Carolina Hurricanes: 2018-2019 Forward Point Projections
2018-2019 Season: 83 points (30 Goals and 53 Assists)
2019-2020 Season projection: 91 points (34 Goals 57 Assists)
Last season, Aho scored a career high in scoring with 83 points (30 Goals and 53 Assists). Aho averaged just over a point per game in his first season playing center for the Canes. With Aho having a year of experience under his belt at center and the building chemistry he will have with players like Turbo and Svechnikov, I expect him to progress from last year and embrace the “star” role on the team.
2018-2019 Season: 76 points (21 goals 55 assists)
2019-2020 Season projection: 78 points (28 Goals 50 Assists)
Last season, Teuvo Teravainen also had a career-high in points with 76. Teravainen has progressed every season he’s been with the Canes with scores of 42, 64, and now 76. I expect him to continue that progression. Turbo and Seabass are a lethal combination and if they remain on the same line for much of the season, then they will likely continue to flourish together. The Finns chemistry is off the charts and you can expect a lot of finesse and lethal shots if the two stay healthy.
2018-2019 Season: 37 points (20 goals 17 assists)
2019-2020 Season projection: 53 points (24 Goals 29 Assists)
Svechnikov will be in his second year this upcoming season, and is coming off a good first season and strong postseason. I think Svechnikov will take a big leap this year, and take Williams’ role as the forward who can put up over 50 points. Svechnikov has a deadly slap shot and uses his body and puck skills well to maneuver through the defense. It’s always possible he has a sophomore slump; however, I still think Svechnikov has limitless potential and will continue to show his progression as a former #2 overall pick.
2018-2019 Season: 28 points (11 goals 17 assists)
2019-2020 Season projection: 42 points (18 Goals 24 Assists)
Staal has recently been named captain after Justin Williams has “retired”. Now the longest tenured Cane now that Faulk has been traded, Staal was an automatic choice for captain. Jordan only played 50 games last season, which impacted his point production, but if he can remain healthy expect him to get back on track and put up a solid stat sheet.
2018-2019 Season: 56 points (26 goals 30 assists)
2019-2020 Season projection: 48 points (21 Goals 27 Assists)
Ryan Dzingel, on his third team in the past season, will look to improve on a solid campaign last year. Dzingel is a talented forward and former 7th round pick that has progressed further than some may have thought. Dzingel is a fast, gritty, and skilled forward (kind of like the rest of the Carolina Hurricanes’ forwards) that I think will have a big season for the squad.
2018-2019 Season: 26 points (10 goals 16 assists)
2019-2020 Season projection: 31 points (16 Goals 15 Assists)
Mister big shot Brock will return to the Carolina Hurricanes this season after signing a 2 year, $4.2 million contract. McGinn will be relied on for his aggressive style of play and grittiness. He has a really good shot if he can just get past the post. I think McGinn will produce a little more than last year, and score about 16 or so goals.
2018-2019 Season: 7 points (2 goals 5 assists)
2019-2020 Season projection: 37 points (15 Goals 22 Assists)
Haula was another underrated signing for Don Wadell & Co. this offseason. He is coming off a knee injury, which is why his point production was so low last year. The season before that, however, Erik had 29 goals and 26 assists for 55 points. If Erik can replicate any type of performance from the 2017-2018 season, expect him to get somewhere upwards of 37 points this year. Haula also just may be the fastest skater on the team which, in return, could lead him to a lot of opportunites.
2018-2019 Season: 53 points (23 goals 30 assists)
2019-2020 Season projection: 49 points (21 Goals 28 Assists)
I still can’t believe how the Carolina Hurricanes finessed Nino from the Minnesota Wild last season. Nino was a key cog in the Canes’ playoff run this year, averaging almost a point per game last season and scoring 14 goals in 30 games. Nino has high chemistry with multiple players on the team, and if he can continue to remain consistent and healthy, I expect him to produce a similar trajectory from last year.
2018-2019 Season: 25 points (15 goals 10 assists)
2019-2020 Season projection: 29 points (14 Goals 15 Assists)
Jordan Martinook is a fan favorite, and has now been named an alternate captain after just one season with the squad. Martinook’s toughness and grittiness led him to scoring 15 goals last year. Martinook will likely replicate (and even build on) that performance this coming season.
2018-2019 Season: 28 points (10 goals 18 assists)
2019-2020 Season projection: 21 points (7 Goals 14 Assists)
Wallmark played fairly well in his first full season with the Hurricanes. He had a strong face-off percentage at 50.9, and had 82 hits and 33 takeaways in 2018-19. However, in the first lineup projections, Wallmark was put on the fourth line which could hurt his point production.
2018-2019 Season: 2 points (1 goals 1 assists)
2019-2020 Season projection: 19 points (11 Goals 8 Assists)
Martin Necas will start off the 2019-2020 season with the Carolina Hurricanes. Most of last season, Necas played with the Charlotte Checkers and played really well while there. Necas didn’t have a great preseason, however, and it remains to be seen if Julien Gauthier will overtake his role on the team. If Necas remains on the NHL level rather than Gauthier, don’t expect too much out of the rookie as he is still a work in progress.
2018-2019 Season: 18 points (12 goals 6 assists)
2019-2020 Season projection: 29 points (17 Goals 12 Assists)
Warren Foegele didn’t have a great regular season this past year. However, most of the time he was buried on the fourth line. Foegele had a great postseason run, scoring 5 goals in 15 games and 9 points overall. Foegele is another fast and strong Hurricane whose confidence grew throughout the season. I think Foegele is underrated, and can contribute more than people think. He is capable of being an enforcer/grinder type of player with a good shot. Foegele is set to surprise many people this season, and produce a larger sum of points than he did in 2018-19.
The first projected forward lineup is below:
The Canes will have a high amount of point production if the group can remain healthy. This seems to be one of the most talented forward group the Canes have had in some time and I think there still may be a chance of Justin Williams coming back as well. As long as Brind’amour is coach, expect the group to play fast and hard and potentially score a lot of points.
Related Story. Carolina Hurricanes: Defensive point projections 2019-2020. light
CC Readers: What player do you think will be the biggest surprise for the Canes this year?