This offseason has been a busy one for many NHL teams. For both teams in the Metropolitan Division, it has been an active offseason. The Philadelphia Flyers traded Kevin Hayes, Ivan Provorov, and released Tony DeAngelo. The reigning division leader Carolina Hurricanes were not upset either. They added Dmitri Orlov and DeAngelo to their defense, Michael Bunting to their offense, and re-signed goaltenders Antti Raanta and Frederik Andersen.
The Hurricanes have more needs, though. Andersen and Raanta aren’t a bad duo in net, but they’ve been injured a lot over the past few years. Plus, if there’s any hole this team has, it’s between the pipes. Also, they have 10 pending unrestricted free agents and three RFAs that they need to extend. To add to the staffing issues, they only have $920,000 of salary cap space remaining.
Given the number of players they will be repping next year, someone has to go. All summer long, they talked about moving strong defenseman Brett Pesce. They were looking for a good return for him, but since he was one of ten free agents, they didn’t get the deal they wanted for him.
This is where Carolina and Philadelphia can help each other a lot. Both teams could work out a deal that, in many ways, would solve some of their problems.
The Trade:
Hurricanes Get
G. Carter Hart
F Tanner Laczynski
F Wade Allison
D Egor Zamula
Get the Flyers
Mr. Pyotr Kochetkov
D Brett Pesce
F Jesper Fast
What’s in it for the Hurricanes?
For starters, the Hurricanes get a young, potential-franchise goalie. It’s increasingly likely that Hart’s time in Philadelphia could end this year. Granted, the team could wait until the trade deadline and potentially get some draft picks out of the deal, but the return here from Carolina could be more than enough. If the Hurricanes work out a sign-and-trade deal for Hart, they could lock up a goalie for the long term. Raanta and Andersen will also take care of him if he is weak or hurt.
Rod Brind’Amour is a great coach. He has a knack for turning “ok” players into something better. Wade Allison, Tanner Laczynski, and Egor Zamula, despite being young, are not guaranteed a roster spot this year. Allison and Zamula have had trouble staying healthy, and they haven’t taken advantage of the playing time they’ve been given when healthy. Laczynski, after returning from injury, did not impress Flyers coach John Tortorella. Perhaps Brind’Amour can help retool and refocus these young assets. Otherwise, they can be reversed for picks and prospects.
The biggest thing Carolina can get is cap relief. This trade would shed a hair over $8 million in salary while taking in about $6.3 million. This would leave Philly with almost $1 million in cap space, but give the Hurricanes almost $2 million. That would help them re-sign players like Martin Necas, Teuvo Teravainen, Brady Skjei, or Jordan Martinook.
What’s In It For Flyers?
The Flyers will lose Hart, but get Pyotr Kochetkov. The 24 year old is lighting up the AHL. In two seasons, he won 30 of 41 starts for the Chicago Wolves. In two seasons in Raleigh, he went 15-7-5 with four shutouts. Kochetkov’s goals-against average is 2.43 and his save percentage is 0.908; He sounds good, doesn’t he? So why does Carolina want to transfer him?
First, the Russian has some issues staying healthy. Another issue is that he is a bit hot-headed, which helps him make a habit of taking really dumb punishments (think Jordan Binnington).
Carolina could get a goalie with more experience than Kochetkov, with similar stats, but not as disruptive. on the ice. That would make Brind’amour happy. For the Flyers, they will be able to assess whether or not Kochetkov is good for the long term. Otherwise, he has four years left at $2 million. With his abilities, he is an easy player to ship at the trade deadline with a salary more than half that of Hart. If Torts can reign in his agility, Kochetkov will be one of the top goalies in this league. If he learns to control his anger, he can be extinguished. And so far, he hasn’t been able to do it.
Jesper Fast doesn’t turn many heads. In two seasons in Carolina, he scored 14 and 10 goals. He does not light the lamp very much. But, he is a workhorse. He would fit in well on the third line for a Flyers team looking to build a contender, and will be under team control until next year.
Yes, the Flyers will lose three young players (not counting Hart), but that in itself will help the rebuilding process. Zamula’s departure would give a player like an Emil Andrae, a Ronnie Attard, or an Adam Ginning a chance to make the team. Similarly, the absence of Laczynski and Allison gives Jackson Cates, Olle Lycksell, Zayde Wisdom, Bobby Brink, or Elliot Desnoyers a chance to start playing full-time at the NHL level.
The key to this deal is Pesce. If the veteran accepts a sign-and-trade, he will immediately become the team’s best defensive player and could be paired with Cam York. Pesce could give York a lot of stability and give him a sense of confidence playing with a shutdown defenseman like he hasn’t seen here in Philly before. If Pesce doesn’t want to stay in Philly, he could be traded to the Flyers for a substantial haul at the trade deadline.
Conclusion
Both teams could get a bigger haul for Hart and Pesce in February 2024 compared to now. However, Hart and Pesce fill needs that both teams need to address. Better, for the Hurricanes, to address their needs now rather than late in the season. Carolina could get their goalie of the future while the Flyers have a strong defensive player who can make their blueline corps stronger.
The other players who moved were there to help Carolina shed some cap space while getting some young talent. Also, the Flyers could get some veteran players, who are uncommitted, to help with the rebuild, while getting a goaltender that could fit into their long-term plans. In turn, that would make Cal Petersen, Felix Sandstrom, and/or Sam Ersson expendable.
Another reason this deal is good for both teams is the lack of commitments. Outside of Kochetkov, no one has a contract longer than one season. If anyone moves, they can be re-signed. If not, they can be moved for assets at some point. Most importantly, no one will lose any valuable draft picks; that both teams really want to hold on to as they approach key years in their timelines.