Bringing in veteran right winger Justin Williams was the best move of the 2017 off-season for former Carolina general manager Ron Francis. While Darling and Marcus Kruger were the two that have not gone as planned thus far, Williams is the team’s third leading scorer.
Although Teuvo Teravainen and Sebastian Aho are far ahead of Williams in the points department, he’s still crucial to what offensive success the Canes have experienced. Up to this point, Williams tallied 15 goals and 45 points. He’s four points ahead of Jeff Skinner, who’s been his line mate for the bulk of the season.
Keeping Williams on board with building the Canes up toward a playoff run is key for next year. It’s scary to think of the amount of hope lost from the Canes fan base if they miss the playoffs for a 10th consecutive season.
Moreover, the Canes do not have another veteran voice in the locker room that quite matches that of Williams. He’s been there and done that with multiple teams in the league, including the Canes when they won the franchise’s only Stanley Cup in 2006.