As the Carolina Hurricanes season comes to an end the discussions over what the Canes need for next season have concentrated mainly on a scoring forward and goaltending. The first piece they really need though is a BIG BODY.
You won’t get very much argument from me or anyone else that the Carolina Hurricanes need scoring help. The team has zero 30 goal scorers, and only one player with more than 50 points this season. You can’t be a contending team in the NHL with those kind of anemic scoring numbers.
Goaltending has again been an area of debate, with opinions varying across the board about what Francis and the Canes should do. We’ll leave that discussion for another day, or you can read what I wrote the other day about Cam Ward here, and tell me what you think on Twitter or Facebook. Everyone else has.
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Both of those issues pale in comparison to the Hurricanes need for some bigger players on the roster. Watching the Hurricanes final two regular season games, where our fast and talented youngsters were manhandled by bigger and stronger teams, only reinforced this opinion.
We aren’t talking about the old-time hockey enforcers like Wayne Gretzky’s Dave Semenko, or the fighters and goons like Dave “Tiger” Williams or Tie Domi. Although I have tremendous respect for what those guys did and how they did it, that time has passed. What I’m talking about are the big, tree-like players we see on most teams these days…6′ 4″ at least, weighing in at 220 lbs on a good day.
The kind of big guy that plays a good game of hockey and will score occasionally, but is really on the ice to take up space and make it hard for opposing teams to move the puck easily. A player that can lay into someone with a very heavy but clean bodycheck when it’s needed.
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I was going to give you a deep analysis of what other teams have and what the Hurricanes need, but as I did the research for this piece I realized all I had to do was give you some facts and figures. You should be able to see the Hurricanes problem even with the small sample size I’m about to share.
The following list is a comparison between the biggest players on the top six Eastern Conference teams and the Carolina Hurricanes. I listed the biggest players from each team, and the number of players listed as over 210 pounds. Enjoy!
Washington Capitals
Alex Ovechkin – 239 lbs, Brooks Orpik – 221 lbs, 10 players at 210 lbs or above
Pittsburgh Penguins
Tom Sestito – 228 lbs, Ian Cole – 219 lbs, Eric Fehr – 212 lbs (They have really good points producers as well.)
New York Islanders
Anders Lee – 228 lbs, Eric Boulton & Johnny Boychuk – 227 lbs, 12 players at 210 lbs or above – 7 of those at 220 lbs or more
Florida Panthers
Jaromir Jagr – 230 lbs, 7 players at 210 or above
Tampa Bay Lightning
Brian Boyle – 243 lbs, Mattias Ohlund – 233 lbs, 7 players at 210 lbs or above
Detroit Red Wings
Johan Franzen – 232 lbs, 9 players at 210 lbs or above
Carolina Hurricanes
Jordan Staal – 220 lbs, Justin Faulk – 215 lbs, Ron Hainsey – 210 lbs
(No, that’s really it for the entire Canes squad.)
My argument is that the search for goal-scoring forwards can wait until the summer is well underway, and teams with salary cap issues open up the doors to their ‘Discount Player Superstore’. Ron Francis has already proven that he is very good at shopping there, and I have no doubt he’ll find some great bargains again this summer.
Finding a BIG BODY player who can contribute a bit offensively, and provide the size and muscle we need, should be priority number one for the Carolina Hurricanes as our offseason begins. Francis should find one now, sign him to a decent contract for a few years, and let him get settled with his new teammates in Raleigh over the summer.
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After all, if you’re a Carolina Hurricane forward weighing in at a generous 176 pounds (soaking wet), don’t you want to be REALLY good friends with the guy who’s going to have your back next season? Don’t you want some time to take him out golfing or for a dinner or two? I know I sure would.