The Carolina Hurricanes, aside from acquiring Nicolas Deslauriers from the Philadelphia Flyers, stayed pat at the NHL trade deadline. In what was an overall pretty quiet deadline in terms of trades, Carolina was one of the top teams to keep an eye on to make a big splash. They were linked to names like Vincent Troceck, Robert Thomas, and Elias Pettersson.
Despite sitting comfortably atop the Metro Division and Eastern Conference, the Canes have their eyes set on a Stanley Cup trophy. Coach Rod Brind’Amour weighed in on the Hurricanes’ trade deadline move(s), and did not hold back when being the voice for the locker room on how the group felt.
What Did Rod Brind’Amour Say About Hurricanes Trade Deadline?
The Hurricanes picked up a quality victory over the Edmonton Oilers on Friday night, but before that, he spoke with the media and did not hold back in his messaging:
“I know there’s a lot of disappointment, I’m going to be honest. The players were hoping to see us make a splash. It’s tough. We’re one of the best teams in the league right now. Teams are making deals to try and catch us, and try to catch the teams that are ahead of them, and that is us.”
However, the flip to that statement is Carolina’s GM Eric Tulsky made it very clear this Hurricanes team has three top 40 centers in the NHL, and also highlighted the market for tradable players was not as deep as it’s been in past seasons.
Brind’Amour also noted this:
“On one side, it would be nice to throw your chips in and see if you could improve your team, but we love the group we have.”
And the Hurricanes should love the group they have.
Other Hurricanes notes and news after the trade deadline include a positive update on goalie Pyotr Kochetkov, who might be able to return if Carolina makes a deep run in the playoffs.
Jesperi Kotkaniemi did not get moved ahead of the deadline.
Shayne Gostibehere appeared to have gotten clipped in Friday’s win over the Oilers, but Rod Brind’Amour did not provide much of an update on him in the postgame presser.
Carolina’s west coast road trip rolls on, where they are 2-1, with a back-to-back matchup against the Calgary Flames last Saturday night.
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