As recently as 2017-18, Trocheck had 75 points (31 goals, 44 assists) in 82 games for the Florida Panthers. He has battled injuries the past two seasons, but he's healthy and signed for two more seasons.
Even though he flew across the country and arrived in Carolina late Monday, he was up before his alarm Tuesday morning. He made the Stanley Cup Playoffs once the past six seasons in Florida. The Hurricanes made the Eastern Conference Final last season and are going for it again.
"They definitely have the makeup to be a great playoff team," Trocheck said. "I'm just really excited to be a part of it."
Skjei fills a hole in the top four in the short term and adds another solid defenseman in the long term. He's signed for four more seasons.
"I know what a strong forechecking team this is playing against them for so many years," said Skjei, who spent the past five seasons with the New York Rangers. "I just want to add some skating and some speed myself.
"I'm just excited to get going. With the moves they made [Monday], you can tell they're adding some pieces. The playoffs are the best time of the year. I've been able to play in them twice, and there's nothing better. So I can't wait to make a push and get back and win some games."
Ayres was a great story. From owner Tom Dundon to general manager Don Waddell on down, the Hurricanes hope it was just the beginning.
"The fan base should be really excited about what we did," Brind'Amour said. "Obviously, we had two huge injuries on the back end -- I mean, arguably two of the better defensemen in the League out of your lineup. That's tough to replace. So give Tom a lot of credit and Don for going out there and trying to address that. That's huge for us as a group and certainly as a fan base that we're doing everything we can to make this team better and get in the playoffs."