The Carolina Hurricanes’ Defense is a Budding Juggernaut

The Carolina Hurricanes’ defensive corps has been touted for a few years now.  The trade of a lifelong member, new additions getting acclimated, and a top-6 regular on the shelf, they have not slowed down.  In fact, they’ve continued to ascend.

First things first: I am completely weirded out seeing Justin Faulk in a jersey that doesn’t belong to the Carolina Hurricanes.  After eight seasons of highs and lows, the seemingly endless trade rumors came to fruition and Faulk was shipped off to the St. Louis Blues.

Consistently a leader in ice time and the quarterback of the top power-play unit, his departure left a sizeable hole on the blueline.  How would the Hurricanes respond to his absence?

Through five games, the answer is “really, really well.”  Before we jump into the defensive pairings, let’s take a quick look at the games so far.

The season opener against the Montreal Canadiens was a bit of a mixed bag, allowing 36 shots against, 9 of which came from the low to mid slot, including all 3 of Montreal’s goals.  There were lapses that led to quality chances, though nothing wholly unexpected for the first game of a new season.

Most importantly, when the game was on the line, they held the fort and got the team into a shootout.  Once there, Dougie Hamilton netted the only goal and Petr Mrazek shut down every Canadien shooter he faced.

In the second game, a rematch of last spring’s playoff opener, the defense was even more impressive against the reigning division champion Washington Capitals.  The trio of Alex Ovechkin, Nicklas Backstrom, and John Carlson was held without a point.

While they did get chances, Carolina’s defense did an excellent job of reducing high-danger opportunities.  When they did come, goalie James Reimer was there to deny them.  The Hurricanes walked away with their second consecutive victory and the defense was showing signs of being better than expected.

The third game of the season, against the offensively loaded Tampa Bay Lightning, yielded arguably the best performance of the young campaign.  Yes, the Lightning were without Brayden Point, but still boasted offensive threats such as Steven Stamkos, Nikita Kucherov, Victor Hedman, and two-time 20 goal scorer Yanni Gourde.

The Carolina Hurricanes reacted to this challenge by allowing a paltry 13 shots.  After Stamkos scored late in the first period, Tampa was held without a shot on goal for the next 25:52 of game time.

Game four against the Florida Panthers wasn’t as pretty as its predecessors.  Newcomer Joel Edmundson committed a terrible turnover that led directly to a Florida goal and the Hurricanes surrendered 50 shots.

That said, this game was much more about Carolina’s offense and, at the end of the day, the Hurricanes skated off with a 6-3 victory and a 4-0 start to the season.  They followed this up by limiting the New York Islanders to 19 shots and two goals, completely neutralizing Islanders phenom Matt Barzal.

The Second Pairing

Note: stats are currently through 10/11 game versus the Islanders.

*Denotes team leader

Joel Edmundson wasn’t brought in for his offensive contributions.  Instead, the 26-year-old blueliner brings Stanley Cup experience and a solid, defense-first style.  He’s also shown some great passing skills early on, both in offensive zone setup and breakouts.  Save for his hiccup against the Panthers, Edmundson has played very well for his new team and meshes well with his new partner on defense.

Brett Pesce, coming off of his best offensive season to date, has resumed his status as a defensively reliable player with some offensive flair.  While I am more than a bit surprised that he has yet to be credited with a hit, there’s no denying that Pesce has great defensive instincts and he uses his 6’3″ frame to make life as difficult as possible for opposing players.

On the offensive side, Pesce has shown intelligence in jumping into the play to ensure that he doesn’t put his team at a disadvantage.  There’s more offense in his game to be had, and Pesce has done a great job of tapping into it without forcing anything.  Take a look at the goal that he netted against the Islanders:

https://twitter.com/Hurricanes_US/status/1182813135809499136

This pairing has racked up the highest amount of ice time on the PK and, while the Hurricanes shorthanded unit hasn’t been flawless, much of that can be chalked up to overuse.  As of the writing of this article, the Hurricanes rank as the most penalized team in the NHL, a trend that Rod Brind’Amour is no doubt addressing.

While not as flashy as the top pairing, the Pesce/Edmundson combo has the potential to be one of the best shutdown pairings in the league.  They possess size, mobility, situational awareness, and enough offensive ability to be a threat.  A large part of the Carolina Hurricanes finding success this year will hinge on how well these two perform.

The Third Pairing

Note: stats are currently through 10/11 game versus the Islanders.

*Denotes team leader

Jake Gardiner, added in early September, is an established offensive defenseman who brings more balance to the Hurricanes blueline.  Having a defender of Gardiner’s ability on the third pairing speaks volumes to the depth that Carolina has, and his passing and skating have already paid dividends.  Want visual confirmation?  Take a look at his overtime winner against the Washington Capitals:

Gardiner also gives the Carolina Hurricanes increased flexibility on the power play.  While he’s seen a lot of top unit time, trailing only Hamilton in terms of power-play ice time, he could also be deployed on the second unit to spread the offense around.  This presents the welcome flexibility that Carolina lacked for years.

Haydn Fleury has played amiably so far in the young season, albeit with minimal ice time.  He’s kept up with the pace and done everything that he’s been tasked with, certainly no complaints about a number 6/7 defender.  Unfortunately for Fleury, his spot is likely to move from the former to the latter soon as the Carolina Hurricanes have officially activated Trevor van Riemsdyk.

van Riemsdyk, who underwent shoulder surgery in early May, will likely be eased back into the lineup, though his return adds more depth to a blueline that’s already scary.  Now, my guess that Fleury becomes the odd man out is only speculation, but I have reason to believe that, and not because he hasn’t played well.  So, what is it?

Final Thoughts

Okay, why is it that I think Haydn Fleury becomes the #7 once Trevor van Riemsdyk re-enters the lineup?  Obviously, Slavin, Pesce, and Hamilton aren’t coming out.  Edmundson has played very well so far and made a very formidable pairing along with Pesce.  That leaves Gardiner and Fleury.  While I don’t like to play the game of “they’re not paying him to sit in the press box (or minors)”, Gardiner was not brought in to be a #7, nor has his play dictated such.

More from Cardiac Cane

• 2023 Southeast Rookie Showcase: Takeaways from the Canes’ Strong Showing in Florida
• Week Two Coverage Of College Hockey In NC
• Derek Stepan Ends His On Ice Career As A Hurricane
• The Southeast Rookie Showcase Will Be a Good Look at Carolina’s Future
• Noesen Ready To Provide Depth For Canes

Should van Riemsdyk get up to game speed quickly and suffer no setbacks, I give him a slight edge over Fleury.  It’s unfortunate since Fleury has done everything asked of him and carried himself as a true professional but, at the end of the day, the Hurricanes have to ice the best team that they possibly can.  Personally, I’m just happy that it’s not my call.

Getting back to the defense as a whole, most fans that I’ve interacted with are thrilled with the way that things have been going.  Yes, the start that the Hurricanes are off to can skew that, but there is legitimate reason to be excited about the blueline.  The returning players are doing everything that’s been expected while the new additions are fitting in nicely.

The defense has, for stretches, looked completely dominant.  Not only have they been able to dictate the play and control the opposition, but they’ve also been able to drive the offense.

The scary thing is that they still have room to improve.

What are your thoughts on the Hurricanes defense so far this season?  Who sits when TVR re-enters the lineup?