The Carolina Hurricanes went all-in at this year’s trading deadline, acquiring Jake Guentzel from the Penguins and paying a small premium for the player most considered to be the best on the market.
Throw in the addition of Evegeny Kuznetsov, and there was a clear attempt to address the team’s achilles heel of postseason goal scoring in a year the team needed to pounce to maximize its window.
Guentzel and Kuznetsov held up their end of the bargain, but the ending was all too familiar anyway, as the Canes were bounced in the second round with a feeling that the offense had a bit more to give in some crucial moments.