This is the peak season for predictions for the NHL season. After the Carolina Hurricanes have finished at the top or close to it in the Metro Division for the past few seasons, the experts appear to be changing their confidence in the Canes. When an organization loses big name players like Brady Skjei, Brett Pesce, and Jake Guentzel it is only natural to have a panic reaction despite replacing the lost assets.
The combination of some Metro Division rivals improving this summer and the Canes losing so much, will put Rod Brind'Amour's group in the underdog role, which is something they have not had in quite some time. The problem for the rest of the NHL is that this group thrives under that role.
Not only have the Canes not lost all their firepower, but Raleigh is home to one of the best coaches in the world. Brind'Amour is a player's coach and has a track record of getting the most out of his players, especially the defensemen. The biggest loss this offseason was to the blue line with the defensive pairing of Skjei and Pesce heading their respective ways.
Still, the defense has four remaining players from last season in the newly extended Jaccob Slavin and Jalen Chatfield. Chatfield was a free agent and signed back with Carolina for a team-friendly contract worth $3 million a season. The other two returnees are both unrestricted free agents Dmitry Orlov and Brent Burns. A solid foundation despite losing two talented players.
Skjei was the real loss as Pesce had a poor season and suffered injuries in the playoffs. New general manager, Eric Tulsky, replaced the offensive statistics by bringing back former Cane, Shayne Gostisbehere. "Ghost" had 10 goals and 56 points last season in Detroit. Skjei registered 3 more goals but 9 fewer points than Ghostisbehere. The familiarity with Brind'Amour and his system will make it a seamless transition for the former Red Wings defenseman.
Sean Walker is a steady replacement for Pesce with a higher ceiling on the offensive side. More importantly, Walker has been fairly dependable, playing in 81 games last season between the Philadelphia Flyers and Colorado Avalanche. Walker had a career year posting 29 points, which earned him the multi-year contract from Carolina.
As far as the losses up front, Jake Guentzel was not in Raleigh for very long and Teuvo Teravainen was a strong two-way player but had not been the top line force the last two seasons. Stefan Noesen has been a nice depth piece with a knack for power-play goals. Ultimately by the end of the playoffs, Noesen was averaging less than 10 minutes a game. His impact had dwindled and could be easily replaced.
Jack Roslovic and William Carrier were two pieces to be added by Tulsky that come with grit and potential. Carrier is a solid player that knows his role and plays it well. Roslovic is a skilled player who can play at center but has not come close to reaching his ceiling. With that comes reliability from two NHL players but it will come down to the young core of Seth Jarvis, Sebastian Aho, and Martin Necas to take big steps and lead this offense.
In the crease, the Canes are the same with Pyotr Kochetkov, Frederik Andersen, and Spencer Martin in the organization. Kochetkov should be taking steps toward becoming the main goalkeeper but Andersen still can produce at a high level and should expect to play more than 16 games this year.
The headlines have caused concern for the Canes this summer but it is clear that this team remains deep and talented. The Metro Division has improved but the Canes expect their youngsters to improve as well, which should lead to similar success.