Carolina Hurricanes: 5 players key to team’s success next season
The Carolina Hurricanes have five full months to figure out what needs to go right next season for this team to finally make the postseason.
Another season for the fans of the Carolina Hurricanes in Raleigh, and another year we’re left watching the rest of the NHL taking part in the postseason. The Canes missed the playoffs for the ninth consecutive year, extending a league best playoff drought. That also keeps testing the patience of even the truest of fans of this team.
However, as always, we do need to look at some of the positive takeaways of the season that just past. The first is the development of a handful of young offensive players, with very bright futures. Another is the continued standout play of a few players on the back end. Although, the blue line was not the strong portion of Carolina’s roster in 2017-18.
For the Canes to find the right mix for the roster entering the next regular season, they need to emphasize the best assets in the organization at this moment. That includes more than just the players that spent most of the season with the Canes. The Charlotte Checkers are also important in this consideration.
So much hope falls on what the Canes could do next season, behind a new owner looking to “shake things up” during the off-season. This summer is huge for the Canes behind the pressure of a competitive Metropolitan Division around them.
Carolina is in place that most teams would not enjoy to be in, complete and total stagnation. Let’s focus on a few key players that can build this team up in the proper direction. Here’s a few players that are key to the success of the Carolina Hurricanes next season.
Warren Foegele. player. Pick Analysis. 22-years-old. Scouting Report. Left Wing. 5. 109
Two players fall on this list that played very little with the big club in Raleigh this season. The first of those two players is a potent scoring left winger, Warren Foegele. Taking part in the Checkers’ push to make it out of the first round of the Calder Cup Playoffs at this moment, Foegele’s season is far from over in the AHL.
However, Foegele showed an impressive level of offensive prowess in his very limited action in the NHL this season. He finished up with three points in two games played this season, including a two-point performance in his NHL debut coming against the New Jersey Devils.
Carolina needs to continue to develop this great young offensive core they got going. Foegele is a significant part of that, since he’s showed that he could easily become a top six forward in the league entering his prime years.
As it pertains to the success of the Canes altogether, Foegele has the potential to be a 20-30 goal scorer. Carolina needs a lot more consistent scoring on the offensive end through the tougher months in the middle of the regular season. That’s where having offensive depth can get you through the grind of the middle of the regular season slate.
Left Wing. Valentin Zykov. 22-years-old. 4. player. Scouting Report. Pick Analysis. 109
The other young player with Carolina’s organization that spent most of the season with the Checkers is Russian left winger Valentin Zykov. The scoring production really took off for Zykov as soon as he got the call to join the Canes this season.
Some of that production did tail off at the very end of the season. However, he still wound up with seven point in 10 games played this season. The most important thing that Zykov put on display is his next level scoring touch, that few players on the Canes have right now.
If the Canes are to finally make that playoff push next season, they’ll need both Zykov and Foegele to be just as good as they showed they could be down the stretch this spring. Zykov, especially, has the type of ceiling that could see him as a 30-35 goal scorer in the next couple years.
The line pairing that head coach Bill Peters had for Zykov most of the time he spent with the Canes this year was very promising. He seems like the missing piece to a Canes’ offensive puzzle that could finally start to get put together at the start of 2018-19.
Defenseman. 23-years-old. Jaccob Slavin. 3. 109. Scouting Report. player. Pick Analysis
The only defenseman on this list helps to create by far the most reliable defensive pairing for the Canes, between Jaccob Slavin and Brett Pesce. Slavin is the more offensively gifted of the two defenders, and continued to show his scoring touch and durability this season.
Although Slavin did not post quite the same point total he did in 2016-17, he still posted a solid amount at 30 points even. However, he did eclipse his goal total from a season ago to post a career high number of eight in 2017-18.
Moreover, while Pesce was in and out of the lineup down the stretch, Slavin played in all 82 games for the second consecutive season. That reliability he brings to the table each and every night is something the Canes can actually build a defensive foundation around, and Pesce is included in that group.
Slavin and Pesce were really the only two Carolina defenseman (possibly outside of Trevor van Riemsdyk) that consistently played well this season. That’s something the Canes cannot lose out on come next season, especially if they find themselves in playoff contention.
Right Wing. Teuvo Teravainen. player. Pick Analysis. 109. Scouting Report. 23-years-old. 2
It really shows all the potential and room to grow for the Canes when the two oldest players listed here are 23-years-old. And, it’s not really a surprise either that the top two players in this ranking are the Finnish dynamic duo of Teuvo Teravainen and Sebastian Aho.
Teravainen and Aho ran things for the Canes offense all season, leading the team in overall scoring by far. Blowing his previous career high in points out of the water this season, Teravainen posted a 22-point increase from his stat line from 2016-17.
The development of Teravainen came to the forefront with the line featuring him, Aho, and co-captain center Jordan Staal. The “TSA line” was the best Carolina had to offer in the offensive zone all season. That was until Zykov got the call up from Charlotte.
Teravainen’s career high point total fell at 64 points (23 goals and 41 assists) this season. That landed him behind only Teravainen in the scoring lead for the team. And, much like Slavin was able to do this season, Teravainen played in all 82 games showing off an impressive level of durability.
Left Wing/Center. player. 109. Pick Analysis. 20-years-old. Sebastian Aho. 1. Scouting Report
Not only is Aho the best player for the Canes and the biggest key to success for them next season, he’s also the leading scorer from 2017-18. He barely edged out Teravainen in the team points lead, with 65 (29 goals and 36 assits).
The fact that Aho fell just shy of the 30-goal mark this season is somewhat disappointing. But, he’s very likely to reach that mark next season, given how much he improved off an already strong rookie campaign back in 2016-17. He’ll be a name mentioned among potential breakout starts across the league in 2018-19.
It’s the skating ability and natural ability to finish anywhere in the offensive zone that allows Aho to be so good at what he does. He dazzled Canes fans nearly on a nightly basis this season, with all his skill to make opposing defenders look stupid.
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Aho needs to be the best player, and produce at least 70 points next season, for the Canes to get that star power established. That’s something they’ve been missing, aside from what Jeff Skinner was able to do with his 37 goals in 2016-17. Aho is truly a name to watch for any NHL fan next season.