The Carolina Hurricanes made two substantial moves this offseason to bolster their roster in pursuit of a Stanley Cup.
The most highly coveted unrestricted free agent this offseason was arguably Nikolaj Ehlers.
After most of the top free agents had already signed with their new respective teams, Ehlers was still pondering his next move.
Ultimately, the Hurricanes won the sweepstakes for Ehlers as he signed a six-year, $51 million contract.
Carolina also took a big swing at defenseman K’Andre Miller, who has the potential to be a reliable blueliner for years to come, but he’s just yet to fully put all of the tools together.
The Hurricanes acquired Miller in a sign-and-trade from the New York Rangers, and quickly signed him to an eight-year, $60 million contract.
Rod Brind'Amour feels that these two moves put the Hurricanes over the top.
“If there's something out there that can make us better, we're going to try to figure out how to get it,” Brind'Amour said. “The additions were the best we could do. We just want to have a chance. I feel like we do.”
The Hurricanes have been a top contender in the Eastern Conference for years, but have never seemed to be able to get over the hump.
We’ll have to see if Ehlers and Miller are able to change that.
