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Top 5 Free Agents the Carolina Hurricanes should target

By Christian Candeloro

BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS - MAY 04: Sergei Bobrovsky #72 of the Columbus Blue Jackets looks on during the third period of Game Five of the Eastern Conference Second Round during the 2019 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs against the Boston Bruins at TD Garden on May 04, 2019 in Boston, Massachusetts. The Bruins defeat the Blue Jackets 4-3. (Photo by Maddie Meyer/Getty Images)
BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS - MAY 04: Sergei Bobrovsky #72 of the Columbus Blue Jackets looks on during the third period of Game Five of the Eastern Conference Second Round during the 2019 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs against the Boston Bruins at TD Garden on May 04, 2019 in Boston, Massachusetts. The Bruins defeat the Blue Jackets 4-3. (Photo by Maddie Meyer/Getty Images) /
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4. Ryan Dzingel

COLUMBUS, OH – APRIL 30: Ryan Dzingel #19 of the Columbus Blue Jackets controls the puck while playing against the Boston Bruins in Game Three of the Eastern Conference Second Round during the 2019 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs on April 30, 2019 at Nationwide Arena in Columbus, Ohio. (Photo by Kirk Irwin/Getty Images)
COLUMBUS, OH – APRIL 30: Ryan Dzingel #19 of the Columbus Blue Jackets controls the puck while playing against the Boston Bruins in Game Three of the Eastern Conference Second Round during the 2019 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs on April 30, 2019 at Nationwide Arena in Columbus, Ohio. (Photo by Kirk Irwin/Getty Images) /

Dzingel is a prime candidate to get a bounce-back, prove-it type deal. After scoring 20+ goals in three straight seasons, Dzingel enters the offseason on a particularly sour note. He played 23 regular season games for the Blue Jackets last season after being traded by Ottawa at the deadline, scoring four goals and adding four assists. He was mostly absent in Columbus’s playoff run, scoring just one goal in nine games. He consistently totaled low ice-times and was thought to be a healthy scratch in the second round against Boston.

Still, it comes down to which Dzingel the Hurricanes think they’ll get: the Dzingel who scored 22 goals before the trade for Ottawa or the Dzingel who was a non-factor in the second half of the season.

For a Hurricanes team that could use help on the power-play and with more scoring help, Dzingel could be an intriguing option, especially considering he’ll be 28 this coming season. He could easily replace Ferland or Williams and provide more upside than either.

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