Carolina Hurricanes Trade Deadline: Ron Francis' Decisions

The first of March cannot come quick enough for the Carolina Hurricanes players, Captain Eric Staal, Coach Bill Peters or General Manager Ron Francis.

That will be when they can all get back to the one thing they want to do – play good hockey and get into the playoffs. Before that happens, though, they have three big games and a trade deadline that will determine what the Hurricanes will look like next season.

Ron Francis has been his usual tight-lipped self during this entire pre-deadline period, so really anything you hear or read is complete speculation and guesswork. The one thing that is clear, though, is that the next few games will have an effect on his decisions. If the Canes earn points and are still squarely in the playoff hunt, few changes should be made. If they falter in the next three, and the playoff gap widens, anything could happen.

We looked into the Cardiac Cane Crystal Ball to see how the Canes are going to do in the three games, and what Ron Francis’ final decisions are going to be. The CCCB never lies, so enjoy the predictions.

Thursday, February 25 – Hurricanes @ Maple Leafs – 7:30 – Air Canada Centre

Leafs 2015-2016 season – 20-28-10-50
Home – 8-10-8 Last 10 – 3-6-1 Goals for/Goals against – 142/175

Canes vs Leafs 2013-2016 record – 6-1-1
Goals – CAR 23/TOR 13 Shots – CAR 287/TOR 221

In the past two seasons the Hurricanes have handled the Maple Leafs easily, going 4-1-1 and out-scoring them 21-11. The numbers this season, though, look less than stellar on paper – 1-0-1 and only four goals between them. The first two games of the 2015-16 series were played early in the season before the Canes started surging up the standings, and the Peters’ system started to take hold. The Leafs are also in full trade deadline mode, shedding top players everywhere. The Hurricanes should come out of this game with a win.

Prediction: Carolina Hurricanes 5 – Toronto Maple Leafs 1

Friday, February 26 – Bruins @ Hurricanes – 7:00 – PNC Arena

Bruins 2015-2016 season – 32-22-6-70
Road – 20-7-3 Last 10 – 6-4-0 Goals for/Goals against – 185/169

Canes vs Bruins 2013-2016 record – 1-3-2
Goals – CAR 8/BOS 17 Shots – CAR 179/BOS 184

The numbers, past and present, don’t bode well on paper for the Hurricanes in this one. The Bruins have dominated the last two seasons, only allowing the Canes one win, and both outshooting and outscoring them. Now, it must be granted that in the 2013-14 season the Bruins were near the top of the league, and finished the season as the Atlantic Conference Champs, so the numbers from that season look ugly. Last season the Hurricanes fared much better.

The two teams haven’t played yet this season, which means two things. First, we can’t predict how this game will go based on any recent activity or evidence. Second, this game will indicate how the final two games in this season’s series should go.

Prediction: Boston Bruins 3 – Carolina Hurricanes 2 (OT)

Sunday, February 28 – Blues @ Hurricanes – 3:00 – PNC Arena

Blues 2015-2016 season – 35-18-9-79
Road – 16-8-5 Last 10 – 7-2-1 Goals for/Goals against – 156/150

Canes vs Blues 2013-2016 record – 2-1-2
Goals – CAR 14/STL 14 Shots – CAR 137/STL 151

St. Louis is currently sitting in 3rd place in the Central Division, ten points clear of any other teams chasing for a playoff spot. A pretty comfortable position, which they are going to need since their starting goalie, Brian Elliott, was been placed on long-term injured reserve on Tuesday, and is probably done for the season. The Hurricanes past and current statistics against the Blues match up really well for the home team on Sunday. And if the one meeting this season is any indication – Hurricanes Dominate the Blues – the Canes look good to end the weekend on a high note.

Prediction: St. Louis Blues – 2 – Carolina Hurricanes 5

Monday, February 29 – Trade Deadline Day – 3:00 – Everywhere

That brings us to D-Day. Monday at 3:00 EST. The day and time when all NHL fans will know what their team is going to look like for the last five weeks of the 2015-2016 season. The day that all Caniacs will finally know for sure who is staying and who is going, and what kind of General Manager Ron Francis really is.

These three games are crucial to what decisions are made in Raleigh. Ron Francis has to decide whether to shed some UFAs and look towards next season, or keep the gang together and keep this run to the postseason rolling.

Based on the stats, and our learned predictions for each game, the Hurricanes are going to look the same on March 1st as they will on February 28th. They will emerge from this weekend with another five points, and be even closer to an Eastern Conference playoff berth.

Ron Francis will announce that there was interest in Staal and others from numerous teams, but none of the deals made sense, and the team’s play recently made the final decisions easy. All outstanding player contract issues will be dealt with when the season is over, whether that be April 10th or some time in June. Take that to the bank.

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Carolina Hurricanes Trade Deadline: Five Days and What Ron Francis Will Decide

By Dean Plunkett | Feb 25, 2016

The first of March cannot come quick enough for the Carolina Hurricanes players, Captain Eric Staal, Coach Bill Peters or General Manager Ron Francis.