The 2015-16 season was undoubtedly one of growth for the Carolina Hurricanes. Buoyed by the play of its young defensive core, the team finished with 86 points in the standings, a 15-point improvement from the year before, and spent much of the second half of the season in the playoff race.
Defense was clearly the Canes’ strength, as the team finished fifth in the league in average shots against per game at 27.6, and routinely outshot its opponents. Despite the defensive improvements, there was one culprit that stood out above the rest in terms of reasons the team failed to qualify for the playoffs: goaltending.
Cam Ward and Eddie Lack combined for a .902 team save percentage that ranked 29th in the NHL, better than only the Calgary Flames. There were many games, particularly early in the season, where the Canes outperformed their opponents only to be done in by an untimely soft goal.
Now, in fairness to the Canes’ netminders, from December onward the goaltending improved markedly. Francis pointed out at the team’s pre-draft media availability that Ward was one of the best goalies in the league from December onward, and he was right. Ward went 14-9-7 with a .919 save percentage in 30 starts from Dec. 18 to the end of the season, and his 2.19 goals against average was the seventh best in the NHL during that stretch.
Francis cited that second-half improvement when he decided to sign Ward to a two year $6.6 million contract extension this summer. The $3.3 million yearly cap hit is a marked discount from his previous one of nearly $7 million, but the Canes will be banking heavily on getting the mid-December onward Cam Ward this coming season.
The team will have to improve its save percentage and give up fewer goals to make the playoffs this upcoming season. The only other team in the bottom 10 that made the playoffs was the Dallas Stars, who ranked 23rd with a .904 save percentage. However, Dallas was able to cover that up by leading the NHL with 3.23 goals per game, while the Canes ranked 27th with 2.39.
While the Canes did make offensive upgrades this offseason, it is unlikely they will suddenly vault to the top of the league in goals for. So, the team will need to rely on better goaltending as well.
It is not as if the Canes are asking Ward and Lack to suddenly be Vezina Trophy contenders. Middle of the pack, league average goaltending should be enough. The Detroit Red Wings finished in the dead middle of the league last season, ranking 15th with a .910 save percentage, and they were the final playoff seed in the Eastern Conference. In fact, everyone in the top 15 of team save percentage made the playoffs except for the Buffalo Sabres and New Jersey Devils.
In order to end their seven-year playoff drought, the Carolina Hurricanes will have to get improved goaltending this upcoming season. They are counting on getting the goaltending they got from December onward last year, rather than the poor play that doomed them in October and November. As long as Ward and Lack can step up and deliver league average goaltending consistently, the Canes will have a good chance at being playoff bound in 2016-17.
