A ninth year in a row of no playoff hockey in Raleigh, NC, puts a lot of pressure on a few players for the Carolina Hurricanes next season.
Looking back at the 2017-18 NHL season is likely to not bring back the fondest memories for fans of the Carolina Hurricanes. That does not mean that zero positive moments came out of this season. Moreover, even though there’s still some games left on the regular season slate, most of the impact made for any player on the roster is all said and done.
Some of the players mentioned on this list will include guys that have the ability to make an impact for the Canes for years to come. The body of work from this season is the only thing that matters as it pertains to the players mentioned, but a good portion of Carolina’s roster features promising talent.
Since Carolina is very likely to miss another round of the NHL Playoffs, determining the final players that were most valuable to the success the team did see this season becomes easier to conclude near the end of the March slate. Following a March 20 home matchup with the Edmonton Oilers (rematch of the 2006 Stanley Cup Finals in Raleigh), the Canes have less than 10 games remaining before their season is over.
For a good portion of the season, the Canes did look like real contenders in the Metropolitan Division. Winning just four of the last 15 games killed any chances of contention. That is thanks to a few different negative factors, but the five most valuable players this season were largely positive pieces of the team.
Here’s the five MVP’s for the Carolina Hurricanes through the 2017-18 regular season.