Carolina Hurricanes: How the team can make the playoffs

Now that the NHL All-Star break is over, the Carolina Hurricanes have a big month – the next 12 games will make or break their playoff push. We look at what they need to do to secure their first playoff berth in ten years.

At one point towards the tail end of December the Carolina Hurricanes sat just two points off the bottom of the entire National Hockey League. Fast forward one month, and they are just four points off a playoff spot, and have the momentum in the favor. In addition to keeping doing what they’ve been doing recently – scoring goals – what else does Rod Brind’Amour’s team need to do to ensure a playoff spot?

1: Replace Justin Faulk with Dougie Hamilton on the power play

This is something that Carolina Hurricanes fans have been screaming for for what feels like an eternity, and would have an immediate impact on the team’s anemic power play performance. While the team has improved with the man advantage thanks to a successful January, the team remains 22nd in the league with a 16.77% conversion rate. Even improving to the league average of 20% would translate to enough goals to secure a playoff berth.

Through the team’s 50 games this season, Justin Faulk has ATOI of 3:05 on the power play. Dougie Hamilton has just 2:07. They have produced the same amount of points – Faulk with 2-3-5 versus Hamilton’s 1-4-5 – but Hamilton scored 2.8 points/60 on the power play, compared with Faulk’s paltry 1.9 points/60.

This is a total no-brainer and needs to happen from this point on, in every game until the end of the season. We can’t keep talking about how to fix the power play – we need to actually fix it.

2: Work out where Jordan Staal fits

We would forgive anyone who forgot that the Carolina Hurricanes’ alternate captain Jordan Staal is still part of the team. He has been on Injured Reserve since Dec. 5th, punctured by a two-game showing after Christmas where he posted no points, a -4 rating and a faceoff percentage of 45%. No-one appears to have a timeline for his return from concussion, but he’s likely to feature at some point as the Canes hunt down the teams ahead of them in the standings.

Where would Jordan Staal fit? Under Rod Brind’Amour, Staal has featured heavily on both the power play and the penalty kill; his lack of production with the extra man would hopefully preclude his involvement again, allowing him to focus on leading the team’s moderately-successful penalty kill.

An assignment as third-line center would seem sensible – but his return could upset the balance of a winning team, particularly as it would impact on scoring sensation Greg McKegg‘s minutes. This is a tough decision for Rod Brind’Amour, and he needs to have the answer in his head before Staal returns.

3: Get ahead of the trade deadline and make moves now

Waiting for the NHL trade deadline on Feb. 25th is a dangerous strategy for the Carolina Hurricanes. If they wait to make a move, they may already be out of playoff contention; if they make a move now, it may impact on the team’s hard-earned chemistry.

However, General Manager Don Waddell shouldn’t fear making an early move. His acquisition of Nino Niederreiter has already proven to be an excellent decision; with the team’s confidence as high as it is, any moves made to strengthen the team is only going to bolster the team’s morale and translate into even better performances on the ice.

It’s unlikely that the Carolina Hurricanes look to add a rental – as much as we’d love to see Wayne Simmonds in Raleigh – but there are several candidates around the league potentially available that would fit Waddell’s plans. The likes of Washington Capitals forward Andre Burakovsky – potentially available for a 2nd and 3rd round draft pick – or a lesser rental like Anaheim’s Jakob Silfverberg would be excellent additions to the Canes’ lineup.

February is shaping up to be a huge month for the Carolina Hurricanes. The next 12 games will tell us whether the Canes are contenders for a playoff spot, or nearly-rans for a tenth straight year. From rookie owner Tom Dundon, to General Manager Don Waddell and rookie Head Coach Rod Brind’Amour, all of the team’s management have different responsibilities and targets – but all of them will want to secure that elusive playoff berth. If they can come together to secure a winning record over the next 12 games, they will fancy their chances of achieving that dream.