Tuesday night’s matchup against the New York Rangers marked the first game where both of Carolina’s trade deadline additions – Jake Guentzel and Evgeny Kuznetsov – suited up for the Hurricanes in game action.
While Kuznetsov had played the two prior games post-trade, Guentzel joined the lineup for the first time, following his recovery from an upper-body injury.
Typically, the Hurricanes opt to make their most significant moves in the offseason, and have been a little quiet at deadlines over recent years, aside from some smaller additions. In acquiring Guentzel and Kuznetsov though, Carolina signalled that they’re all in, and finally took a major step towards ending the finishing woes that have plagued them at times over the last couple years.
With Guentzel, the Hurricanes are getting a legitimate top-line winger. Over the last six seasons (including 2023-24), Guentzel has averaged point-per-game numbers, and coming off back-to-back seasons of more than 35 goals, he immediately becomes on the team’s most capable scorers.
Kuznetsov, on the other hand, remains less of a sure bet given his decline over the last couple years in Washington, but remains a sneaky good addition down the middle. Carolina hasn’t been able to effectively replace Vincent Trocheck since he departed two years ago, with Jesperi Kotkaniemi not really taking hold of the second-line center position as he was expected to. While Kuznetsov hasn’t registered a point with Carolina through three games, he’s had some great opportunities and managed to create quite a few as well, so we can expect the points to follow shortly.
Playing on a line together, along with Martin Necas, the duo immediately give Carolina a more dangerous looking second line. With a top unit of Andrei Svechnikov, Sebastian Aho and Teuvo Teravainen, followed by Guentzel-Kuznetsov-Necas, and very high-end depth below (including Seth Jarvis), it’s now pretty tough to poke any holes in the Hurricanes’ forward group. Especially if Kuznetsov can find his game, the Hurricanes’ offense really does look as good as any other forward group in the NHL.
We also just saw how a (mostly) healthy Hurricanes group stacks up against the division-leading New York Rangers, and despite a 1-0 loss, Carolina had their chances towards the end and it was an exciting matchup. Of course, it’s ironic to say the Hurricanes’ forward group is less likely to have trouble finishing post-deadline, coming off a shutout loss in the first game featuring both Guentzel and Kuznetsov with the team. But the reality is the second line did look good together, outshooting opponents 6-3 at 5-on-5 and posting an expected goals percentage of 73 percent, according to NaturalStatTrick.com. I’s one game, and the goals should come as they build chemistry together.
After the loss though, the Hurricanes’ path to a fourth straight division win does seem unlikely. They sit six points back of the Rangers, with both teams at 17 games remaining. They’ve also got a tough test coming up, with their next two games coming against the Florida Panthers, followed by the Toronto Maple Leafs.
But heading into the trade deadline, offense was really the one thing the Hurricanes needed to improve. The defense group remains of the deepest and most well-rounded units in the league, and with Frederik Andersen returning, plus Pyotr Kochetkov continuing to prove he’s moved past his tough start to the season, there are really no concerns with their current roster.
Last year, Carolina’s lack of offense was a key contributor to their third round playoff exit against the Panthers. They scored just three goals in the first three games of that series and ended up suffering a sweep despite likely deserving a better fate. Comparing this lineup to last year’s group though, the Hurricanes are outright better on paper. Guentzel, Kuznetsov, along with a healthy Andrei Svechnikov and Teuvo Teravainen, give the Hurricanes far, far more scoring options up front than what we saw during last year’s postseason.
So while the Hurricanes still face difficult competition in the Metropolitan Division, and Eastern Conference as a whole, on paper, they’ve done what they could to address the issues that have been at the forefront of a lot of their problems. With Guentzel and Kuznetsov added (and others healthy this time around), the Hurricanes are far better-equipped for a deep playoff run and enter the postseason as a true Cup contender.
Carolina Hurricanes Blogger • 
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