In an unexpected offseason for the Carolina Hurricanes, one notable loss which can be overlooked is the departure of forward Brock McGinn.
McGinn signed with the Pittsburgh Penguins in free agency, inking a four-year deal at $2.75 million per year. The forward is 27 years old and had spent his entire career with the Hurricanes, scoring eight goals and 13 points in 37 games this past season.
He was a solid member of the bottom-six group who averaged between 20-30 points per 82 games, but had the versatility to play pretty much anywhere in the lineup. His great work ethic and intensity were a key part of his game, but he did have some offensive upside as well. Without him, as well as Warren Foegele, the team is missing a winger for their top-nine group and while McGinn may be a more ideal fourth-line option, he certainly would’ve been capable of taking the role.
McGinn’s new deal carries relatively fair value and with it being only four years long, it certainly wasn’t an unreasonable term, especially considering he’s still young enough that a decline won’t be an issue. Considering the Hurricanes have over $12 million in cap space with Andrei Svechnikov as their only key free agent remaining, they potentially would’ve had the cap space to keep McGinn. If the Hurricanes do make another addition using the cap space, I think losing the forward then becomes pretty understandable. But as of now, the team does have extra cap space remaining, so hopefully his departure wasn’t an avoidable.
Regardless, the Hurricanes will likely feel the loss of McGinn in their bottom-six next season. He was a quality depth forward for the team who they’ll still be seeing quite a bit of, as he remains in the Metropolitan Division with the Penguins.
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Would you have wanted to see Brock McGinn stay with the Hurricanes if it meant giving a four-year deal, worth $2.75 million per year?
Carolina Hurricanes Blogger • 
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