With Carolina Hurricanes’ season over, tough choices loom: Which free agents may return?

The Carolina Hurricanes’ once-promising season — a season during which they were the betting favorite to win the Stanley Cup; a season during which they made the long-clamored-for midseason trade splash; a season during which they racked up 50 regular-season wins for the third time in as many years — is over.

And for the second consecutive season, the Canes’ season is over far more quickly than many would have anticipated — a second-round playoff exit at the hands of a bitter division rival. A year ago, the Florida Panthers won four straight one-goal games behind Sergei Bobrovsky. This year, the New York Rangers rode another hot Russian netminder — and a bit of good fortune.

The difference this year, though, may be in what this loss means to the team’s roster, and, perhaps, some of its coaches.

A year ago, the Canes had a handful of expiring contracts, but nothing that was unmanageable. And the team had cap space to make a summer acquisition or two, which it used to add prized defender Dmitry Orlov, as well as the midseason additions of Jake Guentzel and Evgeny Kuznetsov.

This summer will be far more interesting for the Hurricanes with respect to roster construction. The team’s projected cap space this summer is $27.3 million, per CapFriendly, which at first blush feels like a lot. But when you consider more than half of the team’s current everyday NHL roster will be on the free-agent market in some capacity, suddenly that number feels much smaller. The NHL’s projected salary cap in 2024-25 is $87.7 million, and it is scheduled to rise to $92 million in 2025-26. This past season’s cap was $83.5 million.

Here is a look the Hurricanes’ current roster situation:

Unrestricted free agents (9)

This is the biggest area of concern for the Canes, because these are players who are free to sign anywhere, with any team, with no repercussions or ability to challenge the move. For the first time since the team’s run of six consecutive trips to the playoffs began, this group includes players thought to be part of the team’s “core,” many of whom will command raises on the open market.

Jalen Chatfield (D) — Age: 27; Current salary: $762,500: Chatfield has been a steady, reliable defender for the Hurricanes the past two seasons. In the 2023-24 regular season, he had eight goals and 14 assists and was a plus-15 while averaging more than 15 minutes of ice time per game over 72 games.

Tony DeAngelo (D) — Age: 28; Current salary: $1.675 million: DeAngelo is on his second stint with the Hurricanes after a failed sojourn to the Flyers last season. He was a healthy scratch for the majority of the regular season, but drew back in during the playoffs after an injury to Brett Pesce. In the regular season, DeAngelo had three goals and eight assists in 31 games and was a minus-11. In his first six playoff games, he had one assist.

Jake Guentzel (F) — Age: 29; Current salary: $6 million: The Canes’ top trade acquisition this season, his cap hit here was only $4.5 million after Pittsburgh retained some of his salary for the remainder of the season. But Guentzel will be a prize free agent, and will almost assuredly command a salary, and term, larger than his previous contract. In his short stint with the Canes, he made his presence known, racking up eight points in eight playoff games to go with 25 points in 17 regular-season games with Carolina.

Jordan Martinook (F) — Age: 31; Current salary: $1.8 million: A heart-and-soul player for the Canes worth far more than his 32 regular-season points, his relatively small cap hit and his value to the team in grit, heart and durability (he was one of three Canes to play in all 82 games) make him a likely returnee. But at 31, he also could be looking to make one last splash as a free agent.

Stefan Noesen (F) — Age: 31; Current salary: $762,500: Speaking of grit, Noesen adds a sandpaper element to the forward group, and so many of his 37 points during the regular season came from within 6 feet of the net. He has a scoring touch — he led the AHL in scoring the season before he earned his roster spot in Raleigh — and plays well defensively. He may not command a large salary on the open market, but he’s surely due a raise.

Brett Pesce (D) — Age: 29; Current salary: $4.025 million: One of two big-name defenders the Canes have to reckon with as a UFA this season, Pesce has been a staple on the team’s second defensive pairing since signing a six-year deal in 2018. He’ll be due a significant raise next season and beyond. A non-contact injury early in the playoffs forced an early end to his season, but that injury shouldn’t impact his next contract, which will be significant.

Antti Raanta (G) — Age: 34; Current salary: $1.5 million: Raanta’s time with the Hurricanes all but ended with his assignment to the AHL earlier this season, and the team’s subsequent signing of Spencer Martin to an extension. With Frederik Andersen and Pyotr Kochetkov under contract next season as well, Father Finn is likely to sign elsewhere, if at all.

Brady Skjei (D) — Age: 30; Current salary: $5.25 million: The other of the Canes’ top two defensive UFAs this offseason, Skjei has been a dominant force on the Canes’ second defensive pairing since being acquired from the Rangers in 2020. He set a career high for points in the regular season this year with 47, after setting a career-high in goals last year with 18. Skjei will be one of the most coveted players on the free-agent market this offseason.

Teuvo Teravainen (F) — Age: 29; Current salary: $5.4 million: Teravainen’s is a perplexing case. The Canes acquired him from the Blackhawks in 2016, and signed him to a five-year contract in 2019. He’s never crested 65 points in a season, despite his elite playmaking ability, but he’s always been a consistent regular-season piece of the team’s forward group. He may be a player the Canes look to keep, if they can get him for less money.

Restricted free agents (6)

These players are free to sign with any club that offers them a contract, with the restriction that if Carolina chooses to match that offer, the player would stay with the Hurricanes. These are mostly players who are coming off rookie deals, or bridge contracts following rookie deals. And some of these players will also be due for hefty raises.

Dylan Coghlan (D) — Age: 26; Current salary: $850,000: Coghlan has played far more in the AHL than the NHL in his career, having come to Carolina in the trade with Vegas that also brought Max Pacioretty to Raleigh for a hot minute. Coghlan has been used as a spare defender for the Canes, and if he’s willing to reprise that role, for his current salary, the Canes will likely be willing to listen. But if he gets an offer elsewhere, the Canes would probably not match it.

Maxime Comtois (F) — Age: 25; Current salary: $775,000: Comtois is a former second-round draft pick by Anaheim. The Hurricanes signed him to a deal midway through the season after he started the year on a minor-league deal in Chicago, where he stayed for most of the remainder of the season.

Jack Drury (F) — Age: 24; Current salary: $925,000: Drury has served notice this season that he’s going to be an NHL regular, something that wasn’t necessarily apparent last season, when he spent more time in the AHL than in the NHL. Drury has a history of betting on himself, and he doesn’t lack confidence. No doubt he’ll listen to offers as an RFA this season, but if it isn’t exorbitant, the Canes will likely be interested in matching an offer.

Seth Jarvis (F) — Age: 22; Current salary: $894,167: This is where a chunk of the Canes’ offseason money will likely go. Jarvis is a key piece of the Canes’ puzzle going forward. He’s become a reliable two-way player already, and his rookie-deal salary was a steal. His next deal will not be, but the feeling is the Canes will try to get an extension done before anyone else has a chance to back up the money truck.

Martin Necas (F) — Age: 25; Current salary: $3 million: This is the end of the bridge deal Necas signed coming off his rookie deal (a bridge deal similar to what Jarvis may command in length, though his may be more lucrative). Necas has been a conundrum, though. The skill he has is all-world, but his per-game point production has dropped significantly during the playoffs in each of his five playoff runs with the team. Last year, he had 71 points in 82 regular-season games, but just seven points in 15 playoff games. This past season, he dipped to 53 regular-season points and was sub-zero in plus-minus for the first time in four years.

Ryan Suzuki (F) — Age: 22; Current salary: $863,333: Suzuki is one of those players who needed a bit of organizational patience, given his medical history. He’s played mostly in the minors since signing his entry-level deal, and if he does sign elsewhere, it would likely be more for a change of scenery than a big raise.

Waiting in the wings

After playing the 2023-24 season without an official American Hockey League affiliate, the Hurricanes have once again signed an agreement with the Chicago Wolves, giving the team’s prospects a stable location to play minor-league hockey. Last season, without an affiliate, the Canes’ players were scattered across several AHL and ECHL teams.

To that end, the team has signed what feels like a flurry of players in the past month or so, some with the aim of stocking the Wolves with talent, but perhaps some who may crack next season’s roster, depending on their development this summer. Some of the team’s top young players who’ve recently signed:

Jackson Blake (F) — Age: 20; Current salary: $905,833: Coming off a successful college career at North Dakota, Blake signed his entry-level deal and is paid immediately. This alone puts him in the mix to fill a roster spot next season, never mind his top-end talent and nose for the net. Blake was a Hobey Baker Award finalist as the NCAA’s top player this past season after putting up 60 points in 40 games.

Juha Jaaska (F) — Age: 26; Current salary: N/A: Jaaska’s salary ($850,000) doesn’t kick in until next season, and he’s most likely to spend most of the season in the AHL, but he will add an element of depth to a defensive group that could see a major shakeup this offseason.

Ruslan Khazheyev (G) — Age: 20; Current salary: N/A: Another player whose salary ($845,000) kicks in next season, this Russian keeper’s contract is for three years, beginning in 2024-25. Russian players don’t usually sign without an intent to play in North America, and with three NHL-level goalies already signed, look for Khazheyev to spend most of his time in the minors.

Charles-Alexis Legault (D) — Age: 20; Current salary: N/A: A former teammate of coach Rod Brind’Amour’s son, Skyler, at Quinnipiac in the NCAA, Legault’s three-year entry-level deal ($915,000/year) kicks in next season. He was a gritty defender in college, putting up 24 points with a plus-36, but also racking up 53 minutes in penalties as a sophomore.

Scott Morrow (D) — Age: 21; Current salary: $916,667: Morrow stayed in school as long as he could after being drafted in 2021. His deal kicked in for this past season, and given the movement expected on the Canes’ blue line, look for Morrow to get a good look at an NHL roster spot next season. He got a taste of action this year, appearing in two games near the end of the regular season.

Bradly Nadeau (F) — Age: 19; Current salary: $950,000: Nadeau surprised some by leaving Maine after just one season, but it was a great season in which he put up 46 points in 37 games. The 2023 first-round NHL Draft pick’s entry-level contract has already kicked in, but he’ll also be waivers-exempt and could spend time honing his game in the AHL.

Joel Nystrom (D) — Age: 21; Current salary: N/A: Signed to a two-year entry-level deal ($925,000/year) that kicks in next season, Nystrom was a seventh-round draft pick in 2021. He adds more defensive depth to the club’s minor-league system.

Gleb Trikosov (F) — Age: 19; Current salary: N/A: A 2022 second-round pick by the Canes, Trikosov’s entry-level deal ($862,500) kicks in next season. He’ll add depth to the team’s forward group as well.

What about the Hurricanes’ coaches?

The players aren’t the only ones with expiring contracts in Raleigh. As the 2024 Stanley Cup playoffs began, plenty of chatter in and around Raleigh — and around the NHL — noted that Hurricanes head coach Rod Brind’Amour was in the final year of his contract.

Having led the Hurricanes to the playoffs — and to a first-round playoff series win — in each of his six seasons behind the bench, the Hurricanes’ Stanley Cup-winning captain, and an inaugural member of the team’s hall of fame, appeared to be a lock to secure another contract with the club.

Did an earlier-then-expected playoff exit this season dampen that possibility? And what about the assistant coaches, for whom Brind’Amour fought during his last contract negotiation? Will any of that group be on the hot seat after the team’s playoff performance in each of the past two seasons?

The coach, President and GM Don Waddell, and even team owner Tom Dundon have continued to say the right things publicly, but those comments all came two weeks ago, before this recent Rangers debacle. There is certainly more cause for speculation now than there ever has been, which in itself could affect how free agents view the team culture, and whether they sign in Raleigh, or elsewhere.