Brind’Amour: ‘Hard to watch’ Hurricanes UFAs sign elsewhere

The Carolina Hurricanes have experienced significant roster changes this summer, losing long-time defensemen Brady Skjei and Brett Pesce as free agents.

Additionally, the team saw the departure of forwards Teuvo Teravainen, Stefan Noesen, and Jake Guentzel, who had been acquired at the trade deadline for a high cost.

Head coach Rod Brind’Amour, who has led the Hurricanes to the playoffs in each of his six seasons, acknowledged the difficulty of seeing key players leave but expressed optimism about the incoming talent.

“You get attached to the guys, especially when we’ve had them for a long time,” Brind’Amour said, according to NHL.com. “It was hard, I’ll be honest. It was hard to watch guys walk out of here. I understand it. It’s a business. They’ve got to do what they’ve got to do. But it’s also exciting because you get a whole new group of guys coming in, and maybe some of these young guys will crack the lineup and you get to watch them grow. It’s just the evolution of it.

“I had a lot of tough phone calls this summer. I haven’t really had too many of those. We have good players and teams will pay them. We can’t pay everybody. That’s just how it goes, unfortunately. I love those guys; I wish them the best. I’m just excited for the new guys coming that are excited to be here and get their game going.”

The Hurricanes managed to retain Jordan Martinook and Jalen Chatfield before free agency and brought in forwards William Carrier, Jack Roslovic, Eric Robinson, and Tyson Jost from the open market.

To compensate for the loss of Skjei and Pesce, the team signed defensemen Sean Walker and Shayne Gostisbehere to three-year deals on July 1.

“There’s a learning curve on any team,” Brind’Amour said of the new additions. “There is familiarity with ‘Ghost.’ With Walker coming in, he’s excited to play the way we play. Most players like the way we play, and they want to do it. We are up-tempo and it’s a fun way to play.

“At the end of the day, these guys are good hockey players. If they have a willingness to get it, they will get it.”

According to PuckPedia, the Hurricanes still have more than $11.6 million in cap space, which seems to be reserved for restricted free agents Martin Necas and Seth Jarvis.

Trade rumors have surrounded Necas throughout the offseason, but the NHL draft passed without a deal. The 25-year-old forward scored 24 goals and 53 points in 77 games last season.

Jarvis is coming off a breakout season with 33 goals and 67 points in 81 games, surpassing the 20-goal and 45-point marks for the first time in his three-year career.