Tweetmail: Will the Canes Make an Expansion Draft Trade With Seattle?

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. This is a regular feature on Hurricanes.com in which I answer your Twitter questions, which are mostly about the Carolina Hurricanes, but sometimes also about travel or television or life. It's a mailbag of tweets. It's Tweetmail. Maybe you learn a little something, and maybe we have some fun, too.
Let's get to it.

What's the likelihood Carolina does an Expansion Draft deal with Seattle like they did with Vegas? Do you think the cost of a deal would be higher or lower than Vegas' deal given Ron Francis' history as Canes GM? - @Tom\_Hannigan237
It's been just four years since the NHL last went through the Expansion Draft process. At that time, there had not been an Expansion Draft since … \with the lights dim, a black robe top on, a flashlight illuminating my face and in a falsetto voice\* the year 2000.
The league evolved quite a bit from 2000 and 2017. The protection rules were different, contract structure had changed and a salary cap was introduced. These factors undoubtedly affected how general managers around the league approached the 2017 NHL Expansion Draft with the Vegas Golden Knights and their GM George McPhee. A good number of side deals were made in order to steer Vegas away from unprotected assets, which resulted in the Golden Knights assembling a team that made a magical run to the Stanley Cup Final in 2017-18. The core from that team hasn't missed the playoffs in the three seasons since, now twice in a row falling just short of a return to the Final. In short, it's worked out pretty well for Vegas, even if there's still a haze of disappointment that will linger over them this summer.
Their success combined with the fact that not as much has changed in the NHL landscape in the four years since makes the 2021 NHL Expansion Draft a fascinating beast. The biggest factor that could change things? The flat salary cap. Prior to the pandemic, the expectation was that the salary cap ceiling would continue to rise, but the NHL is now facing the reality of heading into the 2021-22 season with the same ceiling that existed in 2019-20, which complicates long-term planning that clubs might have been mapping out a year-and-a-half ago.
Of course, there's going to be some course-correction from general managers around the league heading into this Expansion Draft, but, especially considering the flat cap, side deals are inevitable. To some extent, every team overvalues its own assets, and the instinct is to protect those assets. As general manager of the Hurricanes, Ron Francis was on the protection side of it in 2017; now, he's plotting for how the Seattle Kraken will raid the 31 other clubs.
In 2017, the Canes
traded a fifth-round draft pick to Vegas
, who then selected forward Connor Brickley in the Expansion Draft. Were exposed NHL assets like Joakim Nordstrom or Lee Stempniak worth protecting in exchange for fifth-round draft pick - which turned into forward prospect Jack Dugan, for those keeping score at home - and a pending unrestricted free agent who then signed with the Florida Panthers? Maybe. Maybe not. At the time, it seemed like a great move. Now four years later, it still seems fine - unnecessary, maybe, but fine.
So, what's the likelihood that the Canes make another Expansion Draft trade? I don't know if it's all that likely right now. Francis wields all the power, and he's going to do everything he can with that negotiation advantage, as he should. And, if there's one organization and its assets that he knows, it's the Canes.
Every team is going to lose a player - a good player, perhaps - and the Canes are no different. This time around, though, I have a hunch we'll see less panic from general managers around the league.
We'll dive more into the Expansion Draft in the coming weeks.
Do the Hurricanes re-sign Hamilton? - @BoLT\_wavezZ*
That's probably the question of the summer, right?
Here's where things currently stand: the Canes and Dougie Hamilton's representation have had discussions on a new contract, but "there's a difference of opinion right now," Canes President and General Manager Don Waddell
said a week ago
. So, instead of waiting until free agency opens at noon on July 28, both sides have gotten "a head start" on other options, one of which could be a sign-and-trade deal that could fetch Hamilton the maximum of an eight-year contract, which he otherwise couldn't sign with another team.

Of course, there is the possibility that Hamilton returns if the open market isn't too appealing, but at this point, both sides seem prepared for him to at least explore what might be out there. After all, the 27-year-old defenseman is in a position to land what's likely to be the most lucrative contract of his career.
"The door is wide open here. We love Dougie," Waddell said. "Dougie has been good for this franchise. We're certainly all hoping he comes back, but we also felt we didn't want to wait for July 28 to figure that out."
Will there be a Prospects Development Camp this offseason? - @ArcherforCanes
There will not be a Prospects Development Camp this offseason, at least not in the public-facing sense. A few factors influenced that decision, including the truncated offseason and international travel uncertainties.
However, following the 2021 NHL Draft on July 23-24, the Canes will meet virtually with some of their newest prospects to introduce them to the organization, discuss what it means to be a Hurricane and outline how they can take the next steps in achieving their ultimate goals. More or less, it's a stripped-down version of the usual Development Camp minus the on-ice components.
And! While Summerfest won't take place this offseason, the Canes will host another Yard Sale at PNC Arena, where you'll be able to purchase new and used hockey equipment and more. More details, including a date and time, will be announced in the coming weeks.
When can we expect a 2021-22 schedule? - @dsgill87
It's not set in stone, but expect to see the 82-game 2021-22 schedule drop sometime in mid-July.
Do players' contracts pay out year-round or just during the regular season? - @Browntruck79
Standard player contract salaries pay out during the regular season.
Any big plans for you this summer? - @CaniacZach

! So, expect radio silence on my end in late July - not like anything is going on then, right?
Join me again soon for more questions and more answers!
If you have a question you'd like answered or you'd like to talk about the last two seasons of "True Detective," which I finally got around to watching, you can find me on Twitter at
@MSmithCanes
, or you can
drop me an email
.