Carolina Hurricanes: Ranking every season in the history of the franchise
The Carolina Hurricanes have undergone some tough times in Raleigh, NC, over the past decade since winning the Stanley Cup in 2006.
The Carolina Hurricanes just started their 20th season of hockey in the state of North Carolina. They started out in Greensboro, NC, before moving to Raleigh just a few years later. There have been some major ups and downs with the team since moving to NC from Hartford, CT.
An appearance in four Eastern Conference Finals and two Stanley Cup Finals highlights some of the highs with the Canes. And, eight straight seasons of missing the NHL Playoffs highlights some of the lows of the more recent years in Raleigh.
With the start of another Canes season, it’s always fun to look back at some of the best times with the franchise. Times have been rough lately, but the upswing could be just around the corner with general manager Ron Francis making some big moves over the offseason.
All the changes to the Canes for this season bode well for the immediate future of the team. Bringing over a familiar face like Justin Williams was also a popular move with the fan base. A young core of players also signifies a bright future with this team.
If the Canes can get something going this season and make a run to the playoffs, it would go down as one of the better seasons in franchise history. However, there is a long way to go before we have any indication of how things will pan out for Carolina.
Now, let’s take a look at a ranking of every single season, from worst to best, in the franchise history of the Carolina Hurricanes.
19. 2002-03
The pick for worst season in franchise history for the Canes is pretty easy. In 2002-03, they finished with a 22-43-11-6 record, good for last place in the NHL. The shocking part about that season was that the Canes were coming off a Stanley Cup Finals appearance.
The aging stars of the Canes like Sami Kapanen, Ron Francis, and Jeff O’Neill started to have much less of an effect on Eastern Conference competition. Two of the Canes best players, Erik Cole and Rod Brind’Amour, also had some struggles staying on the ice as both players saw less than 55 games worth of action.
With an aging Arturs Irbe in goal, the Canes tried to start a transition of Kevin Weekes taking over between the pipes. Weekes had a solid season with a .912 save percentage and five shutouts. Yet, the offensive support was never there.
It would not take the Canes long to get out of a rut when they made an appearance in the Cup Finals again in 2006. However, there was a good lull between the 2002 and 2006 Stanley Cup appearances, especially with the 2004-05 lockout.
18. 2003-04
The last season before the lockout of 2004-05, this was a rough one for the Canes. The two- season stretch between 2002-2004 was one that saw the Canes win less than 50 games combined.
They finished with a 28-34-14-6 record as overtime continued to be a problem for the Canes. Even when they made it to the Stanley Cup Finals in 2002, there were still a lot of games ending in overtime in Raleigh.
Those problems lagged under Paul Maurice as fans started to get impatient with a Canes team that seemingly could not convert on any opportunity. A team from the Southeast Division would end up winning the Stanley Cup this season as the Tampa Bay Lightning won the first in their franchise history.
Hope would start to arise with young talents like Eric Staal and Justin Williams starting to emerge. Both Staal and Williams would play a huge role in the emergence of the Canes under Peter Laviolette after the lockout ended.
17. 2011-12
The real start of the Canes struggles in recent years kicked in during the 2011-12 campaign. It was the last chance for Paul Maurice in Raleigh before he was fired and replaced by Kirk Muller. Yet, not even Muller had three complete seasons with Carolina.
One of the most frustrating parts of this season was the amount of overtime losses. Carolina finished with a 33-33-16 record. A trend that is noticed from some of the worst seasons with this team is the overtime problems.
There were quite a few important contests that did not go in the Canes favor. Moreover, this was the best season that Canes fans have seen out of goalie Cam Ward in the last eight seasons. Ward and Eric Staal were the only hope for this squad.
Staal was the leading scorer, by far, with 70 points. Jussi Jokinen and Jeff Skinner finished in second and third place with 46 and 44 points, respectively. This was a fifth place finish for the Canes in the Southeast Division.
16. 2014-15
This was the third worst finish, in terms of wins and points, in franchise history. However, the 2014-15 campaign did signify the start of a new era in Raleigh with head coach Bill Peters officially taking over for Kirk Muller.
Carolina finished with a record of 30-41-11, but some things finally starting trending in the right direction. Jeff Skinner continued his emergence as well as Justin Faulk. Some younger talents like Victor Rask and Elias Lindholm also started to breakout.
Even though this was a season that did not have much hope at all for Carolina or their fans, the future started to look brighter in the year’s ahead. A lot of the things that happened during this season impacted a now competitive Canes squad in 2017-18.
If things do turnaround in Raleigh this year, fans can look back at the 2014-15 season that was the start of it all. Many teams have to go through a period of extreme struggle before coming about as a legitimate contender in the NHL.
15. 2009-10
Once again, the most disappointing part about this season was not the outcome in the standings, but the follow-up to a great result from the season previous. In 2008-09, the Canes made it all the way to the Eastern Conference Finals.
After the loss in the ECF to the Pittsburgh Penguins, the Canes had trouble putting anything positive together over a long stretch of time during the 2009-10 campaign. It was an unusual combination of younger guys trying to mesh with a mixed bag of veterans.
Eric Staal, Jussi Jokinen, and Ray Whitney led the way in points. Young talents like Brandon Sutter and Zach Boychuk should have given this team hope. However, Sutter and Boychuk would not even be on the Carolina roster just a few years later.
Nothing would get much for the Canes anytime soon, as this was the time that kicked off the current eight season playoff drought that Carolina is currently experiencing.
14. 2012-13
This was the second time that a lockout occurred during the time that the Carolina Hurricanes have been a franchise in the NHL. Yet, this time around, the lockout ended with half a season left to be played.
This should have been a big chance for the Canes to make some noise in the Eastern Conference. Entering a short season with what seemed like an up and coming head coach, the Canes were a dark horse pick for the NHL Playoffs.
It continued to be the same old story for the Canes as they did not win more games than they lost, finishing with a 19-25-4 record. The overtime losses did get minimized after quite a few years of difficulty in that phase of the game.
The 2012-13 campaign hit the midpoint of Carolina’s playoff drought and fans really started to get impatient around this time. Rumors surrounding the possibly trading of captain Eric Staal started to surface as well.
13. 1999-2000
Only the third season in franchise history, this was an important step forward for the Canes right in between three of the best seasons in team history. Carolina finished with a 37-35-10-0 record. Interestingly enough, the Canes did not lose a single game in overtime that season.
That was also a welcome sight after a franchise-record would be set in ties in the 1998-99 campaign with 18. Ron Francis, Jeff O’Neill, and Gary Roberts led the team in points that season, with Sean Hill making significant contributions on defense.
The formation of a very good team could be seen as this was just a down season in between four seasons where the Canes were making it at least to the second round of the playoffs every year. Arturs Irbe also had one of his best years of his career with the Canes.
12. 2015-16
The start of the modern era for the Canes really kicked off in 2015-16. The turnaround under Bill Peters was evident as Carolina was somewhat competitive in the newly formed Metropolitan Division.
Carolina finished with a 35-31-16 record as the overtime and shootout struggles continued. Jeff Skinner, Victor Rask, and Elias Lindholm took over for this team as they were three of the four leaders in points.
Cam Ward and Eddie Lack started to split time as well, but neither was very successful. Both Ward and Lack only combined for three shutouts and a save percentage well under .910. Fans started to notice the real lack of solid goaltending in Raleigh.
Peters started to gradually improve the Canes record at this time, though. Hopefully, the Canes continue to see that turnaround and improvement into the 2017-18 season with even higher expectations.
11. 2013-14
Possibly known as the “one that got away” between the pipes for the Canes, goalie Anton Khudobin actually got more starts than Cam Ward or Justin Peters during the 2013-14 campaign. Khudobin finished with a .926 save percentage with 19 wins.
As a whole, the Canes posted a record of 36-35-11. There was some real potential with this Carolina squad with some solid goaltending backed by a good group of talented offensive players. Something just did not connect.
Part of the reason for that was the realization that Kirk Muller was not the answer as head coach. This was the last full season that Muller had with the Canes until Bill Peters would take over the following season.
Eric Staal and Jeff Skinner led the team in points. Yet, neither had some of their best seasons and it would be one of the last seasons with Staal as captain. The Alexander Semin experiment did not work out very well either.
10. 2006-07
This might have been the most disappointing season in franchise history. Coming off a Stanley Cup Finals win in 2006, the Canes had high hopes of doing much of the same again in 2006-07. Yet, Carolina finished with a 40-34-8 record, just outside the playoff picture in the Eastern Conference and good for third place in the Southeast Division.
Head coach Peter Laviolette would not get many more chances to establish himself after winning the Stanley Cup as Carolina fans got impatient very fast. Carolina would eventually bring back Paul Maurice after a few seasons of missing the playoffs under Laviolette.
Ray Whitney and Rod Brind’Amour actually led the team in points, ahead of Eric Staal. More than anything, Cam Ward did not have the season that many anticipated after winning the Conn Smythe Trophy the season before. Ward finished with a save percentage below .900 and fellow goaltender John Grahame played in 28 games.
9. 2016-17
Much of the reason for having the 2016-17 campaign slotted here in the rankings is the fact that the Canes really started to move into a new era with the franchise. Bill Peters’ talent and scheme started to take full effect.
His turnaround could continue into the 2017-18 campaign. It was also the last season of having the Eddie Lack and Cam Ward combination in goal. Scott Darling was brought over from the Chicago Blackhawks to take over as the starting goaltender.
Carolina also made a good run late in the season and actually challenged for a wildcard spot in the Metropolitan. However, the New York Rangers were just too far out of reach for even the Canes to reach in the playoff race.
Jeff Skinner had his best season since entering the league seven seasons ago. He led the team in points while Justin Faulk continued to solidify himself as a force to be reckoned with on both ends of the ice.
8. 2010-11
One of the few seasons that the Canes actually won 40 or more games in the last decade, the 2010-11 season was a heartbreaking year for Carolina fans. They finished in 9th place in the Eastern Conference that year and were just two points shy of getting into the playoffs.
Paul Maurice almost got the Canes into the playoffs with a late season run. They were hoping to capitalize on big seasons from Eric Staal, then rookie Jeff Skinner, Tuomo Ruutu, and Erik Cole. It was one of the best seasons at the end of Cole’s career as well.
Cam Ward also had a big season with a .923 on his way to being named an All-Star alongside Staal. Much like the 2011-12 campaign, it’s kind of a mystery as to why the Canes could not put together a good enough season to make the playoffs with all the talent on the roster.
This was the season where the Canes finished closest to making the playoffs without actually making it. Things would not get much better anytime soon in Raleigh as the Canes have yet to win 40 games since then.
7. 2007-08
The 2007-08 campaign was a very important step for the Canes on the way to the ECF appearance in 2009. Carolina went through some big transitions including the second best season in Eric Staal’s career statistically with 82 points.
Carolina won 43 games and once again finished in 9th place. Peter Laviolette and Paul Maurice almost trademarked the 9th place finish in the Eastern Conference between 2007 and 2012. Another big transition starting in this season was Laviolette himself.
It was the last full season with Laviolette as head coach in Raleigh. He would then take the Philadelphia Flyers and Nashville Predators to the Stanley Cup Finals over the next decade. It’s very likely that the Canes should have never let go of Laviolette.
Marking the 10th season in franchise history, hopes were high on this campaign. Especially after a rough follow-up in 2006-07 to when the Canes won the Stanley Cup, fans hoped that there would be some redemption efforts put on the ice.
6. 1997-98
The 1997-98 season was by no means the most successful among all the seasons in the history of the Canes where they did not make the playoffs. However, it was the first season of Canes hockey that we ever had.
The first season for Carolina did start at the Greensboro Coliseum before they were moved to the formerly named Entertainment and Sports Arena (now named PNC Arena). This roster was plastered with an interesting grouping of players.
Keith Primeau (the captain at the time) and Sami Kapanen led the team in points. Meanwhile, Gary Roberts, Nelson Emerson, and Geoff Sanderson were all very talented offensive players that played a big role in the Carolina attack.
A young Jeff O’Neill continued to develop into the star that he was when the Canes went to the Stanley Cup Finals in 2002. Considering Carolina is among its 20th season in franchise history, you cannot forget where everything began two decades ago.
5. 1998-99
The Canes took the NHL by storm as an upstart team in the Southeast Division during the 1998-99 season. This was the last season that Carolina played in Greensboro before moving to Raleigh. And it did not disappoint.
Carolina made it to the first round of the playoffs before losing to the Boston Bruins in six games. Keith Primeau, Sami Kapanen, and Ray Sheppard led the team in points, each totaling at least 58.
Arturs Irbe also had the best season of his career with a .923 save perentage. Even Trevor Kidd did a solid job between the pipes when called upon. At age 26, Kidd should have had a bright future in the NHL but never came of much.
The 1998-99 campaign will always be remembered as the first year the Canes made the playoffs. It was also the first time that either the Canes or the Hartford Whalers had made it to the playoffs since the 1991-92 season.
4. 2000-01
After a disappointing campaign in their first season in Raleigh at the EA Sports Arena in 1999-00, the Canes responded in a big way under Paul Maurice in 2000-01. They finished with a 38-32-9-3 record on the way to a second place seeding in the Southeast Division.
Arturs Irbe saw a dramatic drop in his stats from the season before, but he still was very solid between the pipes. Considering backup goaltender Tyler Moss posted a save percentage of .853, the Canes needed Irbe to play in as many games as possible.
The New Jersey Devils and Canes started what would become a small rivalry in the NHL Playoffs during the 2000-01 season. New Jersey would eventually lose to Joe Sakic, Patrick Roy, and Peter Forsberg and a crazy good Colorado Avalanche team.
Yet, this was the first stepping stone on the way to a Stanley Cup Finals appearance against the Detroit Red Wings in the following season.
3. 2008-09
The most recent season where the Canes have actually made the playoffs, the 2008-09 campaign was somewhat of a magical season that goes unnoticed by fans in Raleigh. Carolina lost to the eventual Stanley Cup Champion Pittsburgh Penguins in the Eastern Conference Final.
This run was a result of a big effort from Eric Staal, Jussi Jokinen, Cam Ward, etc. alongside the momentum from Paul Maurice being hired. Peter Laviolette was let go as head coach nearing the trade deadline in 2009. Maurice sparked a big run at the end of the year.
The Canes also won their third consecutive playoff series against the New Jersey Devils in 2009. After that, they rolled past the Boston Bruins in the second round. It could be considered long overdue revenge from the Bruins outing the Canes in the 1999 playoffs.
If not for running into a red hot Penguins team, the Canes might have made another run to the Stanley Cup Finals. However, the Penguins were just too good of a team with Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin running the show.
2. 2001-02
Some might consider the 2001-02 season the most magical and spirited run for the Canes in franchise history. However, they ultimately fell short at the hands of the Detroit Red Wings in the 2002 Stanley Cup Finals.
Carolina’s run to the Stanley Cup Finals was a tremendous underdog story that took Raleigh by storm. Many hailed the EA Sports Arena as the “loudest venue in hockey”. That’s something that sounds very foreign now with PNC Arena being half-empty now on many occasions.
The trio of Ron Francis, Jeff O’Neill, and Sami Kapanen powered the Canes to beat the New Jersey Devils, Montreal Canadiens, and Toronto Maple Leafs before facing the Red Wings. Each of those series had the Canes slated as underdogs.
Every Canes fan will always remember this special season where Francis scored an overtime goal to beat the Wings in Game 1 of the Cup Finals and actually made the fans in Detroit a little bit nervous. Detroit would rattle off four straight wins to bring home the Stanley Cup, though.
1. 2005-06
What other season would be listed No. 1 on here besides the season where the Stanley Cup was won in Raleigh? The answer is none other than the 2005-06 campaign. Peter Laviolette took another underdog Canes squad on a huge run in the playoffs.
This time around the Canes rolled through the Montreal Canadiens, New Jersey Devils, and Buffalo Sabres before meeting with the Edmonton Oilers in the Stanley Cup Finals. Carolina took seven games to beat the Oilers, winning the Cup at home at the RBC Center.
Since the memorable 2006 Stanley Cup win, the Canes have made the playoffs only once. Another deep run in the NHL Playoffs would be a very welcome sight at PNC Arena. However, this will be one that the Canes organization will never forget.
Next: 3 keys to victory for Canes vs. Blue Jackets
Carolina was able to capitalize on a league sleeping on some of the lesser known teams in the Eastern Conference after the lockout. It would also mark the second team in a row from the Southeast Division to win the Stanley Cup after the Tampa Bay Lightning did in 2004.