Carolina Hurricanes: 5 players who must go before next season
A theme of focusing on next season for the Carolina Hurricanes keeps going here with a look at what should change with the roster this off-season.
Finding the right roster combination for the Carolina Hurricanes is the main mission before the puck drops on the 2018-19 NHL season. Falling short of expectations, yet again, was not a good look for the Canes this season, as they will likely finish just a few points outside a wildcard spot.
Moreover, the Canes played best down the stretch when it did not matter much anymore. At the key point of the regular season, the Canes lost 12 of the 16 most important matchups of the year. That ultimately cost them their chance at ending the longest playoff drought of any franchise in the NHL.
To improve more entering the 2018-19 campaign, the Canes need to put themselves in the best roster situation possible. Carolina has a ton of cap space available to use during the off-season. Only the Arizona Coyotes and Edmonton Oilers have more cap room to work with in the summer.
This free agent class is more lucrative than there’s been in recent years. A class headlined by current New York Islanders superstar forward John Tavares will draw a ton of attention from every team around the league. If the Canes can show some of the better players available this summer that Raleigh is the place to be for a brighter future, the Canes will progress immediately.
Shaking things up was the theme of the second half of the season for the Canes, especially once they were eliminated from the playoff race. Here’s a look at five players that need to go before next season for the Carolina Hurricanes.
player. 109. Scouting Report. Pick Analysis. 25-years-old. Victor Rask. 5. Center
There’s a huge reason why a player that could still have a bright future like Victor Rask is the first one listed here. The decline in Rask’s production caused some doubts from Canes fans as to his ability to make an impact on the future success of the organization.
With really no chance to do anything to help his cause for the rest of this season, Rask has to put his best foot forward to make some real improvements during the off-season. The fact that his stat lines has dropped off so much with a progressed Carolina offense proved there’s a disconnect between Rask and the team’s system now.
Rask does have the potential to put up at least 50 points through his prime. He also needs the proper system to succeed in. Chemistry and connection are the two things that Rask needs around him to maximize his ability. Not necessarily just flat out skill.
If the connection between Rask and the Canes just isn’t there, something needs to change. His name still carries a ton of value in the trade market, and we’ve already discussed the possibility of moving him. At this point, most Canes fans would rather see Rask succeed with a different uniform on, and get something solid in return, than watch him drown in Raleigh.
109. Scouting Report. Haydn Fleury. player. Pick Analysis. Defenseman. 21-years-old. 4
Among all the young Carolina defenseman that got a consistent amount of playing time this season, no one really struggled as much as the rookie Haydn Fleury. Others had their tough moments, but Fleury couldn’t find his footing for most of the season.
As a former first round pick of the Canes, back in 2014, the organization had very high expectations for Fleury in his first full season with the team. However, head coach Bill Peters shuffled Fleury in and out of the lineup most of the way.
Klas Dahlbeck ended up taking the spot that Fleury would have occupied at times. It’s hard to tell if he’s just not a good fit with the team or if there’s a bigger issue with his game. Fleury did not mesh too well with other defenseman like Justin Faulk and Noah Hanifin.
He also lacked the ability to prove himself on either end of the ice. At times, Fleury made some great defensive plays, but nothing consistent. The real problem came for Fleury in terms of offensive contributions. He didn’t post a single goal so far this season.
Pick Analysis. 26-years-old. player. Scouting Report. Defenseman. Justin Faulk. 3. 109
Aside from the obvious issues with Fleury’s body of work this year, co-captain defenseman Faulk had some difficulties of his own that made the entire Carolina blue line worse. Faulk had his troubles turning the puck over, especially in his own zone.
The trade rumors for Faulk did start to surface around the 2018 NHL Trade Deadline. Since former general manager Ron Francis made only a single move, and an insignificant one at that, the Canes kept Faulk through the Deadline.
Pairing Faulk with either Hanifin or Fleury worked out very poorly for the Canes in 2017-18. Considering the offensive numbers for Faulk are not what Carolina fans became accustomed to in recent years, his value dropped pretty dramatically.
All things considered, Faulk still had a very solid season offensively. Up to this point, Faulk does have eight goals and 31 points. The 49 point season we saw from Faulk during the 2014-15 campaign might not be seen again in Raleigh.
Center. 31-years-old. 2. Pick Analysis. Derek Ryan. player. 109. Scouting Report
Possibly the most inept center on the Canes roster this season was Derek Ryan. Peters kept Ryan floating between the third and fourth forward lines. He did center other solid scorers like Jeff Skinner and Brock McGinn at times. However, Ryan also posted one of the worst plus/minus ratings on the team.
Moreover, at 31-years-old, it’s tough to envision a long-term future with Ryan with the franchise. His overall stat line this season is decent so far, with 14 goals and 36 points. But, that -16 rating keeps his production at bay, and that’s twice as bad as the 2016-17 season.
The flat out scoring and faceoff percentage, at even strength, put Ryan in a good enough position to at least center the fourth line for the Canes. Yet, if the Canes ever want to be a team back in contention for the Stanley Cup, they need to be deeper at the center position.
If Ryan can be more effective in the defensive zone, he’ll be a much more valuable asset in Carolina. The trends do not look good for him. The scoring trends and overall plus/minus rating are going in opposite directions. That could be due to other facts, and we’ll see soon if it is.
Center/Winger. 26-years-old. Joakim Nordstrom. 1. Scouting Report. Pick Analysis. player. 109
There’s a few players that struggled this season for the Canes that cannot be listed here due to other factors. For example, goalie Scott Darling has a long time left on his contract with the organization, and the Canes need to commit to pushing him in a better direction next season.
If other guys like veteran Lee Stempniak, Elias Lindholm, and Rask don’t work out soon, they could be a tougher spot too. However, all of those names seem to be set with the Canes, or at least with some other franchise around the league.
On the other hand, there’s the current situation with fourth line grinders like Joakim Nordstrom. As one of the hardest workers on the team, Nordstrom is a positive presence in the locker room and on the penalty kill, but he has to start finding the net too.
Next: 3 players who will breakout for the Carolina Hurricanes next season
Nordstrom spent most of the season, alongside co-captain center Jordan Staal, on the first penalty killing line. Yet, he tends to spend the rest of the time with the fourth line. That’s due to his lack of goal scoring, with only two goals and seven points this season.