With third-year general manager Ron Francis and head coach Bill Peters continuing to put their stamp on the Carolina Hurricanes’ organization, the team heads into training camp optimistic it can finally return to the playoffs. Here are five questions facing the Hurricanes heading into the start of training camp and the 2016-17 season that will determine the team’s fate.
1. Will there be a captain, and if so, who?
The biggest aforementioned change in the past year was longtime team captain Eric Staal being sent to the New York Rangers at the trade deadline and signing with the Minnesota Wild in the summer. While the team’s offseason moves should more than account for Eric Staal’s declining offensive production, this begs the question: Who replaces him, wearing the C for Carolina? At least to start the season, the answer may be no one.
“Bill and I have had some conversations on that; I think right now there’s no urgency in our mind to put the C on somebody,” Francis said a few weeks ago. “When we put the C on somebody, we want to make sure it’s the right guy. I think we’ll start training camp and see how things progress. We may even go into the season with some assistants and see how that progresses. We don’t have a clear cut guy in mind to put the C on as we sit here today.”
That is not to say there won’t be a captain named this season, as it is not unheard of for NHL teams to name a captain midseason. If the Canes do name one, Eric Staal’s younger brother Jordan Staal and defenseman Justin Faulk would appear to be the top two candidates as both play key roles and are veteran leaders for the team. Even if the team goes with alternates as Francis suggested, they should be fine in the leadership department. Jordan Staal and Faulk would lead the charge in that department, with veteran defenseman Ron Hainsey, who wore an A for large stretches last season and is the oldest player on the team. Additionally, forward Jeff Skinner, who seemed to take on more of a leadership role after Eric Staal was traded, is yet another strong candidate for those roles as well.
2. Can the team score enough goals?
While the Canes were much improved last season from the year before, goal scoring was one of the two major reasons the team failed to make the playoffs. Carolina finished 27th in the NHL last year with 2.39 goals per game. That will have to improve if the team wants to see the NHL’s second season, as last year’s lowest-scoring playoff team was the Detroit Red Wings, who ranked 23rd with 2.55 goals against per game. The team hopes the additions of young Finnish forward Teuvo Teravainen, obtained in a trade with the Chicago Blackhawks in June, the free agent signing of veteran forward Lee Stempniak and the promotion of 2015 second-round pick Sebastian Aho will be enough to help in that department.
Teravainen finished last season with 13 goals and 35 points in 78 games and is expected to do more with an increased role. Stempniak had a combined 19 goals and 51 points with the New Jersey Devils, and Aho dominated for Karpat of Liiga, Finland’s top men’s league last season, with 20 goals and 45 points. On top of these three, returning scorers like Skinner, who led the team with 28 goals last season, and Jordan Staal, who should again provide solid two-way play will help give the Canes enough scoring to make the playoffs. Victor Rask, who set career highs in points and goals last season, and a possible breakout this season from 2013 fifth overall pick Elias Lindholm should also contribute to higher scoring.
3. Will the goaltending be good enough?
If scoring goals was one of the biggest reasons the Canes did not make the playoffs last season, then goaltending was the other. Despite allowing the fifth fewest shots per game in the league, the Canes were second worst in the league with a .902 save percentage last season. Simply put, returning goalies Cam Ward and Eddie Lack have to be better. For more on goaltending, see here.
4. Will rookies shine again? Last season, there was impressive play from rookie defensemen Noah Hanifin, Jaccob Slavin and Brett Pesce. Before that, Rask had a strong rookie season. Who will it be this year? Perhaps on defense again, it will be either 2014 first rounder Haydn Fleury, or Trevor Carrick, coming off two strong seasons in Charlotte, making the cut? Or perhaps this year will see a standout up front, with players like Valentin Zykov, obtained in a trade with the Los Angeles Kings at the deadline, third-year pro Brock McGinn or even 2016 first rounder Julien Gauthier all being possibilities.
5. Will the Canes make the playoffs?
The biggest question of all is whether or not the Canes can finally snap their seven-year streak without playoff appearances. The offseason of change has management, coaches, players and fans alike optimistic that the team will play more than 82 games this season. If the answers to questions one through four are favorable, then there is a good chance the Carolina Hurricanes will have a shot at playing into April and beyond this season.
