Best and worst moves made by the Hurricanes to open NHL free agency
The Carolina Hurricanes remained active Wednesday on the start of NHL free agency, making several moves as they readjusted their roster. Some were better than others:
The best move: Jordan Martinook
The news of Martinook’s re-signing hardly registered Wednesday amid all the talk about Dougie Hamilton and the other free agents in play. But the Canes put an “A” on Martinook for a reason, for his leadership as an alternate captain, his positive attitude and his work ethic. They re-signed him to a three-year deal for a reason.
Martinook has fought through injuries, often playing while hurting. He helped mentor Andrei Svechnikov as a rookie and has been something of a personal cheerleader (“Mistah Svech-ni-kov”) for the Russian forward. He also might be the right man to say what needs to be said, if and when it needs to be said, to some of the Canes newcomers.
The worst move: Tony DeAngelo
This was a free-agent signing the Canes could have done without Wednesday, giving the term “no-brainer” another kind of definition. Yes, the prospect of losing defenseman Dougie Hamilton was daunting and the void is a big one. But DeAngelo? With all his personal baggage?
DeAngelo has been a problem player at every level, abusing officials and teammates. While he might be able to produce enough offense to make it a sensible signing numbers-wise, and while Canes coach Rod Brind’Amour might be able to keep him in check, and while he likely will be a zero-tolerance kind of player in the room and on the ice, DeAngelo was a gamble the Canes didn’t need to take. Just ask their fans.
This story was originally published July 28, 2021 at 4:24 PM.
