Carolina Hurricanes: Three Players That Can Find Redemption When Season Returns
The NHL season might return sooner than you think. Here are three Carolina Hurricanes who can use the return to redeem their season.
For many players, the break in the season put a grinding halt to their excellent seasons and have left many wondering what could have been, like Sebastian Aho. For many others, it was a chance to get healthy again and return to the game. James Reimer, Dougie Hamilton, and Sami Vatanen are taking advantage of the extra time for example.
But there are others who are taking the time to reevaluate their game and perhaps return to the ice with a mental clean sheet. Players that know that the 19-20 season did not start off kind for them or they are punching way below their weight class and know they can do better.
These are the players that, when the season returns, will seek to redeem themselves and perhaps their season. After all, with enough time to focus on self-training, if they can, and watch the tapes and take in everything they can, these players can come out of the gate swinging and reminding the fans that they are better than the stat sheet they went into the hiatus with.
For the Carolina Hurricanes, I have identified three players who can really use a return to the norm or even a rise above expectations when the season resumes.
The Foeg-Father
Warren Foegele might be coming out onto the virtual ice sooner than most of his team thanks to the fact that he will be participating in the NHL Player Gaming Challenge, taking his virtual teammates up against other players in the league, but that doesn’t mean he isn’t itching to take the real ice up when the season returns.
One of the playoff heroes for the Carolina Hurricanes, Foegele struggled to keep up the pace this season. Now his 13 goals and 17 assists are nowhere near terrible for a fourth-line player in the NHL. In fact for the 68 games played, he has been more than visible. But Foegele is supposed to be more than a fourth-line player.
In fact, at his best, he can play top-six minutes and has earned time with stars like Aho and Teuvo Teravainen. When the season returns, he can get the chance to show Rod Brind’amour that he can go back to playing those lines and getting those minutes.
Foegele is a fast player and plays very physically. His presence is needed to round out the top six if he can find a way to redeem himself from his fourth line position and move up. The good news for him is that he is already most of the way there thanks to the excellent stats he has already put up.
If he can come out of the gate and make the most of his fourth line minutes when the season returns, don’t be surprised to see him getting minutes with Vincent Trocheck and Martin Necas.
The God of Thunder
First of all, congrats to Brock McGinn for winning the Carolina Hurricanes Storm Surge Bracket with his excellent imitation of Thor. You have to love seeing that celebration after the game. But he brings more to the table than just hammer strikes.
CHAMPION!!
— Carolina Hurricanes (@Canes) May 1, 2020
Brock's first "Thor" Surge breezed through the competition en route to being voted the best Storm Surge in #Canes history pic.twitter.com/JO3naM1bzy
I wrote last month that Brock McGinn was one of the biggest disappointments of the season and got a lot of heat for saying that. I want to make something crystal clear, Brock McGinn is one of the best players on this team. He has heart and hustle that cannot be trained or mimicked. The reason I am disappointed in his season is that he is better than the output he is putting.
Good news for him is that when the season returns, he can undo everything and get back to being the hero we know him to be, the player the Carolina Hurricanes drafted him to be. He can return to 100%, get back up the lineup, and earn himself more minutes.
McGinn is very much a wildcard and can either go on a scoring spree and shock the hockey world or disappear again. I think he will do the former rather than the later when the season returns. His conditioning is beyond that of most players in the league. So keep an eye out for him folks.
El Nino
The Trade is still one for one Minessota, and no, you cannot have him back. Nino Niederreiter came over to Carolina last year in a trade for Victor Rask and never looked back. Last year saw him play on the top lines with Aho and Terravainen, helping propel the team towards a deep playoff run.
This year has been a different story. He sunk back down the lineup and hasn’t really been feeling himself. With only 11 goals and 18 assists, Nino has been playing under his own levels.
Now granted, this has more to do with puck luck than skill or effort. Both are shown every game on the ice. The redemption here is from lady luck herself. A bit of patience and allowing the other guy to make a mistake will go a long way for Nino to get his scoring back up and be the man that had fans last season going ” Victor who?”
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
It’s not going to be an easy climb back up for Nino. He, Foegele, and McGinn are all competing to round out the top six. But competition is good. Even if they all compete hard and push, we might get a situation of having up to nine players who are playing well enough to get top-six minutes.
This may seem like a conundrum, but why shouldn’t the Carolina Hurricanes have one of the most lethal offenses the NHL has ever seen this season?
We really won’t see any of this come to fruition until the season returns. That could be as soon as next month or the month after. Depending on how this pandemic plays out and when it can be safe to return to a sense of normalcy.
Question for CC Readers: Which player here has the best opportunity to break into the top six?
Next. The Good and Bad of The Chicago Wolves. dark