Brind'Amour: 'Hard to watch' Hurricanes UFAs sign elsewhere
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There's been no shortage of roster turnover for the Carolina Hurricanes this summer, with long-time defencemen Brady Skjei and Brett Pesce among the players to depart as free agents.
The Hurricanes also lost forwards Teuvo Teravainen, Stefan Noesen and Jake Guentzel, who was acquired for a steep price at the trade deadline.
Head coach Rod Brind'Amour, who has led the Hurricanes to the playoffs in each of his six seasons, said Wednesday it's hard to see top players leave, but added that he's optimistic for the incoming crop of talent.
“You get attached to the guys, especially when we’ve had them [for a long time],” Brind’Amour said, per NHL.com. “It was hard, I’ll be honest. It was hard to watch guys walk out of here. I understand it. It’s a business. They’ve got to do what they’ve got to do. But it’s also exciting because you get a whole new group of guys coming in, and maybe some of these young guys will crack the lineup and you get to watch them grow. It’s just the evolution of it.
“I had a lot of tough [phone] calls this summer. I haven’t really had too many of those. We have good players and teams will pay them. We can’t pay everybody. That’s just how it goes unfortunately. I love those guys; I wish them the best. I’m just excited for the new guys coming that are excited to be here and get their game going.”
The Hurricanes managed to hold on to Jordan Martinook and Jalen Chatfield ahead of free agency and added forwards William Carrier, Jack Roslovic, Eric Robinson and Tyson Jost on the open market.
To help make up for the loss of Skjei and Pesce, the team signed defencemen Sean Walker and Shayne Gostisbehere to three-year deals on July 1.
“There’s a learning curve on any team,” Brind’Amour said of those additions. “There is familiarity with ‘Ghost.’ With Walker coming in, he’s excited to play the way we play. Most players like the way we play, and they want to do it. We are up-tempo and it’s a fun way to play.
"At the end of the day, these guys are good hockey players. If they have a willingness to get it, they will get it.”
The Hurricanes still have more than $11.6 million cap space, according to PuckPedia, which appears to be earmarked for restricted free agents Martin Necas and Seth Jarvis.
Trade rumours have surrounded Necas throughout the off-season, but the NHL draft came and went without a deal being made. The 25-year-old forward posted 24 goals and 53 points in 77 games last season.
Jarvis is coming off a breakout campaign in which he posted 33 goals and 67 points in 81 games, topping the 20-goal and 45-point marks for the first time in his three-year career.