Cardiac Cane
Fansided

Carolina Hurricanes: The Path to Contention

By Thomas G

DENVER, CO - NOVEMBER 2: Goaltender Cam Ward #30 of the Carolina Hurricanes looks on against the Colorado Avalanche at the Pepsi Center on November 2, 2017 in Denver, Colorado. The Avalanche defeated the Hurricanes 5-3. (Photo by Michael Martin/NHLI via Getty Images)
DENVER, CO - NOVEMBER 2: Goaltender Cam Ward #30 of the Carolina Hurricanes looks on against the Colorado Avalanche at the Pepsi Center on November 2, 2017 in Denver, Colorado. The Avalanche defeated the Hurricanes 5-3. (Photo by Michael Martin/NHLI via Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
6 of 6
Next
NEW YORK, NY – NOVEMBER 16: Sebastian Aho #20 of the Carolina Hurricanes celebrates his powerplay goal at 17:30 of the first period against the New York Islanders at the Barclays Center on November 16, 2017 in the Brooklyn borough of New York City. (Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images)
NEW YORK, NY – NOVEMBER 16: Sebastian Aho #20 of the Carolina Hurricanes celebrates his powerplay goal at 17:30 of the first period against the New York Islanders at the Barclays Center on November 16, 2017 in the Brooklyn borough of New York City. (Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images) /

Immediate future and end of the road

I keep referring to some sort of plan or strategy, so what am I talking about? Well, look at it this way. There are two ways to rebuild a team through the draft. You can either draft the best players willy-nilly and hope it pans out, or draft strategically, like the Canes have done.

When you purposely draft players from one area, you create a surplus of them. Other teams want to feed off your surplus, so they’ll offer you players already proven to be good. Since the Hurricane have such a huge surplus in defensive talent, another team may trade a quality forward or goaltender in exchange.

This way, you don’t just have to pray your draft picks will be skilled enough for a great all-around team. You already have a lot of one thing, that you can trade for good things that you don’t have. This is what the Hurricanes have been doing for almost a decade, the drafting part that is.

Soon, we will enter part 2 of our transition into contention: trading our defense for offense. This will be the x on the spot, the mark of playoff hope, the path to contention, if you will. The only way this could go wrong is if we completely mess up our trades; if we don’t get enough in return for our glorious defense.

Ha, what could go wrong, nothing! Everything will be great, as we glide our way to a Stanley Cup. This could never lead a stray. Right? Right? R-right… Anyways, we just have to hope Francis knows what he’s doing, and creates the best Hurricanes roster possible.

Next: 3 reasons Canes won't make playoffs with Bill Peters as head coach

The Carolina Hurricanes are marching down their path to contention. They draw nearer to the end, every day. They’re not quite there yet, but it’s only a matter of time.

Home/Analysis