- Rod Brind’Amour was part of the biggest trade in Hurricanes’ history.
- The Hurricanes pulled off a blockbuster deal for Mikko Rantanen in 2025.
- Jordan Staal has played a huge role for Carolina since being acquired in 2012.
The NHL’s southern expansion continued in 1997 when the Hartford Whalers relocated to Raleigh and became the Carolina Hurricanes.
Since then, the ’Canes have established themselves as one of the league’s model franchises outside a traditional hockey market.
Carolina has won one Stanley Cup, been to one other, and has become a heavyweight in the Eastern Conference over the last decade.
It’s not uncommon to see the Hurricanes near the top of the hockey odds to win the Stanley Cup these days.
Today, I’ll focus on the seven biggest trades since the Hurricanes moved from Hartford to Raleigh.
1. Keith Primeau and a Fifth-Round Pick for Rod Brind’Amour, Jean-Marc Pelletier, and a Second-Round Pick
This is the deal that changed everything for the Hurricanes.
Rod Brind’Amour came to Raleigh with a reputation of being one of the best leaders and hardest workers in the league. He brought that identity into the locker room, and it turned Carolina into a contender.
The Hurricanes went on a surprising run to the 2002 Stanley Cup Final with Brind’Amour leading the way, and hoisted the Cup for the only time in franchise history four years later.
Brind’Amour hung up his skates in 2010 with 473 points and 694 games played, but that wasn’t the end of this story. He was hired as head coach in 2018 and has led the Hurricanes to the playoffs in each of his first six seasons.
2. Martin Necas, Jack Drury, Second-Round Pick, Third-Round Pick, and a Fourth-Round Pick for Mikko Rantanen and Taylor Hall
The impact of this trade is TBD, but there’s no doubt that it was one of the most shocking deals in the salary cap era.
The Hurricanes were looking for a star scorer and took advantage of a contract impasse between Mikko Rantanen and the Colorado Avalanche.
The price for Rantanen – Martin Necas, Jack Drury, and a bunch of draft picks – was high, but the ’Canes were happy to pay it because they believed the former 55-goal scorer would put them over the top in the Eastern Conference.
The immediate fallout from the trade was that the Hurricanes shot to the top of the NHL odds to win the Eastern Conference, but we’ll have to wait and see whether or not Rantanen ends up being the final piece of the puzzle in Raleigh.
3. Brandon Sutter, Brian Dumoulin, and a First-Round Pick for Jordan Staal
The Hurricanes found themselves in the hockey wilderness in the 2010s, but one of the bright spots was the arrival of Jordan Staal.
The Canes acquired Staal from the Penguins in 2012. Although it took quite a few years for the two-way centre to lead Carolina back to the playoffs, it was clear he was going to help fill Brind’Amour’s shoes as a leader on and off the ice.
Staal has played the second-most games in franchise history (behind his brother Eric) and ranks inside the top five in points.
4. Noah Hanifin and Elias Lindholm for Dougie Hamilton, Micheal Ferland, and Adam Fox
This is an interesting trade to look back on because the biggest piece in the deal – Adam Fox – never played an NHL game for either of the teams involved.
Fox would hold out until he was granted his wish of being traded to the New York Rangers, but the other players involved all had big impacts on their new clubs.
Noah Hanifin and Elias Lindholm were part of some terrific teams in Calgary, while Dougie Hamilton ascended into a star blue-liner with the Hurricanes and helped lead them to the 2019 Eastern Conference final.
5. Jesse Boulerice, Mike Zigomanis, Magnus Kahnberg, a First-Round Pick, and Two Fourth-Round Picks for Doug Weight and Erkki Rajamaki
Carolina wrote a fairy-tale story when it won the Stanley Cup in 2006, and a big part of that Cinderella run was the veteran players who joined the ’Canes to get a ring.
One of those players was Doug Weight.
Known as one of the best players without a Stanley Cup at the time of the deal, Weight joined Carolina midway through the 2005-2006 season and was a terrific supporting player for Eric Staal, Brind’Amour, and Justin Williams.
Weight was terrific in the playoffs but hurt his shoulder in Game 5 of the Stanley Cup Final and missed the final two games.
Weight didn’t let his shoulder injury prevent him from lifting the Stanley Cup over his head in what has become one of the most iconic images in franchise history.
6. Danny Markov for Justin Williams
This was not considered a blockbuster at the time of the deal, but Justin Williams became a massive figure in Hurricanes’ history.
Williams was an integral part of the 2006 Stanley Cup team, putting up 76 points in the regular season and 18 more in the playoffs, and played a massive role in Carolina’s run to the Eastern Conference final 13 years later.
7. Sandis Ozolinsh and Byron Ritchie for Kevyn Adams, Bret Hedican, Tomas Malec, and a Second-Round Pick
Sandis Ozolinsh was supposed to be the biggest player in this deal, but there’s no question that the Hurricanes came out on the right end of this swap.
While Ozolinsh failed to make an impact in Florida, Kevyn Adams and Bret Hedican were terrific role players for the Canes when they went to the Stanley Cup Final in 2002 and hoisted the Cup in 2006.
