Carolina Hurricanes All-Star Break Report Cards: Forwards

The All-Star Break is a good time for reflecting upon prior expectations and setting new goals. With this in mind, how did the Carolina Hurricanes’ forwards perform during the first half of the season?

Hey Canes fans! I hope this article finds you doing well as it was certainly an eventful weekend in the sporting world. Anyway, it’s time to refocus and set our sights on the remaining 32 games of the season. What better way to get back in the swing of things than grading each of the Carolina Hurricanes’ forwards on their performance thus far?

Before we dive in, some general guidelines. I assigned grades on the basis of individual performance relative to the team’s overall performance. Each of the forwards falls into one of three categories: Above Expectation, As Expected, or Below Expectation. Basic and advanced statistics appear as necessary since I’m not directly comparing Hurricanes’ players.

Lastly, I hope I don’t need to say this, but I will anyway. The following grades are mine and not representative of Cardiac Cane as a whole.

Canes Above Expectation

Teuvo Teravainen – (A+) – Teravainen has managed to post what has to be the stealthiest 48 points (10 g 38 a) in recent memory. He rode a three-point effort against Winnipeg into the break. “Turbo” has only 8 PIMs on the season, and we love to see disciplined hockey. He is the Carolina Hurricanes’ leader in assists (38), power play points (18), power play assists (15), and CF (58.8%). He’s also averaging 1.7 primary assists per 60 minutes (a/60). He’s been the Canes’ best forward.

Sebastian Aho – (A) – I don’t think Aho is underperforming at all. Even when he gets into one of his scoring ruts, he makes an impact because of how he thinks the game. Aho leads the team in goals (24) and is on pace for 39, is tied for the team lead in power play goals (5), and he’s having a career year in shooting percentage (16.8%). The only thing holding him back from ‘A+’ status is that slow start and his below average face-off win rate (46%).

Andrei Svechnikov – (A) – He’s a trendsetter and just plain exciting to watch. His on-ice vision is matched only by Aho and Teravainen. He’s tied with Aho in power play goals (5). Among Hurricanes’ forwards, the only stat he leads is PIMs (38). Hence, I didn’t give him an ‘A+’. As his discipline continues to improve, he’ll become an all-situations player. He’ll be a force for years to come.

Lucas Wallmark – (A-) – I love Wallmark. For spending most of his time this season as the 4C and getting an average of 13:11 TOI per game, he’s been spectacular. Wallmark has 22 points (10 g 12 a) and his 10 goals to date match his total from last season. Wallmark is great on both sides of the puck, and he’s a true utility guy capable of playing in all situations. I hope we lock him up long-term because he’s one that can really lock down the Hurricanes’ bottom-6. Also, he’s quite modest.

Martin Necas – (A-) – You could make an argument for Necas winning the Calder trophy based on what he’s done with his limited ice time, but he won’t win it. His skating is already elite and his goal celly (the archer) is fun. Necas projects to finish the season with 45 points (20 g 25 a), and that would put him four shy of Aho’s rookie season total (49). Did you know Necas is 6th in the entire NHL in shooting percentage (19.4%)?

Canes Playing As Expected

Warren Foegele – (B) – Foegele is a guy that, in my opinion, is developing on track. He is on pace for 16 goals and 35 points. I think he could flirt with 40 points on a seasonal basis, but it’s clear his role is more of a high-energy disruptor. He is tied for the league lead in shorthanded goals (3). He clearly thrives in big moments, but it’s hard to ignore that he has four separate goalless droughts of at least five games this season.

This has no bearing on his performance so far this season, but I got a kick out of it. If you look up Foegele’s rate metrics from his brief call-up in 2017-2018, you’ll see that his points per 60 minutes was 7.5 and his shots per 60 minutes was 15.1. Impressive and completely unsustainable.

Brock McGinn – (C+) – I love what McGinn brings to the table. You know you’re getting 110% effort, responsible penalty killing, and sandpaper. He’s got 17 takeaways to only 8 giveaways. However, his production has fallen off so far this season. McGinn is goalless in his past 13, and he’s got only two assists in that same time frame. I don’t expect him to be a 40-point guy; I don’t think anyone does. He should be able to manage 25-30 points like he did the past two seasons.

Ryan Dzingel – (B-) – I hesitate to say Dzingel is underperforming, but he’s also not been as electric as I know he can be. A couple things stand out. His aTOI is down over three minutes from what it was in Ottawa last season.

Less opportunity equals fewer chances. Worth noting is that for the first time in his career he’s rocking a CF% above 50% (53.1%). Yet, a player as offensively-inclined as Dzingel is only starting in the offensive zone 47.2% of the time. His 9.8% shooting percentage is a career-low, and I have to figure it’s mostly bad luck. He shoots from the right places. Hopefully he gets going down the stretch.

Erik Haula – (B-) – I think most of us were pumped when the Carolina Hurricanes acquired Erik Haula. Things haven’t been great of late. Between trade rumors, his 5-game pointless drought, being a healthy scratch and his noticeable lack of effort on the defensive side of the puck at times, a cloud has formed over his Carolina Hurricanes tenure.

Aside from all the noise, his play on the ice has been generally good. His 11 goals and 19 points in 30 games is solid. At this pace, he projects to finish the season with 39 points if he stays healthy. With a goals per 60 minutes of 1.4 and an a/60 of 1.0, he’s nearly as productive as he was in Vegas in 2017-2018. He is also shooting at 17.7%, which is a career best.