Ron Francis is pleased with his day's work.
The Carolina Hurricanes general manager was able to pull off a trade with the Chicago Blackhawks that saw his team add forwards Teuvo Teravainen and Bryan Bickell in exchange for a 2016 second-round pick and a 2017 third-round pick, and it's a deal he seems quite content with.
Related: Teravainen a painful cap casualty for Blackhawks
"It's not every day that you're able to do a deal like this," Francis said on the team's official website. "I think we feel fortunate that we are able to get those guys into our organization and lineup. We wouldn't have been able to do it if we didn't have the (salary cap) room cleared out over the last year or two, and we wouldn't have been able to do it if we didn't have the draft picks we've built up, as well."
The picks sent to Chicago were not originally owned by Carolina. This year's second-rounder (50th overall) originally belonged to the New York Rangers and was acquired in the Eric Staal trade, one that also freed up a bunch of cap space. And the 2017 third-rounder came from Chicago back in September.
Even after the trade, the Hurricanes have six picks in the top 75 this year (two first-round picks, a second-round pick, and three third-round picks), hence Francis referencing the flexibility with which he was able to work.
Here's what the GM had to say about the players heading to Carolina.
Teravainen:
We feel that this is a real good young player with a big upside. He scored 35 points last year in his first full season and probably didn't see much time on the power play, so I think it's a good opportunity for him to grow and develop.
Bickell:
That's a big body, something that we've talked about getting into our lineup. He skates, and he's got some skill. I would think that in being in the last year of his deal that he'll be extremely motivated. I would think it's not easy in Chicago playing behind a lot of those talented players to feel like you're in it, so hopefully he's excited about the opportunity here and comes in ready to roll.
The Hurricanes still have almost $27 million in available cap space, meaning Francis likely isn't done reshaping his up-and-coming roster.
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