While the Carolina Hurricanes have been burned before, the team continues to be willing to take swings at pending unrestricted free agents.

TSN Hockey Insider Pierre LeBrun reports the Hurricanes once again plan to be aggressive in upgrading their roster this season and also called the Minnesota Wild to explore a Kirill Kaprizov trade before he eventually inked a record-setting eight-year, $136 million contract on Sept 30.

“I got to keep an eye on those Hurricanes,” LeBrun explained Tuesday on Insider Trading. “You may remember a year ago when they traded for Mikko Rantanen and shocked the hockey world, but that’s who they are. Then, of course, they turned around and flipped him after they couldn’t sign him.

“They tried to trade for Mitch Marner, and yes, last month, when Kaprizov turned down the first offer from the Minnesota Wild, I can confirm that the Hurricanes picked up the phone and checked in with Minnesota because they would have swung big for him, but of course, that was not a trade opportunity for them.”

The Hurricanes have a recent history of pursuing big names on the trade market, having acquired Jake Guentzel from the Pittsburgh Penguins in 2024. Guentzel went on to leave the team and sign with the Tampa Bay Lightning as a free agent.

Kaprizov was the first several big-name pending UFAs to re-sign before the season, followed by Edmonton Oilers superstar Connor McDavid, Winnipeg Jets sniper Kyle Connor and Vegas Golden Knights centre Jack Eichel. With those players staying put, the star power potentially heading to market on July 1 has dropped significantly. Colorado Avalanche forward Martin Necas, Artemi Panarin of the New York Rangers and Los Angeles Kings centre Adrian Kempe lead the list.

“For now, I’m told they don’t see that big name out there on the market after all these big names have signed,” LeBrun added of the Hurricanes. “They’re going to focus with what they have and they think their lineup is very deep.

“When I talk to other teams around the league, they wonder about the goaltending. Is

Freddy Anderson going to be healthy enough? And the answer from within Carolina is they believe in him. They think this is the year he’s stays healthy, that he can be the guy that brings them deep and over the hump come playoff time. Other people aren’t so sure.”

The Hurricanes, who have reached the playoffs in each of the past seven seasons and made the Eastern Conference twice in the past three years, are 5-1-0 to start this season. Andersen, 36, is 3-1-0 with a .894 save percentage and a 2.46 goals-against average, while backup Brandon Bussi, 27, is 2-0-0 with a .911 save percentage and a 1.97 GAA.