Carolina Hurricanes: The Curious Case of Cam Ward’s Backups

Cam Ward is the all-time leader in wins for the Carolina Hurricanes, though he was often overworked.  A large part of this is the inconsistency of his backups through the years.

Earlier today I was watching a video from The Hockey Guy on YouTube, an overview of the history of the Carolina Hurricanes that highlighted a number of franchise records.  To the surprise of no one at all, Cam Ward holds the record for career wins and likely will for some time.

Yes, there are goalies developing in the system and yes, at least one of them will likely see time in the Hurricanes’ crease soon.  Having said that, 318 wins is nothing to sneeze at.

Right off the bat, this is not an article disparaging Cam Ward.  I respect him for the good that he did for this team, though that goodwill likely kept him in a Canes jersey longer than some would have liked.  I lament the fact that the magic we saw in the 2006 and 2009 playoffs didn’t come to fruition more often.

If you’re a longtime Caniac, brace yourself for some names you probably haven’t thought about in a long time.  If you’re a newer fan then you can consider this a rite of passage in a way, as we revisit The Curious Case of Cam Ward’s Backups.

John Grahame

If you’re like me, this is a name that haunted you in the years immediately after the 2006 Stanley Cup.  With previous starter Martin Gerber gone to make way for Ward’s ascendance, veteran goalie John Grahame was signed to serve as the backup.

After breaking in with the Boston Bruins, Grahame moved to Tampa Bay, winning the Stanley Cup in 2004 before taking over the starting job there.  With 179 NHL games and a championship under his belt, Grahame seemed like a good if unspectacular choice for a veteran backup.

To say things went poorly is an understatement:

2006-07: 28GP; 10W; 13L; 2.85 GAA; .897 SV%; 0 SO

2007-08: 17GP; 5W; 7L; 3.75 GAA; .875 SV%; 0 SO

Ouch.

Following his stint with the Carolina Hurricanes, Grahame spent with one season playing for Avangard Omsk in the KHL (which let to a strange ending) and 2 seasons in the AHL, split between the Adirondack Phantoms and the Lake Erie Monsters.

After retiring, Grahame spent time as a goaltending coach before venturing into the business world where he has found success.

Best Performance: Grahame turned aside 28 of 29 shots in a 4-1 victory against the Atlanta Thrashers on February 24th, 2007.

Overall Impression: Issues began plaguing Grahame during his time in Tampa Bay and didn’t dissipate after his move to the Hurricanes.  His confidence often seemed to waver, which is poisonous to a goaltender, especially at the NHL level.

He did have a unique mask during his stint with the Carolina Hurricanes:

Michael Leighton

Acquired from Montreal during the summer of 2007 to bolster the Hurricanes’ goaltending depth, Michael Leighton saw action in 3 games during the 2007-08 season after John Grahame was placed on waivers and demoted.

Unfortunately, Leighton didn’t fare better than Grahame:

2007-08: 3GP; 1W; 1L; 2.66 GAA; .897 SV%; 0 SO

Leighton entered the 2008-09 season as Ward’s primary backup and didn’t make out better:

2008-09: 19GP; 6W; 7L; 2.92 GAA; .901 SV%; 0 SO

Sadly, the downward trend continued for Leighton in the 2009-10 season:

2009-10: 7GP; 1W; 4L; 4.28 GAA, .848 SV%; 0 SO

Leighton was placed on waivers in December of 2009 and claimed by Philadelphia.  After spending time in Philadelphia, Chicago, and the KHL, Leighton returned to the Carolina Hurricanes as a free agent in 2016 on a two-way contract.

While his AHL numbers were good, Leighton couldn’t translate that success in his limited play with the Hurricanes:

2016-17: 4GP; 2W; 2L; 3.43 GAA; .870 SV%; 0 SO

After his second stint with the Carolina Hurricanes, Leighton moved on to Tampa Bay, Arizona, and Pittsburgh, but has not played in another NHL game.

Best Performance: Leighton stopped 38 out of 39 shots in a 3-1 win over the Washington Capitals on December 7th, 2008

Overall Impression: Michael Leighton always struck me as a good guy.  While his sporadic play for the Carolina Hurricanes never justified more ice time at the NHL level, his career AHL stats aren’t too shabby.

Manny Legace

A veteran of 320 NHL games with Detroit and St. Louis, Manny Legace signed a one-year contract with the Carolina Hurricanes in November of 2009.

Having established himself as a reliable goaltender in his time in St. Louis (including a selection to the 2008 All-Star Game), Legace was primed to provide stability to the Hurricanes goaltending rotation.

Legace held the backup role through the majority of the 2009-10 season and while his numbers weren’t spectacular, he provided the most solid relief that the Hurricanes had received up to that point:

2009-10: 28GP; 10W; 7L; 2.81 GAA; .907 SV%; 1 SO

With a young goaltender pushing for NHL playing time, the Carolina Hurricanes opted not to re-sign Legace, who finished his playing career in the AHL and a stint in Germany’s DEL.

Manny Legace is currently the goaltending coach for the Columbus Blue Jackets.

Best Performance: Legace earned a 27 save shutout in a 4-0 victory over the Atlanta Thrashers on March 7th, 2010.

Overall Impression: I liked Manny Legace with the Carolina Hurricanes.  While I understood the desire to give an up-and-coming goalie a shot, I always thought that having Legace around for another year to serve as an insurance policy would have been favorable.

Justin Peters

Ah yes, Justin Peters.  The 2004 second-round pick of the Carolina Hurricanes had a reasonably successful junior career before spending 3 years splitting time between the AHL and ECHL before getting a taste of the NHL.

Peters went on to spend parts of 5 seasons Raleigh, a roller coaster run that began in the 2009-10 season:

2009-10: 9GP; 6W; 3L; 2.83 GAA; .905 SV%; 0 SO

Decent enough numbers for a rookie, but he followed it up with this:

2010-11: 12GP; 3W; 5L; 3.98 GAA; .875 SV%; 0 SO

Yikes.  He did, however, manage a decent 2011-12:

2011-12: 7GP; 2W; 3L; 2.48 GAA; .931 SV%; 1 SO

Peters’ up and down play continued for 2 more seasons before he signed with the Washington Capitals before landing in Arizona and then Dallas.  This was followed by stints in the KHL and DEL.

Best Performance: While Peters did earn a few NHL shutouts, his strongest game was a 37 save effort in a 3-1 win over the Phoenix Coyotes on December 14th, 2013.

Overall Impression: Peters was always an enigma to me.  He had some solid games for the Carolina Hurricanes but ultimately his inconsistency outlasted his welcome with the team.

Dan Ellis

With the NHL in the midst of a lockout during the 2012-13 season, journeyman Dan Ellis found himself playing for the Charlotte Checkers in the AHL.  His play in the minors earned him a one-year contract with the Carolina Hurricanes.

This particular season was an oddity for the Hurricanes, with Cam Ward, Dan Ellis, and Justin Peters each starting 16 games during the lockout-shortened schedule.

Ellis’ play put him in the middle of the 3 goalies, none of whom had strong seasons.  Here’s Ellis’ line:

2012-13: 19GP; 6W; 8L; 3.13 GAA; .906 SV%; 1 SO

Ellis returned to the Dallas Stars as a free agent after one season with the Hurricanes,  followed by stops in Florida and Washington.

After the conclusion of his playing career, Ellis served as an assistant coach with the Omaha Lancers of the USHL.

Best Performance: Dan Ellis had a few solid games for the Hurricanes.  Most notably was his lone shutout, a 33 save performance against the Ottawa Senators on February 1st, 2013.

Overall Impression: The Carolina Hurricanes were in the midst of an identity crisis coming out of the lockout and Dan Ellis didn’t fit in their plans moving forward.  Inconsistency played a part as he had 8 games in which he finished with a sub-.900% save percentage.

Fun Fact: In 2011, Ellis was traded from Tampa Bay to Anaheim for future Hurricane Curtis McElhinney.  Less fun? Ellis’ Twitter rant that drew heavy criticism in 2010.

Anton Khudobin

Ah, what could have been.  After spending two seasons each with the Minnesota Wild and Boston Bruins with moderate success, Anton Khudobin signed with the Carolina Hurricanes to split time with Cam Ward.

Having established himself as a reliable backup, Khudobin seemed ready to bring his steady play to the Hurricanes and, for one season, he did:

2013-14: 36GP; 19W; 14L; 2.30 GAA; .926 SV%; 1 SO

Khudobin was far and away the Hurricanes best goalie during the 2013-14 season, a year that saw Cam Ward struggle mightily.

Sadly, the 2014-15 season saw the Hurricanes finish 12 points lower in the standings.  While Cam Ward rebounded, Khudobin was unable to maintain his level of play from the previous year:

2014-15: 34GP; 8W; 17L; 2.72 GAA; .900 SV%; 1 SO

During the 2015 NHL Entry Draft, Khudobin was shipped to the Anaheim Ducks for defenseman James Wisniewski.  After a single season in Anaheim, Khudobin returned to Boston for two years and is currently under contract with the Dallas Stars.

Best Performance: While Anton Khudobin managed 2 shutouts as a member of the Carolina Hurricanes, I’m going with a 3-1 victory over the Columbus Blue Jackets on March 18th, 2014 in which he stopped 46 shots.

Overall Impression: For some time, Anton Khudobin reminded me of Arturs Irbe.  I was a fan of his while he was with the Hurricanes and while I hate that inconsistency began plaguing him, I am happy that he’s still playing well in the NHL.

Eddie Lack

Eddie Lack spent 2 seasons with the Vancouver Canucks, putting up solid numbers backing up Roberto Luongo first and then Ryan Miller.

The Canucks, faced with choosing between two young goalies to serve as Miller’s backup, opted to keep Jacob Markstrom.  Due to this, Lack (and his affinity for tacos) was traded to the Carolina Hurricanes in return for 2 draft picks.

Lack’s first season with the Hurricanes was almost a 50-50 split between good play and “what are you doing?” Let’s take a look:

2015-16: 34GP; 12W; 14L; 2.81 GAA; .901 SV%; 2 SO

Lack’s workload shrank the following season, though his GAA and SV% actually increased slightly:

2016-17: 20GP; 8W; 7L; 2.64 GAA; .902 SV%; 1 SO

While his numbers weren’t drastically different, Lack seemed to be disinterested at times, leading to a legendary tirade by then-coach Bill Peters, during which he implored Lack to “make a [expletive] save.”

In June of 2017 Lack was shipped off to Calgary.  In December of that year Lack was on the move again, headed for New Jersey.  Too bad he wasn’t still with the Flames when Peters was named head coach.  He is currently an unrestricted free agent.

Best Performance: Eddie Lack put up a 34 save shutout in a 3-0 victory over the Ottawa Senators on February 24th, 2017.

Overall Impression: I really wanted things to work out for Eddie Lack with the Hurricanes.  Seriously, who smiles that much?  How could you not root for him?  I can’t pinpoint what derailed his game, though I’m sure the expletive-laden rant from his coach didn’t help

In Summation

Cam Ward is unquestionably etched into the Carolina Hurricanes’ history books.  While some criticism rests on the Alberta native’s shoulders, he was also a victim of circumstance on several occasions.

Playing behind teams that were often inept defensively (especially compared to where the Hurricanes are now) played a part, as did a parade of often ill-suited backups.

As we move towards year 2 of a new era for the Carolina Hurricanes, this article serves as a reminder of how moves that seem good at the time can completely backfire.  Let us not forget our past as we move into a future brighter than we’ve grown accustomed to.

Okay, Caniacs, which backup had you forgotten about?  Which one had you pinned the most hope on?