Forwards
The Hurricanes opened training camp with precious few forward spots up for grabs. Even with Justin Williams taking time away from hockey, the forward depth was strong enough to push prospects to both elevate and maintain their play. Martin Necas, Carolina’s 1st round pick in 2017, played to mixed results, though he did offer glimpses of the natural talent that he possesses.
Pushing hard for an NHL job was 21-year-old Julien Gauthier. Gauthier, a 1st rounder from the 2016 draft, made use of his size (6’4″, 227lbs) and skill to cause trouble for opposition defenders. Despite making a strong impression, Gauthier was one of the last cuts, being assigned to Charlotte on October 1.
Here’s a look at the Hurricanes’ forward roster:
There is a lot of talent among the forward ranks, that goes without question. That said, talent alone isn’t going to guarantee wins. The Hurricanes need the established scorers to at least maintain their level of production while having their up and coming players show consistent progress.
With the uncertainty of Dzingel’s status, Haula coming off a season-ending injury (and being pulled from the second preseason game as a precaution), the Hurricanes cannot afford to have anyone take a night off. Couple that with the unknown of how Necas will perform in regular NHL duty and it amplifies the urgency for everyone to play up to their ability.
While we’re on the topic of stating the obvious, let’s address an issue that has plagued the Hurricanes for years: the power play. They can ill-afford another season in which they finish in the lower third of the league on the man advantage. Hopefully, the new additions (up front and on the blueline) can help right the ship but, as the preseason showed (2/25, 8%), it won’t be easy.
Of course, offense isn’t the sole responsibility of the forward corps. With newly-minted captain Jordan Staal (we’ll ignore his co-captaincy in 17-18) leading the way and head coach Rod Brind’Amour calling the shots, the Hurricanes will be a defensively responsible team again in 19-20. The key will be increasing their goal-scoring output and a more effective power play will be instrumental in achieving that.