NHL division previews: 2017-18 Metropolitan Division

6th in 2017-18 Metropolitan Division – Carolina Hurricanes

Deciding who would finish fifth and sixth in the Metro in 2017-18 was the hardest decision, by far. The Hurricanes have made some smart moves in the off-season, and they have a ton of fantastic young players who look ready to make the jump to the NHL. If there’s one team I’m wrong on, it’s going to be this one.

While there isn’t necessarily any big names on the forward lines, there are plenty of forwards capable of 40-plus points. Players like Teuvo Teravainen, Sebastian Aho, Elias Lindholm, Jeff Skinner, Victor Rask and Jordan Staal can all produce points at an effective level. And let’s not forget about Lee Stempniak, another solid player in their top six.

From the blue line there are a few very solid names as well. Justin Faulk, if he can stay healthy, is a very good defenseman in all areas of the ice. He’s there with players like Jaccob Slavin, Brett Pesce and Noah Hanifin. If the third pairing can perform well, the Hurricanes might be the surprise inclusion in the 2018 Stanley Cup Playoffs.

Arguably the best move they made in the off-season was to shore up their goaltending. They did this quite well. They brought in Scott Darling from Chicago, a player who projects to be a very solid starting goaltender. Pair him with Cam Ward and you have a goaltending situation that more than half of the league would kill for.

Player to watch in 2017-18: Sebastion Aho. Aho performed quite well in his first season with the ‘Canes, scoring 24 goals and adding 25 assists. Aho was second on Carolina in shots (167), Individual Scoring Chances For (180) and Individual High Definition Scoring Chances For (88) last season. Those numbers, accompanied by a 0.990 PDO, point to the fact that this isn’t just sustainable, but Aho could easily improve on those numbers in 2017-18.