With the offseason chugging along and the excitement of the NHL Entry Draft and free agency waning, hockey fans are left anxiously awaiting next season. Here at Last Word on Hockey, we have been exploring some different “bests” from teams during the dog days of summer. Best players by number for a few teams, top captains, best and worst sweaters, and top first-round draft picks are some of the select rankings our writers have been exploring. As an ode to the 2024 Paris Summer Olympics, here for the Carolina Hurricanes, we are looking at the all-time starting lineups based on nationality.
A few parameters to this list to get us started. This will be a starting lineup so two wingers, one centre, two defencemen, and a goalie. The player must have played in the NHL with the Hurricanes (not looking at Hartford Whalers or prospects). The assessment comes from the players best performance with, and impact on, the Hurricanes, not over his career if he played with other teams. Last time we looked at Finland. Today we continue with their neighbour. This is the all-time Hurricanes Swedish starting lineup.
The Carolina Hurricanes All-Time Swedish Starting Lineup
When it comes to the Hurricanes Swedish contingency over their history, the list is actually rather short. There were some who were serviceable players, some with high hopes who didn’t pan out, and others that had big moments for the team. Oh yeah, and then there is the one who got away (looking at Gustav Forsling). As far as Swedish prospects, Felix Unger-Sorum may make a case for a spot this season and end up on this list in the near future. But nevertheless, let’s take a look at the Hurricanes best all-time Swedish starting lineup.
Victor Rask LW – Elias Lindholm C – Jesper Fast RW
Niclas Wallin LD – Klas Dahlbeck RD
Elias Lindholm
Starting at centre, we take a look at one of Carolina’s highest draft picks used on a Swede in Elias Lindholm. In the 2013 NHL Entry Draft that featured Nathan MacKinnon and Aleksander Barkov, the Hurricanes selected Lindholm fifth overall. He started right away in the NHL after Carolina drafted him. His rookie season saw him get 21 points in 58 games played. Lindholm’s best season with Carolina came in 2016-17 when he put up 45 points in 75 games. His consistent point totals in Carolina hovered around the 30s and 40s each season. Lindholm ultimately had 64 goals and 124 assists with Carolina which is the highest for any Hurricanes Swedish player.
Lindholm was a player known more as a playmaking, two-way centre who spent time on the wing as well. His quick snapshot was an underrated asset however. But under Bill Peters, Lindholm never seemed to really take off in Carolina like many were hoping. As he was looking for a larger deal than Carolina wanted to hand out as an RFA, he moved to the Calgary Flames in a big trade involving Noah Hanifin, Dougie Hamilton, Micheal Ferland, and then prospect Adam Fox. Lindholm’s next season in Calgary was his best as he jumped in production to put up 78 points. Then in 2021-22 he hit the 40 goal and 80 points marks.
It seemed like Carolina pulled the plug too early on Lindholm but his production has not matched those seasons since 2021-22. Regardless, Lindholm was a productive forward for Carolina who may or may not would have been a core piece had he stayed. Hindsight is 20/20 but even so, who knows.
Victor Rask
Okay yes, Victor Rask seems like a weird choice to put in the Hurricanes Swedish starting lineup. The forward had overall a pretty disappointing career (in Carolina and beyond). But with few Swedish Hurricanes forwards and what Rask ultimately produced, he found his way onto this list.
Drafted in the second round of the 2011 NHL Entry Draft, Rask was a player many originally marked for the first round. However, he slipped to the second round for various reasons. His first season in Carolina was 2014-15 and he put up 33 points. He would eventually reach the 48 point mark once with Carolina but never did anything more. His 163 points as a Hurricane, however, makes him second in total points for Hurricanes Swedes.
What came out of Victor Rask is arguably the biggest impact he had on this team. No, we aren’t referring to his point totals and production. Unfortunately, Rask found himself in the Hurricanes “black hole” era of consistent mediocrity with no playoff appearances and over slotted players throughout the lineup. But in 2018-19, the Minnesota Wild also had an underperforming player. The two teams decided to make a hockey trade to swap underperforming players with the hopes that changes of scenery would ignite a spark. The Wild didn’t fare so well as Rask never did much more than he did in Carolina. But the Hurricanes struck gold.
They received Nino Niederreiter who instantly fell into place in Carolina and helped lead the team back to the playoffs in ten years. The Swiss forward was huge part of the team during his tenure here. So as weird as it is to say Rask is on this list because he got Carolina Niederreiter, but here we are, and few can argue with the logic.
Jesper Fast
Jesper Fast is a heart and soul guy for Carolina that has an underrated impact. After spending years with the New York Rangers, consistently winning the players’ voted player of the team award, Fast signed as a free agent with Carolina in 2020. His point totals aren’t crazy, with 101 points total over four seasons for Carolina. But his impact on the team’s heavy forechecking game has been huge. Spending much time with Jordan Staal, Fast is a hound on the puck and plays at such a pace to earn him the nickname “Quickie.” He seems to be the definition of a team first guy.
But even though he doesn’t lead the team in points, he has shown an ability to come up clutch when needed. Nothing was more evident than when he scored the series clinching, overtime-winning goal against the New Jersey Devils in the second round of the 2022-23 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs.
Unfortunately, Fast didn’t see the playoffs this past season. He went down with a neck injury in a meaningless final game of the season. Could things have been different if Fast was available against the New York Rangers in Round Two? Maybe so. It’s no secret that Fast puts in the heart to help the team in ways beyond the scoresheet.
Niclas Wallin
Niclas Wallin is the oldest player on this list. He is also the only one that was part of the Hurricanes 2002 team that went to the Stanley Cup Final as well as the Stanley Cup Championship team in 2006. The Swedish defenceman was a solid presence on the blueline for the team for many years. He was never flashy and didn’t put up high points totals from the backend. Wallin over his time in Carolina was just a solid defenceman, who could handle his own end, and provide stability on the team’s backend.
But if there is one thing that will always stick out for Hurricanes fans when it comes to Wallin, it’s his clutch performances in the playoffs. Yes, performances with an “s”. The first came in 2002 against the Montreal Canadiens. Known as the “Molson Miracle” amongst Hurricanes fans, in the second round of the 2002 Stanley Cup Playoffs, the Hurricanes found themselves entering the third period of game four down 3-0. They were also down 2-1 in the series. But the team rallied back to tie the game late and send it to overtime. And Niclas Wallin would send a wrist shot from the blueline in overtime to win the game and spark the Hurricanes to win the series. With his first post-season goal being that one, he earned the nickname “Secret Weapon.”
But it wouldn’t stop there. In the Eastern Conference Final during that same post-season, the Hurricanes went to overtime against the Toronto Maple Leafs in game two. It was the “Secret Weapon” again who would score the overtime game winner. Wallin had two goals that postseason. And both were overtime game winners. Then fast forward to 2006. During game two of the second round against the New Jersey Devils, Carolina would rally back to force overtime late. And once again, the Secret Weapon showed up to seal the deal in overtime. It’s only fitting for Wallin that his three post-season goals with Carolina are all overtime winners that sealed his place in Hurricanes history.
Klas Dahlbeck
So much like our Hurricanes Finnish starting lineup, the Hurricanes Swedish one too has a lack of competition on defence. Therefore, out of a numbers game Klas Dahlbeck finds himself in this spot.
A waiver pickup from the Arizona Coyotes, Carolina claimed the Swedish defenceman to provide some depth and size on their back end. At 6′ 3″ and 207 pounds, Dahlbeck was never more than a 6/7 defenceman but did what he needed to in that role. He did enough to earn a one-year contract following his initial Hurricanes season. After the 2017-18 season he moved on to the KHL. There isn’t much to say about Dahlbeck but nevertheless he sits in the final players’ spot.
The “Lacko Taco” in Net Eddie Lack
Starting in net for the Hurricanes Swedish team is none other than Eddie Lack. While he was decent for Carolina, most fans will remember him for his personality and “Lacko Taco” commercials. After showing some promise in net for the Vancouver Canucks, the Hurricanes acquired Lack in 2015 in exchange for third and seventh round draft picks. Before playing a game in Carolina then general manager Ron Francis gave Lack a two-year contract extension. Lack would play two seasons in Carolina and put up a .902 SV% and 2.75 GAA. Splitting time with the most notable Hurricanes goalie of all time, Cam Ward, Lack didn’t really provide as much as the team had hoped for. He was decent but never really knocked the door down.
In 2017, Carolina traded Lack back to Western Canada. This time to the Calgary Flames. While Lack won’t be remembered much for his on-ice performance, it’s also important to remember that the team in front of him wasn’t too much to write home about at that time as well. But his off-ice positivity mixed with his own blend of goofiness and goalie personality made him a likeable player. It was too bad it didn’t end better for Lack in Carolina.
Main Photo Credit: James Guillory-USA TODAY Sports
