Winning the Stanley Cup might seem far off for the Carolina Hurricanes in the 2017-18 NHL campaign, but they have the tools to do it.
The best moment in the history of the Carolina Hurricanes franchise is winning the Stanley Cup in 2006. Making it to the Stanley Cup Finals in 2002 is a good memory, but nothing compares to a new franchise winning the Cup. Riding an eight season playoff drought, the Canes could be the biggest dark horse of any team in the NHL to win the Stanley Cup this season.
Numerous fans expected this Canes roster to be the best in recent years, especially with the additions of players like Scott Darling, Justin Williams, and Marcus Kruger. Carolina also has a load of developing young talent that has a lot of promise.
Another slow start to the season caused the Canes to sit in last place in the Metropolitan Division after 19 games. However, the Canes have also played the fewest games of any team in the NHL. A good run to finish the November slate would be huge for this team.
Just making the playoffs is the first step for a head coach in Bill Peters that could not afford a ninth straight year of missing the playoffs. Peters likely would not keep his job if that happened. Him and former head coach Kirk Muller did not find much success in Raleigh.
Rumors started swirling recently about the possibility of the Canes relocating away from North Carolina. PNC Arena got his with some rough times since fans got impatient with the lack of success with the franchise. Just one season of making a run at the playoffs could change all that.
And, it seems like whenever the Canes get to the playoffs, they can make quite the push for the Cup.
Here’s 10 reasons the Carolina Hurricanes can win the Stanley Cup in 2017-18.