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Need to upgrade your defense? Give Carolina a call

2014 NHL Draft - Round 1

PHILADELPHIA, PA - JUNE 27: Haydn Fleury is selected seventh overall by the Carolina Hurricanes in the first round of the 2014 NHL Draft at the Wells Fargo Center on June 27, 2014 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images)

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The Carolina Hurricanes have drafted a lot of defensemen in the last few years, and it’s put them in a great position to make some trades.

“I think everyone is always looking for D and we feel comfortable with our depth there,” GM Ron Francis told ESPN.com Thursday. “We’re always looking at all options to make our team better; if that’s an area of strength and you can address an area of weakness, we’d certainly look at those possibilities.”

As mentioned, the ‘Canes have made it a point to draft defensemen. Haydn Fleury went seventh overall in 2014 and is now finding his way in the AHL; Noah Hanifin went fifth overall in 2015 and has already played over 100 games in the NHL; and Jake Bean, still in junior, was the 13th overall pick in 2016.

Carolina has also discovered some gems in the later rounds, like Justin Faulk (37th overall), Brett Pesce (66th), and Jaccob Slavin (120th).

In a related story, there has been talk that the ‘Canes could be a dark horse to land Matt Duchene or Gabriel Landeskog from the Colorado Avalanche. The Avs badly need to upgrade their blue line. No doubt they’re aware of Carolina’s riches.

So keep an eye on the Hurricanes. They’ve got the assets to make a deal. It’s just a matter now of finding the right one.

Related:

Ducks won’t trade young defensemen for rentals

Canucks could trade a defenseman for a scorer