NHL Season Preview 2016-17: Carolina Hurricanes

Can the Carolina Hurricanes carry their momentum from last season into 2016-17?

The Carolina Hurricanes surprised quite a few people last season. Many expected them to be among the worst teams in the league and in the hunt to win the first overall pick. The Hurricanes finished the season with a 35-31-16 record, good for sixth in an ultra competitive Metropolitan Division.

Credit Bill Peters for being a fantastic coach, who is finally getting the recognition he deserves. The Hurricanes don’t have the skill or the depth of the elite teams, but they are quickly improving. Carolina has proven to be hard to play against. Now they’re starting to get some skill into their lineup thanks to some fancy maneuvering by general manager Ron Francis.

Offseason Review

Here’s what the Hurricanes did this offseason.

Additions: F Bryan Bickell (Blackhawks), C/F Teuvo Teravainen (Blackhawks), F Lee Stempniak (Bruins), F Viktor Stalberg (Rangers)

Losses: C/F Riley Nash (Bruins), F Nathan Gerbe (Rangers), D James Wisniewski

Retained: C Victor Rask, G Cam Ward, D Ryan Murphy

The Hurricanes didn’t have good forward depth last season. Carolina addressed that issue by using a valuable asset: cap space. They received Teuvo Teravainen as a thank you gift from the Blackhawks for taking on the remainder of Bryan Bickell’s contract. Teravainen, who had 35 points during the 2015-16 season, should thrive in Carolina. Stempniak (19 goals and 51 points) and Stalberg (nine goals and 20 points) are cheap and effective options for their third and fourth lines.

Carolina will also be bringing in Sebastian Aho, a second round pick in the 2015 NHL Draft. Aho dominated overseas and should compete for a spot on the opening night roster. Team Finland advisor Teemu Selanne believes Aho has higher upside than Patrik Laine, which is quite the endorsement.

Victor Rask (21 goals and 48 points) will be around for the next six years at a very reasonable price. Jordan Staal and Jeff Skinner are both better than they are given credit for. And don’t sleep on Elias Lindholm or Andrej Nestrasil either. For the first time in a while, the Hurricanes have forwards with skill.

Bringing back Cam Ward is a confusing move for the Hurricanes. Their goaltending kept them from being a playoff contender last season. Changes were expected, but the Hurricanes will have the same goaltending tandem of Ward and Eddie Lack this season. They have goaltending depth in the minors, but even their top prospect is at least two or three seasons away.

Player Spotlight: Justin Faulk

Justin Faulk is the best American defenseman you’ve never heard of. That should change this season as the Hurricanes improve and get more attention. Faulk is an extremely potent power play weapon with 10 power play goals in just 64 games last season. He set a career high with 16 goals and finished sixth among defensemen in goals per game. Shea Weber was the only defenseman to score more goals per 60 minutes on the power play last season. Before an injury cost him 18 games, Faulk was on pace to challenge his career high in points (49).

Faulk has a unique ability to generate shots on goal as a defenseman — over the past two seasons, Faulk has averaged almost three shots per game. He finished fourth last season among defensemen in shots on goal per 60 minutes (all situations). Faulk’s defense still needs some work, but his ability to move the puck down the ice and generate offense is extremely valuable. Carolina has a surprisingly deep blue line, which should allow him to see more favorable deployment.

Faulk averages over 24 minutes of ice time per game and plays during all situations for Carolina. He is very good at staying out the penalty box with just 27 penalty minutes last season. This could be the year Faulk breaks out. Combined with the Hurricanes finally getting some respect around the league, even casual fans should know who Faulk is by the end of the 2016-17 season.

2016-17 Outlook

The Carolina Hurricanes suffer from the misfortune of playing in the Metropolitan Division. They have to regularly play the Washington Capitals, Pittsburgh Penguins, New York Rangers, Philadelphia Flyers and New York Islanders. Each of those teams made the playoffs last season and four of them have made it in each of the past two seasons. In order to make the playoffs, Carolina needs to be better than one of those teams, which is probably asking too much in 2016-17.

That said, the Hurricanes have one of the most skilled teams they’ve had in years. They still lack elite talent outside of Faulk and Skinner, but their supporting cast is quickly getting stronger. Keep an eye on their blue line, because if the Hurricanes do manage to make the playoffs, it will be thanks to their sneaky depth. Faulk, Noah Hanifin, Jaccob Slavin, and Ryan Murphy are all solid, while Haydn Fleury could be on the way to help as well.

Too many things need to go right for the Hurricanes to be a lock to make the playoffs in 2016-17. But they’re certainly trending in the right direction.