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3 Keys for the Carolina Hurricanes to Make the Playoffs in 2020

By Jeb Bohn

BOSTON, MA - MAY 9: Sebastian Aho #20 of the Carolina Hurricanes celebrates his goal against the Boston Bruins in Game One of the Eastern Conference Final during the 2019 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs at the TD Garden on May 9, 2019 in Boston, Massachusetts. (Photo by Steve Babineau/NHLI via Getty Images)
BOSTON, MA - MAY 9: Sebastian Aho #20 of the Carolina Hurricanes celebrates his goal against the Boston Bruins in Game One of the Eastern Conference Final during the 2019 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs at the TD Garden on May 9, 2019 in Boston, Massachusetts. (Photo by Steve Babineau/NHLI via Getty Images) /
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RALEIGH, NC – MAY 14: Petr Mrazek #34 of the Carolina Hurricanes prepares himself during warmups prior to Game Three of the Eastern Conference Third Round against the Boston Bruins during the 2019 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs on May 14, 2019 at PNC Arena in Raleigh, North Carolina. (Photo by Gregg Forwerck/NHLI via Getty Images)
RALEIGH, NC – MAY 14: Petr Mrazek #34 of the Carolina Hurricanes prepares himself during warmups prior to Game Three of the Eastern Conference Third Round against the Boston Bruins during the 2019 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs on May 14, 2019 at PNC Arena in Raleigh, North Carolina. (Photo by Gregg Forwerck/NHLI via Getty Images) /

Goaltending

How can you have a post discussing what the Carolina Hurricanes need in order to succeed without mentioning goaltending?  You can’t.  While that’s true for any team, it holds especially true for the Hurricanes.

A pre-season injury to Scott Darling allowed the tandem of Petr Mrazek and Curtis McElhinney to steal the show last year.  The dual storylines (a young goalie trying to show he belongs and the well-traveled vet having his best season at age 35) were compelling on and off the ice, culminating with the pair getting the Hurricanes back into the Stanley Cup Playoffs.

Now, with both Darling and McElhinney gone, Mrazek is set to battle for time in the crease with a new crop of netminders.  James Reimer, acquired from the Florida Panthers in the Darling trade, spent 3 seasons in South Florida with mixed results.  While his first season there wasn’t bad, his stats declined in each of the 2 following years.

Over a month after being acquired, Reimer was finally issued a number with the Hurricanes:

It’s important to note that Reimer didn’t have the best defensive support with the Panthers, a problem that shouldn’t be repeated with the Hurricanes.  Through 9 years, he sits at a 2.81 GAA and a .914 save percentage, not too dissimilar to McElhinney’s career stats.

Twenty-three-year-old Alex Nedeljkovic will be pushing to stay in Raleigh after a very strong season in Charlotte.  While he’s only played 90 minutes in the NHL, they’ve been really good minutes and the Hurricanes will give him the opportunity to show if he has what it takes to become an NHL regular.

Also factoring in is Anton Forsberg, acquired in a June trade with the Chicago Blackhawks.  The 26-year-old Swedish netminder hasn’t put up great stats at the NHL level (11-24, 3.21 GAA, .901 save percentage) but has been serviceable at the AHL level.  Despite being awarded a one-year, one-way contract for $775,000 after his arbitration hearing, Forsberg’s status with the Hurricanes remains unclear.

The fact that the Hurricanes allowed the third-fewest shots against and ranked sixth in goals-against is promising for whichever goalie is in the net.  That said, every goalie that is called upon has to perform well if the Hurricanes want to build on their strong 2018-19 season.

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