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.