Carolina Hurricanes: The Pros and Cons of Affiliation with the Chicago Wolves

The Cons

Let me get this one off my chest; they are not the Calder Cup Champion Charlotte Checkers. The five Cs. The team that many Canes fans have not only traveled to support but own gear and merch from. I have been to several Checkers games including multiple playoff games. Its a monster of a drive for me, but worth it all the same.

Now that is kind of, gone. Will I support the new Checkers organization that doesn’t rock the red, white, and black? I am not sure. Time will tell. But this isn’t about the Checkers, this is about the Wolves!

More from Cardiac Cane

• 2023 Southeast Rookie Showcase: Takeaways from the Canes’ Strong Showing in Florida
• Week Two Coverage Of College Hockey In NC
• Derek Stepan Ends His On Ice Career As A Hurricane
• The Southeast Rookie Showcase Will Be a Good Look at Carolina’s Future
• Noesen Ready To Provide Depth For Canes

Travel is going to be a huge issue. Gone are the days when you can call up a prospect and have him in the clutches of Rod Brind’amour’s training vice within four hours. Now it’s going to cost more than a tank of gas and lunch to bring them up. It’s going to be a plane ticket and all the issues that come with flying.

Even if we can teleport the player to Carolina, you can’t teleport the fans to Chicago. One of the greatest things about having the next door Checkers as the affiliate was the fact that most fans didn’t have to learn the players as they showed up. They got the chance to know them in the AHL and even watch them grow.

I know many fans that consistently go to games in both cities and probably go to around 50-60 games a year between the two franchises. That’s a lot of games. They knew these prospects coming up better than most scouts.

Now when players have to come up to Raleigh, they are going to be complete strangers to most fans. That can be both a good and a bad thing. For one, the lack of attachment will allow the fans to be more unbiased towards their play, but that could result in players being dismissed for a few bad games when they have a hidden talent they showed at the AHL.

Anyway this deal goes the Carolina Hurricanes stand to both gain and lose a lot. The only question is if they will gain more than they lose or not.

Question for CC Readers: Do you think the Wolves bring more or less value than they take?