Biggest Training Camp Question For Carolina Hurricanes
Training camp has opened and the team has hit the ice for almost a week. The Carolina Hurricanes begin the preseason against Tampa Bay, before hosting the reigning champion, Florida Panthers, at the newly named Lenovo Center. Nothing new has come or gone from the current roster since the summer and the team will face some obstacles early this season.
Every NHL team will see several key departures and welcome key arrivals but the Canes have lost quite a few faces that were among the core of the community for an extended amount of time. Brady Skjei, Brett Pesce, Stefan Noesen, and Teuvu Teravainen all departed and will have an immense effect on this team on the ice and in the locker room.
New faces like Sean Walker, Jack Roslovic, William Carrier, and Shayne Gostisbehere will freshen up the room. Additionally, the younger players will play bigger roles and look to be more important pieces to the organization.
Each team in the NHL will face several questions when entering a season after a summer of changes. The Canes will need the team to gel early on and learn the organizational philosophy, which will be instilled by head coach, Rod Brind'Amour.
Where Will Secondary Scoring Come From?
The question that seems to have been unanswered for the past few seasons remains and is a larger concern after the spring arrivals of Evgeny Kuznetsov and Jake Guentzel departed as quickly as they arrived.
The playoff exit to the Panthers in the Eastern Conference Finals was the epitomy of lacking scoring. Although the main issue against the New York Rangers last year was goaltending, the Canes were not lightning up the score sheet either. In the playoffs, scoring needs to come from more than just your top players or you will find yourself watching another team raise the Stanley Cup.
After all the departures, it was great to see the young core get taken care of with long-term contracts but the bottom six forwards are not expected to score much more than single digits each if history repeats itself. Bringing in Tyson Jost and Roslovic can bring some optimism but ultimately contributes to the question of where the secondary scoring will come from.
If Brind'Amour elects to put Andrei Svechnikov, Sebastian Aho, and Seth Jarvis on the top line, it is frightening to look at the production and skill on not only the third and fourth lines but the second line. Martin Necas is a strong player but would need support and the likes of Jesperi Kotkaniemi and Roslovic do not scream high point production.
The role players serve a purpose and adding Carrier to that group will be an asset, but the goal production has dropped for the captain, Jordan Staal and the mix of players on the roster looking to earn a contract with a prove-it season is concerning.
Training camp will be more interesting because I believe the above concerns will put a prospect like Bradly Nadeau in a good position to earn a spot in the bottom six. That will all depend on how he performs in the preseason and training camp. It would benefit the team to have a young, hungry player with offensive skill playing with the likes of slower veterans like Staal and Jordan Martinook.