Why Hurricanes coach Rod Brind’Amour hasn’t been able to sit still this offseason

There was a time, and not that long ago, when Carolina Hurricanes coach Rod Brind’Amour spent time in the summer tinkering with potential lineups.

Although Brind’Amour does not like to number his forward lines, he would mull over and jot down different combinations. Defensive pairings, too.

And now?

“I try not to because it’s a waste of time,” Brind’Amour said this week. “Until you know what your group is, you can do that because it all changes.”

Since the Canes’ season ended in the playoffs against Florida in the Eastern Conference final, Brind’Amour has been on the move, attending the NHL Draft, being in the discussions about free-agent signings and potential trades.

On a personal note, his father, Bob, passed away in early June, and Brind’Amour returned to Campbell River, British Columbia, to be with family. He also hosts an annual charity golf tournament later in June in Campbell River along with Edmonton Oilers forward Ryan Nugent-Hopkins.

The Canes conducted their development camp this past week and Brind’Amour was there, spending time with the prospects at Invisalign Arena on and off the ice.

“I try to get a little down time, because we’ve just been going and haven’t even stopped,” he said when camp ended Thursday. “There are still things happening out there that we’re not sure about.”

Brind’Amour said that last part with a slight smile. While the Canes have made free-agent signings — defenseman Dmitry Orlov and forwards Michael Bunting and Brendan Lemieux — there are still rumblings in the NHL about Carolina looking to trade for San Jose defenseman Erik Karlsson, the 2023 Norris Trophy winner, or sign free-agent forward Vladimir Tarasenko.

There’s also defenseman Tony DeAngelo, put on unconditional waivers Friday by the Philadelphia Flyers for the purpose of buying out his contract. Not claimed Saturday, DeAngelo, who played for the Canes in 2021-22, became an unrestricted free agent.

Those are some of the “things happening out there” and decisions that will be made by team owner Tom Dundon and Don Waddell, the Canes’ president and general manager, but with input from the head coach.

“From my perspective, you’re always worried about the dynamic of the group,” Brind’Amour said. “If Tom and Don feel we can get better, that’s what they’re trying to do. You’ve got to appreciate the fact that if there’s a guy out there who can make us better, they look at it every which way to try to get them and acquire them. I kind of think that’s what’s happening, if I had to guess.”

The Hurricanes did re-sign captain Jordan Staal. They re-signed forward Jesper Fast, and goalies Frederik Andersen and Antti Raanta. Brind’Amour liked that.

Another plus for Brind’Amour: forward Andrei Svechnikov was skating Friday at Invisalign Arena for the first time since his March injury and knee surgery.

“Everything is on schedule. Everything has been going great,” Svechnikov said this week of his rehab.

BrindAmour is aware any major trade by the Canes could involve the loss of a key player from the lineup — veteran defenseman Brett Pesce’s name often popping up in NHL speculation as Pesce and his new agents negotiate a contract extension.

“You’ve got to get your team and you’ve got to, as a coach, prepare for how things will shape up,” Brind’Amour said. “But we’re now just looking at (preseason) training camp and how we’re going to run it. You just kind of dial all that in.”

Dialing in Orlov and Bunting won’t be hard. The Canes have competed against Orlov for many years when he was with the Washington Capitals. Bunting made an impression the past two seasons with the Toronto Maple Leafs, scoring more than 20 goals each season while playing with an edge.

“You’re adding two quality players and that’s always the key, getting your group better,” Brind’Amour said. “I think clearly those are two great additions.

“It’s about taking the pieces and trying to fit them together. As it stands right now I like how we’re shaping up. To me, I liked the fact that we kept a lot of our guys that we needed to keep. We wanted to keep them in the fold, and we able to do that.”

Bringing in Lemieux, another rough-and-tumble guy known to quickly drop the gloves, along with Bunting leads to a question: Did the Canes believe toughness was missing in the lineup this past season, especially in the playoffs?

“I don’t think it was missing,” Brind’Amour said. “We lost a little bit of it with ‘Svech’ being out. That was a big part of it. But I don’t think that’s missing. You can just have a little more.”