Carolina Hurricanes: Revisiting 2019-20 Player Predictions

With the conclusion of the regular season up in the air, why not look at how some of the predictions I made for certain Carolina Hurricanes players turned out.

Before the season started, I made outlook articles on what to expect during the 2019-20 season for each of the following Carolina Hurricanes players: Dougie Hamilton, Andrei Svechnikov, Nino Niederreiter, Brett Pesce, and Jordan Martinook.

Three of these players missed time with injury during the season hurting their production and for a few games, the Hurricanes as a whole. The other two had completely different seasons. One filled with success and the other filled with disappointment.

With the uncertainty surrounding where the NHL season will resume, whether it is at the point where the regular season stopped or from the playoffs. So, the predictions I have made have the potential to be added on to or have the potential to be completely done.

In one instance of my predictions, I made one for Niederreiter about a statistic of his for the playoffs, so that one can’t be measured, but every other one can. Let’s look at how my prediction stack up so far with where we are regarding the season.

1. Dougie Hamilton

Prediction

Dougie Hamilton should be in shape for a 40-point season, to be more specific, 20 goals and 20 assists. I also mentioned that his offensive production would increase if he seen more time on the power play. Hamilton should see the trend continue in his physical play as the Hurricanes were lacking a true physical presence with the departure of Micheal Ferland. Lastly, we should see Hamilton play defense efficiently this season.

Analysis of 2019-20 Performance Compared to Prediction

This is a prediction I feel alright about, even though he scored 40 points in the 47 games he played before injuring his leg. I thought he would get 40 points in the whole season. In these 47 games, Hamilton had 14 goals and 26 assists. I believed that Hamilton would show gradual improvement this season. Instead, he blew us all out of the water and had a Norris Trophy type season until he was unfortunately lost for a long period of time.

The part of my prediction that was mostly correct was how efficient of a play Hamilton was on defense. He was never known for his defense, but this season he proved he can play at a high level in key situations defensively. He also proved to be a key member of the Hurricanes penalty kill, something he wanted to do. And after taking on that responsibility, he did nothing but excel in penalty kill situations. He also was a plus-30. His defense vastly improved and he was efficient.

In terms of becoming a physical presence for the Hurricanes, he did show his physicality at time, but not all the time. As it stands, he has 52 hits, which is tied ninth on the Hurricanes with Nino Niederreiter. He wasn’t the physical force to replace Ferland that I thought he could be, but there were times he would punish people to show them he’s there.

Although he hit exactly what I predicted point wise, without the injury he would have completely shattered what I expected him to do this season. And I am not upset about that at all. Hamilton proved to be an absolute force for the Hurricanes defense and over time you saw how much he was missed in certain situations.

2. Andrei Svechnikov

Prediction

Andrei Svechnikov’s role on the Carolina Hurricanes should be elevated in the 2019-20 season. He is primed to be a 30-goal scorer and it wouldn’t be out of any stretch of imagination if he had 35 or 40. Svechnikov needs to be elevated to the first power play unit and his penalty minutes should drop by about 20.

Analysis of 2019-20 Performance Compared to Prediction

As the season currently stands, Svechnikov has 24 goals in 68 games played. I predicted a 30-goal season, but also mentioned that he could potentially get 35 to 40 goals. With a full 82 game season he would easily break the 30-goal mark. I consider this part of my prediction a win because of the uncertainty of the regular season being completed. He did prove how elite of a scorer he is, and he caught the attention of NHL fans on numerous occasions.

In his first NHL season, Svechnikov had 5 points on the power play, all assists. He needed to have his role expanded on the power play and that did happen. The elevation on the power play proved to be a great success for the Hurricanes as he has 20 power play points with 6 goals and 14 assists. This much-needed change to what was a struggling power play helped give it a boost.

His penalty minutes, regardless of what happens with the season will not drop by 20. Svechnikov currently sits at 54 penalty minutes compared to 62 last year. The Hurricanes seemed like a less disciplined team this season and Svechnikov didn’t improve in this category at all. He needs to be more disciplined going forward.

3. Nino Niederreiter

Prediction

We should expect more of the same from the player the Carolina Hurricanes acquired last season. Nino Niederreiter should see his goal total of 23 from the 2018-19 season increase. Expect him to score 25 or more goals this season. He also needed to improve the quality of chances in the playoffs as his shooting percentage took a drastic turn from the regular season to the playoffs.

Analysis of 2019-20 Performance Compared to Prediction

Part of this prediction may not come to fruition. The playoffs could happen, but there is a chance that they don’t. Nobody knows when things are going to return due to concerns of the coronavirus pandemic. We won’t know if his playoff shooting percentage will be improved, but if it’s anything like the season, it probably won’t.

Niederreiter was having a very inconsistent year. He started off the year extremely slow, scoring only one goal in the first 11 games of the season. There were times this season that looked like Niederreiter was turning the page, but he would go back to not playing like we have seen. He was even a healthy extra for a game, which you wouldn’t expect for a player that performed so well just a season ago.

https://twitter.com/Canes/status/1229954872147107840

He has 11 goals and 18 assists in 67 games played this season. He had 14 goals and 16 assists in the limited time for the Hurricanes last season (36 games). I figured a whole offseason in Rod Brind’Amour’s system and getting further adjusted to Raleigh would be a huge for him elevating his game even more. The opposite happened.

I had extremely high hopes for Niederreiter this season and even thought that he could be one of the Hurricanes best forwards. He just fit in so well so fast that I thought that magic would continue. My prediction for him to score 25 or more goals is not even close for now.

5. Jordan Martinook

Prediction

Even though Jordan Martinook was able to break a career high in goal scoring last season, a decrease in this category should be coming. Expect it not to be a far drop off as he should still be able to get somewhere between 10-12 goals. You should also expect him to break a career high in assists.

You should see even more of a leadership role on the Carolina Hurricanes for Martinook. You should also see him surpass a total of 200 hits and get into the top five of the NHL in that category.

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Analysis of 2019-20 Performance Compared to Prediction

Martinook was another player on the Hurricanes that missed several games due to injury. He underwent core muscle surgery in the beginning of the season and missed a total of 23 games.

I was correct regarding a decrease in his scoring production, just not the amount of goals I expected. Martinook has scored two goals this season, but he does have one more assist. But we all knew the type of player Martinook is and scoring isn’t really required for him to have an impact on the team. His leadership and his energy are what is more valuable to this team than anything.

And that led to Martinook getting a letter this season. He was one of the Hurricanes alternate captains this season. Just like last season, you saw his infectious energy throughout the locker room. He is just one of those guys, although his play isn’t all that great, that is irreplaceable. He is just leadership personified.

Despite missing a portion of the season, Martinook still has himself fifth on the Hurricanes in hits. He obviously lost the chance to be top five in the NHL and hits and to get 200 because of the injury. But he still proved to be on of the Hurricanes best in terms of physicality. Martinook is just a gritty, hardworking player that is never afraid to go into dirty areas on the ice.

Question for CC Readers: In your opinion, which prediction of mine was the most accurate and which was the least accurate?