I am of the belief that Carolina should be a "go-to" market.
Carolina has great in-season weather (well not this month but Florida is a hot box too btw), fantastic/exuberant fans, great in-market people (I rate NC as the best State in the US), good place to raise a family with good Triangle schools, & by 2025 will rank just after the non-tax states for lower taxes, etc.
Owners matter.....lots of examples of downtrodden markets in professional sports turning around with the right owner creating an environment in which top players want to go there versus the "top" markets such as NY, LA, etc.
What the Canes are lacking right now is an owner that markets to players versus one that has to negotiate with every agent & who has to win every deal (like he is in the sub-prime/private equity business). Dundon appears to be an introvert with articles stating he has "no friends" and that is a negative when you are leading a people business (good for drafts though).
FWIW: I also think losing DW who is a top shelf person, takes away the human side of the franchise and that is a loss.