Hurricanes Still Big Game Hunting & Have Marner In Sights

The Carolina Hurricanes have given it their best shot to acquire and keep superstars to add to their group and get them over the hump. The team traded for Jake Guentzel last season and he didn't re-sign and then the Hurricanes tried it again with Mikko Rantanen and he didn't want to sign. Carolina has ended up with Logan Stankoven and two first-round picks, but are also without Martin Necas as well.

The Hurricanes are good and can get to the conference finals, but fail there. They still want a superstar and will try to land Mitch Marner in free agency according to Elliotte Friedman.

Carolina tried to swap Rantanen for Marner ahead of the trade deadline, but Marner turned that down. This could be for a number of reasons, but going to the Hurricanes and playing on that team may not have been one of them. The Hurricanes have a lot of money to throw around this offseason with some big contracts expiring. Their ability to go deep into the playoffs will be an attraction to free agents and other players for sure.

Marner seems like the only superstar that will be available in free agency, so it isn't going to be easy for the Hurricanes to finally get what they want and lock down a player of that caliber. Marner's playoff woes later in series have been noted, but the Hurricanes play a different style of hockey than the Toronto Maple Leafs and might be able to get a different level out of Marner.

It will be the most interesting if at least one superstar in Marner makes it to free agency as the group of players coming up as UFAs isn't great this season. I don't believe he will be back with the Maple Leafs, so where he lands is still very much up for debate.