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Highlights for the Hurricanes as another offseason begins

April 12, 2016, 1:50 AM ET [7 Comments]
Thomas Gidlow
Carolina Hurricanes Blogger • RSSArchiveCONTACT
With the 2015-16 regular season officially in the books, it's time to look back and look forward as the Carolina Hurricanes set to embark on the third offseason of the Ron Francis regime.

For the seventh straight season, the Canes missed out on the Stanley Cup playoffs. Despite being in the mix for a solid stretch of the season, the writing was on the wall after the trade deadline when veteran free-agents-to-be Eric Staal, Kris Versteeg, and John-Michael Liles were shipped out for prospects and draft picks. To their credit, Carolina battled to earn points in 13 of their last 18 games after the deadline to finish the year with a 35-31-16 record, good for 86 points and 18th place overall in the NHL - only Boston finished with more points among non-playoff teams.

There were some bright spots this season and there are a lot of reasons to be optimistic for the Hurricanes. In what most feel is Year 2 of a long-term rebuild set in motion by Francis and head coach Bill Peters, the Canes are more positioned for long term stability than at any point in recent history.

Here are some highlights and what to expect as the weeks and months progress into the heart of the offseason. We will be delving into all sorts of fun topics relating to the Hurricanes as we continue on into the days and weeks ahead.

#1: The return of Jeff Skinner

Long known for being streaky in the best of times despite his young age (23), Skinner emerged as a go-to leader in the forward ranks after long time captain and former offensive-driver Eric Staal was moved at the end of February. Skinner went 6-8-14 in his final 18 games post-deadline after going 22-15-37 in his first 64 contests. More importantly for the future, Skinner appeared in all 82 games for Carolina this season and showed more consistency when given more responsibility. At one point during the season, a draft-day or offseason trade didn't seem out of the question for the fifth year winger. Now, Skinner appears to be ready to take on full time duty as Carolina's #1 sniper.

#2: Simply put, very few coaches did more with less than Bill Peters

Bill Peters would have earned a solid look at Coach of the Year honors had this club somehow snuck into the playoffs this season. The mere fact the Canes were in serious contention deep into the campaign is enough to warrant praise for the second year bench boss. Despite plently of square pegs in round holes, Peters was able to get the most out of what he had to work with every night of the season.

Peters has helped to build a competitive atmosphere - on any given night, the team was able to hang and could potentially defeat any team they faced. This is a vital building block in Francis' quest to build a long term culture of expectation in this organization. It starts with the product on the ice; if Francis can get Peters the right personnel for his impressive systems, there's no doubt the Hurricanes can be legitimate playoff contenders every single year - and sooner, rather than later.

#3: Team defense is well ahead of schedule

The Carolina defensive unit to end the season wasn't even close to what it was when the club took the ice for their first regular season game back in October. James Wisniewski played precisely two shifts before tearing his ACL, never to return. Noah Hanifin was almost immediately thrust into a prominent role at just 18 years old, which is quite atypical for rearguards his age.

The team's early struggles prompted the recall of Brett Pesce and Jaccob Slavin from Charlotte in December - two defenseman who seized the opportunity and never looked back. Pesce became a dependable, no-nonsense rock in his own end and contributed 16 points in 69 games. Slavin was even more impressive, posting a +1 rating, 20 points in 63 games, and having logged nearly 21 minutes a game.

Justin Faulk emerged as a perennial All-Star despite a tough lower body injury down the stretch. Ron Hainsey provided his typical steady if not spectacular play. But for the most part, the youth was served and they responded by keeping the Canes alive when most thought all they would be playing for in March was a better lottery pick. With Wisniewski set to return by training camp and a full season under the belts of Slavin, Pesce, and Hanifin, expect the backend to be a source of strength for Carolina in the years to come.

#4: The Canes have a LOT of flexibility to make moves

If you count RFA's Victor Rask and Joakim Nordstrom (both are expected to be retained), Carolina will have 16 roster players under contract for 2016-17 at a cost of about $40 million. That leaves a lot of room for Ron Francis to play with, given the salary floor could be as high as $60 million next season.

If you assume the defense is pretty much set with Faulk, Slavin, Hanifin, Wisniewski, Pesce, Hainsey, and perhaps Haydn Fleury or Trevor Carrick in play, and factor in Carolina nabbing a decent goaltender (either on the open market or via trade) to compliment Eddie Lack, the primary focus for Carolina will obviously be the offense. Sebastian Aho, the 18-year old sensation who had a breakout year in Finland, will be expected to compete for a roster spot in camp this fall. His cohort from the World Junior Championships, Aleksi Saarela, who was acquired in the Staal deal, may end up in North America but projects as a longer term possibility.

Outside of that, though, any type of immediate offensive help may be on the outskirts of the horizon. Francis will likely be looking to restock the cupboards in the forward ranks at the 2016 Entry Draft, though. With six picks in the first three rounds, he'll have plenty of opportunity. But don't be surprised if Francis packages an early pick along with a defensive prospect for a top-six forward. With Rask, Staal, and Elias Lindholm figuring to be the three centermen come next season, the wings will need to be better complemented for the Canes to emerge as a more consistent threat.

#5: Au revoir, old guard

It's apparent that the last of the old guard will be looking for jobs elsewhere this offseason. Cam Ward was more consistent this season than he has been in recent memory and helped to keep the Canes alive through some tough battles. But his annoying knack for allowing untimely or 'soft' goals overrides his celebrated status as the last remnant of the 2006 Stanley Cup team. With his large contract finished and the likelihood of being re-signed a long shot at best, Ward will likely be in a new uniform come training camp.

Others who also figure to hit the road are forwards Nathan Gerbe, Riley Nash, Brad Malone, and Chris Terry, along with defensemen Ryan Murphy and Michal Jordan (though the D's are RFA's). All of them played hard and each had some flashes playing beyond themselves when pressed into service. But all of them were staples of a bygone era left behind by former GM Jim Rutherford. And while Nash and Terry in particular upped their game, it's hard to imagine that any of the above mentioned will be back in Carolina red for the 2016-17 campaign.



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