Carolina Hurricanes Not Done Yet: 3 More Big Moves Close

The Carolina Hurricanes took their Eastern Conference final loss hard as they have gone all-in this summer and aren’t close to being done yet. They have brought back players like Jordan Staal, Frederik Andersen, and Antti Raanta while adding Michael Bunting and Dmitry Orlov to the mix already. What is still to come? There have been reports for a few days now that a Vladimir Tarasenko deal is almost done with the Hurricanes, Tony DeAngelo is potentially coming back, and Brett Pesce is being shopped because a contract isn’t close.

Hurricanes’ Newer Look Forward Group

The Hurricanes have still not addressed their second line center position with a legitimate player, but it seems like they are now happy with giving Jesperi Kotkaniemi the reins to run with that role. The team has three solid centermen, but have loaded up the wings. While Bunting is already in the mix, multiple reports from Shayna Goldman and David Pagnotta suggest that Tarasenko will be joining the Hurricanes very soon. We can only assume that it will be a 1-2 year deal because of all the key contracts expiring soon. They want to ensure there’s enough money to re-sign players and stay competitive, but are also going for it all this season.

Huge Defensive Makeover

No Hurricanes’ defender is signed past 2025, so that gives them the green light to go for it right now. Brent Burns was brought in last offseason as an upgrade to DeAngelo, but the team is trying to bring him back to play a different role. The expectation is that Burns will still run the top power play, but there will be a very good option on the second unit so that it can be nearly as dangerous when on the ice.

DeAngelo’s likely return signifies that Pesce is on his way out. This will be a massive change as Pesce is a very strong defender while DeAngelo is great at providing offense. The LDs are going to be counted on to provide better play in their own end, and that’s partially why Orlov was brought in as well. He and Jaccob Slavin can do both at a high level.

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What do you think about the offseason of the Hurricanes? Personally I think it has been an absolute win and it gives them a very strong chance at a couple of Stanley Cup runs before some work has to be done to the roster again.