Before the dust had settled on the move from Hartford, Carolina Hurricanes GM Jim Rutherford pulled the trigger on a notable trade. Coming in for the debut season in Greensboro was rugged winger Gary Roberts and goaltender Trevor Kidd; heading out was center Andrew Cassels and goalie prospect (and future Conn Smythe winner) Jean-Sebastien Giguere.
Kidd, a 1990 1st round pick of the Calgary Flames (taken nine spots ahead of Martin Brodeur. Ouch.) and Sean Burke, who had moved south with the Whalers, were the goaltending tandem heading into the 1997-98 season.