Don’t look now but the Carolina Hurricanes are right back in the playoff hunt

The Carolina Hurricanes looked destined for another lackluster season, but since the new year, they’ve found new life and are firmly in the playoff hunt.

It’s been a rough decade for the Carolina Hurricanes. They’ve missed the playoffs nine consecutive seasons, and after a promising start with a fresh team this season, things began to fall back apart in what would seem to be yet another lackluster season. In their first full season under new owner Tom Dundon, expectations were beginning to rise in order to get the local market interested again and start competing for the playoffs, but it seemed to be more of the same.

Ever since November, the Hurricanes had trouble stringing together meaningful wins and found themselves well on the outside looking in at a narrow playoff race. It was the usual suspects that were holding them back, they couldn’t outscore opponents or get a save when it mattered most, which was their own fault after trading Jeff Skinner to Buffalo for peanuts (who now trails only Alex Ovechkin in goal scoring this season with 30 goals) and being unable to find a consistent goalie after years of struggles.

Recently, however, the Hurricanes have been fantastic and finally, have begun to consistently string some big wins together. Ever since the turn of the new year, the Hurricanes have been on fire with a 7-1-0 record, They started the year with a five-game win streak, and have only lost to the league-leading Tampa Bay Lightning this year. Their most recent win was Carolina’s magnum opus so far this season, taking the Nashville Predators to task at home with a 6-3 win. Now, just like that, the Hurricanes sit four points back of Montreal for the final Wild Card spot with a game in hand.

The schedule down the stretch for the rest of the month of January is almost simple for the Hurricanes. The final five games will be against the Rangers, Senators, Oilers, Flames, and Canucks. I’d say that winning four of those five games will have them sitting in that final wildcard spot before the all-star break, and the narrative around the Hurricanes this season changes just like that.

However, this recent success has not come without even more internal struggles. Rumors have surfaced that the Hurricanes and newly acquired forward Michael Ferland are miles apart on a contract extension, with Ferland looking for “Tom Wilson money” (Wilson signed a six-year deal worth $5,166,666 a year), and Carolina offering nowhere close. Now the decision must be made if Carolina is willing to risk losing him for nothing in free agency or find a trade partner before the trade deadline in the next six weeks.

As if that wasn’t enough, newly acquired defenseman Dougie Hamilton could be on the move for the right offer, as several teams have inquired about his availability. That price would almost certainly have to include a scoring forward to insert into their lineup immediately to fix the scoring woes that have plagued them all season long. A right shot defenseman of Hamilton’s caliber would be a premium on the trade market this deadline, and general manager Don Waddell could have several teams on strings if he plays his cards correctly here.

Regardless of the off-ice rumors, the Hurricanes on the ice is turning things around for the better this season regardless of if they make the playoffs or not. The “storm surge” after every home win has made home games more fun for fans, and it clear that the locker room situation has never been better for them under Justin Williams leadership.

It would be a great story for this team to make the playoffs after missing since 2008-09, and if things continue as they have so far in January, they will be well on their way.