Carolina Hurricanes: Best Moments of the 2019-20 Season so Far

Andrei Svechnikov is a Human Highlight Reel

Is there anything this kid cannot do? The dude is 20 years old and has scored 2 of the 3 lacrosse-style goals scored in the history of the league. This league is nearly 110 years old! However, we will get to those later, this is just the emergence of the beast that is Andrei Svechnikov. He has been a one-man wrecking crew for Carolina this year.

Andrei Svechnikov has been a 24 goal 37 assist machine. In just 68 games, the 20-year-old Russian has totaled 61 points. This is his sophomore season in the NHL. Carolina may have lucked out getting this kid in the 2018 NHL entry draft 2nd overall. After all, how many 20-year-olds (he was 19 at the time he did this by the way) can do this?

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But it wasn’t just lacrosse goals, the man is a human highlight reel. We’ve seen him tear defenses apart and just drop passes off to his linemates. His shot is devastating, but his passing isn’t something to turn your nose up at. He is all around very talented. You can never discount what Andrei Svechnikov can do because he can score from behind the net.

We’ve seen him also start to throw his body around. He’s no longer shying away from hits and the physical contact that make his game as a power forward. He is so dangerous with everything he does. He’s quickly become a very dangerous player in every aspect of the game, and it’s such an advantage to have such a power forward emerge to complete a dangerous top line.

David Ayres’s Amazing Story

I could quite happily write about this day all off-season. It was just amazing to watch unless you were a fan of the Toronto Maple Leafs. For the first time in NHL history, an emergency back-up goaltender (or EBUG) got a result in the NHL.

David Ayres was forced into the Canes crease when the Canes were 3-1 up in Toronto. Both of the goaltenders Carolina had entered the game with had gone down with injuries. Petr Mrazek got violently hit in the 2nd period after a Zach Hyman had thrown Jaccob Slavin into James Reimer in the 1st period. Ayres was in and it was going to be nerve-wracking at the very least.

I will be honest, I had very little faith when the EBUG was forced in. It wasn’t helped that Ayres was the Toronto Marlies Zamboni driver. He was employed by Maple Leafs Sports and Entertainment (MLSE). Toronto was shooting at their employee at home in Toronto on major Canadian television. It just seemed like something was gonna go wrong.

But this was David Ayres, and after playing a beautiful pass which lead to a goal to make it 4-1, he let in 2 goals from the leaves. While others got nervous, it meant that the result of the game would now go to the EBUG. It was gonna be Ayres game to win.

And win it he did. A 6-3 win that was huge for the Canes after beating not only a playoff competitor but beating them with one of the best period long defensive performances I’ve ever seen in the hockey world.

An incredible story, only to be made better when learning that he is only here because of his mother. Not because she gave up all the time and money she had to buy David equipment growing up (although that too) but she gave David a kidney. She saved his life, and he was now taking the hockey world by storm.

It was an incredible highlight, on both a personal and professional level. An emergency backup goalie had won an NHL game, and it had been in his home town, against the team that employed him, after being given a kidney to save his life. It was just all-around incredible.

Morgan Geekie Squad

This mans whole NHL career is worth mentioning. Albeit it’s only 2 games long, Morgan Geekie set the hockey world alight. In his first NHL game, he tallied 3 points as the canes got a vital win in Pittsburgh. That is not what is impressive about it. What makes it so impressive is who he was competing against.

Geekie tallied all 3 of his points against one of the best players in the history of the Pittsburgh Penguins franchise, just some random dude named Evgeni Malkin. You know, the 2nd of the 2 headed monster in Pittsburgh. Geekie straight up dominated him all game long, up and down the ice.

Dominated the Penguins in his first NHL game, then goes into Detroit. Doesn’t have the same instant impact, but he still manages to record his 3rd NHL goal in 2 games. If he keeps this up, he will beat the NHL goal record by the time he retires.

After this game, the NHL season was stopped due to the worldwide Coronavirus pandemic, and it leaves Geekie’s NHL career at a limited sample size, but of what we’ve seen from the previous 2 games, there is a lot to be optimistic about from the young Canadian kid.

The Emergence of Martin Necas

Martin Necas has quickly become a very fine player for the Carolina Hurricanes throughout the season. Necas has become a dependable player for the Canes this season. If you exclude the big 3 for Carolina, Necas leads the forwards in points and goals. He has established himself as a high-end player.

He has scored highlight-reel goals, hit highlight reel passes, and he’s skated past so many defenders, you could make a bridge out of the list of defenders Necas has left on their backside. He’s quickly showing his dominance and importance to the organization. Quickly he’s becoming vital to the team.

What already makes Necas so important is the fact he is a right-handed shot in a team of lefties. The extra variety of shots allows Necas to almost hide, and it opens up unique options because of his reverse-shot style. He can sit on the left-wing for one-timers, he can skate past defenders on his strong side. Necas can also play center remember. That versatility is so important for the Canes going forward.

Necas has shown his hands off brilliantly. Every scouting report on the Czechia native suggested he was already a brilliant passer who had a deadly shot, but we’ve seen him start to deke, dip and dodge around defenders, and for someone who is just 21 years of age, it’s incredibly promising. It’s been a great thing for Carolina to see him develop the way he has.

Jaccob Slavin and Dougie Hamilton

It’s no secret that the Carolina Hurricanes have been gifted with an incredible defensive corps. Carrying 9 NHL defenders is proof of that enough I feel, but two this season have stood far above the rest in the form of Dougie Hamilton and Jaccob Slavin.

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Starting with the American first, Jaccob has done what Jaccob Slavin usually does. He plays the defensive aspect flawlessly, he plays the offensive aspect of the game superbly, and he plays the transition game as well as anyone on the team. He is a special player on the blue line and how Ron Francis got him on a contract as stellar as the one he’s on is beyond incredible.

Over to Dougie Hamilton, and the Toronto native exploded offensively this year. His season was truncated, but his totals and his production speak for itself. 40 points in 47 games and 2 shootout winners for a defenseman? That is beyond incredible. In those 40 points are also 3 game-winning goals. He became dependable in the clutch moments, and he had been amazing.

Why do I group these two? Both of them had recognition at the halfway point of the season. Dougie was 3rd in Norris trophy voting, and Jaccob Slavin won the Langway award which is awarded to the best defensive defender across the NHL.

Carolina has not had a player win an individual award for the team since Jeff Skinner won the Calder Trophy in 2011. It’s a major highlight to see someone in the race for a major trophy like Doogie was before his fractured fibula. Both Dougie and Jaccob getting league-wide recognition shows how talented they are, and how good they’ve been.

Question for Cardiac Cane readers: What has been your favorite moment of the season so far?