1. Acquisition of Justin Williams paying immediate dividends
Francis put a ton of investment into the young core of this squad during the off-season. Williams was one of those pieces brought in to help this team along. He was brought over from the Washington Capitals, a team that has seen a ton of regular season success of late.
Williams is a winner wherever he has gone. He won two Stanley Cups with the Los Angeles Kings and was also a huge part of that Canes team that won in 2006. Carolina needs an experienced voice in the locker room that’s “been there, done that” and Williams is exactly that.
The goal that sealed the game against the Panthers was scored by Williams for his second goal of the season and team leading 11th point. He also notched an assist on the goal scored by Brock McGinn.
Next: 5 thoughts on how to shake things up
It was a big night for Williams and he’ll continue to be relied upon to make some noise offensively. The Canes need some reliable production on that side of the ice and they need more than just Skinner to provide that.