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Carolina Hurricanes: Andrej Sekera Ranks as Carolina’s 50th Best Player

By Charles Taylor

Dec 18, 2014; Raleigh, NC, USA; Carolina Hurricanes defensemen Andrej Sekera (4) celebrates his 3rd period goal with teammates against the Toronto Maple Leafs at PNC Arena. The Carolina Hurricanes defeated the Toronto Maple Leafs 4-1. Mandatory Credit: James Guillory-USA TODAY Sports
Dec 18, 2014; Raleigh, NC, USA; Carolina Hurricanes defensemen Andrej Sekera (4) celebrates his 3rd period goal with teammates against the Toronto Maple Leafs at PNC Arena. The Carolina Hurricanes defeated the Toronto Maple Leafs 4-1. Mandatory Credit: James Guillory-USA TODAY Sports /
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This summer, CardiacCane will be counting down the greatest Carolina Hurricanes players of all-time, ranking them from number 50 to number 1.

Starting June 1st, we will be unveiling our list of the best Canes players ever, ordering them from 1 to 50. The players ranked 50 through 26 will be unveiled in June, then the top 25 in July and August.

Our list was complied from the personal lists of all of our contributors. Each player ranking was averaged between all the lists to make one truly definitive Carolina Hurricanes all-time player list.

#50 – Andrej Sekera

The defensive revolution Carolina has seen in the last couple of seasons is mostly due to Justin Faulk, Jaccob Slavin, Brett Pesce, and others coming into their own. However, that growth was really started by one man, Andrej Sekera, who helped redefine what a type of defensive team the Canes could become.

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After being drafted in 2004, Sekera spent his first 6 NHL seasons playing for the Buffalo Sabres. While always steady, he was never anything to truly write home about in Buffalo. Yet, then GM Jim Rutherford saw some promise in him and made a bold but rewarding trade. Sekera moved to Carolina in exchange for a 2nd round pick and cast out Jamie McBain.

Sekera’s impact was immediate. He managed to fill gaps left by previous players and then some. In his first season in Carolina, the Slovak recorded 44 points, including 11 goals, which is tied as the 3rd best offensive season by a blue liner in Carolina Hurricanes history.

More impressive was his versatility. He could quarterback the powerplay, play in a shutdown role, kill penalties, distribute the puck, and even take a game over by himself. Just ask the Anaheim Ducks.

At the same time, Sekera was an influential teammate. He was paired with Faulk for the 2013-14 season and really helped the young defenseman round out his game. The effect was almost instant. Faulk would go on to have a career year in 2014-15, which ironically was Sekera’s last with Carolina.

For a team on the brink of a major rebuild, Sekera’s departure was all but inevitable. He was dealt at the 2015 deadline to the Los Angeles Kings for a 1st round pick (Julien Gauthier) and a prospect by the name of Roland McKeown. He now plies his trade with the Edmonton Oilers as Connor McDavid’s supplier from the back end.

Next: Choosing Between Cam Ward and Eddie Lack

Sekera was perhaps the first defenseman in what was years to truly be the complete package for the Carolina Hurricanes. His skill set was something that made a pedestrian defense look serviceable. In many ways, his style of play, intelligence, and attitude have become the model to go on for the modern Canes blueline. To have a legacy that strong means you had to have done something good, and Sekera did, night in and night out.

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