With the 2016 NHL Entry Draft over, development camps beginning, and less than a week until the start of free agency, a momentary lull has arisen in the whirlwind off-season. In this time, fans, pundits, and the Carolina Hurricanes organization itself now have a brief period in which to review, preview, and take stock of what they have before turning their eyes forward to the hellscape of free agency.
After a particularly busy 2015-2016 season, many faces have come and gone, leaving Canes fans to wonder exactly what it is they have to look forward to, as well as what the team still needs to compete.
What the Carolina Hurricanes Have
Young Offensive Talent
Last year, the Carolina Hurricanes had seven forwards with 20 or more points on the season, the oldest of whom was 27-year-old Jordan Staal. With the departure of his brother Eric Staal in order to clear cap space, the Hurricanes then managed to swipe rising starlet Teuvo Teravainen from the Chicago Blackhawks at the low price of one Bryan Bickell.
The 21-year-old Teravainen is coming off his first full season as a Blackhawk, a season in which he tallied 35 points in 78 games. What’s more, the Hurricanes also agreed to terms with 2015 draft picks Sebastian Aho and Aleksi Saarela, who was acquired in the trade that sent the elder Staal to New York.
The two Finns, despite being overshadowed by the likes of Connor McDavid and Jack Eichel, were both drafted in 2015 and have spent the past season tearing up the Finnish professional league. Aho, who at one point played center for Patrik Laine and Jesse Puljujarvi, led Karpat in scoring with 45 points in 45 games at the ripe old age of 18.
Also 18 years old, Saarela managed a cool 33 points in 51 games played with Assat Pori. With the addition of Teravainen, Aho, and Saarela, Carolina looks to add even more depth to an already impressive pool of young offensive talent.
Talented Defensemen
In addition to the seven forwards who logged 20+ points for the Hurricanes last season, three defensemen managed to do the same. Justin Faulk, Noah Hanifin, and Jaccob Slavin added 37, 22, and 20 points, respectively, with veteran Ron Hainsey flying just under the threshold at 19.
While many already consider Faulk an elite defender, the 2015-2016 season served as a proving period for the likes of Slavin and Brett Pesce, who showed themselves as capable starting defensemen. In return for their impressive performances, Bill Peters rewarded them with impressive average ice times of 20:59 and 18:46, respectively.
What’s more, Hanifin surprised even those who had been following him closely for some time with his rapid growth as an intelligent, offensively-minded defenseman. A product of the same 2015 draft that produced Aho and Saarela, the 19-year-old Hanifin is the only defensive prospect from that draft to be playing for his senior club. By the end of the season, his role increased dramatically, and he finished the last game of the regular season with a team high 23:10 of ice time.
Much like their offense, the strength of Carolina’s defense lies in their youth. With an average age of 25 and only Hainsey and James Wisniewski cracking 30 years old, the defensive corps looks strong for years to come. This talented young group extends further into the Charlotte Checkers, where the likes of Ryan Murphy, Trevor Carrick, and Haydn Fleury will be chomping at the bit to earn their spots among the big boys in the coming seasons.
What the Carolina Hurricanes Need
Elite Offensive Firepower
Despite the impressive young guns and the addition of Teravainen, the fact remains that the Hurricanes still need more in the offensive half of the ice. While 10 players racked up 20+ points last season, only one, Jeff Skinner, earned more than 50. If they hope to truly contend for a playoff spot in the near future, the organization must allot a sizeable chunk of its nearly $25 million in cap space to finding elite forwards.
While the recovery of Andrej Nestrasil and the maturing of Victor Rask and Elias Lindholm should certainly boost next year’s production numbers, Eric Staal‘s absence has created a hole in the first line center spot that could negate these advances if left unfilled.
While very few legitimate first line centers are free agents this summer, names like Steven Stamkos, Sean Monahan, and Kevin Hayes stick out as the type of talented centers that Carolina should be pursuing. That being said, General Manager Ron Francis is highly unlikely to land any of these names, and as a result, the Hurricanes may need to turn to the trading block to fill this spot.
If the pursuit of an elite center fails, turning to the free agent market could still yield positive results for the organization, with a number of goal-scoring wingers set to become either UFA or RFA this offseason. Adding another 40- or 50-point scorer to the deep pool of young forwards will help the Hurricanes move forward in their quest for the playoffs in a way that very few other additions could match.
Goaltending
If the season were to start today, the Hurricanes would be starting either Cam Ward or Eddie Lack in goal, both of whom finished last season with save percentages below .910% and goals against averages above 2.40. Needless to say, management will want to improve upon these numbers in the coming seasons, and they’ll have to if they want any chance of making the playoffs. Combining ineffectual goaltending and lackluster attacking power is a dangerous setback for any team hoping to work its way out of the basement, and Carolina certainly has the cap space to fix their goaltending dilemma.
The team must either hope Lack and Ward get better or turn to the trade block. Even then, there are not many goalies on the market who are an improvement on either of the two, and those who are may be difficult to get.
The best option may be to find a team pressed up against the salary cap and looking to unload their goaltender to clear space. Honestly, a trade of Lack and Joakim Nordstrom to a team like the Columbus Blue Jackets in return for Sergei Bobrovsky wouldn’t be surprising. Columbus has a strong goalie pipeline and needs cap relief, while the Hurricanes could benefit from having an intelligent, agile goaltender like Bobrovsky backing their blueline.
Bright Days Ahead
Granted, all of this is speculation at this point, and it’s impossible to know what is going through Francis’ immaculately manicured head as the offseason progresses. What is certain, however, is that the Hurricanes have a few more holes to plug before becoming a serious playoff contender. With youthful talent on both ends of the ice and a lot of money to play with, however, the days of playoff hockey in Raleigh seem closer than they have been in years.
Main Photo:
