Trading For Jaroslav Halak Is A Brilliant Move For Carolina Hurricanes

Jaroslav Halak is on the trading block.  We look at a few reasons the Carolina Hurricanes should trade for him.

It’s no secret that the Carolina Hurricanes’ goaltending situation is a disaster.  When GM Ron Francis resigned Cam Ward in the offseason many analysts scratched their head over the decision.  Carolina had faith in Ward but Ward has done little to repay that faith. As of right now Cam Ward is tenth worst in the NHL in save percentage with .869. Furthermore, with Ward’s backup Eddie Lack even worse with a .857 SV%, Carolina finds themselves in a really bad situation.

So when news broke yesterday that the New York Islanders had one goalie too many and were looking to trade Jaroslav Halak, it seemed the solution to Carolina’s goaltending quandary had just been solved.  Here are three of the major reasons why trading for Halak would be a great move for the Hurricanes.

1. Jaroslav Halak is a much better goaltender

First of all Jaroslav Halak is hands down a better goaltender than Cam Ward.  His career SV% average is .917 which is above the league average the past two years, and last year he posted .919.  For comparison, Cam Ward’s career average is .909 and his last season average was the same.  This year Halak’s performance isn’t quite as good.  He’s only posted a .909 SV%, but for a team who’s SV% is hovering around .850 those numbers almost make one salivate.

And it’s not like Halak turned into a complete bum.  In his two wins, he posted a .920 and a .923 showing that he can still play.  Unlike Cam Ward, Halak’s stats most likely are related to the team in front of him than any one issue with his play.  Just a quick look at this table shows the Islanders as one of the worst teams in the league in the quality and quantity of shot attempts they allow their goaltender to see.

All stats are from Corsica.  Because if Halak is posting .909 behind that, imagine how well he would play in Carolina one of the better Corsi teams in the league.  Plus giving Halak the consistent playing time he lack’s with the Islanders can only help as well.

2. This deal is going to happen

Trading Halak isn’t like some hypothetical trade situations for goalies in the NHL.  The Islanders will trade Halak at some point in the season.  It makes no sense for them not to.  The Islanders currently have $1.1 million in cap space according to CapFriendly.  Halak’s backup Thomas Greiss played lights out last year posting a .925 SV% in 41 games, and after him is the Islanders’ goalie prospect Jean-Francois Berube.  Berube’s talent is still a mystery, but it seems that the Islanders think highly enough of him to keep three goalies on the roster.

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This leaves Halak the odd man out in the whole situation.  Plus he carries the highest cap hit of the team with an AAV of $4.5 million a year.  For a team as close to the cap as the Islanders getting cap relief of over four million while still maintaining the same skill level in net would be a godsend.  With the Islander’s hand forced publicly by Halak’s agent, the Islander’s leverage is dwindling.  Ron Francis has shown before he can use a team’s cap against them to get a trade to his advantage.

3. The Season Could Be Lost Soon

The Carolina Hurricanes’ season is quickly slipping out of hand.  A couple more losses over the next several games will make crawling back into the playoff picture a herculean effort.    Add in the fact that if a team is not in the playoffs by Thanksgiving, it’s highly unlikely they will be by the end of the year.  Teams who are in the top 8 at Thanksgiving have a 77% chance of making the playoffs.  This makes November all the more crucial to a Hurricanes team that hasn’t made the playoffs in seven years.  Yes, the season is long, but if management doesn’t do something soon it may already be too late

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What happens next?

This is the tricky part.  Carolina isn’t the only team out there looking for a goaltender.  While others such as the LA Kings with Jonathan Quick’s injury could use a solid, above average, goaltender, Halak will want starter’s minutes all season and Carolina can provide those.  Other teams, like the Kings or the Coyotes, will have starters returning from injury at some point relegating Halak to the bench.  Along with the bonafide number one goalie position, the Hurricanes have the cap space to immediately take on Halak’s contract without any other moves.  Carolina is nowhere near the cap and Halak’s $4.5 million will be a drop in the bucket.

This trade has a lot in common with some of Carolina’s other moves.  It takes advantage of a team close to the cap.  It allows the Hurricanes to acquire a good player without giving up too much in return, and it doesn’t commit the organization to a long-term contract.   Most of all, a trade like this is right in Francis’s wheelhouse the only question now is if he will take the shot

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