NHL Trade Rumors: $31,500,000 Carolina Hurricanes star not on the chopping block despite defensive congestion

The Carolina Hurricanes have a plethora of defensemen and many expected one to be moved this offseason.

Two of the more likely trade targets were Brett Pesce and Brady Skjei, but it appears both will be remaining in Carolina.

Skjei is currently in the final year of the $31,500,000 deal he signed in 2018 while he was with the New York Rangers. Since going to Carolina, Skjei has been playing alongside Pesce in the second pairing.

Although Skjei has been a solid NHL player, many felt like the Hurricanes won't have the cap space to re-sign him after this season. With that, they could look to move him for a forward to help their offense, but according to NHL.com's Dan Rosen, that isn't the case:

"The Hurricanes can and they might because depth at defenseman is an advantage for any team. They have eight with the additions of Dmitry Orlov, Tony DeAngelo and Caleb Jones to join Jaccob Slavin, Brent Burns, Jalen Chatfield, Pesce and Skjei.

"The latter two are in the last season of their respective contracts and can be unrestricted free agents, but so can DeAngelo, Jones and Chatfield, and the Hurricanes do not need to be in a rush to make any decisions on their futures."

Rosen added:

"Pesce and Skjei are a solid defense pair. Trading one could hurt the other. It makes more sense for the Hurricanes, a win-now team, to keep them both and push decisions on them down the road to be dealt with later. The Hurricanes are not in any kind of cap crunch and can go with 23 players, including 13 forwards and eight defensemen."

Rosen makes a good point as Skjei and Pesce have good chemistry together, so trading one could hinder the other.

As well, the Carolina Hurricanes are a legit Stanley Cup contender this season, so they should focus on this season solely as this is likely their best chance to win the Cup with their current core.

How has Brady Skjei played with the Carolina Hurricanes?

Brady Skjei was traded by the New York Rangers in February 2020 to the Carolina Hurricanes for a first-round pick.

The trade came as a surprise, but since becoming a Hurricane, Skjei has played well. In parts of four seasons with Carolina, he's skated in 222 games, recording 30 goals and 58 assists for 88 points.

However, defensively, Skjei has been solid as he has 202 blocked shots in 222 games with the Carolina Hurricanes.

The Hurricanes are set to open the 2023-24 NHL season on Oct. 11 at home against the Ottawa Senators. Carolina also enters the year as the betting favorite to win the Stanley Cup.