Carolina Hurricanes Offseason Outlook: Potential Trade with Calgary for Andersen
It’s been an eventful week in the NHL with numerous transactions, and the Stanley Cup Finals are still ongoing with Game 6 tonight. The Calgary Flames recently traded star goaltender Jacob Markstrom to the New Jersey Devils in exchange for Kevin Bahl and a first-round draft pick in 2025. This move might open the door for the Carolina Hurricanes to consider trades with Calgary.
The Flames might offload more contracts, which could be beneficial for the Hurricanes. By offering an attractive draft pick, Carolina could help Calgary create salary cap space, allowing them to accommodate some of Carolina’s more expensive players.
With Markstrom now in New Jersey, Calgary’s goaltending duties fall to Dan Vladar and Dustin Wolf. Last season, they combined for 37 games and only secured 15 wins. Wolf had slightly better stats with a 3.16 GAA and a .893 save percentage.
Carolina, in need of a goaltending upgrade, still has three reliable goalies. Frederik Andersen, who has one year left on his $3.4 million contract, is a strong regular-season performer despite health concerns.
For the Flames to remain competitive while nurturing young talent, stable goaltending is crucial. Andersen could provide that stability in the short term, giving their other goalies time to develop. In his 16 starts, Andersen boasted a 1.84 GAA and a .932 save percentage.
Despite his injury history, he could be a solid presence and a valuable trade asset if Calgary falls out of playoff contention.
Carolina has most of their draft picks for the next three years, so they can afford to offer a valuable pick to entice Calgary to take on Andersen’s contract. This would free up cap space for the Hurricanes to retain their free agents.
Such a move could benefit both teams and might even pave the way for Carolina to trade for a player like Linus Ullmark from Boston.
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