While the Carolina Hurricanes season ended in disappointment, the team had a lot to be proud of. Now in the offseason, tough decisions will be made, and management will work to put the team in a place to succeed next season. In the meantime, we will take a look back at individual players’ seasons and see how they did. For the Carolina Hurricanes offseason grades, today we look at Mackenzie MacEachern.
Carolina Hurricanes Offseason Grade: Mackenzie MacEachern
Mackenzie MacEachern is somewhat of a journeyman depth forward who brings an element of physicality. The former 2012 third-round pick of the St. Louis Blues has spent six seasons in the NHL but never has played a full season. Spending most of his time up and down between the NHL and AHL, his most NHL games came in 2019-20 when he played 51 games and had ten points. It’s not much of a surprise that was his career high in points.
Carolina signed MacEachern as a free agent last offseason to provide a more veteran presence to the Chicago Wolves and depth in their forward core. MacEachern spent the entire regular season with Chicago but missed some time due to injury. When he returned, he was one of Chicago’s best players and finished the AHL season with 30 points in 37 games. While he never played an NHL regular season game, he got called up in the playoffs.
MacEachern’s Playoffs
MacEachern’s playoffs started off somewhat with a bang for the Hurricanes. His first game was game four in the First Round against the New York Islanders. Immediately he was utilized on the top line with Sebastian Aho and scored one goal and one assist. He helped the team to a big win after losing game three. However, that would be it for MacEachern on the scoresheet in the playoffs. He suited up for the Hurricanes in eight games, moving around the lineup, and even beat out Jesse Puljujarvi for a starting position at times.
While MacEachern did not bring a ton offensively, he brought some physicality with 17 hits and helped out on the forecheck. His analytics were not bad and showed that he was fairly effective in a depth role providing some chance generation for Carolina. His Corsi and Fenwick were 61% and 60% respectively while his expected goals percentage was 64.5%. Additionally, his on-ice goal differential was four while his on-ice expected goal differential was 2.9. Essentially, MacEachern came into the playoffs following injuries and did what was asked of him. He chipped in a few points and played in the game plan that Carolina used to help on a heavy forecheck. Nothing was really blowing anyone away, but he held his own.
The Verdict
The Carolina Hurricanes signed MacEachern for added depth in the offseason and that is exactly what they got. Had injuries not been a factor, he may have gotten into a few regular season games. However, fate just wouldn’t have it that way. When called up in the playoffs, he played well enough to get a consistent spot. Nothing flashy and nothing unexpected. But doing what was asked. That’s about what you want from a player like MacEachern.
He will be an unrestricted free agent this offseason and Carolina may look to resign him in a similar deal for depth. However, it’s common to see players in MacEachern’s status move from team to team so either way would not be much of a surprise. Regardless, he did his job this year for the Hurricanes. It will be fun to see his journey next season.
Grade: C
Check out our last Carolina Hurricanes offseason grades article!
Main Photo: Jasen Vinlove-USA TODAY Sports
