Team: 2022-23 Carolina Hurricanes

Initial Creation Date: Jun. 27, 2022

Published: Jun. 28, 2022

Salary Cap Mode: Basic

I think the Canes were close to Stanley Cup level hockey this year. Had Freddie and his XGA (which was similar to Igor and Vassey in the regular season) been on the ice in place of Raanta (who despite the love of fans was average in the XGA department) then things may have turned out differently. Especially with another goal scorer in the lineup.

That said, they need a better goal scorer in their top 6 (pay for Forsberg and keep your assets). This also includes signing Zadorov to replace Cole, bringing the physicality and bite we are missing without Nino and Troch.

You will see Necas and KK on the second line giving them both opportunities at C depending on where the draw is located (R or L). You'll see Svech sliding in for Nino for more goals and just as much bite on our "most impactful" line. This gives you 3 solid lines of production with the ability to move guys around as needed for a playoff run.

You will also see 1 year deals for many players (Necas, TDA, Lorentz). This is a push for a cup with a promise of more cap space available next offseason to extend at a higher AAV (Staal plus 2 goalies frees $12.5m alone and I'm sure Koochie takes 1 of those spots at <$1 mil).

You will also see 20 rostered players. The canes typically carry 21-22. However, the remaining cap space is $900,000 which allows any player from Chicago to come up or down with the team remaining cap compliant. And multiples can come up with their salaries offset by the injured player's cap deduction per game. So, this limits the ability for a big trade deadline deal, but ensures you sign a top scorer and phyically imposing Dman who kills penalties (after letting Cole move on).

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