Carolina Hurricanes: How to fix the roster and return to the playoffs

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.

End the Goaltender Carousel

It may seem like I’m starting with the heavy stuff first. I have definitely thought about closing this article with this segment. I have thought about giving it its own article. There is definitely plenty to write about when it comes to goaltending and this team. But the more I thought about it, the simpler it got. The solution has been with us the whole time: someone has to go.

That someone will definitely not be Curtis McElhinney, who is the only goalie to string more than two wins together in this three headed monster. His calm presence might be the only reason Carolina has a chance this year. His Cinderella story of being claimed off waivers and leading a team to the playoffs may be one of the best for this team. While he may not be the true answer as the starter for this team, the 35 year old journeyman goalie is definitely a reliable backup that can win games consistently.

It will come down to either Petr Mrazek or Scott Darling, one of whom needs to end their season with another team. Whichever goalie remains should split starts with McElhinney. Right now, Scott Darling looks to be the odd man out. His last two outings against the Columbus Blue Jackets and the New York Islanders resulted in 4-1 losses for Carolina. There seems to be little chemistry between Darling and the rest of the team. The defense is playing very panicky in front of him and the offense isn’t given the proper time to create plays that will lead to goals. Meanwhile opposing teams have found it easy to burn past the panicking defensemen and score goals on Scott’s nervous goaltending. His best games this season have come against his former team, the Chicago Blackhawks. His numbers overall this season have been terrible, and he is being paid handsomely for very little return.

So what should Carolina do about Scott Darling, who still has two years remaining on his $16.6 million dollar contract after this season? While the easy thing to do is place Scott on waivers and hope he clears to send him down to Charlotte (where he may have a chance to adjust his play), this would be a huge disservice to Alex Nedeljkovic and his development. The harsh reality is that Scott should be asked to submit his 15 team list required by his modified NTC and a trade partner should be found. There are many teams that have been ailed with injuries that can see Darling as a necessary addition. The Kings, Lightning, Flyers, and Penguins all have goalies on the IR. While Carolina might be hesitant to trade to a division rival, teams like Tampa Bay or Pittsburgh might have something to offer for a former Stanley Cup winner.

Now, there are those who say that the three headed monster should remain in Raleigh. What does it hurt to keep three on the roster? After all, both Darling and Mrazek have experienced injuries that have sidelined them for over a week, which is how the Canes ended up grabbing McElhinney in the first place. What if it were to happen again? Who would be the backup then? Well, we would have to draw one of the goalies from Charlotte. Again, we wouldn’t want to hurt Alex Nedeljkovic’s continued development with the AHL-leading Checkers. So let me introduce you to goaltending wonder Callum Booth.

If Mrazek or McElhinney go down for any reason it is Booth, not Nedeljkovic, who should be the one brought up. It will give the fans in Carolina a teaser of what the future of goaltending for the Carolina Hurricanes would look like. And it looks pretty good. Keeping Darling on the roster doesn’t help Darling, and it definitely doesn’t help the Carolina Hurricanes. While Carolina might be forced to retain some of his salary a trade will definitely bring in assets that can be used later.

Trade for an offensive weapon

A Scott Darling trade probably won’t bring in any offensive help, but it may bring in assets that can help in a different trade. Its no secret that the Carolina Hurricanes’ troubles have come from a lack of scoring. Of the 24 games played so far this season, they have had trouble finding the back of the net more than once in eight of them. That’s an entire third of the games played so far this season. When the team has scored three or more goals they have gone 10-0-2. The race to three goals is real. It’s very real. The more the Canes do it, the less the goaltending issues mentioned earlier become an issue.

The issue now becomes who the Carolina Hurricanes can trade for, and what the team would have to give up to acquire said talent. The most frequently mentioned name in the trade rumor mill is William Nylander of course. The restricted free agent is still negotiating with the Toronto Maple Leafs while skating with a junior team in Sweden. With the December 1st deadline for the RFA to sign or miss the rest of the season only days away, many wonder who will blink first in this unprecedented standoff. If the Leafs decide to trade the rights to Nylander away, Carolina could be the first to come calling for the center. The most realistic ask that Carolina might agree to is either Brett Pesce or Justin Faulk along with a 2nd or 3rd round draft pick.

Other possible trade bait that might help add scoring depth to the Carolina Hurricanes include the Red Wings’ Gustav Nyquist and Charles Hudon of the Montreal Canadiens. These are players that would be able to immediately produce with the Canes. The return for any of these players would most likely be in the form of a mixture of prospects, draft picks, and up-and-coming 3rd or 4th liners like Valentin Zykov.

Whether the Carolina Hurricanes trade for Nylander before the end of the month, or pick up a rental between now and the trade deadline additions to the offense, especially to support the top six, are needed to get this team into the playoffs.  The pressure to score goals cannot all be squared on the shoulders of Sebastian Aho and his line.

Bring up defensive potential from Charlotte

Speaking of call ups from Charlotte, it is my belief that one of the biggest contributors to the preseason success was the contributions of the defensive prospects that were invited to training camp and preseason. If a defenseman is lost in a trade for offense, these kids should be given more time to shine. So far this season, due to injuries to Brett Pesce and Haydn Fleury, two defensive prospects have gotten the chance to play in the big leagues: Trevor Carrick and former first round pick, Jake Bean.

Their two games couldn’t have gone differently. Carrick drew into the lineup against the New York Islanders for his first NHL game of the season. During his limited ice time in the 4-1 loss, he managed to lose his helmet in a scrum, revealing his wild caveman-like flow to a stunned yet sparse New York Islander crowd. He also found himself on the losing end in a fast yet furious bout of fisticuffs with Ross Johnston.

Jake Bean on the other hand had a quiet game where the Carolina Hurricanes squeaked out a 2-1 win behind McElhinney’s excellent play. Even with just over eight minutes of ice time in the game, he managed to play well enough to receive some recognition. Bean should remain an integral part of this team even if no one is traded or injured. He brings with him skill to an element of the game that the Carolina Hurricanes are severely lacking in: the power play.

The trade-off with Bean is his size. That is, he doesn’t have much. With his skill and ability to completely humiliate the opposition, that will make him a target. One that will need to be protected while on the ice. Very much the opposite of Trevor Carrick. That’s a trade off that can pay off down the road as Bean develops at the NHL level matched with the likes of Trevor van Riemsdyk or even Dougie Hamilton.

Chemistry is really what makes this team a winner

This is the one thing on this list that really isn’t much in need of a true fix. This team has chemistry. It’s been building the chemistry from the very beginning starting with Head Coach Rod Brind’Amour, a coach that players would run through a wall for. It continues with the post-game celebrations which apparently involves late night slumber parties at the Slavin household.

Doesn’t matter if this is true or not. It matters that we can imagine it in our heads easily. And you know Andrei Svechnikov is the one giggling the loudest. The chemistry in this team is there. The real fix is taking advantage of it to build a roster that can win games.

Guys like Brock McGinn and Justin Williams seem to always click when on the same line, so let’s get them together. The emergence of Lucas Wallmark managing to feed the puck consistently to Jordan Martinook has already led to a hat trick for the latter. It is also important not to forget the friendship and chemistry built down in Charlotte when players are called up.

When players are that in tune with each other everything else begins to click. Passes made through traffic find their mark. Players know how to lean into each other’s strengths and cover each other’s weaknesses. Opponents know that if they got too friendly with one know they might draw the wrath of others such as Micheal Ferland which might not end well for them.

So if all these adjustments and a few long shots happen, what does the Carolina Hurricanes lineup look like? After all, we discussed a lot of moves and trades. So how does it all shape up, you ask? Feast your eyes on a lineup built to win a Stanley Cup:

Teravainen-Aho-Nylander

Ferland-Staal-Svechnikov

McGinn-Rask-Williams

Foegele/Martinook-Wallmark-Necas/Zykov

Slavin-Pesce/Hamilton (if Pesce is the one traded)

deHaan-Faulk/TVR (if Faulk is the one traded)

Bean/Fleury-Hamilton/TVR (depending on who gets traded for Nylander, Faulk or Pesce)

McElhinney – Mrazek

There are a lot of variables and ‘what ifs’ in this lineup. But it is one that is built upon the team’s chemistry, proper progression of younger players to bring them to championship potential, and balance of right and left handers. It’s also built to withstand injuries at any position.

Goaltending is the most interesting part of the fix. I know many will be clamoring to say that McElhinney should be the starter – after all, he has some of the best stats in the league. Truth is, he is still a 35 year old journeyman in the midst of a purple patch of form. While Mrazek should see more starts than him, we should entrust our most important games to McElhinney.

If the Carolina Hurricanes can accomplish this, not only can they end a decade long playoff drought, they can win the Metropolitan division, and become a true contender for the Stanley Cup come summertime.

Question For CC readers: 

What changes to the roster would you like to see to help create a team good enough to get into the playoffs at long last? Comment below and let us know!