The Hurricanes acquire (the rights to) John Carlson

Félix Forget
The Hurricanes acquire (the rights to) John Carlson
Credit: Sean M. Haffey/Getty Images

Big news in the NHL.

As the sixth round of the draft is winding down, we've seen a trade between the Hurricanes and the Ducks. And it's a pretty interesting trade.

The Hurricanes traded the 192nd pick and Kyle Masters to the Anaheim Ducks. In return, the champions acquired… (the rights to) John Carlson.

This means that, until July 1, the Hurricanes will have exclusive negotiating rights with Carlson's camp.

And if they manage to sign him, they'll add another high-quality right-handed defenseman to an already very, very solid lineup.

We knew Carlson wouldn't be returning to Anaheim, as he wanted to move back to the East for next season. He's one of the biggest names on the free-agent market… but seeing him traded to the Canes suggests he might never even hit the market.

From what we understand, however, there is no agreement in place, and it's unclear whether Carlson wants to sign with Carolina. We'll see if the Hurricanes can reach a deal with him; otherwise, they may have paid (a small price) for nothing.

Keep in mind that right now, the Hurricanes have just over $10 million in cap space. However, the team still needs to reach an agreement with Alexander Nikishin (a restricted free agent) and possibly with Frederik Andersen, who will become an unrestricted free agent on July 1.

We'll see what Eric Tulsky's plan is for signing all these players.


Extension

If Carlson signs with the Hurricanes, there really, really won't be many quality options on the free-agent market on July 1.

There'll be Sergei Bobrovsky… and that's pretty much it. Because Boone Jenner and Anders Lee aren't exactly drawing crowds.

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