Well, it has been a rough couple weeks for the Carolina Hurricanes. If it continues, some major changes may be in play.
These past days have had their fair share of disappointing moments for the Carolina Hurricanes. From lackluster performances to simply unacceptable effort, these have been trying times for Canes fans. Even more worrisome was that just a couple weeks ago, the Canes looked fantastic, position themselves on the cusp of the postseason.
In response to this garbage week of hockey, a lot of talk, whether its from the players, the coaches, or the fans, has been about accountability. Much of that has been levied onto the players. Particularly on Teuvo Teravainen, Noah Hanifin, and Matt Tennyson.
Of course, it is vital for the players on the ice to be accountable of themselves and their teammates. However at some point, player accountability does only so much. Hurricanes fans remember well the ‘player accountability’ approach of former head coach Kirk Muller. Lectures about accountability only work to an extent. At some point, something has to change.
At the moment, head coach Bill Peters has done his accountability song and dance. He has also axed ice time from key players in hopes of sending a message. In the past, that method worked for Peters. Right now, it isn’t. In fact, it may have actually made the team perform worse than they otherwise would be.
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It should be noted that this week was always going to be a difficult one. The Canes played arguably the three best teams in the league the last four games. Even then, losing by a combined score of 20-5 over four games is ridiculous no matter who the opponents are. Strength of schedule is a reason for the Canes’ collapse, but it isn’t the main cause.
Keeping all of this in mind, to close out the month, the Canes play two quality teams in the Kings and Flyers. If the Hurricanes fail to recapture the tenacity they played with before this awful stretch, the front office must consider making changes.
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When Bill Peters took his job in 2014, he emphasized the importance of keeping the entire roster engaged. He was implying that he was going to trim the fat that was Alexander Semin and others. Having done that and then some, he has built a really invested group. That is until this past couple weeks. It took him a few years to turn Carolina into his mold. This time though, he has to remold his club in just a few days.
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If Peters in unable to do so, it might be time to move onward. With other rebuilding clubs like Toronto and Columbus seemingly bypassing the Canes on the road back to contention, it might behoove the Canes brass to move on from Peters. His pragmatic approach has gotten the Canes this far, but it may be time to jolt the team forward. It also isn’t like the Canes don’t have any options in regards to coaching. Rod Brind-Amour has been waiting in the wings for his shot.