Quite frankly the fans have a right to be pissed off about this. They're raising prices across the board and setting expectations very high for the quality of play this team will have going forward. Seeing top talent walk out the door should put some heat on the front office.
This was a bungling by a front office that now has a bit of a history in being unable to hold onto good players that aren't home grown. Hamilton and Trocheck ran from us and even Aho as a home grown player signed an Offer Sheet. It's a problem
As I said in a previous post, Canes are in good shape revenue wise for '24-'25 (always good tactics to get $$$ up front before squad is known). They renewed their season ticket base while optimism was high and probably are banking on 2025's "holy grail" Nikishin to re-ignite passions.
Of course, they could knock it out of the park in free agency and then the team would not miss a beat. However, the HF "Canes fanatics" see a lot of moving pieces right now with a gap in D, a disgruntled Necas and missing requisite offensive talent for a highly competitive season (I wish Columbus would have traded for Necas because I'm doubtful the trade return for him will be as high).
If Canes don't have a good off-season, I expect a down season & the sell-out streak to end (I would roll with the young guys, Morrow/Nadeau, etc., get the high non-playoff pick and setup for another run '26 & beyond). Plus, season ticket holders will be hard pressed to sell their tickets/offset some of the high cost of being a Canes season ticket holder.