The Carolina Hurricanes brought back some talent today and even added some as the day progressed. The Hurricanes brought back Jesper Fast and their goaltenders, Frederik Andersen and Antti Raanta. The Hurricanes added winger Michael Bunting and defenseman Dmitry Orlov.
Hurricanes Re-Signees
Bringing back Fast was a good decision by the Hurricanes as they wanted to keep most of their team from last year that won the Metropolitan Division intact. The one move in question was bringing back both of their goaltenders; Andersen was expected not to be back and sign elsewhere. Still, they ended up getting him and Raanta back to a goalie room featuring Pyotr Kochetkov, so it’ll be interesting to see their direction in the net.
Overall Grade: B
Hurricanes Signees
Adding Bunting and Orlov was huge for the Hurricanes as Bunting will slide in nicely and help improve the Hurricanes. Orlov was huge for the Bruins last season in their record-breaking Regular Season and will be a nice addition to a defensive unit that includes Brent Burns, Jaccob Slavin, Brady Skjei, and if they can keep him, Brett Pesce.
Overall Grade: A-
Wrap Up
It’s only day one of free agency, and many big names are still out on the market via signings or trades, so it’ll be interesting to see what the Hurricanes do going forward. There is a report that Carolina is working hard to acquire Erik Karlsson from San Jose Sharks, and we should know in the next 24-48 hours where he will end up. Overall these are some solid moves for a team that finished last season with 113 points.
Overall Grade: B+
