NHL Trade Rumors: Noted insider claims Carolina Hurricanes plotting 'big swing' ahead of deadline

The Carolina Hurricanes are enjoying another strong season. The Canes sit at 45 points with a 22-13-1 record through 36 games, on pace to make the playoffs for the seventh consecutive year.

Despite all of the regular season success, the Hurricanes have yet to see it translate to the postseason. They've made it as far as the Eastern Conference final just twice in the last six years and got swept both times.

In a position to have a deep playoff run, Carolina will likely be aggressive ahead of the trade deadline. That was confirmed on Monday by Sportsnet insider Elliotte Friedman on "32 Thoughts: The Podcast."

"I'm still looking to see what Carolina is going to do," Friedman said (36:03). "Like, the interesting thing about the Devils is they went out and they made all those changes in the offseason, and every single one of them has looked really good. And the other thing too is, that Siegenthaler, who had a really tough year last year, he's been back.

"So I'm looking at them, and I'm saying; 'Are you really adding any more?' You've added a lot. You've got your guys in the right spot. Like, are you really adding? But Carolina, they’re going to add. In goal, I think, and maybe somewhere else. I can see Car taking a big swing."

An injury to No. 1 netminder Frederik Andersen has the Canes in the market for a goalie to help share the load with Pyotr Kochetkov. It seems Carolina is also hoping to make meaningful additions to improve other areas of the roster.

Carolina Hurricanes are looking to catch up in the Metropolitan division

Although the Carolina Hurricanes have had a good start to the season, they remain in the rearview mirror of the New Jersey Devils and Washington Capitals.

The Devils sit six points clear of the Canes, while the Caps are one point behind New Jersey. This could be a difficult gap to close, so it makes sense that the Hurricanes want to be aggressive on this deadline to improve their chances.

They'll need leading point scorer Martin Necas to get back to his early season production and out of his active six-game pointless drought.

The Carolina Hurricanes return to action on Tuesday in a divisional matchup with the Columbus Blue Jackets at Nationwide Arena. The puck drops at 8 p.m. EST.