Teuvo Teravainen is a talented Finnish winger with a top-level hockey IQ for the Carolina Hurricanes. After a down-year in the 2022-23 season, Teravainen is due a resurgence. As another talented forward for a Hurricanes team built strongly on its defence, this potential resurgence could be a big piece to Carolina taking the next step.
The Hurricanes Offence Could Thrive with Teuvo Teravainen’s Resurgence
Teuvo Teravainen has been a big piece of Carolina’s emergence into relevancy over the last half a decade. The Finnish winger has a very high hockey IQ and is an effective playmaking winger. But through his development, he has shown that he is also very effective defensively. A perfect example of this is when he and fellow Finn Sebastian Aho are paired together on the penalty kill. Meanwhile, he has a sneaky release that most don’t take much of a note of….until the puck is in the net.
Over the former Chicago Blackhawks first round selection’s career, Teravainen has one Stanley Cup as well as 130 goals and 276 assists. Chicago traded Teravainen in a cap dump move to Carolina in 2016 with Bryan Bickell in exchange for draft picks. A shrewd pickup by then Hurricanes General Manager Ron Francis. Teravainen’s career high in points came in 2018-19 when he put up 76 in 82 games. He also scored ten points in 15 playoff games that year. In 2021-22, he scored a career-high 22 goals and 31 power play points while also putting up a career high in playoff points with 11 in 14 games.
He can be effective on many different lines as his playmaking ability makes others around him better. But he particularly has formed good chemistry with Aho in Carolina. Even though he consistently has put up over 60 points a season with at least 20 power play points since 2017-18 (not including the shortened 2020-21 season), this past year was a different story. In a disappointing year, he only put up 12 goals and 25 assists in 68 games. There were a few possible reasons for his off year including some injury trouble and the loss of his grandfather. And again, in the playoffs, Teravainen only played six games due to a wrist injury with only one goal. Needless to say, it was a really down year for Teravainen.
The Hurricanes Looking for “Finn”ishing
It’s been an almost endless narrative at this point that the Hurricanes, while effective defensively and an analytical monster when it comes to shot generation, expected chances and a relentless forecheck, have a finishing ability that suffers some in comparison. Having a top-six winger struggling to put up points does not help this narrative. While the Hurricanes team does not rely on one, or even a few, players for points, opting for a more scoring-by-committee approach, they need everyone in the “committee” to contribute.
Hurricanes fans are looking for the team to take that final step to hoist the Stanley Cup. Part of this also comes in waiting for the next big move to acquire a top scoring forward. But what if having a current member of the team returning to form plays a part in this story? Not that Teravainen is a top goal scoring forward but let’s take a closer look at his contribution. Last season, the Hurricanes were 15th in total goals scored with 262. Had Teravainen scored 20 goals, closer to his norm, that would have given Carolina 270 goals. But it’s not his individual goals that would help the most. It is his playmaking with his assists and total points that could greatly help the team. Creating space and making plays in opportune times can be huge for successful team goal scoring. This playmaking ability would allow other forwards such as Aho, Seth Jarvis, Martin Necas and Andrei Svechnikov to get into positions to score because Teravainen can get the puck to them.
Giving Teuvo Another Chance
Teravainen’s creativity on the ice is a joy to watch when it’s on. With most of Carolina’s forwards progressing forward, they need Teravainen to get back into his groove. Based on his past performance and skillset there is no reason to think he won’t. Being on the last year of his contract, there are plenty of rumours mentioning him being on his way out via trade. Hockey is a business and that certainly could still be the case. But it is also conventional wisdom that “selling” an asset when its value is down is unwise. Of course, that is when everyone starts to throw out the idea of moving that player, but it’s not always the best choice.
Another team may see some value in Teravainen and give up worthwhile assets, but it seems less likely at this time. So, if Carolina has a potential 60-point player already available, giving him a shot may be a good idea. Likewise, his offensive creativity could be huge for a power play that struggled at times. There’s not much doubt of Teravainen’s ability at this point. The question is just whether he can get back to form. But if he does, it could be a big piece to Carolina’s success.
Main Photo Credit: James Guillory-USA TODAY Sports
