The Carolina Hurricanes opted to stand pat at the trade deadline, engaging in one minor swap of Josh Jooris to the Pittsburgh Penguins for AHLer Greg McKegg.

The Hurricanes sit five points back of the Columbus Blue Jackets for the final wild-card spot in the Eastern Conference, and general manager Ron Francis didn't feel comfortable buying or selling with 20 games to go in the team's season.

“We explored all things,” Francis told the News and Observer. “Certainly we looked at a lot of pieces we could add to our lineup. I think the prices were pretty steep this time around in our eyes.

“I don’t think we’re at a point where we can give up first-round picks and prospects to try and get something we have for a month or two and hope to get into the playoffs with that rental or a guy who maybe has a year left on his (contract). We didn’t think the prices they were asking for those pieces fit with where we are right now as an organization. … So we ended up sitting tight.”

The Hurricanes have missed the playoff in eight straight seasons and are currently on pace to miss for the fourth time under head coach Bill Peters. Francis said Monday, though, he doesn't believe Peters' job will be in jeopardy if the team falls short of the postseason.

“No, I don’t get that sense from (majority owner) Tom (Dundon) or myself,” Francis said. “We’ve got 20 games down the stretch and we’ll see what the guys can do. It’s up to them in the locker room to get over the hump.”

Peters, 53, has a 128-128-52 record with the Hurricanes since being hired ahead of the 2014-15 season. 

The Hurricanes entered the trade deadline in the midst of a five-game losing skid and Francis admitted the losses played a role in his decision making on Monday.

“If you win five or six going into the deadline you feel a lot better about things," Francis said. "If you struggling going into the deadline you look at things a bit differently.”

The Hurricanes (27-25-10) visit the Boston Bruins (37-15-8) on Tuesday night.