Carolina Hurricanes Rumors: Coyotes Center Is Perfect Trade Deadline Fit

As a number of big-named forwards have been taken off the board, the Carolina Hurricanes bide their time and wait for the perfect fit for their team. They have lots of cap space to work with, so that's not an issue. According to Frank Seravalli, there has been increased interest in Nick Schmaltz over the last couple of days and the Hurricanes appear to be the perfect fit.

Schmaltz is the Arizona Coyotes' second leading scorer to Clayton Keller and is signed for three more years at a cap hit of $5.85 million. He has great chemistry on the top line of the Coyotes, but has struggled with injuries in his career. He is an underrated talent and plays at nearly a point-per-game. The Hurricanes aren't normally a flashy team and like guys like this who they can acquire for great value. This is what makes Schmaltz a great target for Carolina.

The Coyotes aren't where they feel they need to be yet to climb out of a rebuild. They are still planning on trading Jakob Chychrun, Shayne Gostisbehere, and more, so there are still a number of years before they expect to be back in the playoff picture. That being said, Schmaltz will fetch them a great return due to his cap hit and scoring ability and could very well move him to push the rebuild along quicker.

The Hurricanes have been looking for a second line center or winger to fill the gap in their team. Schmaltz's cap hit fits into the team very well and he can play center or right wing. Martin Necas, who also plays on the second line, can also swap between center and right wing, so the Hurricanes would have options. Schmaltz's value might range around a first round pick and a good prospect, but the Hurricanes' window to win is right now and they should be willing to pay that.