Was moving off Rantanen so quickly not a tacit admission of “we took a swing but it’s not working out so we are going to recalibrate and not rush this?” The Canes still made the final four and while not getting over the hump has to be maddening - I’m not sure what could have been realistically expected better than that this season.
This still looks like a franchise trying to slowly build up for another big swing, but does that big swing have to be this summer? The core is still not that “old”, the deadwood is leaving and the roster and system are pretty flush with guys who are either making an impact now or will in the near future.
Does 25-26 have to be seen as a “make or break” year to be bold? Would simply taking one more year to turn the roster over to the younger guys be seen as a “wasted year” by a frustrated fan base?