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Hurricanes are sellers this NHL offseason; these 5 players are most likely to be traded

By Derek Grochowski

RALEIGH, NC - JANUARY 21: Tom Dundon, new owner of the Carolina Hurricanes, sounds the Hurricane warning siren calling players to the ice prior to an NHL game against the Vegas Golden Knights January 21, 2018 at PNC Arena in Raleigh, North Carolina. (Photo by Gregg Forwerck/NHLI via Getty Images)
RALEIGH, NC - JANUARY 21: Tom Dundon, new owner of the Carolina Hurricanes, sounds the Hurricane warning siren calling players to the ice prior to an NHL game against the Vegas Golden Knights January 21, 2018 at PNC Arena in Raleigh, North Carolina. (Photo by Gregg Forwerck/NHLI via Getty Images) /
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Tom Dundon and the Carolina Hurricanes prepare for a busy offseason which may include multiple big name trades.

According to a radio interview on TSN 1050, Bob McKenzie believes that “everyone in Carolina is available except Aho.”

Tom Dundon is not the general manager of the Carolina Hurricanes, but he is running the team aggressively. The trade rumors are heating up early this summer. Players will be moving in and out of Carolina like a used car lot on a holiday weekend. Does your team need defensemen? They have defensemen. Need some depth forwards? They have depth forwards.

Carolina will have teams around the league thinking buy, buy, buy, and Carolina general manager Don Waddell will be thinking sell, sell, sell.

Here are the five players the Hurricanes are most likely to move this offseason.

RALEIGH, NC – MARCH 31: Justin Faulk #27 of the Carolina Hurricanes skates with the puck during an NHL game against the New York Rangers on March 31, 2018 at PNC Arena in Raleigh, North Carolina. (Photo by Gregg Forwerck/NHLI via Getty Images)
RALEIGH, NC – MARCH 31: Justin Faulk #27 of the Carolina Hurricanes skates with the puck during an NHL game against the New York Rangers on March 31, 2018 at PNC Arena in Raleigh, North Carolina. (Photo by Gregg Forwerck/NHLI via Getty Images) /

5. Justin Faulk

Teams will be flooding the phone lines to get a chance at Justin Faulk. The current captain of the Carolina Hurricanes has been on the team since the 2011-12 season. He still has a lot of talent offensively, picking up 31 points on a team that struggled to score. Faulk may not be a player that Carolina wants to trade, but his value will never be higher. The defenseman has two years left at a decent salary with a $4.83-million-dollar cap hit. Justin Faulk is just 26 years old and will be good for the remainder of his contract. He was often cast as a No. 1 defenseman in Carolina, but he is better suited as a second pair defenseman who can drive offense.

A right-handed defenseman who can drive offense would fit the bill for many teams in the league. Some of the best trade partners would come in the Hurricanes’ own division. The Washington Capitals will likely be looking for a replacement for John Carlson. Carlson is right-handed, 28 years old and set to hit free agency and in line for a raise. Washington may not be able to keep Carlson but they could swing a trade for Faulk. Another possible landing spot is north of the border. The Toronto Maple Leafs are dying for a right-handed defenseman with offensive upside. Connor Carrick, Roman Polak and Nikita Zaitsev are the only right-handed defensemen on the Leafs roster and neither are known for carrying an offense. New general manager Kyle Dubas could make a huge splash in his first offseason by acquiring Justin Faulk.

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