3 weakest links Carolina Hurricanes should promptly get rid of ft. Jesperi Kotkaniemi

The Carolina Hurricanes made their second Eastern Conference Finals appearance over the last three years in 2024-25.

Unfortunately, their Round 3 record dropped to a lowly 1-8 after a gentleman's sweep at the hands of the Florida Panthers.

It was once again evident that the Canes were pushed around by the back-to-back Stanley Cup Champions, and change is needed to be able to compete with the league's best.

They've made the playoffs in seven consecutive seasons, so there is no need to do anything crazy, but the Carolina Hurricanes have some players they should be looking to offload this summer to improve the roster.

3 Weakest Links Carolina Hurricanes Should Get Rid Of

#3 Tyson Jost

Tyson Jost wasn't too big of a factor for the Carolina Hurricanes in 2024-25, but it doesn't feel necessary to extend him on a new contract. They signed the 27-year-old to a one-year, minimum deal, and realistically, he provided the value you would expect.

However, we saw how impactful the Florida Panthers' fourth line was, so Carolina needs to take a page out of their book and add some jam to its fourth line. Jost plays hard, but the Canes have the cap space and the need to become harder to play against.

#2 Dmitry Orlov

This one shouldn't be in question. Dmitry Orlov is set to become a UFA, and it's hard to imagine any circumstance where it makes sense for the Hurricanes to re-sign him. Orlov had two decent seasons in Carolina, but I'm not sure he provided the $7.75 million value they paid for. He particularly struggled in these playoffs, further reason that Eric Tulsky should let the veteran walk in free agency.

While losing players for nothing is never ideal, the Canes have a great replacement in Alexander Nikishin. The 23-year-old is one of the most highly regarded prospects in hockey and can easily take over Orlov's role, and quite honestly, do it better. He showed flashes during his short stint this postseason, which should have Hurricanes fans excited for what's to come.

#1 Jesperi Kotkaniemi

Jesperi Kotkaniemi has been a failed experiment thus far in Carolina. The surprise offer sheet to pry him out of Montreal in 2022 felt like a risk at the time, and we've seen that play out through his first four seasons as a Hurricane. Kotkaniemi has had some moments and consistently produced around 30 points, but he just hasn't come close to living up to the expectations of being a third overall pick.

Carolina signed him to that eight-year, $38,560,000 contract worth $4.82 million per season with the idea that Kotkaniemi would improve and emerge as a potential second-line center. Instead, he's pretty much stayed the same, and the last two years have been worse than his career-best 2022-23 campaign. Getting off his contract could be an issue, but it's worth an attempt.

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Edited by Jackson Weber