After a bitter end to a historic 2021-22 season, the Carolina Hurricanes underwent another hefty roster overhaul to reload for a run at the Stanley Cup in 2022-23. While the draft carried its own set of acquisitions, let’s take a look at how the Canes’ forward core is shaping up heading into this season.
Let’s make a deal
In one of the most lopsided trades of the offseason, Hurricanes general manager Don Waddell fleeced the Vegas Golden Knights by acquiring left wing Max Pacioretty and defenseman Dylan Coghlan while only giving up future considerations.
While Vegas was desperate to shed Pacioretty’s contract, a Stanley Cup contender like Carolina is more than willing to welcome Pacioretty aboard along with his elite goal-scoring ability. The five-time All-Star balanced his production with 97 goals and 97 assists in four seasons for the Golden Knights, speaking to his propensity to pass as well as shoot. Prior to Vegas, Pacioretty spent a decade in Montréal, where he accumulated 226 goals and 222 assists for the Canadiens.
The other marquee trade by Waddell centered around defenseman Brent Burns coming over from San Jose, but this deal impacted the Canes’ forward room as well. Bringing in an elite defenseman like Burns doesn’t come cheap, but Carolina’s vast reservoir of talent allowed the team to only let go of center Steven Lorentz along with goaltender Eetu Makiniemi and a conditional third-round draft pick in 2023. Center Lane Pederson accompanied Burns on the way to Raleigh as well.
Lorentz hung around the fourth line for two seasons in Raleigh, but his gritty, lively style of play garnered him some recognition in Canes circles. The one moment he’ll be remembered for most is probably his go-ahead goal against Toronto in Oct. 2021, persevering past Rasmus Sandin before slotting the puck into the net.
However, the Hurricanes made sure to restock on young centers by picking up Pederson. The 25-year-old Canadian enters the 2022-23 season with two years of NHL experience as well, playing 44 games between the Arizona Coyotes and the Sharks. Like Lorentz, Pederson will likely take on a supplementary role on the Hurricanes’ roster.
So long, Nino and Troch
The Hurricanes lost two main pieces as well as a few depth players to free agency this summer, but that is a relatively low number considering the Canes had to make decisions whether or not to keep 11 restricted free agents (RFAs) and 14 unrestricted free agents (UFAs).
The forward lines suffered a pair of heavy losses in right wing Nino Niederreiter and center Vincent Trocheck. Niederreiter signed a two-year, $8 million deal with the Nashville Predators on July 21 after the 30-year-old Swiss racked up 69 goals and 68 assists in 234 games for the Hurricanes.
Though his statistical output wasn’t eye-popping, Niederreiter built a reputation as a clutch glue guy throughout his time in Raleigh, meshing well with his linemates and finding the net when the Canes needed a goal the most.
Trocheck’s scoring numbers indicated his success more than those of Niederreiter. The 29-year-old notched just under 100 points in Carolina in a little over two seasons with 39 goals and 57 assists, but Trocheck’s impact fell outside the box scores as well. Trocheck’s fiery attitude on and off the ice became a staple of his time with the Canes. Many fans will remember his fight with Pittsburgh Penguins defenseman Mark Friedman where Trocheck dragged his opponent to the ground despite having his shirt pulled over his head.
While his time in Carolina was brief, center Max Domi also changed jerseys this summer. The trade deadline acquisition from Columbus scored seven points in 19 games for the Hurricanes last season but signed a one-year, $3 million deal with the Chicago Blackhawks on July 13. A spark plug in the lineup, Domi’s feisty style of play and extracurriculars take after his father Tie Domi, who played 16 years in the NHL and holds the league’s all-time record in fighting majors.
In the prospect department, 28-year-old center Andrew Poturalski inked a two-year, $1.525 million contract with the Seattle Kraken on July 13. Poturalski was an integral depth piece on Carolina’s minor league roster, racking up four seasons of at least 50 points in the American Hockey League (AHL) going back to 2016-17.
While the Hurricanes can’t be happy to let such talent walk, this was the right move for Poturalski. He only played four total games in a Canes sweater, two in 2016-17 and two in 2021-22. A forward room filled with high-end talent kept Poturalski from accumulating many NHL minutes, so it’s best for him to try to further his career elsewhere.
Lastly, left wing Josh Leivo departed for St. Louis by signing a one-year, $750,000 contract with the Blues. Leivo logged a goal and two assists in seven games for the Hurricanes in 2021-22, but mostly played in the minor leagues for the AHL’s Chicago Wolves. This transaction is another case of a depth player seeking more NHL playing time.
New start for Nečas
In lieu of Niederreiter and Trocheck in the lines night in and night out, the Canes brought back one big name from last year’s roster in center Martin Nečas.
The 23-year-old Czech inked a two-year, $6 million deal to return to Raleigh with a lot of expectations behind him. When Nečas is at his best, the 6-foot-2, 189-pound forward possesses one of the most dangerous combinations of size and speed in the NHL.
However, he’s hovered around 40 points for each of the last three seasons, which are underwhelming figures considering his talent. If Nečas can take that next step in 2022-23, he’s bound to impact Carolina’s offense more than ever.
A couple of AHL players, namely right wingers Stefan Noesen and Stelio Mattheos, came back for another go in the Canes organization as well. Noesen’s contract is two years and pays $750,000 at the NHL level and $500,000 at the AHL level with $550,000 in guaranteed money. Mattheos’ two-way deal also guarantees him $85,000.
While Noesen has actual experience at the NHL level — 207 games going back to 2014-15 compared to Mattheos’ zero since 2018-19 — both provide valuable organizational depth for the Hurricanes.
Stastny, Kaše and … Dzingel?
Although Nečas’ return provides some baseline production for this new group of forwards, the Canes leaned heavily into the free agent market this offseason. Five total forwards will don the Carolina threads for the first time with one returner in center Ryan Dzingel, but the Hurricanes’ big-splash signing was a one-year, $1.5 million deal for center Paul Stastny.
A 16-year veteran, Stastny boasts 800 points over 1,072 career games. He spent the previous two seasons with a middling Winnipeg Jets squad, but Stastny still has what it takes to aid a playoff team like the Canes. The 36-year-old logged 21 goals in 2021-22, his first season of at least 20 goals since 2013-14.
Though not of the same pedigree as Stastny, right wing Ondřej Kaše is another journeyman forward coming to Carolina. Like Stastny, the 26-year-old Czech signed on for the Canes with a one-year, $1.5 million contract.
After a couple of down years with the Boston Bruins, Kaše reemerged in Toronto last season, logging 14 goals and 13 assists for the Maple Leafs. Those 27 points amounted to his best total since 2017-18 in Anaheim, where Kaše started his career. If he can continue his upward trend, Kaše looks like a force to be reckoned with in Carolina.
Some Hurricanes will remember Dzingel for his underwhelming stay in Raleigh in 2019-20 and 2020-21 before ultimately getting shipped back to the Ottawa Senators. Dzingel initially boomed in his first stint in Ottawa, rattling off three straight 30-point seasons between 2016-17 and 2018-19, but he’s struggled to replicate that success since.
Most recently, Dzingel scored five goals and three assists in 32 games between the Arizona Coyotes and San Jose Sharks in 2021-22. While he’s somewhat removed from his glory days, the 30-year-old Dzingel will be looking to rekindle that spark from earlier in his career.
Rounding out the action on the wings are right wing Malte Strömwall and left wing Mackenzie MacEachern. Strömwall’s coming off a solid season in Russia, racking up 32 points in 38 games for Dinamo Minsk of the Kontinental Hockey League (KHL). His production and skating ability earned the 28-year-old Swede a two-way deal with $175,000 in guaranteed money.
As for MacEachern, he comes to Raleigh after spending his first four seasons with the St. Louis Blues where he knocked in 11 goals and eight assists over 115 games. MacEachern’s contract is also two-way with $275,000 guaranteed.
