Carolina Hurricanes: 10 reasons to keep this team in Raleigh

The NHL is expanding at a rapid pace right now, added on by the success of the Vegas Golden Knights. The Carolina Hurricanes should stay put, though.

With the Carolina Hurricanes having both ownership and attendance problems right now, there’s really no other NHL franchise in flux as much as them. Raleigh is a great place for hockey in the south, but it’s not holding up through the tough times.

The recent announcement of new majority owner in Dallas billionaire Tom Dundon could be a step in the right direction. Former Hall-of-Fame owner Peter Karmanos Jr. did not put much effort toward filling the seats at PNC Arena in the past decade.

Attendance took a big drop over each of the past eight seasons. Yet, with a good midseason push from the Canes to finally make their way into the playoffs, the crowds are starting to get better. PNC Arena could be a great place to witness hockey games by April.

There were even rumors of the Canes moving out of Raleigh completely over the past few years. NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman has repeatedly reassured the fan base that the Canes are not going anywhere anytime soon and that the league backs hockey in North Carolina.

We’ll see how this team fares down the stretch of the regular season. A lot falls on how the Canes do in the next three seasons. Pushing any playoff drought past 10 years puts any franchise in a tough spot to not relocate, especially from a southern city. General manager Ron Francis, and the entire front office, should feel some urgency as to getting this team ready for the playoffs.

Here’s 10 reasons why the Carolina Hurricanes will stay in Raleigh for the foreseeable future.