Report: Hurricanes 'very likely' to move Ferland

Micheal Ferland's days as a member of the Carolina Hurricanes appear to be numbered.

The club is "very likely" to move the pending unrestricted free-agent forward, according to The Athletic's Pierre LeBrun.

Ferland's on a team-friendly expiring contract carrying a $1.75-million cap hit, and he'd been thriving on the Hurricanes' top line alongside Sebastian Aho and Teuvo Teravainen before suffering a concussion in November.

The 26-year-old returned from the concussion in late December, but is now dealing with an unspecified injury.

Last Wednesday, Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman reported the Boston Bruins, Edmonton Oilers, Pittsburgh Penguins, and Vancouver Canucks were among the teams interested in Ferland. One day later, the Hurricanes landed forward Nino Niederreiter from the Minnesota Wild in exchange for fellow forward Victor Rask.

Meanwhile, teams are calling Carolina about defensemen Dougie Hamilton and Brett Pesce, according to LeBrun, who added that the Hurricanes are willing to move a top-four blue-liner in exchange for a top-six forward with offensive skill.