
The Hurricanes have a way of being the center of attention during the offseason. Whether they were acquiring Brent Burns and Max Pacioretty for pennies on the dollar last summer, or trading away Calder Trophy finalist Alex Nedeljkovic and landing Jesperi Kotkaniemi via offer sheet the offseason before, GM Don Waddell and the front office after often in the news during the summer months.
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They likely will be again. While there’s not a lot on Carolina’s plate regarding unrestricted free agents this offseason, the team has cap space it can weaponize, its share of draft picks and a desire to improve — whether that’s by adding the scoring punch it tried to get with Pacioretty last summer or adding more physicality and size up front.
There are also several key players with one year left on their contracts, a situation that could lead to offseason moves if negotiations quickly break down on extensions. Let’s take a look at each player and his short-term future.
Lock to remain
Jaccob Slavin — The Hurricanes’ cornerstone defenseman likely will one day see his No. 74 hanging in the rafters of PNC Arena. With two years remaining on Slavin’s bargain contract, Carolina doesn’t have to worry about an extension for at least another year.
Brent Burns — Burns proved to be a great fit with the Hurricanes, and alongside Slavin. He’s already 38, but his conditioning will likely allow him to play at a high level through the final two years of his contract.
Andrei Svechnikov — Svechnikov will have plenty to prove coming off season-ending knee surgery, but the 23-year-old is a cornerstone piece who is signed until 2029.
Seth Jarvis — What some saw as a step-back sophomore season, others recognized as something different. Jarvis rebuilt his game in 2022-23 to become a 200-foot player. As that becomes second nature for the young winger, his natural goal-scoring and playmaking talents should shine through. Expect big things for No. 24 in his third NHL season.
Jesperi Kotkaniemi — Kotkaniemi’s contract runs longer than anyone else’s in the organization, and is set to expire in 2030. His slow start to last season was countered with a good second half, one Carolina hopes on which he’ll build.
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Jordan Martinook — Martinook enters the final year of his $1.8 million AAV contract having had a career-best season and inspiring playoffs. A leader on and off the ice and a favorite of coach Rod Brind’Amour, the soon-to-be 31-year-old has solidified his spot on the roster after being placed on waivers before last season.
Jalen Chatfield — Chatfield finally got his chance to be a full-time NHLer and thrived in a third-pairing role. He’s a bargain at $762,500 next season, and the Hurricanes could very well start negotiations this summer to lock in the 27-year-old.
Pyotr Kochetkov — Carolina’s goalie of the future signed a four-year extension last season that will cost $2 million per year. Whether he’ll be the No. 1A goalie or backup next season, his time has come.
Almost definitely back
Sebastian Aho — The player wants to sign an extension. The owner, GM and coach want to sign him to an extension. Now it’s a matter of getting it done. After a contentious negotiation that led to Montreal’s offer sheet back in 2019, Aho is now the centerpiece player of the organization. With one year left on his five-year contract, Aho and the team will try to hammer out an extension this summer that keeps him in Raleigh for the long haul. But one can’t help but have a little doubt after how things went sideways in 2019.
Jordan Staal — Usually a player who enters the offseason without a contract is a big question mark, but Staal and the Hurricanes seem committed to getting a new deal done without any drama. The good news for Carolina is that Staal’s new contract should come in significantly lower than the $6 million he made annually on his 10-year contract.
Stefan Noesen — Noesen proved to be a bargain, a former first-rounder whose career was at a crossroads until he joined the organization two years ago. After leading the AHL in goals and helping the Chicago Wolves to the Calder Cup in 2021-22, Noesen had a career year last season, posting highs in games (78), goals (13, tied with 2017-18), assists (23) and points (36). The 30-year-old, who suffered a shoulder injury in the final playoff game of the season, has a year left on his contract that pays him $762,500.
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Almost definitely back, but what if?
Martin Necas — Necas had his best NHL season last year, smashing career-bests in all categories and leading the team with 71 points. But he did have a dip in production after Svechnikov’s injury, and his postseason was mediocre (four goals, seven points in 15 games). With a season remaining on a two-year bridge deal with a cap hit of $3 million, Necas is a bargain. He’s also never had higher value. If Carolina is going to take a swing at a big offseason acquisition, Necas could very well be the main piece going the other way.
The Hurricanes are flush with cap space that many teams lack, and swapping Necas for a higher-priced star player could be an option. That said, there’s a lot Carolina can do with its cap space without jettisoning the homegrown 24-year-old.
Brady Skjei and Brett Pesce — Why would anyone ever separate these two? For this exercise, they belong together as well. Both Skjei and Pesce have one year left on their contracts, and it seems unlikely the Hurricanes would be comfortable going into next season with both on expiring deals. Carolina will attempt to extend one or both players this summer, but the defensemen can expect to see team-friendly offers pushed across the table. If either — or both — plan to cash in on their first shot at free agency, the Hurricanes will need to explore trade options in the offseason. Carolina can probably live with one walking away for nothing, but not both.
A decision could hinge on Chatfield’s negotiations: If the Hurricanes get him signed long-term, is he ready for a bigger role, and could Pesce be the casualty if a new deal can’t be hammered out?
Potential trade bait
Teuvo Teravainen — It was a tough season for Teravainen, who struggled with his play and injuries. With the final year of his contract on the horizon and the Hurricanes stating they plan to try to get heavier next season, the 28-year-old seems like a possible subtraction. Carolina could also hope that Teravainen has a big contract year and gives the team its best shot to claim the Stanley Cup.
Jack Drury — Drury already asked for a trade last season, and the former second-round pick is the type of player Carolina has shipped out in the past — see other drafted-and-developed bottom-six players like Nicolas Roy, Eetu Loustarinen and Janne Kuokkanen. With Vasily Ponomarev waiting in the wings as a potential fourth-line center, Drury could be used as a piece to a bigger deal.
Could go either way
Frederik Andersen — Andersen seemed hopeful about returning to Raleigh, even offering that a one-year deal could be enough to get it done. His solid playoffs helped diminish the disappointment of an uneven regular season, and he could be the perfect fit alongside Kochetkov, as neither is able to be a 60-game No. 1 at this point in their careers.
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Jesper Fast — Everything points to Fast returning, but if he gets to July 1 without a deal, there will be suitors. Fast is reliable if unspectacular, but his postseason — which included two overtime game-winners among his team-high six goals — was the type of breakthrough performance that can lead to overpayment on the open market.
Jesse Puljujarvi — There’s no way Puljujarvi will get a qualifying offer on his expiring $3 million deal, but if the big Finn is willing to take a big haircut — think closer to $1 million — Carolina could try to bring him back as a 12th or 13th forward with the hopes of still fulfilling his potential.
Mackenzie MacEachern — MacEachern didn’t make his way into the Hurricanes’ lineup until the postseason, but he played the kind of north-south game needed from a fourth-liner who can fill in up the lineup. Someone should offer the 29-year-old a one-way deal this summer — and if it’s Carolina, it could close the door on Puljujarvi’s return.
Dylan Coghlan — After a promising preseason, Coghlan couldn’t carve out a full-time role on the Hurricanes’ defense during his first year in Raleigh. He’s an RFA with arbitration rights, but he doesn’t have much of a case. If the 25-year-old is willing to again be a No. 7 or No. 8 defenseman, he could be back.
Likely saying goodbye
Max Pacioretty — With two Achilles tendon injuries since being acquired for a song last summer, Pacioretty and his career are in doubt. At 34 years old, Pacioretty was already on the downside of an All-Star career, and now it’s unclear if he will ever play again. If he proves to be healthy, maybe he and the Hurricanes can revisit things later this summer.
Shayne Gostisbehere — The deadline acquisition will hit free agency for the first time in his career, and it’s unlikely there’s a fit with the Hurricanes. Gostisbehere should be able to cash in with a team desperate for a puck-moving defenseman who can quarterback a power-play unit. Carolina could use that as well, but probably not at Gostisbehere’s price point.
Antti Raanta — The emergence of Kochetkov crowds things in Carolina’s crease, and Raanta is probably the odd man out. Raanta has played more than 34 games in a regular season just once in his career, so unless the Hurricanes are content with burying Kochetkov in the AHL as a No. 3 — reminder: the team does not have an AHL affiliate for next year — and bringing back both Andersen and Raanta, a return to Raleigh seems unlikely for the ever-smiling “Father Finn.”
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Paul Stastny — On locker room clean-out day, Stastny seemed uncertain if he’d even play another NHL season. He adapted well to his new role as a fourth-liner and had a good postseason, but at 37 years old and with the Hurricanes perhaps looking to beef up, Stastny’s time in Carolina is probably over.
Derek Stepan — Stepan kept the door open to returning next year, saying he understood where he is in his career and that being an in-and-out-of-the-lineup player on a contender was still an acceptable option for him. But like Stastny, Stepan has probably played his last game with the Hurricanes as the team looks to get tougher to play against and promotes some of its youth — Jamieson Rees, anyone?
Calvin de Haan — De Haan was disappointed last summer that no team offered him a multiyear deal, and he instead came to Carolina on a professional tryout and earned a one-year, $850,000 contract. He played in the Hurricanes’ bottom pairing for most of the season, but the acquisition of Gostisbehere moved him out of the lineup. Coghlan practiced as the No. 7 defenseman for most of the playoffs, dropping de Haan further in a pecking order that won’t include him next year.
Ondrej Kase and Jake Gardiner — Both spent the year on long-term injured reserve and have probably played their final NHL games.
(Photo of Martin Necas: James Guillory / USA Today)
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