Who from the four teams remaining have ties to Carolina.
With four teams still left in the Stanley Cup Playoffs, here are some of the players and staff who have connections to the Carolina Hurricanes franchise.
Florida Panthers
The Panthers are the team with the most connections to the Hurricanes.
You can see Carolina connections from the roster all the way up to the front office, so there’s quite a few to think about.
Gustav Forsling – D (2019-2020)
Forsling was acquired by the Canes in 2019 along with goaltender Anton Forsberg in exchange for defenseman Calvin De Haan and forward prospect Aleksi Saarela and in the end, it seems that Forsling was far and away the best player in that whole deal.
However, he never got the chance with Carolina’s deep blueline and he played the full year in the AHL.
The Hurricanes then waived him in 2021, Florida claimed him and the rest is history.
Eetu Luostarinen – C (2019-2020)
A second-round pick in 2017 , Luostarinen played a few games with the Hurricanes, but mostly spent time in Charlotte before being part of the package deal for Vincent Trocheck.
The Finnish forward has now blossomed a bit in a depth role with the Panthers.
Steven Lorentz – F (2017-2022)
One of the most lovable and bubbly guys you will meet in the NHL, Lorentz was a seventh round pick in 2015 who made his way from the ECHL all the way to the big league.
He’s just overall an upstanding guy and has carved out a niche for himself in a depth, energy role.
He was traded to the San Jose Sharks in 2022 as part of the package for Brent Burns.
Tuomo Ruutu – Assistant Coach (2008-2014)
Ruutu was a fan favorite in the early 2010s due to his physical play and timely goal scoring.
He alongside Jussi Jokinen and Joni Pitkanen formed a strong Finnish trio for Carolina and he was one of the lone bright spots in what became very dark times.
Carolina acquired him in 2008 from the Chicago Blackhawks in exchange for Andrew Laad and he would be dealt to the New Jersey Devils in 2014 for Andrei Loktionov.
Following his playing career, Ruutu spent two years as an player development coach with the New York Rangers before becoming an assistant coach with the Panthers in 2021.
Rick Dudley – Senior Advisor (2018-2020)
Dudley, who had had a long-standing relationship with Don Waddell, joined him when he took the position of GM in 2018.
Dudley served as a senior advisor until 2020 when he left to join the Panthers in a similar role.
Paul Krepelka – Vice President of Hockey Ops (2018-2020)
Similar to Dudley, Krepelka served in an executive role with the Hurricanes for two seasons under the new regime before moving to the Panthers in 2020.
New York Rangers
Another team with a handful of Carolina connections.
Vincent Trocheck – C (2019-2022)
Trocheck played for Carolina for parts of three seasons, totaling 39 goals and 96 points in 135 regular season games and eight goals and 15 points in 31 postseason games.
The 30-year-old center was acquired from the Florida Panthers at the 2019 Trade Deadline in exchange for Lucas Wallmark, Erik Haula, Eetu Luostarinen and Chase Priskie.
He left in free agency following the 2021-22 season and signed a seven-year, $5.625 AAV contract with the Rangers.
Adam Fox – D (2017-2018)
There are quite a few strong opinions on Fox from his time in the Carolina organization
Acquired in 2018 along with Dougie Hamilton and Micheal Ferland in exchange for Elias Lindholm and Noah Hanifin, Fox unfortunately refused to sign with Carolina, forcing his way off a team for the second time and eventually ending up where he intended to go all along, the New York Rangers, in exchange for two second-round picks.
A tough blow as Fox would go on to win a Norris in 2020-21 and he continues to be a top blueliner in the league.
Peter Laviolette – Coach (2003-2008)
Laviolette is a legend in Carolina due to the fact that he led the team to their first and only Stanley Cup as the head coach in 2006.
Now, Laviolette is looking to become just the second coach in NHL history to lead four separate teams to the Stanley Cup after eliminating Carolina in the second round.
Funny enough, Laviolette replaced Paul Maurice, the coach he’s facing in the Eastern Conference Final, in 2003 but was then replaced by him again in 2008.
Chris Drury – GM
The only real connection here is the fact that he’s the uncle of Carolina center Jack Drury,
Edmonton Oilers
While the Canes and Oilers will always be intertwined by the 2006 Stanley Cup Final, there are also a few more connections on this year’s team.
Warren Foegele – F (2017-2021)
Foegele was a solid Hurricane for his four years playing for the organization.
He was a speedy, depth winger but he didn’t quite have enough finish during his time in Carolina.
As such, the team traded him in 2021 for Ethan Bear.
Bear never quite worked in Carolina but Foegele is coming off of a career year in Edmonton where he reached the 20-goal mark for the first time in his career.
Derek Ryan – C (2015-2018)
Ryan’s story is always a great one to revisit as he had one of the most nontraditional paths into the NHL you can have.
Four years in the WHL, four years at the University of Alberta, four years abroad playing in Austria, Hungary and Sweden before finally landing back in North America with the Charlotte Checkers, Carolina’s AHL affiliate at the time.
The 37-year-old center has continued to carve out an NHL career ever since.
Paul Coffey – Assistant Coach (1996-1997, 1998-2000)
The Hall of Famer, four-time Cup champion and three-time Norris winner currently serves behind the bench as an assistant coach with the Oilers, but before that he actually played a bit for both the Hurricanes and Whalers.
In 1996 he was traded to Hartford along with Keith Primeau from Detroit for Brian Glynn and Brendan Shanahan.
Then at the tail end of his career, Coffey was traded to Carolina for Nelson Emerson in 1998 and he played there for one and a half seasons.
Dallas Stars
The Stars have the least amount of Hurricanes connections on this year’s team and especially so being that he’s currently sidelined with injury.
