Coming off a deep playoff run, the Carolina Hurricanes have some decisions to make on their group of unrestricted free agents over the next couple of weeks.
The Hurricanes have several notable players who are all eligible to test free agency as of July 1, should a deal not be reached before then. So kicking off our offseason Hurricanes coverage, we’ll be looking at which UFAs are likely to be back next season.
FREDERIK ANDERSEN
Andersen didn’t have a great season following his excellent 2021-22 campaign, posting just a .903 save percentage this season. He had injury trouble and got into just 34 games, failing to provide the same impact he did in his first season with Carolina. That said, he did return in the playoffs and ended up performing fairly well in the later rounds.
While Pyotr Kochetkov is almost guaranteed to take one of the team’s goaltending spots next season, there’s a chance either Andersen or Raanta could return. The issue is the team should be pairing Kochetkov with a netminder who could take on a large enough workload, so as to not rush him into a large role right away.
The issue is Andersen is now in his mid-30s, fairly injury-prone, and inconsistent. While I’d be fine with the netminder returning on a short-term deal, it’s possible to find someone else who’d be more reliable as Kochetkov transitions into a starting role over the next couple years.
VERDICT: Not re-signed
CALVIN DE HAAN
Brought in on a professional tryout, de Haan earned a contract with the Hurricanes and took on a bottom-pairing role with the team through much of the season. However, Carolina upgraded their blue line at the trade deadline with the Shayne Gostisbehere trade, bumping de Haan out of the lineup for the remainder of the season from mid-March onwards.
De Haan could always be brought back as a seventh defenseman, but chances are he looks for a contract somewhere where he’ll get more of an opportunity.
VERDICT: Not re-signed
JESPER FAST
Fast has provided great value for the Hurricanes since signing with the team in 2020, carrying just a $2 million cap hit over his three seasons with the team. While he’ll only add about 30 points per year and is already 31 years old, Fast was strong defensively and consistently showed up each night, adding value on the forecheck. He found success playing with Jordan Staal and Jordan Martinook through much of the season, and was a great fit in the bottom-six.
That said, you could argue that Fast is somewhat replaceable and someone else could take his spot and perform just fine. While the hope is Fast returns, the Hurricanes may opt to use Stefan Noesen, Jack Drury, or someone else in a top-nine role on the wing at a cheaper cost.
VERDICT: Not re-signed
SHAYNE GOSTISBEHERE
After being acquired from the Arizona Coyotes at the trade deadline, Gostisbehere was a great fit with the Hurricanes. Playing on the bottom pairing with Jalen Chatfield, Gostisbehere was a clear upgrade over Calvin de Haan. He was able to provide offense, but was also actually quite solid defensively.
The issue is that Carolina is unlikely to pay what it takes to retain Gostisbehere. The Hurricanes already have an established top-four group and especially considering Brett Pesce and Brady Skjei will both be unrestricted free agents in 2024, the Hurricanes probably won’t be committing to someone else while they aren’t sure about the status of those two defenders going forward.
Coming off a season where he scored 41 points in 75 games, the defenseman could be signed to take on a top-four role elsewhere. While Gostisbere would be a great fit if brought back, it just doesn’t make a ton of sense to pay what it would take to re-sign the 30-year-old, just to play on a bottom pairing.
VERDICT: Not re-signed
MAX PACIORETTY
It was a bit of a nightmare scenario for Max Pacioretty with the Hurricanes. After a long recovery from a torn Achilles, Pacioretty made his return for Carolina in January. However, after just five games, the winger re-injured himself to miss the remainder of the year.
Pacioretty’s status is uncertain and at 34 years old, we don’t what what to expect if he does return. That said, he’s not going to command much of a contract in free agency, almost surely being a low-cost, one-year deal. With minimal risk associated with any contract extension, bringing back the forward on a cheap extension makes a lot of sense.
Given the stage Pacioretty is at in his career and the fact he’ll get low-paying contract no matter where he ends up, he’ll likely be looking to play for a contending team. Carolina certainly shouldn’t be counting on him to fill a key role at this point, but re-signing him could carry a lot of upside for almost no risk.
VERDICT: Re-signed
ANTTI RAANTA
If only one goalie is back, chances are it would be Andersen. While Raanta has been solid for the Hurricanes, he also has even more of a history of injury trouble. He hasn’t reached 35 games over any of the last five seasons, the Hurricanes shouldn’t put themselves in a position to count on Kochetkov for upwards of 50 games per year if Raanta is unavailable. While he is still a very capable goaltender when he does play, Raanta would be better paired in a tandem with a clear starter who’s a sure bet to be able to take on a big workload. Raanta’s run in Carolina was strong, but this likely marks the end of his tenure with the team.
VERDICT: Not re-signed
JORDAN STAAL
It’s seemed like a pretty safe bet that Staal would be back in Carolina for next season, but we're getting closer and closer to the point where he can explore other options.
Despite being 34 years old, Staal still factors in as a key member of the lineup and a quality third-line center. He can still add secondary scoring with about 35 points per year, but more importantly, he remains excellent defensively.
Losing Staal would be a bigger blow for the Hurricanes than any other pending free agent, and the Hurricanes would have to work to fill a major hole in the lineup. Staal certainly made it seem like he was intending to return in his exit interview and chances are he does return, but we’re down to just two weeks until he can test free agency. Bringing him back should be a priority.
VERDICT: Re-signed
PAUL STASTNY
Coming off a season where Stastny scored at an 82-game pace of 24 goals and 52 points with the Winnipeg Jets, it seemed like the forward would be a good bet to add secondary scoring for the Hurricanes. Stastny didn’t necessarily add as much offensively as anticipated though, seeing his production cut in half for just nine goals and 22 points in 73 games.
He did still play a solid depth role though, and was decent on the fourth line for much of the season. While Stastny could return for the Hurricanes on a cheap, one-year deal, his spot could end up getting taken by someone else depending on what the team does in the offseason. Chances are he won’t be back.
VERDICT: Not re-signed
DEREK STEPAN
Like Stastny, Stepan was a veteran in a depth role. He added basically nothing offensively, with just 11 points in 73 games, but was solid on his own side of the puck. It’s a similar case to Stastny where it’s possible he could return in the same role, but bringing him back probably won’t be a priority.
Of the two, Stastny provides more value but Stepan may be more likely to return again on a league minimum deal.
VERDICT: Possibly re-signed if there’s no upgrade
HONOURABLE MENTIONS: Max Lajoie, Mackenzie MacEachern and Ondrej Kase
Up front, Mackenzie MacEachern surprisingly ended up getting into playoff action with the Hurricanes, while Ondrej Kase, who could’ve had a top-nine role with the team, played just one game before losing the year to a concussion. On the blue line, Max Lajoie played just three games with the team during the regular season, but put up really impressive numbers in the AHL with 45 points in 63 games.
The three players could still be re-signed for depth, but the Hurricanes’ roster won't see much turnover. While any would be a welcome return to the organization, especially Kase if he can get healthy, chances are they could head elsewhere for more of an opportunity.
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On a side note: For anyone interested, over the last while, I’ve been working on a small project to project contract extensions for this year’s group of free agents. Any UFAs or RFAs with more than 10 NHL games played this year are getting a projection, with an article being released for the Top 50 free agents to give a more detailed breakdown of each projection.
Most of the players designated as a Top-50 Free Agent don’t have a projection released yet, and articles will be posted each day throughout June, leading up to free agency on July 1. However, most UFAs and RFAs do have a projection already available.
For the Hurricanes, projections are out for Jordan Staal, Jesper Fast, Antti Raanta, Paul Stastny, Derek Stepan, Calvin de Haan, and Ondrej Kase, as well as both RFAs in Jesse Puljujarvi and Dylan Coghlan.
I’ve also already released an in-depth look at what Frederik Andersen’s next contract could look like, as one of this summer’s Top 50 Free Agents, which can be found here:
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