LAS VEGAS – One year ago, Brad Treliving met with the media at the Draft in Nashville after serving as general manager of the Toronto Maple Leafs for less than a month and joked that he was drinking from a fire hose.
Currently holding that firehose is Eric Tulsky, who has taken over as full-time general manager of the Carolina Hurricanes and has about a million things going on right now.
And he might be the biggest GM in terms of producing fireworks this week in Las Vegas.
“There’s a lot to do,” Tulsky told The Athletic during an interview Wednesday. “I’ve had a month to review all of our players’ contracts, meet all the other teams and find out what they want, find out what’s on the trade market, it’s been busy.
“I have established an all-time record for calls made and received. But you know, that’s the job.”
One thing hasn’t changed, with first-time GM replacing Don Waddell: The Hurricanes are in the midst of almost everything draft week and leading up to July 1.
It’s not like they had the option to be front and center, with several pending free agents, plus a player who wants out and teams are calling.
“You’re right: We always try to be in the middle of everything,” Tulsky said. “We never want an opportunity to be missed, right? That is why we want to consider all the possibilities that exist, evaluate them all and look for all the possibilities to improve the club.
“This year, with all the free agents and everything, we certainly have more things to do. “There’s a lot to figure out, a lot to do, trying to figure out what our team is going to be like next year.”
The hottest potato right now involves pending restricted free agent Martín Necas, who wants a change of scenery. The Canes have heard from almost every NHL team about him (I think the Buffalo Sabers have very serious interest), but crunch time is approaching if a trade involving a first-round pick is going to happen on Friday like part of the package.
“Teams are calling. We’ve been working hard on it,” Tulsky said. “I would say one of my biggest focuses has been trying to figure out where it’s going to go. We’ve had a lot of interest. We’ve had some offers that I would consider very serious.
“It remains to be seen whether any of them cross the line or not.”
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While Tulsky didn’t say so, other league sources say there is one team in particular that is pretty close to Carolina in terms of a deal framework and that, if that trade goes through, it would involve a first-round pick on Friday. the night. So if that particular team decides to move forward with Carolina, we’ll know within 48 hours.
Meanwhile, there appears to be frustration from other teams involved in talks with Carolina over the high asking price, which has led some clubs to talk internally about the possibility of an offer sheet.
“I don’t see how an offer sheet makes sense to the player,” Tulsky said. “If he wants to leave, he is giving us control… he is lowering the return to where we would not let him go.”
What Tulsky means is that an offer sheet paying $9 million a year, for example, would require compensation of a first-, second- and third-round pick. Carolina would match that all day.
“Correct,” Tulsky said. “So I don’t see how that’s a direction that makes sense.”
And there’s also a world in which if the trade doesn’t materialize, the Canes simply keep Necas, at least for one more year. It’s not what the player wants, but unless he doesn’t report to work in the fall, Necas has limited options.
And again, Carolina plans to match any offer sheet.
“Yeah, I mean, if someone offers him $16 million a year, we’re not going to match it,” Tulsky said, smiling. “But if teams are putting the cap on a trade for less than what we’re asking, then they’ll put out an offer sheet in a place where we would easily match it without a second thought.”
The Canes, meanwhile, continue to struggle to find a way to re-sign Jake Guentzel, the No. 1 unrestricted free agent if he hits the market Monday. The candy that Carolina has that no other club can offer is the eighth year of the contract.
“We’re putting a lot of effort into that,” Tulsky said. “We are not so far. I remain optimistic that it will be achieved. But it is not finished yet and we are running out of time.”
There are serious rumors about the Vancouver Canucks making a pitch (would they be willing to spend seven years and $9 million?) and, of course, other teams would do so on Monday. So, Guentzel and his agent, Ben Hankinson, have to make a big decision very soon: Accept Carolina’s best offer or go to the market leaving the door open to the Canes?
Meanwhile, Carolina has two top-four blue liners pending UFA in Brady Skjei and Brett Pesce. I think it’s 99 percent certain Pesce is headed to market, and probably 60-40 Skjei as well, but Tulsky hasn’t given up hope.
“We’re still talking to both of them,” Tulsky said. “Yesterday I spoke with Pesce’s agent. Look, they are both very good players. We would like to have them both back. It’s just a question of what we can adapt and how to make it work.
“I think they both also want to be in Carolina,” he added. “So hopefully we can get something done. The salary cap means you can’t have everything you want, and we’re trying to figure it out.”
One team to keep an eye on if Skjei and/or Pesce go on the market are the Nashville Predators. They need to replace Ryan McDonagh, and I think they would ask around and try to sign one of those two Carolina D’s if they come on the market.
In the meantime, with no other option, Tulsky is closely investigating both the UFA market and the trade market for blue line replacements.
“Yeah, sure,” he said. “We always have a Plan B. We always have a Plan C. We usually have a Plan D. We try to make sure we are prepared for all possible outcomes. “We want to make sure we are in a position to continue to take steps forward and be in a position to compete for the Stanley Cup.”
Another pending UFA is forward Teuvo Teravainen.
“Once again, he’s another player that has a great time with us, he loves playing for Rod (Brind’Amour), he loves the way we play, he loves our feel and our fit,” Tulsky said. “It’s just that we can’t get everyone back who wants to be here. So we are trying to solve it. We’ve spoken to the agent a couple of times. I don’t have any clarity for you on this.”
So yeah, there’s a lot going on for Tulsky, and we didn’t even cover it all in our interview.
He doesn’t take lightly the fact that owner Tom Dundon has entrusted him with the GM job full-time.
“It’s an honor,” Tulsky said. “This is an incredible team and a great organization and I am honored to be entrusted with their stewardship.”
Rumors from elsewhere:
• The Dallas Stars are hard at work, trying to find a way to re-sign pending UFA defenseman Chris Tanev. If he hits the market on Monday, the Maple Leafs and Ottawa Senators would be among several teams making serious offers.
• Pending UFA defenseman Tyler Myers and the Canucks remain in talks, but the feeling I get is that things haven’t progressed on that front despite several weeks of discussions. They’ll chat again this week at the draft, so the door remains open, but there’s a good chance he hits the market on Monday at this point.
• The Predators also want to find some offensive pop up front. I think they have interest in the likes of Steven Stamkos and Chandler Stevenson, if those pending UFAs hit the market, among several other advanced targets.
• Patrick Kane’s team, led by agent Pat Brisson, remains in talks with the Detroit Red Wings. The door hasn’t been closed on a return, but with Monday so close, there’s obviously a strong chance he hits the market, and I think the focus for Kane would be on the Eastern Conference contenders.
(Top photo of Martin Necas and Jake Guentzel: James Guillory/USA Today)
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