Takeaways From Exit Interview Day

RALEIGH, NC. -The majority of the Carolina Hurricanes locker room fielded questions after their exit interviews with the coaching staff and management on Friday, leaving the input of Rod Brind'Amour and Don Waddell as the only remaining item of business before the 2022-23 season is officially marked complete.

The head coach and president/general manager are expected to speak after the holiday weekend, but there was a lot to be learned from what the players themselves had to say yesterday.

The Captain Wants To Be Back

Now complete with his lengthy 10-year, $60M contract that was signed in 2012, perhaps the biggest question going into the offseason was whether or not Jordan Staal would return for an 18th NHL season.

That was answered rather quickly, with #11 sharing his intent to play for the group once again, and citing "unfinished business" as part of his reasoning Friday morning.

Now it'll be up to Staal, his representation, and Canes management to craft a new deal for the 2023-24 campaign.

Previously on the team's salary cap with an average annual value (AAV) of $6M, what does that number look like under his next contract? Will it be just one year? Both are items to keep an eye on.

Decisions To Be Made In The Crease

End-of-season media availabilities usually come with some lip service, but Frederik Andersen sure sounded direct about his desire to return to the team.

Both he and his partner Antti Raanta are unrestricted free agents (UFAs) this summer, but with Pyotr Kochetkov

already signed and waiting in the wings

, it is hard to envision a path in which both of the veteran netminders are in Raleigh again next season.

Of course, you never know, but it is a business after all, too.

Andersen and Raanta

won the Jennings Trophy for their work in the 2021-22 regular season

, but both also had their share of injuries over the past two seasons, in addition to a linked history of them over the course of their entire careers. The question is whether one of the two will be riding shotgun with the 23-year-old Kochetkov in the fall, or if the mentor presence is elsewhere in the league right now.

Gostisbehere Heads To Free Agency, But The Blue Line Is In A Good Spot

Acquired at the trade deadline for a 2026 third-round draft pick from the Arizona Coyotes, Shayne Gostisbehere provided Carolina with an upgrade on the left side of their defense and a second power-play unit quarterback.

Now, for the first time in his career, the 30-year-old is set to become a UFA, and on Friday he sounded excited to see what that process will be like.

Of all left-handed defensemen that are UFAs this summer, only Erik Gustafsson of Toronto produced more points (42) than Gostisbehere (41) this season. Aside from Dmitry Orlov, there are not many other "big names" at the position expected to be available on July 1, so the excitement is understandable for "Ghost".

Although he did say he'd be willing to return, the truth of the matter is that Gostisbehere can likely play a bigger role than LD3 for many of the other 31 teams in the league, as Carolina is more than adequately equipped when it comes to their "top four" on the left, as Jaccob Slavin and Brady Skjei have those roles held down firmly.

On the positive side, of the six staples on Carolina's post-trade deadline blue line, five of them are under contract for 2023-24. Yes, it will be the final year on the current contracts of Skjei, Brett Pesce, and Jalen Chatfield, but those are hurdles that can be tackled at a later date.

Slavin and Brent Burns are both locked up until after the 2024-25 season, so the only spot needed to be taken care of in free agency, or via trade, before opening night, will be the spot on the third pair, presumably located alongside Chatfield.

Who wouldn't want to come to Raleigh after this glowing endorsement from #8?

The Rest of the Free Agents

Be honest, have you started making your CapFriendly Armchair GM rosters yet?

A full list of who is in need of a contract for the fall can be found below, but in terms of priority, obviously some of the above have played, or have been expected to play big roles for the club.

As discussed above, Jordan Staal would like to be a Hurricane again. It's difficult to see that not getting done. But what about the man that has spent the last several seasons nearly attached at his right hip, Jesper Fast?

At 31 years old, "Quickie" led the team with six postseason goals and may have earned himself some money over his previous $2M AAV.

But remember, that's not always a guarantee and not always how it works.

Recall this time last year when it looked like Nino Neiderreiter had earned a bump up from his $5.25M AAV after scoring 24 goals while playing third line minutes. As we know now, the former linemate of Staal and Fast then went unsigned until mid-July and had to take a significant decrease at $4M AAV from Nashville, only to be traded by them a few months later.

The business side of things can get weird.

When the team acquired Max Pacioretty last July, there was a great deal of eagerness to see what he could do. After tearing his Achilles tendon during an off-ice workout in August, the salivation resumed when he produced a near-instantaneous three goals in five games when he made his team debut in January. We're all familiar with

what unfortunately happened next

.

Can he showcase his true fit with the club in the fall? And if so, what AAV does his new agreement come with? One would have to imagine that it will be at least a step or two down from his previous $7M contract that was inked while in Vegas.

CapFriendly

currently projects the Canes to have upward of $24M in cap space this offseason, putting the organization in a nice spot to both take care of necessary business and construct another roster capable of competing for a Stanley Cup in 2024.

Worth A Click:

Key Quotes: 2023 Exit Interviews

Mailbag #60: Stefan Noesen

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