The Carolina Hurricanes have reportedly shown interest in Winnipeg Jets forward Patrik Laine, according to The Fourth Period’s David Pagnotta.
The Carolina Hurricanes are still very much interested in Patrik Laine, I'm told. The asking price remains an issue, though, as the Winnipeg Jets seem to want Pesce & Necas in a deal and so far Carolina has balked.
Laine is 22 years old and is coming off a season in which he scored 28 goals and 63 points in 68 games, a pace of 34 goals and 76 points per 82 games. The winger has one year remaining on his contract, which carries a $6.75 million AAV and will be a restricted free agent at the end of the season.
According to Pagnotta, the Jets would want forward Martin Necas and defenseman Brett Pesce as part of a return.
ANALYSIS
It’s exciting to see the Hurricanes going after a top offensive talent, especially considering their need for another top-six winger. I also think that if Laine could be acquired and kept long-term, the Hurricanes shouldn’t think twice about including Necas in a deal. There are a couple issues though.
First, Laine is going to be due for a pay raise in the offseason and given the terms of his bridge deal, it’s probably not going to be cheap. Factor in that the Hurricanes will have limited cap space remaining, with both Dougie Hamilton and Andrei Svechnikov in need of new contracts, and it’ll be a difficult task to fit all three players onto their payroll.
In addition, Brett Pesce is a key part of Carolina’s defense group and is signed with term at a very reasonable price. Given Carolina’s depth on defense, I think it’s possible to include Pesce and maintain a solid defense group but it would be a blow for sure. Also, while the Hurricanes have quality left-handed defensemen, they lack right-side depth, so they’d potentially need a left-handed defenseman to commit to the right side long-term.
I’m pretty skeptical that a deal gets worked out to bring Laine to Carolina, but you never know what can happen.
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Here’s today’s poll question (results and discussion will be posted in a future article):
Should the Hurricanes be willing to give up Martin Necas and Brett Pesce in a trade for Patrik Laine?
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