The Carolina Hurricanes have reloaded the roster after a deep playoff run. What will the point projections look like for the new-look Defense?
The Carolina Hurricanes made some significant changes to the defense this past offseason. Calvin De Haan was traded away to the Chicago Blackhawks along with Forward Aleksi Saarela in exchange for Defenseman Gustav Forsling and Goalie Anton Forsberg. With Forsling logging mostly AHL minutes, it is likely that the Canes now have a spot open on Defense for someone new to step up.
This opens up an opportunity for AHL defenseman Jake Bean. With Bean scoring 13 goals and 44 points this past season with the Checkers, expect him to be the favorite to land the 6th defenseman spot.
Trevor Van Riemsdyk is also coming off an injury, and may not be ready for the season opener. In that case, it is likely that Haydn Fleury will get the start on opening night. Fleury was solid last season for the Canes in mostly a reserve spot, however no doubt that Coach Brind’Amour and Co. would like to see a little more out of the young defenseman.
The Carolina Hurricanes Defensive core is extremely strong and talented and a lot should be expected out of this group next season with several Canes defenseman receiving Norris Trophy votes.
With the rest of the defenseman already likely decided let’s take a look at what I think each defenseman will do for the Carolina Hurricanes this upcoming season:
2018-2019 Point Total: 8 Goals 23 Assists (31 Points)
2019-2020 Point Total Projection: 11 Goals 27 Assists (38 Points)
Jaccob Slavin was phenomenal for the Canes this past season. Slavin was a lock-down defenseman and made game changing plays during the Canes Postseason run. I expect Jaccob Slavin to have a breakout campaign next season. Slavin has become better every single season and I think he will help the Canes in a number of ways next season and that includes scoring.
2018-2019 Point Total: 7 Goals 22 Assists (29 Points)
2019-2020 Point Total Projection: 6 Goals 20 Assists (26 Points)
Brett Pesce has been another stud on defense for the Carolina Hurricanes. However, Pesce is more of a defensive defenseman and likely won’t score as much as a player like Justin Faulk, Dougie Hamilton or Jaccob Slavin. However, Pesce impacts the game at such a high level on defense that the Canes don’t need a ton of offensive production out of him. Expect Brett to have a point production similar to last seasons.
2018-2019 Point Total: 11 Goals 24 Assists (35 Points)
2019-2020 Point Total Projection: 16 Goals 24 Assists (40 Points)
Justin Faulk helped the Canes reach the playoffs for the first time in his tenure. My bet is that Faulk is itching to get back to the postseason and will do whatever it takes to help the team get there. Faulk has only scored over 40 points once in his career back in the 2014-2015 season when he had 49 points. If Faulk can remain more consistent, expect him to have a stronger season than in recent years.
2018-2019 Point Total: 18 Goals 21 Assists (39 Points)
2019-2020 Point Total Projection: 21 Goals 23 Assists (44 Points)
Dougie Hamilton was phenomenal for the Canes last year on the offensive side. Oftentimes, it seemed like the Canes had a 4th forward on the ice when Dougie was out there. Hamiltons slap shot was outstanding and resulted in 18 goals for the 26-year-old. Although, sometimes it seemed that Dougie was a liability on defense and the Canes will need more out of him if they want to remain postseason contenders.
2018-2019 AHL Point Total: 13 Goals 31 Assists (44 Points)
2019-2020 NHL Point Total Projection: 7 Goals 10 Assists (17 Points)
With Trevor Van Riemsdyk injury timetable up in the air, Bean and Fleury will likely start opening night. However, when Van Riemsdyk comes back its uncertain whether Fleury or Bean will be the odd man out. With that being said, I think Bean will play in 30 or more games next season and I can see producing at a high level if called upon.
2018-2019 Point Total: 0 Goals 1 Assist (1 point) (20 games played)
2019-2020 Point Total Projection: 2 Goals 9 Assists (11 points)
Fleury will likely be the sixth defenseman for the Canes next season. Fleury didn’t show much on the offensive end last season however in the 2016-2017 season he put up 26 points for the Charlotte Checkers. Fleury is capable of point production but being on the third line doesn’t help his case. Expect Fleury to score a few times while also adding double digit Assists.
2018-2019 Point Total: 3 Goals 11 Assists (14 Points)
2019-2020 Point Total Projection: 2 Goals 9 Assists (11 Points)
Its uncertain when Trevor will return from the shoulder injury he suffered last year in the playoffs. However, Trevors contributions are undervalued and I think that he is a bigger part of the team than people realize. Trevor was often playing on the third line but typically was great on defense last season. Trevor isn’t a big scorer so his effectiveness isn’t always seen on the stat sheet.
CC Readers: What do you expect out of this group next season?