure,but if we want to go get a 2C,

(44:47):
I think are we going to cornerthe 3C market and make other
teams come begging to Carolina.
I mean it could be aninteresting strategy, but no, I
don't think so.

Speaker 1 (44:56):
So generally, I mean, as we look at the center ice
side, there's not a lotavailable and there may not be
anything available on the freeagent market.
So we're going to have to talka little bit about possible
trades and other things to solvethat.
A couple of other quick thingsthe defensive core we talked a
little bit at the front side.
You know, do the Canes go bigor stay home?

(45:18):
Do they go with mostly whatthey have and get a player here
or there?
There's only two significantfree agents that are available
right now in defense AaronEkblad and Ivan Provorov.
Those are the two top names andit sounds like both of them are
staying home.
Yep, so if that's the case,then we can take those off the

(45:43):
docket as well.
I mean, aaron Eckblad to mewould be the ideal pick for the
Canes.
They could pay him $8 million.
$9 million I don't care.
He would be unbelievablealongside Jacob Slavin.
I can't imagine a better firstpairing in the league.
He's a tremendous player 6'4",220, he's everything.
That guy's just an incredibleplayer.

(46:03):
But is he going to be available?
We'll wait and see If, forwhatever reason, he decides to
go to the open market for morecash or whatever.
I'm sure the Canes will be allover it, but I just don't see it
.
A couple of other guys out therethere's somebody I've been
taking a look at is Nick Purbix.
Now here's a guy that's ayounger defenseman, he's 27.

(46:26):
He's again 6'4", 200-pluspounds, good, solid D player.
You know he's worked very, verywell in Tampa.
I don't know what their plansare for him, but he's he would
be available on a friendly 2.5or $3 million deal for three
years.
This is the kind of guy I thinkwould be a nice add to the Canes
.
He could play alongside a ShaneGoss despair.
He's a solid defensivedefenseman and again he's, he's

(46:52):
still a young guy, so he's gotsome upside.
So you know there's playerslike that floating around that
are out there.
You've got a bunch of veteransthat you know.
If the Canes decide, I'm justgoing to add a 70 or somebody
that can fill in a 60.
You've got, you know, brianDumoulin, who I thought was
phenomenal for the Devils,goodness gracious.

(47:13):
He played 30 minutes a game andhe's out there and he's
probably a $3 million deal for acouple of years.
Ryan Lindgren I don't know whathis plans are with the
Avalanche Katie is he stayingwith the Avalanche?

Speaker 3 (47:27):
It doesn't look like it.

Speaker 1 (47:28):
No, it doesn't look like it, so he'd be in the same
range three or four mil for twoor three years Henry Yoki Haryu
was out there two or threemillion for a couple of years
these guys are okay.
They're fine defensemen.
They're not great.
Nate Schmidt I love NateSchmidt.
I think he's been sensationalfor Florida in that 5-6 role.

(47:48):
He's looking at one or twomillion dollars for a couple of
years.
These guys could be fit inquite nicely.
And I think the Canes you know,depending on how they decide to
go with the D might make adecision like that.
Somebody like that, who's goingto be enough?
Now the wild card of wild cards.
What about Tony D?

Speaker 2 (48:08):
No, we're not bringing Tony D'Angelo.
The third time is not the charm, Tom.
I had that for one of us.
Oh, you just had to throw thatin there I've played with
slavery before and done verywell.
They would sign Brett Burnsbefore they would bring back
Tony D'Angelo and I would besitting there holding up a go

(48:33):
Burns-y sign, because I wouldprefer Burns back to signing
Tony.
Tony's an exciting player attimes.
He can move the puck for sure heplayed well for the Islanders,
though I thought he playedpretty well, but he's just too
volatile of a player and at thispoint in the Canes' evolution
towards a true cup contender,the last thing they need are

(48:55):
players of that caliber.
I would rather have them callup Dominic Fensore and see what
he can do for a little stretchof time than bring Tony D'Angelo
in, because if you want to talkabout a really fast, kind of on
the small side but puck-movingdefenseman I mean I was
impressed with Fensore I'd givehim another shot.

Speaker 1 (49:13):
Well, dominic Don is incredible.
I'm glad you brought up hisname because he's one of my
favorite players coming up.

Speaker 2 (49:18):
I liked him.
Very short sample size, but Iliked what I saw, so I'd be more
than happy If they have to.
If we're a few injuries deepand we're getting call-ups from
the AHL, you know, don't bringon Tony, just call Dominic.
That's my take.

Speaker 1 (49:34):
Let's look at the D situation, then I mean, it's a
tough one, right, right, if youtake a look at the free agent
situation, if you can't get oneof the big fish, your defense
isn't good enough.
You still, if you're losingBurns and you're losing Orlov,

(49:56):
you've got some holes on theblue that you've got to fix.
Ok, so we're going to have to,we're going to have to peel the
onion back a little bit morehere, because I don't, I don't
think there's an easy solutionof free agency.
Ok, so now.
So I think you know we're goingto be talking trades.
Now, one other area that wehaven't talked a lot about is
goaltending, and of course, youknow, the general consensus

(50:16):
today is the Canes are going togo forward with Freddie, and
good news, he was announced onthe Olympic team for Denmark,
which is great, and he had agreat season for the Canes, no
question.
But injury is always a concernwith Fred and Piotr Kocekow.
Now I did hear the other dayand I don't know if this is
substantiated or not that theCanes are taking calls on Piotr.

(50:38):
This would not surprise me.
You know, we've talked a lotabout Piotr in the past.
His inconsistent play is a bitof a concern, and I think the
fact that he couldn't step up inthe playoffs, you know, creates
a bit of a problem for theCanes.
So let's assume they're the twoguys.
What are your options fromthere?

(50:59):
You've got to have a thirdgoaltender for sure, right?

Speaker 3 (51:05):
Yeah, but a third goaltender is going to be
somebody else, in the mold of aSpencer Martin who can play a
lot of time down in Chicago andthen, as needed, be called up to
fill in.
Heaven forbid, should we dealwith another injury situation
like we've done, like we havethe past couple of years?
I definitely think the Canesplan right now is to move

(51:28):
forward with Freddie and Piotras is, despite whoever they have
as that third goaltender.
It could be that other, and Iam not even going to remotely
try to pronounce his name, itcould be that other Russian
goaltender that they just signed, but as far as the Canes
themselves are concerned, it'sFreddie and Piotr until
otherwise needed.
The thing is, is there justreally aren't any goalies, be it

(51:51):
free agent or trade orotherwise, that are available
that are a clear-cut improvementover either of those two?
They either have similar levelsof play or similar types of
injury histories or that sort ofthing.
So I think, especially for theregular season heading into the
trade deadline, the Canes arevery comfortable with the

(52:12):
platoon that they have betweenFreddie and Piotr, and doing it
that way, I think, will giveKochekov, especially, one more
opportunity to prove that lastyear was an anomaly.
It's not who he is.
He's growing into all of thepotential that he has shown in
the past and he is ready to takethat starting role come the

(52:34):
2026-27 season.
So I do think they are lookingto give him that opportunity to
stabilize his game some and moveforward stronger, ready to be
that number one goalie.
What about you, erin?
What do you think of thesituation?

Speaker 2 (52:51):
I actually agree with you.
I agree with you because I meanthey might be taking calls,
because they might be takingcalls on everybody and you know
if there was.
I think that those rumors goaround, but I think that unless
a really superior goaltender wascoming back in that trade, they
wouldn't be listening to any ofthose calls.
So and there aren't, like yousaid, there aren't that many

(53:12):
that are known to be available,unless somebody is going to be
shipped ahead of hitting UFAstatus, which that would
probably be happening at thetrade deadline, not now anyway.
So I think that when you lookat Kuchetkov's season last year,
you have to take intoconsideration the fact that
there was that huge block ofgames between Freddie going out

(53:36):
for what eventually became kneesurgery and Freddie returning.
So not only was Kuchetkovhimself injured with a
concussion and out for two weeksduring that stretch, but then
he had to do the returning froma concussion scenario.
We know because we've seen thisbefore.
Kuchekov had a concussion lastseason when he came back.

(53:56):
It took him a good 10 to 12games to really get back into
the rhythm of things, becauseguess what?
Concussions leave a biggerimpact on players than anyone in
the NHL ever wants to talkabout.
So I think that you have tohave a season where Kuchekov is
healthy and also where eitherAnderson remains healthy or they

(54:18):
maybe have that thirdgoaltender.
That's a little bit better thana Martin or a Tarkarski who can
come up and help lighten theload.
Because when you're asking, Imean there was a stretch of
games there where Peter wasgoing every night and he was
doing reasonably well doing that.
But they're not used to thatbecause they run a tandem in
Carolina.
That's not what they'reprepared for, that's not how
their game focus goes.

(54:39):
He still kept them in it morenights than not, so I think he
deserves some credit for that.
You know that was a lot to askof a young goaltender.
So I don't see the organizationfeeling having negative
thoughts about Piotr at all.
I think, if anything, when youlook at the goaltending

(55:01):
breakdowns that happened overthe course of the year and this
is true for the times whenFreddie had some as well you've
got to look at the defense.
The Canes' defense was not atthe level last year that it has
been in previous years, and I'mtalking team defense, not just
the defensive players, but thata lot of it flows from the blue
line, you know.
So I don't think that theorganization is saying, oh, this
is all Peter's fault, you know,I really don't.

Speaker 3 (55:21):
No, I don't, I'm going to throw one more thing
out there, though, real quick,tom.
It just occurred to me, if theydon't go for somebody in the
mold of a spencer martin for athird goalie, what they're going
to look for is they're going tolook for a rehab project,
somebody who can pass throughwaivers because nobody else
wants to touch, but who has nhlexperience and can come in and

(55:45):
hold the fort for a while whilesomeone's out with injuries.
So the first goalie that comesto mind and there are, there are
others, but the first one thatcomes to mind is someone like
Alexander Georg.
He just fell off the face ofthe planet for the abs and for
the sharks this year.
But if he wants to have a chanceto stay in the NHL, this is the

(56:07):
type of player I'm thinking of.
If he wants a chance to stay inthe NHL, he's going to have to
swallow his pride a little bit.
Take probably a third goalietype position because I'm not
sure any team's really lookingto have him, even as a backup,
and be patient, take theopportunity in the NHL to figure
things out and then, whenopportunity presents itself in

(56:28):
and on a team like the Canesit's more likely than not that
there will be ample opportunitypresenting itself Then see what
he's able to do for you.
So that would be.
The other option is eithersomebody who is really more of
an AHL goalie, who can come upand spare, do some spot work as
an NHL goalie, like Martin, oryou're looking for a reclamation
project like Georgiev, someonethat they feel like they can

(56:51):
perhaps help to rediscover whohe is for a season and provide
some insurance that way.

Speaker 1 (56:58):
If the Canes sign Alexander Georgiev, I'll scream
oh man, if it's for that role,that would be fine screen.
Oh man, I watched a lot of hisaction with San Jose and I don't
think I've seen a bigger sievein my life.
But that's okay.
He might get back to his normalgame.
Okay, a couple of quick things.
The only goalies that areavailable that we know right now

(57:19):
by trade are exactly what yousaid.
They're not the ones we'regoing to want Thatcher Demko and
John Gibson, both of them solidgoaltenders for sure, but
injury problems, gibson gettingolder, I don't see those guys as
the solution.
The kind of goalies that areavailable to kind of be that
third goalie.
I kind of did a quick check onthe free agent side and you've

(57:43):
got guys like Alex Lyon.
Okay, lyon, he's a solid numberthree, okay, and he can go back
to the American Hockey Leagueand come up and he's definitely
a guy that showed with Detroitat different times.
He can play.
You've got guys like Dan Vlador.
He's a free agent out ofCalgary.
I'm not sure anybody else wantshim, but he's a guy that could
be interesting.
Maybe Anton Forsberg out ofOttawa, you know Forsberg and X

(58:07):
Kane.
So there's players, there'sgoalies out there, right.
Vitek Vanacek is a free agent.
All these guys are like $1-2million a year, so they're
peanuts right, and you can bringthem in, and I think most of
them would clear waivers, as yousay too, katie, they're not
nobody's rushing to get theseguys.
So I think there's a number ofgoalies that would be better

(58:29):
than Spencer Martin and DustinTokarski, and I think the Canes
will specifically do thatbecause, don't forget, the Canes
are only paying like under $6million for their goaltenders
like five and a half.
It's ridiculous, like it'sinsane.
What's Bob?

(58:50):
Is he 11?
I think Bob's 10 or 11 million ayear.
So another 2 million or 3million for the Hurricanes on a
goaltender is nothing and theyknow they need a third goalie.
They got to have one becausethere'll be injuries for sure.
So I mean at this stage I tendto line up with you on this that
they're going to bring somebodyin that's not a number one
goaltender.
I think they're going to keepthe two guys.

(59:11):
They have Good grief to havethem on a $5.5 million deal.
That's insane.
So they've got an opportunityto bring somebody else in this
place in NHL hockey as well.
So if it's Alexander Georgia,wonderful, that would be funny,
that would be a scream Okay.

(59:32):
So I guess the kind of sadnessabout all of this is that we
know next year is a much betteryear free agency wise.
This year is pretty skimpy,frankly, and you know Eric's got
all this money but I don't knowif he can spend it.
You know last year it waseasier to get tier two and three
guys, but this year there'shardly anything on that top tier

(59:53):
that he's going to want to goafter.
So that moves us into the nextphase and the final phase of our
discussion and that's the tradeside.
You know Eric's proven.
He has no reluctance in makingtrades and he has no reluctance
moving players off the king.
So you know there's very fewuntouchables.
It's not like you're going tosit there and say he's not
moving this guy, he's not movingthat guy.

(01:00:14):
He might other than very few.
You know he's not going to moveAjo, he's not going to move
Slavin.
You know he's not going to moveChavez, but I think almost
anybody else could be moved inthe right kind of deal.
So what are we hearing in termsof possible trades?
Who are the big names that arefloating and are any of them

(01:00:35):
seemingly potential and ofinterest?
Erin, what do you got?

Speaker 2 (01:00:41):
Well, I know that the Twitter world has been just
aflame with talk about DallasStars players, because we all
know what the Stars are upagainst.
You know they're going to haveto make some moves to move cap
off and the big topic ofconversation probably for the
last week or so has been whetheror not they would be willing to
trade Jason Robertson, becauseRobertson, I think, is a UFA

(01:01:03):
next year, because Robertson, Ithink, is a UFA next year.
So they're obviously going towant to get ahead of that
situation and to be, you know,either to re-sign him early or
to go ahead and make a tradethat will be advantageous to
them.
He's clearly the kind of playerthat the Canes would love to
have.
There's no question whatsoeverabout.

(01:01:23):
You know, somebody who's had acouple of 40-goal seasons and
all the rest of the things thathe's done.
The problem is that rumor milltends to get ahead of reality
and I think that there's been alittle bit of a weakening of
that position that he's going toget traded.
I think that more people arekind of looking at it and saying
, realistically, the DallasStars are not a foolish

(01:01:45):
organization.
They're not going to hand overtheir top goal scorer.
They're not going to.
They're not going to make thismove.
That's going to put them into alot of difficulty and trouble.
They did not bring in MikoRantanen to trade out Jason
Robertson.
That is not the thinking here.
So probably what will happen isthat we'll see other players

(01:02:06):
from the Stars realisticallyavailable as they try to shed
cap.
Apart from, you know,discussions we've already had, I
think that the player that theywould be interested in possibly
would be Mason Marchment.
Yes, I think that you know.
I'll probably let Katie talk alittle bit about what he's like,
because you've seen him playmore since he's in the Western
Conference.
But the one thing I would sayis that the only hiccup that

(01:02:36):
might happen is that we had thatbig rumor that he was going to
come, and I was on free agency acouple of years back and he was
going to come to Carolina andthen he chose not to.
So that's just one of thosethings that you don't know for
sure if the player would beinterested, and I don't know
whether he has any kind of tradeprotection I didn't look into
that, but what is he like as aplayer, katie?

Speaker 3 (01:02:54):
Marchment is very sandpapery.
He gets under your skin.
He participates in a lot ofdifferent antics and a lot of
different antics.
Avs fans were definitelycomplaining about all of the
faked plays that he had to tryand draw penalties, a lot of
times successfully drawing apenalty, and like come on, refs,

(01:03:14):
can't you see that he did notget high stick?
So if he were to?
come to Carolina.
I hope he would perhaps play alittle bit more on the up and up
, but he definitely has thatthat size and that grit and kind
of that edge to him that a lotof us have said that the Canes
are needing.
So that would potentially filla role when he actually fits on

(01:03:37):
the roster.
Though is tricky because you'renot going to put him with Stahl
and he's not really thatscoring winger that you would
want him up next to Ajo orwhoever the 2C is.
So do you really want to bringhim in to be a third line?
I mean, maybe it could beinteresting.

(01:03:58):
Jankowski, marchment andCarrier would be a really,
really hard, heavy fourth lineto play against.
But it just kind of goes towhat the Canes need and their
priorities.
I wouldn't be surprised if theway that the Canes go is more in
the direction of trading for anRFA instead of a UFA.

(01:04:18):
Robertson actually is an RFAfor one more season.

Speaker 1 (01:04:23):
Yeah, he's an RFA next year For next year.

Speaker 3 (01:04:25):
But it's only for one , and then he'd be a UFA for the
season after that.
This could potentially get himfor two years, 25 years old RFA

(01:04:46):
that still would have three orfour years of cost-controlled
contribution to the team.
The one that a lot of peopleare talking about being traded
because he's expressed a certainamount of unhappiness with his
current team is JJ Paterka.
He had a really good seasonlast year, I think, over 20

(01:05:07):
goals and 60 some points and soand he's growing.
I mean, just every singleseason seems to be getting
better for him, and so if hewere to continue a similar
trajectory he could work reallywell, especially, say, on the
second line, not not the topline.
So any other trades for wingers.
I think that I robertson is anintriguing one, marchman's an

(01:05:30):
intriguing one because of thenature of where dallas is and
the fact that carolina holds twoof their first round picks
within their control and sothat's one advantage that
carolina has that no other teamcan say, because um of the value
of those picks to Dallas,especially because they're
conditional, so it affects thefollowing year's picks as well.
But you go beyond that.

(01:05:52):
I think the Canes are lookingat more of a second-line winger
or something that's RFA, wherethey can pay them but they will
have term, they'll becost-controlled, that sort of
thing.

Speaker 1 (01:06:06):
Yeah, a couple things on that.
You're right about Dallas.
I mean, they are really skimpyon their draft picks.
As you know, they sent a goodnumber of them to the Canes, not
just those two first-roundpicks but others.
So they're pretty skimpy on thedraft pick side.
We would be a good partner forthem and we've done deals with

(01:06:29):
them before, so that's good news.
You know, you look at, I thinkI keep thinking we're going to
sign a winger, so that wouldmean that most of the activity
would be at center right, unlessan opportunity came for Jason
Robertson, which changeseverything.

Speaker 3 (01:06:40):
But let's assume he's not available.

Speaker 1 (01:06:44):
Now you're looking at center rights and you've got to
start to think about how canthe Canes solve their center
problem.
Now we know they spent a lot oftime with Vancouver last year
trying to craft a deal aroundElias Pedersen.
Now, interesting thing aboutPedersen folks keep thinking
he's off the market.
But here's somethinginteresting His no trade clause
kicks in July 1st.
Okay.

(01:07:05):
So if the Canucks are thinkingabout moving him at all, they're
going to want to do it beforethe draft or around the draft.
And the other thing aboutPedersen is he's on a pretty fat
contract, a multi-year dealthat goes for another seven
years and it's it's like 10 or11 million a year.
It's a huge contract and he hada terrible year last year.

(01:07:27):
And so you're in a situationwhere do you bank on the fact
he's going to turn the corner ordo you try to get what you can
and get?
You know he's still got valueand clearly the Canes would be
in the mix and they woulddefinitely want to be a part of
it.
So I don't rule out discussionswith Vancouver on Patterson.

(01:07:49):
I think it's unlikely, but he'sa guy I'm sure they're going to
continue to pursue because hewould be a real nice fix at that
number two C spot and I thinkif he came to the Canes he'd get
a new breath of life refreshedapproach to the game, so I think
it's all good.
So he's out there.
There's a couple of othercenters we're hearing about.

(01:08:10):
Pavel Zaka with the Bruins isan interesting name.
He's just surfaced in the lastweek or so.
The Bruins may be willing tomove him.
Of course they've got, you know, some depth at center and he's
a guy that's had 57 and a 59point season.
He's a big player at 6'3 andover 200 pounds.
Solid, defensively, good in thefaceoff dot.

(01:08:31):
He's a guy that would fit thecanes.
So a guy like Zaka.
The only thing he's not a rightshot guy, but I think we could
live with him being a left shotcenter, but he's a guy that's
available and possibly could bein the mix for the Hurricanes
and I'd be delighted if theycould get a guy like Palo Zaka.
Another interesting one that'skind of in your side of the

(01:08:53):
discussion, katie, is LucasReichel with Chicago.
Reichel is a young player thatwas drafted with a lot of
potential, huge potential, andhe's been late, kind of coming
into his game and he's a guythat apparently is available.
He's on the Olympic roster forGermany, so we know he's a guy

(01:09:14):
that's on the radar.
I think that's the kind of movethe Canes should make, maybe
not to fill the 2C spot rightnow, but they need depth at
center.
The Canes are very, very thinwith their young center crew and
a guy like Reichel to me, ifhe's available, is the kind of
guy they should be going for.
There's just not a lot of guyslike that.

(01:09:34):
You know that look like theymight be on the cusp of going to
the next level with their game.
So he's a name I'm very kind ofinterested in, because I've
been watching a lot ofBlackhawks the last few years
and he occasionally looks like adecent player.
So anyway, again, not a wholelot of discussion yet we talked
about that Still early days.
The blue line again we talkedabout the blue line.

(01:09:57):
Do the Canes make a move on theblue?
If they can't sign a big freeagent?
What are they going to do ifthey don't bring back Burns and
Orlon?
What's out there?
Well, one of the names isRasmus Anderson.
What do we think about him?

Speaker 3 (01:10:12):
I'm very intrigued by Rasmus Anderson.
He looks like he has a lot ofupside.
He had a down year this lastyear which might make certain
teams hesitate, but I think alot of that just had to do with
the fact that Calgary had such aroller coaster year and I
believe, he was less the causeor contributor to that roller

(01:10:33):
coaster and more of the victimof that roller coaster, and that
he still has plenty to give.
As Aaron has noted on X, I thinkeven today that Calgary is
looking to shore up their centerdepth and would like a young
three C type center.
We got them.
There might be somebody thatthe Canes have available that

(01:10:55):
could help them in that area.
You scratch my back, I'llscratch your back sort of
scenario.
So and the debate seems to bemore of a do we hold on to
Anderson and see if he playswell this season and therefore
up his value so we can get abetter return come the trade
deadline?
Or do we just try to find somestability and consistency now

(01:11:19):
moving into the next season andnot have the will they won't
they of the trade?
So that becomes the big questionfor Calgary is which direction
do they decide to go?
Do they decide to stick withhim and see how the season
progresses and where the team isat come the trade done vine?
Or they do they decide to justgo ahead and cut ties now and
move forward with whatever dealthey can find?

(01:11:41):
But I definitely like Anderson.
He would.
He profiles well and that Ithink he'd play well alongside
slaven and eat up top minutes.
Or he could play alongsideghost and be that defensive
stalwart, um, to kind of watchghosts back while he does his
thing.
So either way, he seems like hecould fit well into the cane

(01:12:03):
system and has that right kindof attitude and mentality for
what the Canes need and whatthey're looking for.

Speaker 1 (01:12:09):
Well, I mean Anderson .
You said he had a struggle lastyear.
He was minus 38.
He was, I think, one of theworst players, I believe, with
his minus.
So he had a disastrous yeardefensively.
But here's the thing aboutAnderson.
He's been playing 24 minutes,23 and a half minutes a game.
This guy's playing huge minutesand I think that's part of what
led to some of the challengeshe faced last year.

(01:12:30):
He was asked to do a lot morethan probably he should have
been asked and, of course, if hewas playing those minutes
alongside Jacob Slavin, I canassure you it wouldn't be mine.
But I agree.
The only concern I have rightnow is there are discussions
going on between Calgary and hiscap to see if they can do an
extension.
I think if that kind of getsbogged down, I think the idea of

(01:12:53):
moving a certain centerman fromthe Hurricanes to Calgary is a
brilliant move.
The other name we keep hearingand I'll pass this one to you,
erin, because I'm sure you'vegot some thoughts on it, but the
other name we keep hearing overand over again is Eric Carlson.
So you know Eric Carlson had abit of a resurgence last year.
He was outstanding in the FourNations.

(01:13:14):
No matter what you might thinkabout Carlson, I thought he
played very, very well and thereports on him were excellent.
He's older, it's a short-termdeal, but he's a guy that brings
offense in big ways, and thecanes had a lot of interest in
anderson and in carlson before.
So what are we thinking about?

(01:13:34):
Eric carlson?

Speaker 2 (01:13:36):
honestly, I think that it would be, you know, just
trying to redo the Brent Burnsmove.
You know, to a certain extentit really would be, because when
we picked up Burns from SanJose, was it three years ago?

Speaker 3 (01:13:53):
Three, years ago.

Speaker 2 (01:13:55):
He was still playing at a really good level and he
was still producing a lot.
So, over the time, what'shappened is exactly what we
expect he's still playing verywell, but he's not producing.
The Canes don't really need tobe in that situation for three
more years, with another playerwho's going to come in and
produce well for the first yearand then fall off because of his
age and the fact that this iswhat happens and that we know

(01:14:17):
that this is what happens.
I really think that they needsomething longer term in
solution, and I mean well, letme rephrase that either longer
term or, depending on what theorganization's true belief about
Scott Morrow is which I knowKatie and I you know we've had
some discussions about ScottMorrow whether they'll keep him,
whether they'll move him.
If they really think that ScottMorrow has top, first or second

(01:14:41):
pair uh, rhd in him, then itdoesn't make sense to bring
someone who's signed you knowwho's going to be I don't know
how many more years Carlson hason his deal, you know but you
definitely don't want someonewho's going to be more than
maybe one year at that point.
If you're only doing a stopgapand then you ask, do we really
even need to do a stopgap, or doyou just play Walker with

(01:15:02):
Slavin until Morrow is ready?
I mean, there's a lot of movingparts, so I don't think it
would be a great idea for themto bring in someone like Carlson
, because we know that that'snot what they see as the future
of their blue line.
So at this point, it's time tostop making those kinds of moves
and time to start making movesthat are focused on taking the

(01:15:25):
next step to being a cupcontender, but not just a
one-shot, one-year cup contender, a perennial cup contender.
That's what they want, andthey're at the point in the
organization where that shouldbe a realistic goal for them.

Speaker 1 (01:15:38):
Well, and don't forget, rob Brindamore was
saying that once all the freeagents left, he had a bad
feeling in his tummy that theCanes just weren't going to be
able to get there and hewondered if they'd even get the
playoffs.
And then, by the time Eric andhis crew was done, he started to
say, hey, this isn't a badlineup after all, for sure.
Look, eric's got lots of cash,he's got an owner that wants a

(01:16:01):
cup more than anything.
He doesn't want to keep comingclose, he wants to win the cup.
And they've been at the altartoo many times and I think the
pressure is going to be hugethis year huge for the
Hurricanes to get to the nextlevel, and I fully expect that
Mr Tulsky and his crew are goingto make some moves that will
surprise us, because he's goteverything he needs to do that.

(01:16:24):
There isn't a team with abetter situation than the Canes.
So lots of excitement coming up.
We've talked to a lot of playerstoday.
We've kind of weeded out a lotof the rumors that have been
floating around, and you knowit's a bit of a tough year.
We'll have to see how thatplays out, but there might be
some of these players we'vetalked about today that are

(01:16:45):
carrying the Hurricanes beforetoo long.
So that'll be a lot of fun and,as always, great to talk about
the Canes, and I'm sure there'llbe lots more fun in the coming
days as the Canes start to makesome moves and once the playoffs
are over, of course, we'regoing to start to see much more
in terms of the trade activity,the rumors and what we might

(01:17:06):
expect in the coming days and,of course, the draft coming up.
The Canes are in good shape.
They've got a first rounder andsome other draft picks this year
and we'll have a chance to takea look and see what kind of
moves the Canes can make thereas well.
So lots going on.
We're going to stay on top ofit and be back here as soon as
there's some news that we cantalk about.
And, of course, as always, Iwant to thank all the folks

(01:17:30):
who've been with us, listeningor watching, for joining us and
spending the time with us.
We really appreciate it.
If you like this episode,please press the like button.
If you have comments oranything you'd like to say,
please leave that in the commentsection down below and we'll
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(01:17:50):
Storm Tracker, please press thesubscribe button and the bell,
and you'll be made aware just assoon as those are available.
As always, aaron, katie and Iare ecstatic.
You spent time with us todayand we look forward to getting
together with you real soon.