The Carolina Hurricanes defeated the Ottawa Senators by a score of 4-0 last night to keep a distance in the race for the Metro Division. The New Jersey Devils trail the Canes by 5 points while Carolina has a game in hand.
Antti Raanta was in between the pipes for the 32-save shutout. His third shutout of the season, Raanta provided an important chance for starter, Frederik Andersen, to get some valuable rest.
The goaltending duo is playing solid hockey and always has the luxury of Pyotr Kochetkov in the AHL for assistance if needed.
The NHL deadline is less than a week away and the rumors have picked up and will continue to grow rapidly in the coming days.
Carolina is looking to add to an already talented team for a run at the Stanley Cup.
Because of the depth and style of this team, it is difficult to find the right player to fit into the system. One-dimensional players would not provide the overall needs of the coaching staff.
Although the Canes have depth in scoring, goal scoring is always a concern come playoff time.
The teams in the Metro seem to be the most active before the deadline and are adding elite scoring to their squads. This is caused an urgency around the hockey world for Don Waddell to respond with a corresponding move.
To make such an impactful move, the price would be steep and to take players from the NHL squad would be a risk for the present and the future.
One player mentioned in the rumor mill to be included in a trade is former first round pick, Seth Jarvis. Jarvis has been a successful player for the Canes since debuting last season but has not provided the elite stats expected for a top six forward.
The hopes of a Stanley Cup will blind many people of the potential being given up for a more developed player in the now. Jarvis seems to have heard the rumors and is responding in a big way.
Last night, Jarvis scored another goal to stay hot.
In the last four games, Jarvis has scored 5 goals and added 2 assists. He is playing with a confidence level that has not been seen in his career. It has been quite literally perfect timing up against the deadline.
Another player that is starting to come on at the right time is Andrei Svechnikov. Svechnikov added 2 helpers in the win against Ottawa.
The lone All-Star for the Canes had been playing solid hockey but failed to put the puck in the net since the calendar turned to 2023.
This was cause for concern as the boys from Raleigh could surely not keep up with other scoring juggernauts in the playoffs without Svechnikov being able to score consistently.
Although the 22 year old forward had been playing well and the future is very bright, it makes a General Manager start to panic before the deadline.
Thankfully, Svechnikov broke the scoring drought and scored 2 goals against the St. Louis Blues in the first period of the game.
In the last 4 games, Svechnikov has 8 points and is clearly a leader in the offensive attack for Rod Brind’Amour’s group.
Jarvis and Svechnikov’s recent success should take any concern or pressure off of Waddell to force a move for a top available player that will surely effect the future of the franchise.
This is not to say that a top player wont make his way to Raleigh by next Friday, but the expectations should be for any type of player that can contribute to this existing group in the stretch run.