The Carolina Hurricanes head into Friday's NHL trade deadline at a crossroads. 

The team would certainly like to make improvements for another deep playoff run. 

There are clearly holes to fill.

But the Hurricanes’ options are limited. 

The Hurricanes collapsed at home this past Saturday, giving up 5 goals in the final 19:49 of play, losing 5-3 to the visiting Winnipeg Jets. The Hurricanes led 3-0 after two periods before everything collapsed. A flat-footed start and one penalty later, the game was quickly tied. 

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"Every goal [we gave up], there was some silly thing we did. When you play good teams, that's what they're going to do, they're going to capitalize. That's what happened,” coach Rob Brind’Amour said after the game. 

The Hurricanes don’t play again until Thursday. 

Whether the same Hurricanes’ team that fell apart in the final 20 minutes on Saturday takes the ice at home against Montreal on Thursday remains the pivotal question. 

What Will The Hurricanes Do At The NHL Trade Deadline?

The Hurricanes are likely to be buyers this week.

Carolina appears safely in the playoff mix. It stands second in the Metropolitan Division and entered the week tied for third in the East with Toronto. Both of those teams have 78 points. They are each six points away from second place and sixth place. 

The Hurricanes as currently comprised can make noise in the East, but getting past Florida, New York, and Boston in the postseason might be too tall of a challenge, especially without having home ice. 

The team has $5.2 million in cap space. Like most teams, the Hurricanes can always use more scoring bandwidth. And given the daunting potential of 28 games in the postseason, goaltending depth is mandatory for any team that hopes to reach the magic number of 16 wins in the postseason.

Who Might The Hurricanes Acquire At The Trade Deadline?

There are several notable names that will be offered this week as the trade deadline approaches. Many teams will be in sell mode. 

Here’s a list of possible additions. 

• Boone Jenner – Blue Jackets, C
• Joel Eriksson Ek – Wild, C
• Rasmus Anderson – Flames, D 
• Joel Edmundson  - Capitals, D
• Anthony Duclair – Sharks, LW
• Frank Vatrano – Ducks, RW
• Vladimir Tarasenko – Senators, RW

This is as much a wishlist as a shopping list, as the Hurricanes won’t be the only team in the market for some of these names. 

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Who Might The Hurricanes Trade At The Deadline?

The Hurricanes could deal with their first-round pick in the upcoming NHL draft. That might likely be their best asset, in addition to one of the names above to help balance out the salary cap issues on both sides. 

As it stands, Pyotr Kochetkov remains Carolina’s only realistic hope in net if the team hopes to be playing in June. 

The best option the Hurricanes have to offer is defenseman Tony DeAngelo. He is a pending free agent. Wing Brendan Lemieux is another would-be free agent who might draw interest from other teams. 

Not all teams have the same needs. Boston, for example, has two of the top goaltenders in the league. And one of the best offensive tandems in David Pastrnak and Brad Marchand. But the Bruins are woefully short on defensive depth and size. 

A possible Linus Ullmark-DeAngelo trade would suit both teams. Ullmark’s $5 million salary would fit in Carolina’s cap hole, especially with DeAngelo moving out. 

The question there remains would these two potential Eastern Conference playoff foes want to deal with each other at the deadline?

 It’s Trade Deadline Week. Anything’s possible. 

Betting On The Hurricanes

Those who want to wager online in North Carolina when it becomes legal on statewide Monday, March 11, might want to be a bit cautious before backing the Hurricanes.

The Hurricanes record in the standings is much better than their record against the spread, or puck line in NHL betting speak. The Hurricanes are 36-19-6 overall. But Carolina is just 24-37 against the spread. This means the Hurricanes are underperforming when it comes to bettors.

The Hurricanes are underwater against the line at home (12-19) and on the road (12-18). Oddsmakers are also pricing them too high when it comes to over/under. The Hurricanes are 34-27 on the under this season, meaning the total number of goals scored in each of their games has gone under its projected total 55.7% of the time. 

Success in the standings doesn’t necessarily equate to success when it comes to betting. The Florida Panthers have the best overall record in the NHL at 41-16-4, but they are just 30-31 ATS. Of note for bettors, the Panthers are 10-20 at home against the line.