Draft picks, trades and free agency: How the Hurricanes’ record-setting club was built
It started with a lucky coin and a lot of money.
It took a passionate head coach, strong leadership from within, young players becoming star players and some wise decisions made by management.
This year’s Carolina Hurricanes have won more games (54) and amassed more points (116) than any team in franchise history as they enter the 2022 Stanley Cup playoffs. That includes the 2005-06 team, the one that put a Stanley Cup banner in PNC Arena.
Tom Dundon is the owner who has spent to the NHL salary cap to make the team competitive. Don Waddell is the president and general manager who has negotiated the deals to keep and bring in players in addition to having that lucky coin at the 2018 NHL draft lottery. The Canes jumped from 11th to second in the first round, taking Andrei Svechnikov.
Rod Brind’Amour, the team captain in 2006, prefers to deflect the praise that has come his way, but the Hurricanes had missed the playoffs for nine consecutive seasons before he was named head coach in 2018. They haven’t missed since and won the toughest division in the league -- the Metropolitan -- this season.
Here’s how the 2021-22 team was assembled:
Draft
20 Sebastian Aho, F
Everyone missed on him in the first round in 2015. The Canes didn’t miss in the second and landed a future All-Star.
37 Andrei Svechnikov, F
Having the chance to get a dynamic power forward No. 2 in 2018 was one of the turning points for the franchise.
88 Martin Necas, F
A first-round pick the year before Svechnikov, he’s speedy and flashy but needs more consistency, more production.
24 Seth Jarvis, F
The Canes’ first-round pick in 2020, he made the NHL roster this year and has impressed with his skill and fearless play.
78 Steven Lorentz, F
A seventh-round pick in 2015, he beat the odds, made it to the NHL and has given the Canes boundless energy.
74 Jaccob Slavin, D
An alternative captain, he was taken in the fourth round in 2012 and has become one of the league’s most complete D-men.
22 Brett Pesce, D
Some might call him underrated but not the Canes. A third-round pick in 2013, his play is steady, dependable, gritty.
52 Pyotr Kochetkov, G
The Canes drafted him in the second round in 2019. They’ve needed him after Andersen’s injury and could need more from him in the playoffs.
Trades
11 Jordan Staal, F
The captain. Traded to Carolina in 2012 from Pittsburgh, where he won a Cup, he is driven to win one with the Canes.
86 Teuvo Teravainen, F
Traded to Carolina with Bryan Bickell from Chicago in 2016, the Finn is Aho’s alter-ego on the ice and a savvy playmaker.
16 Vincent Trocheck, F
The Canes traded four players to Florida in 2020 to get Trocheck, who has some fire to his game and is super competitive.
21 Nino Niederreiter, F
Waddell’s biggest steal as GM was trading forward Victor Rask to Minnesota in 2019 for Niederreiter, who plays a heavy game.
48 Jordan Martinook, F
An alternate captain, he has been an all-effort type since coming to the Canes from Arizona in 2018, often playing through injuries.
13 Max Domi, F
The Canes wanted to add another forward at the trade deadline and picked up a veteran with a good hockey lineage and snarl in his style of game.
76 Brady Skjei, D
Stunned when traded by the Rangers in 2020, his pairing with Pesce has been a lineup fixture and he’s showing off a scoring touch.
25 Ethan Bear, D
The Canes traded Warren Foegele to Edmonton for Bear, whose first season with Carolina has had peaks and valleys.
Free agency
31 Frederik Andersen, G
Until his injury in Colorado, was a top candidate for the Vezina Trophy as the NHL’s best goalie. The Canes need him at his best in the playoffs.
32 Antti Raanta, G
Andersen and Raanta gave the Canes a new look in net this season as free agents. Raanta has filled his backup role perfectly.
77 Tony DeAngelo, D
The Canes gave him a chance this season when a lot of others passed because of his past, and DeAngelo has made the most of it.
28 Ian Cole, D
The veteran won two Cups with the Penguins, is a low-maintenance player who can kill penalties. Checks a lot of boxs.
71 Jesper Fast, F
Fast has been called the team’s “worker bee” by Staal and wins battles on the walls, yet has just four penalty minutes this season.
18 Derek Stepan, F
Versatile veteran can be used at center or the wing. His 106 games of playoff experience adds to his value.
7 Brendan Smith, D
Not hesitant to mix things up physically. Suffered a fractured skull this season blocking a shot but soon was dropping the gloves again.
Offer sheet
82 Jesperi Kotkaniemi, F
The September surprise. The Canes made an offer sheet, the Montreal Canadiens did not match it and Kotkaniemi had a new team. Has since signed an eight-year contract extension.
This story was originally published May 1, 2022 at 6:16 AM.
