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

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.