Carolina Hurricanes: Five Bold Predictions for 2020

Hello Caniacs, and welcome to my very first article here on Cardiac Cane! I just want to take a second and say thank you all so much for the kind words and support since I have accepted this position. It truly means a lot!

The Carolina Hurricanes have finally returned to a place of success after spending the majority of a decade underperforming.

The Canes have gone from a place of mediocrity, all the way to the Eastern Conference Finals, and are still contenders for a playoff spot in the most competitive division in the NHL at the moment.

For my first piece here on Cardiac Cane, I wanted to discuss some predictions for the Carolina Hurricanes in the year of 2020! Hope you enjoy!

That said: Let’s dive right into some bold predictions.

Alex Nedeljkovic will get at least 3 starts in the NHL this season

There’s no denying that Alex Nedeljkovic has been a great goalie in his time down in Charlotte. In only his 3rd AHL season, he won the Aldege “Baz” Bastien Memorial Award for top goaltender at only 23 years old. He posed a fantastic 2.26 GAA and .923 save percentage on the season, as well as helped bring the Checkers and the city of Charlotte their very first championship.

His success down in Charlotte even awarded him a two-year contract with the Hurricanes’ organization that turns into a one-way deal with the Canes come next season.

He started off a bit streaky with the Checkers at the beginning of the 2019-20 season, but as of late he has really stepped up and been a big factor for the Checkers’ recent success (which includes winning 12 of their last 15 games).

Although the NHL season is nearing the All-Star break, and very important games are to come for the Canes, I think it would still be in their best interest to give Nedeljkovic a start at least more than once. After all, we have to remember he is on a one-way deal next year, and will be wearing a Canes uniform for the entire season.

Andrei Svechnikov will hit 75 points

Andrei Svechnikov has been an absolute stud from the moment he was drafted by the Carolina Hurricanes in the 2018 NHL Draft. In just 46 games this season, Svechnikov has already managed to get 42 points and is leading the team in total points. I don’t think it’s much of a stretch to say he can secure 75 points before the end of the season, and even more should the Hurricanes make the playoffs.

You can really tell the kid loves being here, and he really loves all the attention and love/support he gets from the fans. It makes him want to be even better of a player and you can really tell he feeds off of it.

Plus, let’s not forget Svechnikov is only 19 years old. 19. He is not even close to hitting his prime yet, and that will be even more fun to watch in the coming years.

Side prediction:  Andrei Svechnikov will score at least one more lacrosse-style goal before the end of the season as well. I mean, c’mon, what can’t this kid do?

Rod Brind’amour will get a contract extension

There is no denying that “Rod the Bod” has certainly been successful since taking over the head coaching role of the Carolina Hurricanes. In just two seasons, he has managed to rock a 109-63-11 record which ranks second-most wins among Hurricanes’ coaches in their first two seasons, right behind Peter Laviolette who brought the Canes to a Stanley Cup championship in only his second season.

Although “Rod the Bod” still has one more year left on his contract after this season, it could be in the Canes’ GM Don Waddell and owner Tom Dundon’s best interests to give him an extension sooner rather than later.

Side prediction:  Rod Brind’amour will also be in the running/become a finalist for the Jack Adams Award at the end of the season.

Lucas Wallmark, Warren Foegele, and Erik Haula Will All Get Contract Extensions

There’s no denying that all 3 of these players have really found their stride as of late, and are really impacting the Canes on the ice:

–Lucas Wallmark has managed to get 11 points in the last 13 games for the Canes.

–Erik Haula (when healthy) has managed to get 19 points in 27 games for the Canes.

–Warren Foegele has tallied 22 points on the season with 46 games played, which already beats his best record of 15 points in a single season.

If you ask me, or nearly any other Canes fan for that matter, you can really tell that these 3 are fighting for contract extensions come the off-season. For now, I don’t see a reason why all 3 of them shouldn’t get one.