The Carolina Hurricanes wrapped up their season last week, finishing outside the playoff picture for the eighth-straight season. Despite some internal growth, the team ended up eight points shy of a wild-card spot. Before training camp, Technician posed five questions that would be vital to the Canes’ season in an attempt to make the playoffs. Let’s see how those questions played out.
Will there be a captain, and if so, who?
Following the trade of longtime captain and face of the franchise Eric Staal to the New York Rangers at the 2016 trade deadline, and his subsequent signing with the Minnesota Wild as a free agent last summer, the Canes entered the season without a player wearing the coveted “C” on the front of his jersey. The team seemed in no hurry to do so either, with both general manager Ron Francis and head coach Bill Peters stating as much prior to the season.
There was some speculation that the team would eventually name a captain during the season, but it was eventually confirmed that this would not be the case. The team instead went with a rotating cast of alternates, with forwards Jordan Staal, Jeff Skinner and Victor Rask, along with defensemen Justin Faulk and, before he was traded to the Pittsburgh Penguins at the 2017 trade deadline, Ron Hainsey all wearing the “A” at some point. To hear Francis describe it, the team is in no hurry to name a captain either.
“I don’t take that letter lightly at all,” Francis said at his deadline day media address. “If we don’t feel we have a guy that is capable of wearing that letter, then we’re not putting it on somebody. Whether it’s this year or next year, until we feel we have the guy that’s the right choice, then I’m comfortable not putting the ‘C’ on somebody.”
Despite the playoff miss, the team did not feel a lack of leadership minus a specific captain was an issue this season.
“I don’t think so,” Skinner said. “I think for me, this year, I was able to be a little bit more a part of that leadership group, and it’s something that I take pride in. I think as you go along, and people talk about the young team in here, I think there’s a lot of guys that are leaders. The fact that guys are sort of growing together, guys play for each other; I think you saw that late in the season too. That’s a good culture.”
While the answer to this all-important question was a no, it does not appear that not naming a captain was a major culprit in the Hurricanes’ playoff miss.
Can the team score enough goals?
While there was some improvement in this regard, the answer ultimately ended up being a no here as well, and was definitely one of the major issues that cost the Canes a trip to the postseason. The Canes knew coming into the year that they needed to improve on last year’s finish in this regard, when the team finished 27th in the NHL at 2.39 goals per game.
The team did enjoy some nice seasons from individual players, including a career-high 37 goals from Jeff Skinner, a 24-goal, 49-point rookie campaign from Finnish forward Sebastian Aho that saw him rank fifth in a loaded rookie class and a career-high 45 points with 34 assists from Swedish setup man Elias Lindholm.
It was not enough, however. The additions of Aho, fellow Finnish forward Teuvo Teravainen and veteran winger Lee Stempniak did not boost the Canes’ offense as much as the team hoped as, despite a jump up to 2.59 goals per game, it stayed in the bottom-third of the league at number 20. Among playoff teams, only the Ottawa Senators ranked below Carolina in goals per game. To make the playoffs next season, the team will have to add some offensive punch and push into the top-half of the league in goal scoring.
Will the goaltending be good enough?
If the answer to the scoring question was a no, then this one is a definitive, resounding no. Poor play from their keepers was the number-one reason the Canes are not playing playoff hockey at the moment. After ranking second-worst in the league with a .902 team save percentage last year, the Canes’ team save percentage actually dropped a point to .901, though that was good for 26th in the league this season.
Simply put, that won’t cut it. The struggles of Cam Ward and Eddie Lack have been well-documented, with Ward posting a .905 save percentage and Lack .902 this year. Francis stated at his exit interview that goaltending will be an area of focus this offseason, and he has already taken the first step in letting go goalie coach David Marcoux. If Francis wants his fourth season as general manager to end in a playoff berth, adding at least one upgrade between the pipes needs to be his top priority this summer.
Will rookies shine again?
Following a strong showing from rookie blueliners Jaccob Slavin, Brett Pesce and Noah Hanifin last year, there was a question of if the Canes would see a first-year player shine again going into this season, with Aho the strongest candidate to do so. He delivered. Ranking fifth in a loaded rookie class with 49 points, the young Finn showed off his considerable talent in his freshman campaign. From his first goal, to his first hat trick, to the many clutch plays he produced, Aho’s first season was something to remember.
He was not the only freshman to make his mark, however. Power forward Brock McGinn had a solid rookie season as well, putting up seven goals and 16 points in 57 games, including a strong stretch over a Hurricanes four-game winning streak in mid-January that saw him earn the NHL’s third star of the week. McGinn added an element of needed physicality to the Canes’ lineup as well. Both he and Aho should be big pieces in the Hurricanes’ forward corps moving forward.
Will the Hurricanes make the playoffs?
See questions two and three. Though the team did see some internal improvements and strong individual seasons, poor goaltending and an overall lack of scoring ultimately kept Carolina on the outside looking in for an eighth-straight season. Francis seems to have a plan of action for the offseason and ending that streak. Until the team proves otherwise, the questions about goaltending and scoring will persist, and Francis will need to work toward making the answers to those questions a yes at season’s end next year if the Canes want to play past early-April for the first time since 2009.
