After qualifying for the Stanley Cup Playoffs in consecutive seasons for the first time since 2000-01 and 2001-02, the Hurricanes want to continue to grow with the core they've been building. So although disappointed in losing to the Boston Bruins in five games in the Eastern Conference First Round last season after being swept by the Bruins in the 2019 Eastern Conference Final, they didn't want to overreact.
"We made quite a few changes last year, and one thing you want to be careful of is always chasing something that might not be there," general manager Don Waddell said.
RELATED: [Complete Team Reset coverage]
Carolina has limited its offseason additions so far to agreeing to a three-year contract with unrestricted free agent forward Jesper Fast on Oct. 10 and agreeing to a one-year, two-way contract with depth defenseman Joakim Ryan on Oct. 12. But the roster turnover continued with the retirement of forward
Justin Williams
on Oct. 8 and the departure of defenseman Trevor van Riemsdyk, who signed a one-year contract with the Washington Capitals on Oct. 10.
That leaves the Hurricanes with seven players who played more than 10 games with them in 2017-18: forwards Sebastian Aho, Teuvo Teravainen, Jordan Staal and Brock McGinn, and defensemen Jaccob Slavin, Brett Pesce and
Haydn Fleury
. With those holdovers, the emergence of young forwards Andrei Svechnikov, Martin Necas and
Warren Foegele
, and trades for forward Vincent Trocheck and defensemen Dougie Hamilton and Brady Skjei, the Hurricanes believe they have a core in place that's ready to take the next step (Foegele and Fleury are restricted free agents).
That doesn't mean Carolina won't make another move before the season begins, but Waddell made it clear he'll continue to be selective.
"As a GM you're always looking to improve your team if something makes sense, what you have to give up from a value standpoint," Waddell said. "The other thing is we don't have a lot of [NHL salary] cap space either, so we have to be mindful. If something fits in all those parameters, then we have to take a look at it."
Here is what the Hurricanes look like today:
