5. New owner, new direction
Peter Karmanos Jr. looks to no longer be the majority owner for the Canes. The team went through the first step in the sale to Dallas billionaire businessman Tom Dundon. It seemed like the Canes played with a spark of energy for a bit against the Sharks and Kings after the news earlier in the week.
Dundon does need to bring some new energy to the team, and that could start with a new head coach that he has a say in. Peters is a Karmanos Jr. hire, and so was Muller. Those two did not work out very well.
Since Karmanos Jr. took over as majority owner in 2007, the Canes have not seen the franchises best results. Carolina has only made the playoffs once since he took over as majority owner, and they were eliminated in the Eastern Conference Finals by the Pittsburgh Penguins in 2009.
More than anything, this is about shaking things up for the Canes. This is a very young team that needs something new they can rally around. Peters is close to wearing out his welcome in Raleigh if the Canes keep losing. Dundon might not be too patient with that.