It was another early exit from the Stanley Cup Playoffs for the Carolina Hurricanes this season. The Hurricanes have plenty of tough decisions to make this offseason and one of the more important moves is what to do with D Brady Skjei, who will be a free agent on July 1. With the market for above-average defensemen pretty thin this summer, Skjei figures to get plenty of interest from teams. Below we’ll go over the best potential fits for Skjei in free agency.
2024 NHL Free Agency Predictions: Brady Skjei
Carolina Hurricanes
The ‘Canes have four defensemen locked in for 2024-25 but beyond that, the blue line picture is pretty unclear. Brent Burns is 39 and likely to retire soon. Jaccob Slavin should get an extension but he also could hit the open market in 2025. Same goes for Dmitry Orlov, who is entering the final year of his deal. Jalen Chatfield was signed to a friendly three-year deal worth $3 million per season. So the Hurricanes should be looking to bring back Skjei on a long-term deal. He’s coming off his best NHL season with 13 goals, 47 points and +15. On a 4-5 year deal, Skjei can be had a reasonable price. Would he take a hometown discount to stay in Carolina? Or will another team be able to go over the top? Those are the big questions. But it’ll be hard for Skjei to find a more consistent team than the ‘Canes.
Nashville Predators
The Preds are in the market for a defenseman after sending Ryan McDonagh back to the Tampa Bay Lightning. Alexandre Carrier and Tyson Barrie are also free agents. Skjei would fill a glaring need at LD behind Roman Josi. Skjei would make a decent partner for Luke Schenn and perhaps Nashville brings back Carrier to round out the top-6. Skjei isn’t exactly the 1B option to Josi like a Brandon Montour would be, but wouldn’t be a bad consolation prize for the Preds. Nashville is also in a decent place cap-wise to sign Skjei long-term for around $6-7 million.
Minnesota Wild
This totally isn’t because Skjei is from Minnesota. It makes a lot of sense for the Wild, who could use a steady two-way defenseman in Skjei. Brock Faber will get a massive extension when the League calendar flips in July. Jonas Brodin and Jared Spurgeon are still serviceable but beyond that, the Wild could use some more offense on the blue line. Jon Merrill and Jake Middleton aren’t cutting it on the left side of the D. The Wild are a bit capped out but can shed Merrill or Middleton’s contract and possibly deal Filip Gustavsson and go with a cheap backup. Matt Boldy and Joel Eriksson Ek are on two of the best deals in the NHL. Minnesota has a lot of incentive to try and compete before Kirill Kaprizov needs a new contract after 2025-26. With Skjei and Spurgeon healthy, the Wild can go back to competing in the playoffs.