4 teams that won’t win the Stanley Cup this year but could in 2021
2. Carolina Hurricanes
The Hurricanes are one of the most strongly constructed teams in the NHL right now, and they deserved a better fate than a quick first round exit at the hands of the Boston Bruins. Fortunately for them, their championship window is just opening, and next year looks promising to be the season that it all comes together for a dominant regular season and championship run.
After years without a true star player, the Hurricanes now have two in Sebastian Aho and Andrei Svechnikov. Aho has turned into one of the best two-way players in the league, and his offensive production took a huge step with 38 goals. As for Svechnikov, the Hurricanes winning the second overall pick in 2018 to move up from 13th to draft him might be one of the best things to ever happen to them. The 20-year-old is already a top-line winger, and exactly the goal scorer this team needed to go for them to the next level.
Add supporting pieces like Teuvo Teravainen, Nino Niederreiter, and Vincent Trocheck to the mix, along with depth that allows them to run four solid lines, the Hurricanes offense is ready to take yet another step next season.
The defense of the Hurricanes is simply one of the best in the league. The top pairing consists of two Norris caliber defenseman in Jacob Slavin and Dougie Hamilton, and even with some free agency departures likely coming, their depth of Jake Gardiner, Brett Pesce, Haydn Fleury is a great supporting cast.
What the Hurricanes need to really become true contenders in the East is a reliable goalie. Petr Mrazek has been serviceable, and James Reimer was decent as a backup, but they just aren’t the caliber goalies that you can rely on to take you far in the postseason. They both let in some bad goals that ultimately cost them, and there needs to be a reliable solution. If they have the money, Robin Lehner would be the kind of goalie that could thrive behind that defense, and then suddenly the Hurricanes likely become Stanley Cup favorites.
The potential for the Carolina Hurricanes with this roster is sky high, and as long as their young players progress at the same rate and they make the moves that they need to improve this offseason, it’ll be time for the Hurricanes to take the next step into Stanley Cup contention.