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Poll: Should the Hurricanes move a big name?

Justin Faulk, Alexander Semin, Eric Staal

Carolina Hurricanes’ Justin Faulk (27), and Alexander Semin (28), celebrate a goal by Eric Staal, center, during the second period of an NHL hockey game against the Buffalo Sabres in Buffalo, N.Y., Tuesday, Feb. 25, 2014. (AP Photo/Gary Wiepert)

AP

The Carolina Hurricanes have missed the playoffs for five straight seasons, yet they have the bloated core contracts of a perennial contender.

The combined salary cap hits of Eric Staal ($8.25 million), Alexander Semin ($7 million), Cam Ward ($6.3 million), Jordan Staal ($6 million), Jeff Skinner ($5.725 million) and Justin Faulk ($4.83 million) make up a whopping $38.1 million in cap payroll for six players. Again, it would be easier to swallow that bitter pill if the Hurricanes were getting what they’re paying for, yet a good chunk of that money seems ill-placed ... at least at the moment.

Carolina’s new management team seems comfortable with sticking with the status quo for now ... but should they?

For the sake of fun, let’s ponder this question: who should the Hurricanes get rid of? In the interest of brevity, let’s eliminate Ward (who’d probably be a unanimous choice and carries negligible trade value) and Faulk (too early to really judge his contract compared to other options) from the equation and focus on the forwards.

Feel free to add nuance in the comments, but here’s an abbreviated case for/against moving each guy before you get voting:

Eric Staal - For: He’s really expensive and not quite worth the money. He’s failed to come through for “his team” for long enough that it might be time to part ways, much like Rick Nash with the Columbus Blue Jackets. Against: His trade value is at or around its all-time low.

Jordan Staal - For: The two-way center doesn’t score like most $6 million players are expected to. Against: He tilts the ice in Carolina’s favor quite a bit and might not grab value because of those aforementioned modest point totals.

Semin - For: Even his strongest proponents will admit that he hasn’t been able to stay healthy. There are certainly a lot of people who seem to sour on the guy. Against: He still owns one of the deadliest shots in the game and the advanced stats tend to smile upon him, which would likely surprise his biggest detractors.

Skinner - For: He’s had some concussion issues and seems to leave a lot to be desired defensively. Against: His blazing offensive skills could leave the Hurricanes with post-trade regret (see: Seguin, Tyler).

Blow it up - Let’s consider this the “hit rebuild” option, in case you think Carolina should remove three or more prominent players (counting Ward and Faulk, if you feel that’s appropriate).

Stay put - If you agree with new GM Ron Francis that a major makeover isn’t necessary.
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OK, that’s the quick version for and against each option, so have at it and feel free to discuss things further in the comments:

[polldaddy poll=8249974]

Follow James O’Brien @cyclelikesedins