With the NHL season on pause, the Carolina Hurricanes currently sit in the first wild card spot in the Eastern Conference. The Hurricanes have been plagued with injuries in the back half of the year and would be an interesting team to follow should the season resume. I did this with my New York Islanders’ blog as well but this article will look at the positives and negatives of Carolina’s season so far.
GOOD: Dougie Hamilton’s stellar season
Dougie Hamilton had a breakout year, becoming one of the league’s top defensemen before his injury. He was jumping into the rush more and became an offensive force. He’s headed into a contract year and you have to imagine the Hurricanes will do everything they can to extend him long-term.
BAD: The injuries
This one’s obviously out of the team’s control but certainly had an impact on the season. Hamilton’s career year was ended early, Brett Pesce is out for the season and both Petr Mrazek and James Reimer were out at the same time, leaving two AHL goalies to carry the load. It’s hard to say how the Hurricanes’ season could have gone differently if they had a healthy team.
GOOD: Battling through the adversity
Putting a positive spin on the injuries, the Hurricanes turned into a pretty interesting story. Without their top defenseman, Carolina still battled for a playoff spot and managed to stay competitive without Brett Pesce and either of their two starting goalies as well. It gives hope for what a healthy team, plus their deadline additions in Brady Skjei and Vincent Trocheck, can do next year.
BAD: Mrazek unable to solidify himself as a starter
Coming into the year, Petr Mrazek had the opportunity to take the reins as Carolina’s go-to guy in net and establish himself as a legitimate starter in the NHL. Unfortunately, Mrazek failed to do so and despite being solid through multiple stretches, he remained inconsistent and James Reimer has been the better goalie overall this year.
GOOD: Andrei Svechnikov’s sophomore season
You couldn’t really ask for a better sophomore season from Andrei Svechnikov. After a solid rookie year, Svechnikov took his increased role this season and ran with it, quickly becoming a top forward with the Hurricanes. His lacrosse style goals turned heads and this year he cemented himself as a key forward with the team for the years to come.
BAD: Jake Gardiner
Signing Gardiner in the offseason meant Justin Faulk could be moved but unfortunately, bringing Gardiner into the fold hasn’t turned out the way the Hurricanes had hoped. With the injuries, Gardiner got a larger role with the team where he performed better but he still hasn’t been a reliable defender. Now with Brady Skjei in the mix, it’s likely that Carolina looks to move Gardiner in the offseason.
GOOD: The deadline deals
Carolina may have dealt with injury trouble this year but Don Waddell did his best to help the team recover at the deadline. He acquired Vincent Trocheck, Brady Skjei and Sami Vatanen (though Vatanen may not even end up playing a game with Carolina). Trocheck and Skjei will be core members of the team in the coming seasons and Waddell making those moves set the team up to be competitive in the playoffs and the years beyond.
For more,
follow @BenShelley_20 on Twitter.
OTHER HURRICANES ARTICLES FROM MARCH
Mrazek (likely) returning, Geekie makes case to stay with Hurricanes
The Forsberg/Nedeljkovic tandem is off to a rough start 
Carolina Hurricanes Blogger • 
Join the Discussion:
»