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The Hurricanes Porous Defense Needs To Gel Up Fast

By Keith Preston

Sep 26, 2023; Raleigh, North Carolina, USA; Carolina Hurricanes defenseman Dmitry Orlov (7) skates with the puck at during the first period at PNC Arena. Mandatory Credit: James Guillory-USA TODAY Sports
Sep 26, 2023; Raleigh, North Carolina, USA; Carolina Hurricanes defenseman Dmitry Orlov (7) skates with the puck at during the first period at PNC Arena. Mandatory Credit: James Guillory-USA TODAY Sports /
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The Carolina Hurricanes are 6 games into the 2023-2024 campaign and there are some signs of improvement as well as some causes for concern. The Hurricanes are number one in goals scored, which is great. But, the biggest concern some would say is the amount of goals given up to start the season. What is going on with the defense?

The defense has given up 30 goals in six games which is twomore than the team has scored through 6 games. That mark is good enough for worst in the league and is a staggering 5 goals against per game.

Sure, it is early in the season and whatnot, but giving up 7 goals to a Seattle that had only scored 3 goals in their first 4 games of the season is tough to rationalize.

It is early in the season and by no means a reason to hit the panic button on the season. That being said, the problem is visible and needs to be corrected before it is too late. It is just tough to see such a swiss cheese-looking defense compared to last year with the offseason improvements the team made.

Speaking of offseason improvements, it is impossible to mention Dmitry Orlov’s -10 through 6 games, or his two points via assist. His -10 is the worst on the team. It is his first year with the team and I expect this to improve greatly throughout the year. The only other defenseman with a negative +/- is Tony DeAngelo, only having a -6 and posting an extra assist. But there is room for improvement elsewhere as well.

Another group that needs to find their groove is the goalies for Carolina. Besides the poor performance by the defense, the goalies have to be better. Sure the defense has given up more than usual high percentage chances, the trio with a .907 save percentage last season is currently posting a .833 save percentage. One can expect that to improve as well, but it is worth pointing out as this trend cannot continue.

The amount of talent on this roster cannot be understated, from head coach Rod Brind’Amour all the way to Andrei Svechnikov who is has yet to play this season. He is rumored to come back to the ice later this month. However, this talent needs to tighten up a bit to meet the expectations set from last season and this past offseason. In Rod we trust.

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