The 2025 NHL Trade Deadline is 34 days away, and teams are already rounding out their rosters. The Carolina Hurricanes kicked off the trade season by acquiring Mikko Rantanen and Taylor Hall in the three-team blockbuster with the Colorado Avalanche and Chicago Blackhawks. However, Hurricanes general manager Eric Tulsky mentioned on The Sheet with Jeff Marek that he is not done, and after trading Jack Drury to the Avalanche, the team needs a right-handed center.
The question is whether they will target a second-line center or a bottom-six right-handed center. In the last seven games, Jesperi Kotkaniemi has scored five goals and seven points. Adding Hall to his line, with Jack Roslovic or Eric Robinson, has unlocked Kotkaniemi’s game and shown why the team has hoped he would become their 2C. That said, there is a need to add a right-handed center to the roster. Here are two players the Hurricanes should target.
Rounding Out the Hurricanes Roster
Morgan Geekie
Carolina drafted Morgan Geekie 67th overall in the 2017 NHL Draft, and he would fit in nicely with head coach Rod Brind’Amour’s group. The Strathclair, Manitoba, native is in the last year of a very affordable two-year, $4 million deal (signed with the Boston Bruins) before he becomes a restricted free agent (RFA) this offseason. At 26 years old, he is entering the prime of his career, and the Hurricanes would love to have him back in the organization.
In 49 games this season, Geekie has 15 goals and 27 points. He’s on a career-high pace for goals and points after scoring 17 goals and 39 points in 2023-24. Last month, he tallied seven goals and 10 points in 14 games for the Bruins who are in a wild-card battle with the Tampa Bay Lightning and Columbus Blue Jackets. In his last 15 games, Geekie scored 11 points and had a 29.2 shooting percentage (S%) while averaging 17:33 of ice time (TOI). He also had 339 shifts with 24 shots on goal.
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While his last season in Carolina was 2020-21 when he played 39 games (regular season and playoffs), he now checks a lot of boxes for the Hurricanes. In his first season with the Bruins, he had the breakout that was expected of him, averaging 15:25 TOI. He is now averaging 15:50. With the proper ice time to show what he can do, Geekie could be a sneaky player to target with great scoring ability.
Brind’Amour is the type of coach who gives ice time to players who work hard and earn it. He knows how to unlock potential. If he can do that for Geekie, he would be a solid top-nine or depth pickup for the Hurricanes. If he fits in well, the Hurricanes could also re-sign him to a reasonable for two or three more seasons with the cap space going up.
Tommy Bennett and Zander Manning from the Bruins writing crew at The Hockey Writers think a prospect would be enough for the Hurricanes to acquire Geekie or maybe a roster player. After some consideration, Ryan Suzuki would suit a prospect and/or a hockey trade. He made his NHL debut against the Chicago Blackhawks on Jan. 30. Suzuki is a left-handed shot, and the Hurricanes have many of them, so this trade could work.
Nick Schmaltz
If the Hurricanes don’t want to bring Geekie back, they should look into acquiring Nick Schmaltz from the Utah Hockey Club. The 28-year-old Madison, WI, native is in the second to last season of a seven-year, $40.95 million deal signed in 2019 with the Arizona Coyotes before he becomes an unrestricted free agent (UFA) at the end of the 2025-26 season.
Schmaltz will earn $5.85 million this season and next. A third team might have to take on half of Schmaltz’s contract ($2.925 million) for him to fit within the Hurricanes’ cap. However, that might be hard to pull off, considering he’s under contract for another season.
To acquire Schmaltz and his contract, the Hurricanes would have to move a roster player to balance his $6 million annual average value. Given how well Kotkaniemi is playing, it seems unlikely they would move him unless they think Schmaltz would be an upgrade. However, if Tulsky can work out a deal to keep him and take on Schmaltz’s contract, he should pull the trigger.
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In 52 games, Schmaltz has 11 goals and 41 points for a .79 points-per-game pace. He is also on pace for a career season, just 11 goals (22), nine assists (39), and 20 points (61) away from tying his career highs. Adding Schmaltz would be a solid boost to the Hurricanes’ lineup, but it would take more work to get it done.
Decisions, Decisions for Hurricanes
Fans should be happy to see that the Hurricanes’ front office is working tirelessly to make the team better. Even after acquiring Rantanen and Hall, they still want to add to a roster that already ranks second in the Eastern Conference. If they can add Geekie or Schmaltz, it would bolster a center group that needs a right-handed shot for a playoff run and maybe beyond this season. Don’t count the Hurricanes out from making more trades. They’re only getting started.