The Carolina Hurricanes may have won the Stanley Cup, but their summer isn’t exactly going to be quiet. Free agency doesn’t look loaded with must-have stars, so most of the heavy lifting around the league figures to happen in trades - and Carolina will be right in the middle of that action.
Even with a championship in hand, this front office doesn’t sit still. Eric Tulsky will keep working the phones, looking for a move that fits. The issue is that the to-do list is pretty short, and the biggest items are tangled together.
The first question centers on Alexander Nikishin. Before the draft, his name was already out there in trade chatter, with as many as six teams interested in him. He remains a pending RFA and a clear target for other clubs, but Carolina still has every chance to keep him.
Things got even more complicated on Saturday when the Hurricanes acquired the signing rights to pending UFA John Carlson from the Ducks. Carolina sent its sixth-round pick and Kyle Masters to get those rights. Carlson, a right-shot defenseman, still isn’t locked into a deal with the Hurricanes, though they’re reportedly among the teams he would sign with.
That makes the next step pretty clear: Carolina’s decision on Carlson may shape what happens with Nikishin. If Carlson signs before Wednesday, Nikishin is likely out the door.
If Carlson doesn’t sign, the Hurricanes could keep Nikishin unless they land another defenseman they prefer to move for. In that case, the whole thing could swing right back the other way.
Goalie business is another possible pivot point, and Connor Hellebuyck remains the name to watch. Nikishin was part of a proposed deal for the Winnipeg netminder, with Thursday night’s package reportedly including Nikishin and the 31st pick, plus likely additional pieces.
That never came together. Buffalo also had an offer out there that reportedly included the 4th pick, Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen, another roster player, and a little more.
That kind of price is steep for any goalie, even one with Hellebuyck’s résumé. Once the draft has passed, paying with future first-round picks gets even harder to swallow. There is a path for Carolina to make that deal if it wants Hellebuyck badly enough, but it would cost a lot, and that makes a blockbuster less likely.
If the Hurricanes decide not to chase that kind of swing, there aren’t many obvious alternatives who would clearly upgrade their current setup of Brandon Bussi and Pyotr Kochetkov. Bringing back Frederik Andersen for another year would also make sense if Carolina wants to keep the same trio that just won the Stanley Cup.
Jesperi Kotkaniemi is still another piece Carolina has been trying to move, even if the market hasn’t exactly lined up cleanly. When the Stanley Cup was awarded and the first buy-out window opened, some insiders viewed him as a “lock” to be bought out before the window closed. But with free agency set to open Wednesday, Kotkaniemi is still on the roster.
The Hurricanes have been trying to work out a trade for him for months. During the season, they made it clear they wouldn’t move him just to move him.
The fit had to make sense. Kotkaniemi has four years left on an eight-year deal carrying a $4.82 million cap hit, and for a 25-year-old center in a rising cap environment, that’s not a disastrous contract.
The challenge is finding a team that wants a third-line or fourth-line center at that number and has the flexibility to take him on. In March, Los Angeles, Vancouver and Winnipeg were mentioned as possible destinations, though the last two might be blocked by Kotkaniemi’s 10-team no-trade list. Anaheim, New Jersey and Toronto could also be in the mix as outside possibilities.
And then there’s the future beyond this summer. Carolina did a strong job last offseason getting a lot of its 2026 restricted and unrestricted free agents signed early, with Jackson Blake and Logan Stankoven standing out as especially important extensions.
Looking ahead to June and July 2027, the Hurricanes actually have a very light board. Per PuckPedia, only five active-roster players are on expiring deals: Jordan Staal, Jordan Martinook, Jalen Chatfield, Shayne Gostisbehere and Pyotr Kochetkov. All five would be UFAs, and there are no current RFAs.
That’s the full list, and it gives Carolina a lot of room to breathe. Staal could be in his final season, though that’s not certain.
Chatfield might get extended this summer, even if his market value is still hard to pin down. Martinook could also land a short-term deal.
Gostisbehere and Kochetkov are harder to forecast. For now, though, the Hurricanes are in a good spot - and if history is any guide, Tulsky will still find something to chase.
In Other News...
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Those offers come with a 15-day window for the players to decide whether to accept, though the team can keep working on new deals after that. It also leaves part of the group heading toward unrestricted free agency, a reminder that qualifying offer season is as much about trimming the edges of the roster as it is about protecting them, and Carolina clearly made a few calls that will linger for fans watching the next round of moves. [Read more 🡒]
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For Hurricanes fans, the interesting thread is the staff Laviolette may build around him. One of the names tied to the job is Ray Whitney, a winger who was part of Carolinas 2006 Stanley Cup team with Laviolette. Whitney has long been remembered in Raleigh as one of the smartest offensive players of that era, and seeing him surface again alongside the coach who helped guide that championship run adds another layer to what is becoming a major retool in Southern California. [Read more 🡒]
Hurricanes Suddenly Face A Massive Blue Line Gamble This Offseason
The Hurricanes blue line picture got a lot more complicated this offseason, and not just because of the usual churn that comes with a busy summer. Eric Tulsky said the team has not opened contract talks yet with pending RFA defenseman Alexander Nikishin, and Carolina is content to wait until after the draft and the start of free agency before turning that conversation into a priority.
John Carlson adds another layer to the equation. Carolina acquired the defenseman without an extension in place, and the plan is to negotiate with him before other teams can get involved if he reaches free agency. Carlson is expected to be a pricey target, which only raises the stakes for a team trying to balance immediate needs on defense with the longer view of how this roster is built. [Read more 🡒]