The NHL season keeps moving as we head closer to the break for the 4 Nation's Face-off in February, the Carolina Hurricanes remain atop the Metro Division with the Washington Capitals 8 points ahead of the Canes for the division lead. Washington and Carolina have surprised many around the league with their continued success fighting off the likes of the Devils and Rangers.
Shortly after the February break, the NHL trade deadline looms on March 7th. That gives the Canes just about a month's worth of games to show Eric Tulsky whether they are long for the top of the division or fighting for a Wild Card spot. Last season, the Canes were adding as full-time buyers with the likes of Evgeny Kuznetsov and Jake Guentzel but this season may be different. This team is tight to the salary cap ceiling and must depart with a salary to acquire a player of worth.
Last season, the pieces were in place to finally take a chance on a player to get them over the hump. This year the team has played well with the typical solid coaching from Rod Brind'Amour and staff but is this roster better than last year's? Sure a lot of the team remains the same with improvements from younger player's growth but that is not enough to put all the chips in this trade deadline.
Sebastian Aho, Andrei Svechnikov, Seth Jarvis, and Martin Necas are all playing well and being paid handsomely, but not one of the players has taken the step to become the "go-to" player for this organization. Because of this, the team still lacks the star power that carries a team through a playoff series.
Although this team works best as a unit, it needs more versatility from veteran players. Surprisingly, Eric Robinson was Tulsky's biggest move this summer. Robinson's 10 goals and 22 points were not expected, but can they continue?
The defense is solid and will need to be with the inconsistencies in goal. Whether Frederik Andersen can stay healthy will be the biggest question mark for this team. Pyotr Kochetkov has proven that he is capable of being a starting goaltender but just has not taken advantage of the opportunities. This coaching staff is not confident in him.