Thriving youth would make the Carolina Hurricanes the true contender they can be in the Metropolitan Division with so much talent.
If the Carolina Hurricanes had to choose five players that would be the most valuable to the franchise long-term, who would they be? The Canes have a deep young core of talent right now that made fans eager to see if they could break the eight season playoff drought the team is in the midst of.
The Metropolitan Division is filled with teams that have plenty of potent players. Just look at the Pittsburgh Penguins, New Jersey Devils, and Columbus Blue Jackets. Each of those squads could be winners for the next few seasons easily.
To compete in the NHL consistently nowadays, there has to be some sole player with a bright future that the team is building around. Connor McDavid turned the Edmonton Oilers around very quickly. Auston Matthews did the same thing with the Toronto Maple Leafs.
Carolina does not have that one skilled player that has the ability to turn the franchise around in the matter of one season. Sebastian Aho was a promising rookie last season that scored 24 goals, but has gotten off to a slow start this year. Haydn Fleury and Roland McKeown are the two rookies that have been impressive so far this season.
The last first round NHL Draft pick for the Canes was Martin Necas. He has not gotten any opportunity to establish himself at the NHL level yet. Necas should play an important role with the team in the near future, though.
Here’s the five players on the Carolina Hurricanes that have the brightest future in the NHL.