The Carolina Hurricanes made a couple of moves this off season that brought some change to the roster. Now that players are arriving in Raleigh, its time to get to know the unfamiliar faces. Today we look at Teuvo Teravainen.
Teuvo Teravainen was acquired by the Carolina Hurricanes on June 15th from the Chicago Blackhawks. The trade also sent Bryan Bickell to the Canes in exchange for a second round pick in 2016 and a third round pick in 2017.
Teuvo Teravainen, C
Height/Weight: 5’11″/178lbs
Shoots: Left
Born: September 11, 1994 (age 21) Helsinki, FIN
Drafted: 18th Overall 2012, Chicago Blackhawks
NHL Experience: 2 Years
Teravainen was included in the trade as an incentive for the Carolina Hurricanes to take on Bryan Bickell’s $4 mil salary. He was one of the top prospects in the Blackhawks organization but fell out of favor to Artemi Panarin.
Teuvo played his first full season in North America during the 2014-2015 season splitting time between the AHL and the NHL. During that season he played 34 NHL games and registered 4 goals and 5 assists.
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Where he really made a name for himself as a rookie was in the Stanley Cup Playoffs. He played the entire cup run of 19 games scored 4 goals and 6 assists. The playoff performance earned him a full time spot with the Blackhawks for the 2015-2016 season.
At the beginning of the 2015-2016 season Teravainen was a top six forward, playing with Chicago’s best. With the emergence of the eventual Calder Trophy winning forward, Artemi Panarin, Teravainen’s role was lessened.
Though his role was less than he wanted, Teravainen still managed to score 35 points (12g, 23a) in 78 games. His was also incapable of repeating his Stanley Cup performance and managed only one assist in seven games.
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Going into the off season everyone knew that the Blackhawks needed to dump salary. What was unexpected is that they would give up such a great prospect to make the deal work.
This season is also a contract season for the young Finn. He will be the most focused he has ever been to maximize his value going into negotiations. The good news for the Carolina Hurricanes is that he will be a restricted free agent, so his next contract will still be for an affordable amount (think Victor Rask).
At just 21 years of age, Teravainen already has multiple years of NHL experience and playoff experience. Due to being a part of a top organization, he is a more refined talent than other young prospects. Now moving to an organization that is rebuilding, he will have a larger role with the team and more coaching focus to help him continue his success.
The young forward brings 20 goal scoring ability to a team that was near the bottom in goals for last season. Since joining the NHL he has scored 1.20 points/60 which is on par with Jordan Staal. Teuvo is still trending in the right direction and will likely contribute more to the Hurricanes this season.
He doesn’t just produce offensively, he is responsible defensively as well. Since getting into the league he has also registered a 52.2 corsi for percentage. This means that when he is on the ice, his team possesses the puck 52.2% of the time. This number would put him 5th on the Hurricanes over the same time frame, above both Victor Rask and Jeff Skinner.
Carolina Hurricanes fans don’t have to wait to watch Teuvo. He was one of only two Hurricanes that was selected to a World Cup of Hockey roster, and will get a jump start playing with fellow Hurricane and Finn, Sebastian Aho.
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His performance in the tournament will give fans a peek into the abilities that he will bring to the Hurricanes this season. It is an exciting time and for Canes fans and rare that a team can get better and younger in the same deal.