What did the Carolina Hurricanes do at the NHL trade deadline?
For a long time Monday before the NHL trade deadline, it appeared the Carolina Hurricanes had made a decision they liked their team and would stick with it.
But that changed, and its changed just before the 3 p.m. deadline.
The Canes sent defenseman Haydn Fleury to the Anaheim Ducks for defenseman Jani Hakanpaa and a sixth-round draft pick in 2022.
The move was a little surprising in that Fleury was set to play for the Canes on Monday against the Detroit Red Wings. Canes coach Rod BrindAmour said Monday morning that Fleury would be in the lineup and Jake Bean a scratch.
With the Canes 27-9-4 and sitting in first place in the Central Division, the Canes could have decided to stand pat. But additions made by division contenders Tampa Bay and Florida, who both added right-shot defensemen, might have changed the equation.
Hakanpaa, 29, gives the Canes another right-shot D-man, joining Dougie Hamilton and Brett Pesce. A former fourth-round draft pick by the St. Louis Blues, the Kirkkonummi, Finland, native has played 42 games this season for Anaheim and is a big guy. at 6-foot-5 and 218 pounds. He is a pending UFA this offseason.
Fleury, 24, was Carolina’s first-round draft choice in 2014, the seventh overall pick, and played in 35 games this season, and 167 in his NHL career. At 6-3 and 208 pounds, the left-shot defenseman has a physical edge to his play and was effective last year in the 2020 postseason.
In a season played during the pandemic and with salary-cap concerns, there were only a handful of notable NHL deals Monday as the 3 p.m. deadline neared. As Sunday turned into Monday, the Buffalo Sabres sent Taylor Hall and Curtis Lazar to the Boston Bruins in a wee-hours transaction. Late in the afternoon Monday, the Washington Capitals acquired Anthony Mantha from the Red Wings for Jakub Vrana, Richard Panik, as well as a 2021 first-round pick and a 2022 second-round draft pick.
Four hours before the deadline, Canes coach Rod Brind’Amour was asked on a Monday media call if he believed he would have the same team post-deadline, with no new faces in the mix.
“I envision us being the same group moving forward here,” Brind’Amour said.
The “group” in Brind’Amour’s mind includes a return of injured forwards Teuvo Teravainen and Brock McGinn. Teravainen, who has had COVID issues and a concussion, has been limited to 13 games this season and not played since March 4. McGinn has been out the past three games with an upper-body injury.
McGinn should return, Brind’Amour said Monday. But Teravainen’s status remains in doubt.
“That’s the big question mark,” Brind’Amour said. “Teuvo’s the wild card. We need him back. We need him to turn the corner and say he’s ready to go. We’re banking on it, obviously, but having him back would really make things feel a lot better, that’s for sure.
“I think we’re in good shape. We need to get healthy. That’s a big deal. We’re hoping that we’ll get healthy, so with that in mind I think we’re in good shape.”
Brind’Amour said he spent no time paying attention to NHL scuttlebutt about trades or any names being mentioned. Nor, he said, did he think his players were affected by it.
“I think in our case, when there’s really not much expected to happen, I don’t think it’s that big a deal in our locker room,” he said. “With some teams it’s way different. I think obviously they’re in a little more different places, so they’re a little more apprehensive and what not, but I don’t sense that in our group.”
A year ago, the Canes added center Vincent Trocheck and defensemen Brady Skeji and Sami Vatanen in trades before the deadline. Trocheck might be the Canes’ MVP this season and Skjei has paired well with Brett Pesce. Vatanen left in free agency after the 2020 postseason.
Vatanen was placed on waivers Sunday by New Jersey and claimed Monday by the Dallas Stars, a Central team.
