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Carolina Hurricanes: What went wrong this season?

By Andrew Miller

RALEIGH, NC - MARCH 17: Carolina Hurricanes players unite after scoring a goal in the first period during the game between the Philadelphia Flyers and the Carolina Hurricanes on March 17, 2018, at PNC Arena in Raleigh, NC. (Photo by William Howard/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
RALEIGH, NC - MARCH 17: Carolina Hurricanes players unite after scoring a goal in the first period during the game between the Philadelphia Flyers and the Carolina Hurricanes on March 17, 2018, at PNC Arena in Raleigh, NC. (Photo by William Howard/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) /
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ST. PAUL, MN – MARCH 6: Brett Pesce #22 and Noah Hanifin #5 of the Carolina Hurricanes skate to the puck against the Minnesota Wild during the game at the Xcel Energy Center on March 6, 2018 in St. Paul, Minnesota. (Photo by Bruce Kluckhohn/NHLI via Getty Images)
ST. PAUL, MN – MARCH 6: Brett Pesce #22 and Noah Hanifin #5 of the Carolina Hurricanes skate to the puck against the Minnesota Wild during the game at the Xcel Energy Center on March 6, 2018 in St. Paul, Minnesota. (Photo by Bruce Kluckhohn/NHLI via Getty Images) /

Unreliable defense

With the amount of depth the Canes defense has, between the actual team and the Charlotte Checkers, should have meant a better product on the ice. Some games had the Canes blue line looking like it could fulfill its max potential.

Other times, this was a different story. Of late, fans have witnessed the worst that the Carolina defense has to offer. In three of four very recent games, the Canes have given up six goals each try. Losses to the Bruins, Rangers, and Minnesota Wild directly resulted from the inability to play solid defense for three straight periods.

The blame falls on multiple players, not just one single name. Whether it be co-captain Justin Faulk, first-time All-Star selection Noah Hanifin, rookie Haydn Fleury, or first-year Canes defender Trevor van Riesmdyk, the blame goes different places in different losses.

Carolina has not been able to put a solid defense in front of their goaltender for even half of an 82-game season for quite a while. There’s portions of the defense building up that show promise. The entire blue line is so young that it’s tough to rely on them every single night.

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