In a wide-ranging interview at the 2018 NHL Scouting Combine, Waddell discussed what changes could be in store for the Hurricanes during the offseason, including his thoughts on their goaltending and Carolina's plans involving the No. 2 pick of the 2018 NHL Draft.
How drastically does the roster have to change for the Hurricanes to be successful?
"I think we need to make some changes. We have some players that have been here a long time. We've gone nine years missing the playoffs. I think if there's some change that needs to be made to change up the mix a little bit, the culture, we're certainly going to look at that. We're not in any desperate situation, it's not a fire sale. If every player comes back, that's perfect with us. But I think there's also some opportunities and some players that maybe a fresh change and a fresh team might be good for them, and bring us some assets that we could use."
How close are the Hurricanes to being a playoff team?
"I think if you go back to last year, and I hate to blame it on one position, but we think our goaltending, if it would have been average in the League we definitely would have been in the postseason. You can reflect upon the goalies … it felt like every time we got on a little bit of a roll we didn't get the big game that we needed, so I think that's an area that we really have to address. We have lots of balls in the air right now to address that position."
Can Scott Darling be that guy for you?
"I think Scott's got to prove it to us. He had a very up and down year last year. Don't think he was fully prepared to be a No. 1 guy last year. He knows physically he's got to be in much better shape. He probably played 15 pounds heavier than he did the year before in Chicago. I know he's already starting on a program this summer, he's back in Raleigh here in the next week, he's committed to an offseason workout with our strength and conditioning coach. But he's got to prove it to us now. Nothing is going to be given to him. Hopefully we'll have other guys competing with him for a job. Competition usually is good for everybody."
Will Cam Ward return?
"We're still talking about Cam [Ward can be an unrestricted free agent July 1]. Depending on what we do here, if you look at what Cam's done for the organization, he's had a great career. His numbers were pretty good last year. He was put in some tough situations, and for the most part responded to that role. Great locker room guy, great guy to have around the team, especially a young team. We haven't made the decision yes or no yet. But if everything worked out, it would be nice to have him around."