Carolina Hurricanes Top Ten Players Of All Time

We decided to compile the best Carolina Hurricanes players in one handy list.  I’m sure there will be nothing to argue about.

How did you get up there Sebastian Aho?  You’re not a top ten player…yet.  It’s been almost twenty years since the Hartford Whalers relocated to Raleigh, NC and became the Carolina Hurricanes.  And while the team’s history may not be as long as an original six team, there are still a lot of great stories to tell during the franchise’s short existence.  Some success and a whole lot of heartbreak leads to the Hurricanes having a motley crew for most of its tenure in the NHL

Given the emergence of a lot of young talent on the team, some of these names could be shuffled down the line very soon.  So I figured I’d compile a list and see who would be the top players in Hurricanes history.  Of course, there will be some obvious names on the list, and some maybe not so obvious depending on who you ask.

And before you start yelling at me let’s set some guidelines first.  There will be a lot of factors determining who’s on the list, but the number one factor will be talent.  Number two will be the length of time on the team.  I mean Paul Coffey was a great defenseman, but only played two seasons for the Hurricanes so he doesn’t make the cut.  If the player didn’t play four seasons or more with the team they won’t make the list either.  Ok onto the list!

10. Sami Kapanen

Is that a photo of Sami Kapanen?  No, but it a Finnish hockey player so close enough so lay off us our photography department is a Polaroid camera and an Apple Lisa computer.  Ok back to Sami Kapanen.  The Hartford Whalers drafted Kapanen in the 1995 draft and he would make the move with the franchise to Raleigh.  In his five seasons as a Cane,  Kapanen would be one of the best wingers on the team.

Known as the Finnish flash, Kapanen was the fastest skater in the NHL having won the skills competition at several all-star games.  In his five seasons with the Hurricanes, Kapanen scored over twenty goals every year and was a major part of the Canes first cup run in 2002.  In 2003 the Hurricanes traded Kapanen to the Philadelphia Flyers, but he never achieved the same level of success as when he was with the Canes.

9.  Aaron Ward

Like Kapanen, Ward didn’t spend a lot of time with the Hurricanes but when he was here he was one of the best players on the team.  Ward was known as a bruising defenseman who could stop his opponent in their tracks with a big hit.  During his time with the Carolina Hurricanes, Ward was a part of both cup runs in 2002 and 2006.  Ward won two more cups in addition to the one in Carolina when he played for the Detroit Red Wings in the 90s.

But perhaps Aaron Wards biggest Hurricane moment actually came when he wasn’t a Hurricane.

That always makes my day every time I see it.

8. Jeff Skinner

It’s easy to forget given Skinner’s youth, but the winger is in his seventh season with the Carolina Hurricanes.  Drafted twentieth overall in the 2010 NHL Draft, Skinner went on to win the Calder Memorial Trophy for best rookie in the 2011 season.  That year, Skinner also earned the distinction of becoming the youngest player to play in an all-star game not just in the NHL but also in all four of the major American sports leagues.

Skinner leads the team in scoring this season.  If he keeps this pace up not only will he lead the team this season, but will become one of the Hurricanes top scorers.  He only needs thirteen more to catch Erik Cole at number ten, and with over fifty games left to do so, he most likely will.  In three or four years Skinner will be higher on the list, but for now, he earns the number eight spot.

7. Ray Whitney

Ray Whitney was a very unusual hockey player in the fact that some of his best years happened after 35.  By the time he arrived in Carolina, Whitney was a solid performer yet was thought to be past his prime.  Whitney would prove them wrong by scoring 17, 32, 25, 24, and 21 goals in his five years with the team.  Another member of the 2006 cup winning team, Whitney tied with Eric Staal and Cory Stillman for second in playoff goals with 9.  He also played on the 2009 team that made a surprise run to the Eastern Conference finals.  Whitney may be one of the most underrated players in the NHL, but not here.  Carolina Hurricanes fans know all too well how good this winger was.

6. Jeff O’Neil

Before there was Jeff Skinner there was Jeff O’Neill.  Like Skinner, O’Neill was a talented winger and an offensive threat.  The Whalers drafted Jeff O’Neill fifth overall in the 1994 NHL draft.  His Hurricanes career started out a little slow, but by the time he turned 22 O’Neil became an offensive dynamo.  Four seasons in a row, Jeff scored over twenty goals a season and topped out over forty in one of those seasons.

His offensive skills are evident in his place on the Hurricanes all-time scorer lists.  He ranks fifth in goals with 198 and sixth in assists with 218.  For some reason, the Hurricanes traded O’Neill in his prime to the Toronto Maple Leafs for a conditional pick.  That’s right they traded one of their top scorers for what would become a fourth round pick.  And one wonders why the Hurricanes haven’t seen more success.  Well, wonder no more Caniacs you’re looking at one of the major reasons.  Thanks, Jim Rutherford you won’t be missed.

 4. Glen Wesley

We spoke about Glen Wesley in great detail in our Canes “Blast from the Past” series.  But for those who haven’t read the article, we’ll hit the highlights here.  Wesley was the only person to play in every single one of the Carolina Hurricanes first ten seasons.  He was also a member of both Stanley cup teams as well.  Wesley goes down as the best defenseman for the Carolina Hurricanes.  His presence on the blue line was always a reassuring thought, and it was only when he went on the bench that one had to worry about the Hurricanes defense.  He still remains a part of the team to this day, and his son is currently in the Hurricanes farm system.

3.  Rod Brind’amour

What can be said about Rod Brind’amour that hasn’t already been said?  Known as one of the hardest working players both on and off the ice, Brind’amour continues to be a fan favorite to this day.  He is one of the only players to have been a member of all three deep playoff runs by the franchise in 2002, 2006, and 2009.  He led the team in goals with twelve during the 2006 playoffs and perhaps is most remembered as the guy who ripped the cup out of Gary Bettman’s hands around the league.

2. Eric Staal

If it weren’t for the fact that Ron Francis, a top ten all-time NHL player, played for the Carolina Hurricanes, Eric Staal would easily have the number one spot.  Staal sits at second on the all-time Hurricanes goal, assists, and points list with 322, 453, and 775 respectively.  In his second season, he was tied for second in playoff goals and led the team in overall points with 29 on the way to the franchise’s only Stanley Cup win.  Some might say that he deserved the Conn Smythe that playoffs over that other guy who won it.

In addition to his Stanley Cup heroics, Staal scored over seventy points seven seasons in a row and would have made it eight if the lockout hadn’t shortened the 2014 season.  And in five of those seven seasons, he scored over thirty goals.  His last three seasons with the club weren’t as great, but with his resurgence in form with Minnesota that could say more about the Hurricanes than Eric Staal as a player.  After Ron Francis, Eric Staal is the most offensively talented player to suit up for the Hurricanes and the players behind him really aren’t even close.  When the time comes Staal’s 12 will join 2, 10, and 17 in the rafters of the PNC arena.

1. Ron Francis

Was there ever any question who number one would be?  Yeah, when you have a player that is number two all time on the assists list he’s going to be number one in almost any franchises list.  Francis is a first ballot Hall-of-Famer, Selke winner, three-time Lady Byng winner.  Involved in one of the most lopsided trades in the history of the NHL, Francis helped Pittsburgh establish a mini-dynasty before he returned to the franchise before the 1998-99 season.

Next: Julien Gauthier Update

Francis’s return was key to establishing the Hurricanes as a bonafide franchise at a time when most southeast teams were ridiculed.  He holds pretty much every record imaginable for a player in the Carolina Hurricanes franchise.  Francis set records in Goals, Assists, Points, and Games Played that are pretty much unbreakable in modern day hockey.  The man personified leadership on the ice and continues to do so today now that he’s in charge of it off the ice.  Few teams can lay claim to a player of Francis’s caliber, and the Hurricanes should feel lucky that they can.