Carolina Hurricanes: Where Will the Motivation Come From?

1. The Sebastian Aho Offer Sheet Situation

A lot of false narratives were being thrown around, mainly by the Montreal Canadiens fanbase. Although some fans of Montreal didn’t participate in this, others that did were trying to diminish the Hurricanes solely based on the fact that they are a small market.

They wanted to diminish the value of the owner of the Carolina Hurricanes, Tom Dundon. They referred to him as cheap due to attendance and old relocation rumors. Also, they would say that there is no way that an owner like that would spend that much money in that little of a span. The Hurricanes wanted Sebastian Aho for a longer term, but Aho wanted a shorter term to help himself get an additional payday. He used the Canadiens as a way to get back to Raleigh, which is what he always wanted.

Don Waddell never wavered in saying that the Hurricanes would match any offer sheet that would be signed by Aho. Aho seemed to be aware of the situation when the Hurricanes officially announced that the offer sheet was matched.

How could Hurricanes players use this to motivate them?

They could play motivated in order to defend the decisions made by management. Ownership was willing to prove that they would pay to keep their own stars in Carolina. So, the Hurricanes can take this as the front office is confident in the players the team has, which can in turn boost the confidence of the team. Playing for the owner that helped the Hurricanes generate this success only further enhances the chemistry that the team has had.

2. The Taste of the Playoffs

For a team that made the playoffs for the first time since 2009 last season, the team can use this to push themselves. The Eastern Conference Finals were a huge accomplishment for a team that was projected to miss the playoffs. Bout now knowing they can get that far, that may not be enough for them.

The players, however, are not satisfied with last years finish to the season. The team feels like it has the foundation to build on the success in order to keep the championship window open for some time. Don Waddell feels the same and feels like the Hurricanes have a roster that can compete on hockey’s biggest stage.

The players know they will be expected more. The 2018-19 season provided some valuable experience to a rather inexperienced, but talented group of players. Now that they know what the grind of an NHL playoffs feels like, they know exactly what they need to do to get back and succeed in the playoffs.

Getting back to the same place they finished would seem like an accomplishment, but in the players eyes that may not be good enough. This is where the motivation comes from. Getting so close, but coming up with nothing hurts, but in order to get to the championship, you have to work hard to get that opportunity.

3. The Fanbase

The Hurricanes fanbase was an absolute force last year. It was shown mostly during the first two rounds of the playoffs when the fans were out in waves to witness the special season the team was putting together. It is worth noting that at the end of game four of the Eastern Conference Finals, the fans showed their appreciation to the team.

The players took notice of the fanbase, mentioning them more and more as the fanbase kept coming back. This was the first time in a while that the team and the fanbase were this close each other. They each shared their criticisms and broke through last season.

The Hurricanes players fed off of the rambunctious crowds that were filing into PNC Arena to see playoff hockey for the first time in a long time. The fans despite breaking records for hockey attendance in PNC Arena and drastically improving the team’s overall attendance over the course of the season, still face criticism over the lack of attendance early in the season and in seasons prior.

The fans use this criticism as motivation of their own and the players feel motivated from a distinct home ice advantage. The Hurricanes haven’t had this luxury in quite some time as a decline in success led to the attendance decline. With the future looking as bright as ever the fans are once again excited to support this team.

And yes, this is fine because struggling teams experience attendance problems all of the time. The Hurricanes are not the only example of this, and every franchise goes through its rough patches, but sustained success, which the Hurricanes are primed for could really help the organization. Also, the Hurricanes have generated more than $5 million in new season ticket memberships, which means that the fans believe in this team.

What really shows that the Hurricanes thrive on home ice is their record at PNC Arena. The Hurricanes record was 24-13-4 in PNC Arena during the regular season and went 5-2 during the playoffs.

This team is hungry for more and players are notorious for finding little things to help push them. Motivation is key and members of the Hurricanes should have plenty.

Question for CC Readers: Which factor will be the biggest influence on motivating the Carolina Hurricanes?