Carolina Hurricanes: 5 Underappreciated Former Players

Chad LaRose

We start this list off with American winger Chad LaRose, who debuted with the Carolina Hurricanes in 2005-06, coincidentally the same year they won the Stanley Cup. He wasn’t drafted by the team, but he was signed as a free agent after a 117-point season with Plymouth of the OHL in 2003.

Interestingly enough, LaRose is the only player in history to play for all 3 of the Peter Karmanos owned teams – Plymouth, the Florida Everblades, and of course the Hurricanes, which I find pretty cool.

Anyway, LaRose spent 3 years in the minors before debuting with Carolina in 2005 – he played 49 regular season games and then 21 of the Canes’ 25 playoff games on route to the Cup.

LaRose would go on to play 8 seasons in Carolina, where he carved out an identity for being a heart-and-soul type player. He never amounted to the high-scoring player he was in junior – his career high was just 32 points – but he managed to score 19 goals twice, and eclipsed 30 points 3 times.

He was also a key component of the Canes’ trip to the Eastern Conference Final in 2009, scoring 4 goals and 7 assists in 18 games, his 11 points good enough for second on the squad.

Unfortunately, things went south for LaRose afterwards. His ice time was reduced and he scored just 4 points in 35 games for Carolina in the lockout-shortened 2012-13 season, and ended up no-showing Jim Rutherford in his season-exit meeting. LaRose was a fierce competitor, and couldn’t accept his reduced role.

“I had just built up so much anger and hatred for the game,” LaRose said, in hindsight. “I started not being myself, even to teammates.”

By then, some Canes fans were already growing impatient with feeling LaRose’s leash was too long, and his broken relationship with the team turned some fans against him. After that season, LaRose stepped away from hockey, feeling like he was done playing.

But 2 years later, LaRose had a change of heart, and came back to the only organization he’d ever known. He signed an AHL deal with Charlotte, where he led the team with 20 goals and 38 points, and provided valuable leadership. He was the assistant captain of the team, and mentored some young prospects who eventually played games with Carolina – Patrick Brown, Brock McGinn and Phil di Giuseppe, to name a few.

Overall, “Rosey” was a loyal soldier to the Canes organization, and played a vital role in two of their best seasons as a team. Only 10 players have played more than LaRose’s 508 games for the team, and he’s a guy that, despite some up-and-down moments with the franchise, should be remembered fondly.