We give credit to the Carolina Hurricanes' front office all the time for finding players whose games will thrive under Rod Brind'Amour's system. Last season, the brightest example of that was signing Eric Robinson. While this addition felt small at the time, we quickly learned that Robinson would be a valuable piece of the puzzle.
Robinson spent most of his career with division rival Columbus, playing parts of seven seasons with the Blue Jackets. He was traded to Buffalo in December 2023, where he played 40 games with the Sabres to complete the season. In just one season with the Hurricanes, Robinson played the best year of his career, earning him a payday this offseason with more years in Raleigh to come.
Last season: 14-18-32 in 82 games/1-2-3 in the playoffs
It feels like Robinson's season can be broken down into three distinct phases. The first began when he was paired with Martin Necas in Edmonton in October. The duo connected for the tying goal in that game, beginning a nice working relationship. They combined for 11 goals, including three during a 4-1 Canes victory in November, in which Robinson had a goal and two helpers.
Once Necas was traded to Colorado in January, bringing about our second phase, Robinson's production seized. Between the trade and the trade deadline, Robinson had just one goal, his only point, across 14 games. Everything changed once the team added Mark Jankowski at the deadline. Paired together and beginning the third phase, Robinson created five of Jankowski's eight goals.
Playing a full 82-game season for the first time in his career, Robinson set several new bests. Almost every offensive number broke a previous high, with his 32 points marking the first time in his career that he recorded 30 points during a campaign.
Robinson appeared in all 15 games for the Canes during the postseason, adding three points. He opened the playoffs with an assist in Game 1 against the Devils before finally breaking through with a beautiful goal in Game 3 against the Capitals. He added an assist in the next game against Washington, though he was scoreless in the conference finals.
Bold Prediction: Robinson sets a new top mark for goals
When making predictions for a player likely to spend the season on the fourth line, it might be bold to make assertions about how often they'll score. Playing with Necas this season helped Robinson's point totals, but he had just as much chemistry with Jankowski while on the bottom line.
Questions remain about how the Hurricanes will line up. Robinson's spot isn't guaranteed, though playing all 82 games last season certainly helps that. If he is paired with Jankowski again, as I suspect he will be, this duo worked well last season. While Robinson was setting up Jankowski, it could easily go the other way this season, with Robinson becoming the benefactor.
It might be ambitious to predict a fourth-line player scores 15 times, but I wouldn't be surprised to see him do it. Robinson was such a great find by the front office, adding to a long list of players who have thrived in this system. It felt like he was built to be a Hurricane. With a four-year deal in place to keep him in Raleigh, great things should be ahead for Eric Robinson.