Carolina Hurricanes
Loser:
What are the Carolina Hurricanes doing? That’s the question many are asking themselves. The Hurricanes took a huge step forward last season, they won their first division title in over a decade before being eliminated by the Tampa Bay Lightning in the second-round of the playoffs.
Looking to improve their team and be a team that is ready to compete for a Stanley Cup, Don Waddell and the front-office in Carolina swung and missed. The upcoming season will be the ultimate test, but on paper, their off-season looks like a colossal failure. A few of the notable players the Hurricanes let go from a season ago are: Dougie Hamilton, Alex Nedeljkovic, Petr Mrazek, James Reimer and Brock McGinn. Some of the players who will now be playing in North Carolina are Ethan Bear, Tony DeAngelo, Ian Cole, Antti Raanta and Frederick Anderson.
Dougie Hamilton is an elite-level defenseman, letting him walk is a questionable move no matter how you slice it. One could argue that a seven-year deal with an AAV of $9 million per season is too much. Towards the end of the deal, it likely will be, but right now Hamilton is worth it. That’s the price you have to pay to win Stanley Cups. Hamilton has a proven track record of controlling play, a career Corsi For % of 58.6 is impressive. Hamilton finished top 15 in Norris Trophy voting, as the league’s top defenseman, since 2016-2017 and has finished top 10 three of those seasons. Over the past two seasons, Hamilton is a combined plus-50. That isn’t a player you let walk if you’re looking to build a Stanley Cup contender.
What makes matters worse is who Don Waddell brought in to replace Hamilton. Ethan Bear and Ian Cole are both talented players. While not Dougie Hamilton, Cole is a solid defensemen who is as steady as they come, especially in his own zone. Ethan Bear is a talented young defenseman with the potential to be a star in the NHL. Right now, Bear isn’t there though. His Corsi For % of 45.4 from a season ago is on-par with his career-average of 46.3 percent. That isn’t the type of player you bring in if you’re in win-now mode like the Hurricanes are.
That brings us to noted racist, and locker room cancer, Tony DeAngelo. The former-first round pick has had a multitude of character issues both on and off the ice. In his time in the OHL, DeAngelo was disciplined by his team for directing a racial slur at one of his teammates. In 2017, he was suspended for abuse of an official as a member of the Arizona Coyotes. Last season, Tony DeAngelo got into a physical fight with his goaltender Alex Georgiev. Shortly after, the Rangers placed DeAngelo on waivers and released him. The Hurricanes are betting that DeAngelo is a changed man.
"“We did our research on who this person is, beyond what the perception of him [is]. There’s no doubt that he has made mistakes,” Don Waddell explained. “We acknowledged that and, more importantly, he recognizes that he’s made mistakes and he knows he’s got to continue to work and grow as a person.”"
Waddell is right about one thing, DeAngelo has made plenty of mistakes. He has a pattern of problematic that is sure to continue. DeAngelo has apologized and is trying to move on with his career.
"“I think as you get older and more mature…a lot of the stuff that’s happened in my career has stemmed from emotions, from being competitive. There’s never been any off-ice problems or anything like that. I’ve made some mistakes along the way, obviously, stuff that I regretted,” DeAngelo said. “And now, I have to prove it to the Hurricanes. I told them I’m not going to let them down and I’m a man of my word.”"
Despite Denagelo’s apology, this is not a guy who made mistakes years and years ago. This is a person who has repeatedly shown that he doesn’t make the right decisions. The Hurricanes are hoping his talent on the ice can make up for Dougie Hamilton’s departure. Unfortunately that will not be the case, DeAngelo is a solid hockey player but his antics will surely once again make headlines. Playfully, the Hurricanes call themselves a “Bunch of Jerks”. Tony DeAngelo makes the moniker all too real.
Don Waddell saw Alex Nedeljkovic burst onto the scene a year ago and put up stellar numbers between the pipes. Then, Waddell rewarded Nedeljkovic for his breakout season by moving him out of town. The former second-round selection in the 2014 NHL Draft was 23-15-5 with a .932 save percentage and a goals against average of 1.90 in the regular season. In the playoffs, the rookie netminder once again put up impressive numbers despite a 4-5 record, posting a .920 save percentage and a 2.17 GAA.
It was a small sample size, but Nedeljkovic looked like he could be the future goal in Carolina. Don Waddell, saw differently, and traded Nedeljkovic to the Detroit Red Wings. In return, the Canes got a third-round draft pick and pending free-agent, Jonathan Bernier. Nedeljkovic was due a raise, and ended up signing a two-year deal in Detroit worth $6 million. That contract is more than reasonable; Nedeljkovic had the potential to be “the guy” and help his team win the Cup. This is a trade that didn’t look good when it happened and won’t look good five years from now either.
After also moving on from Petr Mrazek and James Reimer, Waddell brought in Antti Raanta and Frederick Anderson to be the duo for the Canes. Raanta is an intriguing player, and if he stays healthy, which is a big if, will be the move that Waddell can hang his hat on. Raanta has no significant playoff experience to speak of, but when healthy, has shown the capability to be an elite goaltender in the regular season. Playing in more than 40 games only once in his eight-year career is troubling, but Raanta has put up a career save percentage of .919 and a goals against average of 2.46. Raanta is signed for two years at $2 million per year.
Frederik Anderson, is a proven goalie that will help the Hurricanes. Anderson agreed to a two year deal worth $4.5 million per year. Anderson is coming off two seasons with the Toronto Maple Leafs where he struggled. A career save percentage of .915 is quite impressive, but in 2019-2020, he posted what was a career-low .909 save percentage and last season he followed it up with a worrying .895. Anderson and the Maple Leafs have failed to advance past the first round of the NHL playoffs since his arrival. The Hurricanes are in win-now mode and these acquisitions simply don’t add up.
Overall, the Hurricanes are still one of the most talented teams in the Metropolitan Division and will compete for a division title, ultimately their lackluster offseason has allowed the Capitals to remain the more complete team and the Metropolitan Division title will return to the nation’s capital in 2021-2022 because of it.