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 Top Pairing

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

*Denotes team leader

Jaccob Slavin is continuing his ascent as an elite defenseman.  Early on, he ranks second on the team in blocked shots and is tied for second in hits.  Slavin has also continued to build on the offensive aspect of his game, adding timely goal-scoring while maintaining his high level of defensive awareness.

A great example of this was seen against New York when he pinned an Islander forward against the boards.  Slavin read the offensive player’s positioning and used his left skate to prevent the forward from getting the puck to a teammate.  Instead, the Carolina Hurricanes were able to clear the puck and diffuse the attack before it could get started.

The best display of his offense came in overtime against Tampa Bay.  Slavin, lingering at center ice, jumped in on a 2-on-1 with Jordan Staal before one-timing a terrific pass from the captain past Curtis McElhinney, giving the Hurricanes their third win of the season.

The 2018-19 season started slowly for Dougie Hamilton.  A lingering injury and the early adjustments to a new team kept the offensive-minded rearguard from hitting his full potential.  As the Hurricanes began their ascent in the standings, Hamilton’s play picked up dramatically, a trend that has carried into the new season.

Leading the defense with 7 points, Hamilton has shown the poise and skill befitting his first-round pick status.  Not only has he been popping in goals with regularity, but his passing and vision have contributed to the Hurricanes’ power play being rejuvenated.  He has demonstrated great patience and precision with the puck, best evidenced by the pass he made to Teuvo Teravainen against the Islanders:

The combination of Slavin and Hamilton gives the Carolina Hurricanes a top pairing with the size, speed, two-way acumen, and skill necessary to thrive in today’s NHL.  Slavin’s offensive game is blossoming, complimenting his rock-solid defensive play while Hamilton, who has always possessed an offensive gift, is ironing out the defensive deficiencies that have shown up in the past.  This pairing has the ability to be devastating, shutting down the opposition while generating chances for the Hurricanes.

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.

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.

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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?