Free-Agent Options Remain for Carolina Hurricanes After Patient Start to July

After a draft weekend of feverish activity surrounding the Carolina Hurricanes, the first two days of the NHL's free-agency period have passed without a single out-of-town addition.

General manager Ron Francis has stayed out of an unrestricted free-agent market laden with green, instead merely re-signing third-line center Riley Nash and inking a handful of AHL players since the floodgates opened at noon Wednesday.

Francis, per standard for NHL general managers in the midst of negotiation-heavy periods, has stayed decidedly vague about his plans and desires for the remainder of the summer.

In his Wednesday afternoon press conference, Francis said that the 'Canes are "constantly talking and looking at things. It's tough to find a deal that's the right term and the right money...on this day."

He later added that "the biggest challenge for myself and my management team is being patient and sticking with the plan."

Patient consideration, clearly, is the No. 1 modus operandi in the Hurricanes organization at the moment.

Screenshot by Mark Jones of video from NHL.Hurricanes.com.

While the team cleared out an additional $4.67 million in cap space annually with the Alexander Semin buyout (per General Fanager) and irreverent owner Peter Karmanos recently refuted the concept that the 'Canes are a "budget team"—that is, a franchise operating on a budget less than the NHL-established salary cap—there is more to consider when navigating the free-agent market than pure, immediate cash.

New veteran additions can eat roster spots that would otherwise give opportunities for prospects to gain NHL experience or find their NHL foothold. And big-ticket signings can become unwanted, obstructive financial albatrosses later on in their multi-year contracts, even if plenty of cap space is initially available at the time of the signing. 

Patience may have cost the 'Canes a chance to bring fan favorite Justin Williams back to Raleigh, although they still may have offered him more money than Washington eventually did.

But patience also saved the 'Canes from falling prey to absurd five-year contract demands from Michael Frolik and Matt Beleskey and the surprising price tags of Blake Comeau and Brad Richards. None of those four forwards signed for bank-breaking salaries, but compared to the prices of comparable players later this month, they'll likely still seem excessively expensive.

Francis surely knows he needs to find more forward depth, particularly at right wing. The plugs to those holes will be announced in time, when the price is right and the options have been analyzed thoroughly.

Bruce Bennett/Getty Images

Former Capitals veterans Joel Ward, Eric Fehr and Curtis Glencross are still available.

Former Panthers forwards Brad Boyes, Scottie Upshall and Sean Bergenheim are still available.

Former Blues big body Chris Stewart is still available.

Former Predators first-liner Martin Erat is still available.

Former 'Canes first-liner Jiri Tlusty, even, sits available on the UFA list.

All of those players are still fully capable of producing 2015-16 campaigns in the 30- to 50-point range. All are potentially viable second- or third-line wingers. And all remain options for the Hurricanes this summer, and at slowly declining prices at that.

Unlike last week's draft, when picks happened in a flash and urgency was a requirement, the NHL's free-agency period is more of a test of caution. In July, there is indeed reward for being the last pig to eat from the trough.

Francis and the Hurricanes' relative inactivity of the market's opening two days should produce far more confidence about the rationality of those in charge than anxiety about the team's current shortcomings.

Current free-agent list courtesy of General Fanager. Free-agent signings list courtesy of CBS Sports' tracker.

Mark Jones has been a Carolina Hurricanes Featured Columnist for Bleacher Report since 2009. Visit his profile to read more or follow him on Twitter.