Carolina Hurricanes: A Look at the Forward Depth Chart Before Free Agency
At the 2016 NHL Draft, player trades were few and far between. The Carolina Hurricanes didn’t make any moves on draft weekend and go into free agency with holes to fill. With a young and stout blue line going into October, general manager Ron Francis will certainly be looking to fill in some holes up front.
To get an idea on the type of player Ron Francis will be looking to acquire, whether that’s via free agency or trade, let’s take a look at the ‘Canes forward corps at the moment.
LW Jeff Skinner – C Victor Rask – RW Teuvo Teravainen
LW Joakim Nordstrom – C Jordan Staal – RW Andrej Nestrasil
LW Phil DiGiuseppe – C Elias Lindholm – RW Sebastian Aho
LW Riley Nash – C Jay McClement – RW Bryan Bickell
Extra Forwards: Brock McGinn
Before getting into the meat of the ‘Canes forward lines, there will be a couple of assumptions made. This roster assumes Victor Rask accepts his qualifying offer, Sebastian Aho makes the club out of training camp, Riley Nash is re-signed, and no injuries. With this in mind, let’s dive into what the ‘Canes have.
The first thing that stands out is the youth. In the current top 9, the oldest player is Jordan Staal at 27 years old. The 3rd lines eldest player is Di Giuseppe at 22 years old. Waiting in wings is 22 year old Brock McGinn and Charlotte Checkers Sergey Tolchinsky and Valentin Zykov, both 21 years old. This is an extremely young group of forwards, some of who have extremely high ceilings.
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The other aspect of this current roster to keep in mind is how many centers the ‘Canes currently employ. Skinner, Rask, and Teravainen can all play at center ice. In the bottom six, Lindholm, Aho, Nash, and McClement have that ability as well. Of course, let’s not forget about Staal. That gives the Hurricanes tremendous depth at that position. On the other hand, it forces guys to play a position they would otherwise not be used to.
Lastly, this baseline roster lacks goal scoring. Skinner has firepower and Rask has shown offensive growth, but its hard to see consistant offense from anyone of the ‘Canes remaining forwards. Jordan Staal had 20 goals last season, so he has some goal scoring potential, but it would be very difficult for Carolina to go far this year depending on just the current level of goal production.
Taking into account all these thoughts, here is a roster Ron Francis might be looking at before July 1st.
LW Jeff Skinner – C Victor Rask – RW (Empty)
LW Joakim Nordstrom – C Jordan Staal – RW Andrej Nestrasil
LW Teuvo Teravainen – C Elias Lindholm – RW Sebastian Aho
LW Phil Di Giuseppe – C Jay McClement – RW Bryan Bickell
Extra Forwards: Brock McGinn, Riley Nash
Teravainen would be moved down to the 3rd line start the season, leaving the top RW slot vacant for the moment. Favoring giving his younger players ice time, Francis moves Di Giuseppe down a line and pushes 27 year old Riley Nash out of the starting line up. The 2nd line stays the same. Before Nestrasil was injured, that trio made up of the best two-way lines in the NHL. Staal will continue to center a dominant shutdown line.
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The open right wing position is obviously Francis’ concern and it will be what he tries to address when free agency opens up. Of course, he could also elect to fill it via trade. With a bounty of defensive prospects, teams will dialing Francis to acquire them. In either scenario, the ‘Canes would want a 60+ point per season player with some size. That could be someone like Loui Erikkson via free agency.
If acquiring a big time player isn’t in the cards, there is another option. While it is a gamble, the ‘Canes could try to fill that RW position in house. Newly acquired Teravainen scored 35 points with little powerplay ice time and in a limited roll. He could be posed for a breakout season. Perhaps 2013 1st rounder Elias Lindholm realizes his top line potential and can contribute with 25+ goals. If this is the road the Hurricanes take, Francis would definitely need to acquire another top 9 forward. Again, preferably a bigger player, but with enough skill to maybe rack up 30-40 points. Someone like Teddy Purcell or former Hurricane Kris Versteeg come to mind. This move certainly isn’t flashy, but might be the best for the team long term as it wouldn’t commit Carolina to a massive contract.
Considering Ron Francis’ history as general manager, he is very willing to give his young players the ice. So, Carolina might lineup like this in October.
LW Jeff Skinner – C Victor Rask – RW Elias Lindholm
LW Joakim Nordstrom – C Jordan Staal – RW Andrej Nestrasil
LW Teddy Purcell – C Teuvo Teravainen – RW Sebastian Aho
LW Phil Di Giuseppe – C Jay McClement – RW Bryan Bickell
Extra Forwards: Brock McGinn, Riley Nash
Is that lineup good enough to get Carolina into the postseason? Well, only time will tell. The Hurricanes true strength is on the back end. With some decent goal tending, maybe this will be enough. Or, Francis could go way out an get a big time difference maker. We will find out on July 1st.