What’s next for the Carolina Hurricanes this offseason?

After an unexpected playoff run, Carolina’s season is over. What do the Hurricanes have to do this off-season to prove this run was more than a mirage?

The Carolina Hurricanes had few expectations heading into this season. Years of mediocrity and under performing had left the local fan base disinterested. Whispers of relocation had been floating around the team for several years as PNC Arena became increasingly barren of fans in each passing season.

Thus, this year’s playoff run — the first postseason appearance by Carolina since 2009 — reinvigorated the fans. Even after being swept by Boston in the Eastern Conference Finals, there’s optimism surrounding the Hurricanes.

But now there is a series of daunting questions. What’s next? Can the Hurricanes sustain this success for next season? Or was it all just a fluke?

The Hurricanes have six unrestricted free agents to deal with, including four of which that significantly shape how Carolina looks next season. First and foremost is 37-year-old captain Justin Williams, whose leadership along with his ageless production were among the critical aspects of the Hurricanes deep playoff run. After putting up a 53-point season, Williams is in no need to call it quits anytime soon, and it’s hard to imagine a scenario where they don’t sign him for at least another season.

Micheal Ferland’s contract is also expiring, and he was an interesting case to watch all season, especially towards the trade deadline when it was rumored the two sides were struggling on an extension. Carolina elected to hold on to Ferland as an “in-house rental” and revisit extension talks after the season. Ferland finished the season with 17 goals and 23 assists, but will still command a high price on the open market as a skilled power forward.

The goaltending tandem of Petr Mrazek and Curtis McElhinney are both free agents. Once again, Carolina is going to have to figure out a long-term solution to its never-ending goaltending questions. Both had inconsistencies throughout the season, though they did their job getting Carolina getting to the playoffs. However, they don’t seem to be long-term solutions. But if it isn’t broken, don’t fix it. Short-term contract extensions could be a fair solution for both sides.

Along with the UFAs, Carolina has five restricted free agents who need to be signed. None come close to Sebastian Aho. Aho is the undeniable future face of the franchise, and will deserve to be paid as such. After wrapping up this season with 83 points in 82 games — as well as being an outstanding two-way forward — it’s hard to imagine Aho settling for anything less than $9M a year on a long-term contract.

Fortunately for the Hurricanes, they have the most cap space in the league, and the only question is if they’ll be willing to use it to build another playoff team. They have all the young pieces in place to be consistent cup contenders in the future, they now just need to find the support to supplement their core.

To find that support, obviously Carolina has the cap space to sign whoever it pleases in free agency. It also has plenty of trade assets in order to make a splash move. The Hurricanes own all their own draft picks, as well two additional second-round picks, one of which can be used to acquire a top six winger to supplement their already lethal offense. They could even afford to ship out their first round pick at 28th overall in order to deal for some of the higher end talent on the market considering the amount of young talent already on the team.

No matter what the Hurricanes do, they really can do no wrong once they sign Aho long term and figure out their goaltending situation. Whether Carolina decide to build a solid cup contending team or stand pat and grow naturally, it is already a solid bet to win the Metropolitan division next season.