Waddell Talks Offseason Moves, DeAngelo, and Svechnikov

RALEIGH, NC. -Carolina Hurricanes President & General Manager Don Waddell appeared on NHL Network earlier this week, discussing a few notable topics surrounding the team.

After initially expressing that he feels the club made some upgrades as a whole this summer, Waddell delved into his excitement about the blue line.

"We felt last year with the six guys that we had, we might not have the top guy in the league, but 1-6 we felt that we were one of the best groups in the league. We brought all of those guys back, along with adding Gustav Lindstrom and Tony DeAngelo to that mix," the Canes GM remarked. "To us, and to me personally, you can never have too many defensemen. If you lose a defenseman or two, it can change your whole season very quickly. We've built our team on the strength of our defense and we're going to continue to look at that as our best and deepest position."

Speaking solely on DeAngelo's return, Waddell sees it as a positive on the ice, as well as a popular move within the locker room.

"He can certainly run the power play. We know he's a feisty player. He sticks up for his teammates. He plays with an edge, which you need sometimes. You hope you don't cross that edge too often, but it's going to happen once in a while," he continued. "When Tony came in (ahead of the 2021-22 season), there was a lot of talk about what happened in New York. At the end of his season here, I remember meeting with players and everybody, to a man, liked Tony and wanted to bring him back. Unfortunately, we couldn't reach a deal and we wound up trading him, but we're very pleased to add Tony back into our mix, that's for sure."

Elsewhere on the roster, Waddell was also able to provide some thoughts on Gustav Lindstrom, who

resumed skating in July

after an ACL injury in March.

"He's four months after surgery and he's skating by himself, not with any contact or anything. Six months will basically be right when training camp opens, so he's right on schedule or maybe even ahead of schedule," Carolina's chief decision-maker said. "He wants to be playing today, but we'll be cautious, obviously. October is important, but as the season goes on it becomes even more important. I fully expect him to be ready when the season starts."

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