Plagued with inconsistent goaltending throughout the season, could the Carolina Hurricanes look to improve in that area?
The Carolina Hurricanes have big time aspirations this year. The return of Justin Williams all but affirms that – if he didn’t believe that the Canes had a chance, he wouldn’t be here. Off to their best start in years, at 25-16-2, the roster now looks like it doesn’t have many real holes at all – except for maybe one.
Despite some stellar moments, the Canes goaltending situation has been shaky at best. The numbers support it. Among qualified goaltenders, Petr Mrazek‘s save percentage is ranked 43rd out of 58, and James Reimer is 25th, with the Canes’ team save percentage sitting at a paltry .900, good for 21st in the NHL. The only other team currently holding a playoff position with a lower team save percentage is the Philadelphia Flyers at .897%.
But the results are concerning for multiple reasons. First off, the Hurricanes allow just 28.7 shots against per game, which is the 2nd best suppression rate in the NHL. Their shot differential of +234 is the best mark in the league.
Plus, they’re 8th best in goals against per game, allowing an average of just 2.86 per game. The Canes lead the league in CA/60, but have an xGA/60 of about 2.4, which is right above the league average. That means they limit quantity, but are susceptible to quality.
Overall, the advanced numbers aren’t overly kind to Mrazek and Reimer, and the eye test doesn’t fare much better. The goaltending issue became glaringly apparent in the Canes’ last game against the Flyers – when Reimer allowed 3 weak goals which almost cost the Hurricanes 2 points.
Canes fans have accepted Mrazek’s inconsistency over the last couple seasons, but it’s been an extremely up-and-down season for Reimer. He started off terribly, before going on a 6-game run where he was 5-1-0 with a .949 save%, and has now followed that up with a putrid .769 save% in his last 3 starts. (.769 is NOT a typo….he’s really been that bad).
Though they’ve been hung out to dry at times, the Canes’ goaltenders haven’t really stolen them many games either. They haven’t necessarily made a big save when needed, and neither guy has matched Mrazek’s run of form from January through the playoffs last year.
Because of this, it’s hard to envision Canes GM Don Waddell confidently willing to move forward with the Canes’ current tandem. Waddell mentioned at Williams’ presser on Wednesday that the Canes are projecting to have around 5 million in cap space around the trade deadline, and they’d be open to a potential move should one that makes sense arise. They also have some in-house options that could be worth looking at. Join me as I break it all down.