Carolina Hurricanes: The Good and Bad
By Zach Abdou
The Carolina Hurricanes find themselves in a very interesting situation. Here is a run down of the good and the bad.
Through 69 games, the Carolina Hurricanes find themselves five points out of the final wild card spot with a 31-26-12 record. While the team is not mathematically eliminated, it’s fair to say that it is a longshot for the Canes to make the playoffs.
Despite a very slow start to the season, the Hurricanes have played a good brand of hockey since the beginning of December, going 23-14-8. Here are some reasons why the Carolina Hurricanes sit where they are in the standings.
The Good
Jordan Staal line, Jeff Skinner, Victor Rask
As the season has progressed, the Carolina Hurricanes’ offense has picked it up. A major reason for this team’s good play was the line of Jordan Staal, Andrej Nestrasil, and Joakim Nordstrom. With a combination of size and speed, this line became the Canes most threatening offensive force. Finding linemates that complimented Jordan Staal’s game has allowed him to have his best season as a Carolina Hurricane. While Nestrasil is out for the remainder of the year, there is no reason to think that this line won’t be back and effective next season.
Jeff Skinner has also been a big bright spot this season despite a very slow start. On most nights Skinner has been a dynamic forward, going to the scoring areas and showing the finish that earned him Calder Trophy honors when he first broke into the league. Skinner leads the team in goals (25) and points (43) while playing much of the year on the Hurricanes third line.
Finally, Victor Rask has had a breakout season and ranks second on the team in points with 41. Rask has turned into a true two-way top six force at a very young age. The pending RFA is sure to earn a big pay raise in the summer.
Justin Faulk, Jaccob Slavin
It is no secret that the Carolina Hurricanes have a very promising future on defense, as the team boasts four top four defenseman under the age of 24 when healthy. The play of Justin Faulk and Jaccob Slavin, though, has really stood out this year.
Before sustaining a lower-body injury, Faulk led the team in points, PPG (13), and ice time. The Minnesota native was a true workhorse on the backend and helped lead this young defensive corps night in and night out.
In his absence, however, Jaccob Slavin has proved to be a workhorse himself. Slavin has been leading the team in ice time since Faulk’s injury, and has been a mainstay on the Canes first defensive unit with Ron Hainsey. Slavin’s good stick and hockey IQ has allowed him to match up against the league’s best.
While most fans salivated over Justin Faulk and Noah Hanifin for much of the year, Slavin is proving that he may be the best defenseman of the group when it’s all said and done. It will be fun to see the defensive core as a whole grow and develop over the next several years.
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Penalty Kill
The Carolina Hurricanes are in playoff contention largely due to their outstanding penalty kill. With a 83.2% success rate, the Canes boast the 7th ranked penalty kill in the league. While being the least penalized team in the league helps, the Canes have killed some big penalties to preserve leads late in games against the league’s best. Lately, the Hurricanes have also been an offensive threat on the penalty kill, scoring three shorthanded goals within the last 15 games.
The Bad
Eric Staal, Elias Lindholm
Eric Staal did not have his ideal season for the Carolina Hurricanes. Before being traded to the Rangers at the deadline, Staal recorded 10 goals and 23 assists in 63 games.
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There was simply not enough offense from the former captain. If Staal had found his offensive game, the Canes season could be a different story right now. Invisible most nights, Staal played second fiddle to his brother Jordan for much of the year.
Elias Lindholm has also been a little underwhelming this season, in my opinion. The former 5th overall pick currently has 9 goals and 25 assists in 69 games. While the numbers aren’t too bad, Lindholm has not yet developed into the top six threat he was projected to be.
Despite good defensive play, Lindholm has not showed a lot of finishing ability while playing on the Hurricanes’ top lines and power play. The 21 year old still has plenty of time to develop, but this was not the breakout year fans were looking for.
Cam Ward, Eddie Lack
With good goaltending this season, the Carolina Hurricanes would probably be in the playoffs right now.
The combination of Cam Ward and Eddie Lack has been underwhelming and very inconsistent. Playing for a team that doesn’t allow many shots on goal, Ward and Lack have not provided solid goaltending for most of the season. It’s the same story for both goaltenders.
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Cam Ward has shown flashes, but continues to let in at least one bad goal per game. Eddie Lack has shown starting goalie ability, but still struggles with rebound control and positioning.
It will be very interesting to see what the Canes decide to do with their goaltending situation in the offseason, as Ward is scheduled to be a UFA at the end of the year.