Coming out of preseason the Carolina Hurricanes looked like a team poised for greatness in the youth-oriented fast-paced NHL. 24 games later, they are barely over 0.500. How do they improve the roster to consistently challenge in this league?
After starting the season at a breakneck 4-0-1 pace in the first five games of the season, the Carolina Hurricanes have gone on two losing streaks of three or more games and have only managed to string more than two wins together once since that exciting start to the season. So what has gone wrong for this team? How did the hottest team in the league become a team on the outside looking in for a playoff spot as American Thanksgiving rolled by? How do we fix a team that looks and feels like the non-contender of years past?
A lot of people will point to one issue or another when it comes to “fixing” this team. Goaltending – of course – is the biggest target of these conversations. Lack of offensive output is another. Truth is, you can’t pinpoint a single issue. In order to return this team to the winning ways they started the season with, multiple adjustments must be made. From goaltending to offensive contributions to defensive miscues, there is a lot of work needed by to be done by GM Don Waddell and coach Rod Brind’Amour.
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Even the last win against Montreal the other night wasn’t very good at building confidence for this team. Good goaltending and good luck, two attributes this team isn’t used to having, helped secure the two points. Even wins like that exposed flaws that need fixing. The good news is that it is all very doable.
A few adjustments here and there, a couple of trades, and a few call ups from Charlotte and this team will be Skol clapping and giving Brian Burke migraines at the end of every home game for the rest of the season. So without further ado, here are the adjustments that need to be made in order to “fix” the Carolina Hurricanes and return to the playoffs for the first time in a decade.