2009-10 NHL Season Preview: Carolina Hurricanes
by Bob Wage on Sep 18, 2009 2:30 AM EDT
18 comments
SB Nation is showcasing a special feature for the next week or so as every site manager in the network will be writing a season preview for their respective teams. James Mirtle will also review each team over at his site, From the Rink. It is Carolina's turn today, so be sure to head over there to see what James has to say and to vote where you think the Canes will end up in the Eastern Conference this season.
The Canes will also be featured on SB Nation's NHL page, which features updated, breaking hockey stories all day long. If you have not checked that out yet, it is worth a look see.
Most of the following information we have been discussing all summer, but it's time to put it all together for an official preview.
Overview:
The Hurricanes had a rollercoaster season last year as they went from a disappointing start, (so bad that it got their coach fired), to making it to the final four teams in the NHL playoffs. Ray Whitney and Eric Staal led the forwards while Cam Ward played as well as any other goalie in the NHL during the second half of the year.
The late additions of Jussi Jokinen and Erik Cole were also instrumental to the team's success. But most importantly, the team's defense came together and the club ended up with the fourth lowest goals against total in the East.
Who's in:
Tom Kostopoulos, Stephane Yelle, Aaron Ward, Andrew Alberts, Jay Harrison
Who's out:
Anton Babchuk, Dennis Seidenberg, Patrick Eaves, Frantisek Kaberle, Ryan Bayda
Team Strengths:
Goaltender: Cam Ward is maturing into one of the top goalies in the league.
Defense: Joni Pitkanen should be coming into his own after a solid postseason performance last year. Joe Corvo is in a contract year and has plenty of incentive to continue to do well. Ward and Alberts add some muscle which will mesh nicely with Tim Gleason and Nic Wallin. These guys should be solid and might even improve upon last season's goals allowed total.
Forwards: This team is stacked in the middle with Eric Staal, Matt Cullen, Rod Brind`Amour, and Stephane Yelle. Jussi Jokinen can also play center in a pinch. The Canes might win more faceoffs than any other team in the league. Scoring is balanced and perhaps for the first time ever, the team has four legitimate lines to roll. The Canes tied for first last season in drawing penalties and with Staal, Whitney, and Cole, could do so again this year..
Special teams: The penalty kill can be very good and Chad LaRose and Matt Cullen give the Canes some scoring jump while shorthanded.
Coaching: Paul Maurice did a fine job last season and seems to have the ear of the team right now. Are there better assistants in the game than Ron Francis and Tom Barrasso? Add in the experience of Tom Rowe and Kevin McCarthy and the Canes might have the best overall coaching staff in the NHL. Most importantly, they work well together and are a true team.
General Manager: Jim Rutherford has built a reputation as being one of the best GM's in the league. If the team needs a mid-season tweak, he's a good one to have in the front office.
Team Weaknesses:
Goaltender: Cam Ward has complained of a wonky back and if it bothers him this season, it would really hurt the team's chances. Backup Michael Leighton has been inconsistent in year's past at the NHL level.
Defense: Aaron Ward, Nic Wallin, and Andrew Alberts are slow of foot and can be taken advantage of by faster forwards. They have provided minimal offense in the past. The Canes might sorely miss the point production of Seidenberg and Babchuk.
Forwards: Will age catch up with Brind'Amour and Whitney? Will Erik Cole return to form? Can Eric Staal score consistently? While there is scoring balance, these guys have been inconsistent in the past and will need to be more steady.
Special Teams: Last year the powerplay was all over the map. They finished up the regular season strongly but scored at a disappointing 10% clip during the playoffs. Losing Babchuk's and Seidenberg's scoring won't make it easy to improve.
Depth Chart:
Forwards:
- Staal, Cole, Ruutu
- Cullen, LaRose, Whitney
- Brind'Amour, Samsonov, Jokinen
- Yelle, Kostopoulos, Walker
- Conboy, Ryan, Dwyer
- Sutter, Boychuk, Bowman
Defense:
- Gleason, Corvo
- Pitkanen, Ward
- Alberts, Wallin
- Harrison, Carson
- Rodney, McBain
- Fitzgerald
Goalies:
- Ward
- Leighton
- Peters
- Murphy
Prediction:
The Canes have worked hard to strengthen the team and added some character at both ends of the ice. They should match up well now against bigger teams. The question in my mind is, can they can score consistently? If players who had off years last season can regroup, they should have an excellent season and make the playoffs again. Can they overtake Washington for the Southeast Division crown? That will be easier said than done.
I'll pick them to finish fourth in the conference.
What do you think?
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5th place for me, which means they are all but certain to not finish there. I think Washington takes the division with all of their firepower, but not so easily this year.
I see Philly or Pittsburgh winning the Atlantic, with the other being the 4th place team.
fourth place?
Really? I see Philly, Washington, Boston, and Pittsburgh at LEAST ahead of the canes (which 5th wouldn’t be bad either) but considering the “canes after going deep in the playoffs” routine.. you’d think that maybe even New jersey would come in ahead of the canes on the regular season… I think the canes have improved a little over the offseason – but on the whole, I think it is going to take a major group effort “step-up” by everyone on the team for the canes to make some noise this season.
I don’t know, a full year of Mo coaching, a full year of Cam Ward playing like he did second half of last season, improvements to the whole roster…..the Canes could just as easily win the division and end up 2-3 as they could be 5-7.
Also, what kinda drugs are you guys on that you think Philly is so fantastical and awesome?
Are you forgetting that their answer in goal is Ray Emery and Brian Boucher?
by Iggy Reilly on Sep 18, 2009 10:04 AM EDT up reply actions
good points
yea. I am definitely not on the train withe everyone thinking philly will win the cup. their goalie issues, i feel, will be huge. BUT for the regular season, I think the flyers have a deep top 3 lines and a solid D corp which, even with mediocre goaltending, should get them in somewhere near the top. Take a look at the caps last season…Jose theodore was mediocre AT BEST, and the caps still got in at #2 because of offense.
As for the canes, yea a whole year of Mo coaching i think will be incredible for the team – as for Ward, he’s great – but last time they went deep in the playoffs wardo had a heavy slump season, didn’t he? (really, am i remembering this correctly?) I don’t think the canes will win the division – but i don’t think they will be too far behind; i just think the east will be very close (as in a 10 point spread between 3rd and 6/7 spot. ) with the canes being just a little behind – falling near the 7th spot.
Ward did have a drop off after his previous playoffs, but that playoff run came in his rookie year. In all reality he was probably rushed a bit in to the role of starter after winning the cup and the Conn Smythe. I don’t think he’ll have those issues this time.
So if you take Philly, Boston, Pitt and Wash as finishing ahead of the Canes, which are the same four I’d take finishing ahead, what other two do you think will finish higher? I’m not really that high on Jersey this season. I just don’t think that they have enough talent up front or on the blue line to beat the Canes and I think Broduer has seen his best days, not that his bad days are too bad.
Other than that though, I can’t see any other teams in the east that I think will be ahead of the Canes. The Rangers could shock some people and Torts for the whole season could be helpful, but I’m not betting on it. They did sort of blow a 3-1 series lead against the Caps. Montreal had a turn over rate of somewhere near 120%. Buffalo doesn’t have enough to do it. Tampa is likely a year away from being a playoff team.
True, true. I always just assume jersey will have a pretty good regular season team because marty, over the span of the season, always turns out pretty spectacular…and they’re offense started to really catch fire last season. I dont think the canes should have gotten through the Jersey series (glad they did)…and i dont know if i really had a particular team that would for sure jump in ahead of the canes after that..maybe 6th shoudl be my guess. Just giong off my gut feelings about having a slump year after going deep..i figured they’d drop some big games and someone would sneak in at the end of the season, really only because it will be so close in the standings. but yea maybe 5th/6th would be mroe like it. the voting on this survey though suggests most people think they will either win teh division or be 4th. And i certainly don’t think the canes are at the same level as the caps, at all.
Canes have more offensive depth than the Caps, better D than the Caps, and better goaltending than the Caps. Canes also won the season series with the Caps last year 3-2-1 if Im not mistaken. Canes take the division, Boston comes down to earth and the top 3 go Pitt, Canes, Bruins.
it is true the canes ususally give the caps fits in terms of head to head games – but the caps are built better for the regular season. better, more consistent talent in the top 2 line (maybe even the third line this coming season) – i think you’d be hard pressed to find anyone that would say “yes, the carolina hurricanes have a better offense than the Capitals.” Canes will be good, but i let’s not get ahead of ourselves here.
ABSOLUTELY
no way the Canes have the Caps offensive abilities… I wish….
by packpigskinfan25 on Sep 19, 2009 2:19 AM EDT up reply actions
This season rests on Cam's back (literally)
If Cam can get his back healthy enough this team can easily sneak into a home-ice playoff spot. However, if the condensed schedule forces him to take some extra games off to rest, we’ll be looking at about the same slot as last year.
Still not a crook!
I think you’re right about Ward being the answer to this question. So we’re hoping Team Canada tells him they’ll “check back again in 2014” – assuming the NHL continues to allow player participation? Good for the Canes – but probably not what Wardo is hoping for.
Let's go Canes!
Hakkaa Paalle!
by hockeymomof2 on Sep 18, 2009 12:16 PM EDT up reply actions
NO 1. !!!
1st the pens lost some D, only were 4th in reg season last year, and won’t improve at all.
2nd bruins haven’t improved (yet) kessel or compensation is iffy, have an easier time in the NE w/ some big ?? in buf, ott, mtl, tor. 3rd Phi has less O (Lupul) as well as the G
situation, not clearly better! caps- very tough-, but Goal is a big problem. Canes have
got better in a few respects, but even if they only play as good as the finished, it s/be
enough to end in GO CANES!!!!!!!!!
oops
…final sentence s/ be ..end in 1st!!!! GO CANES!!!!!!!!!!! SEE YA at the RBC
4th in points, but squeak out the division over Washington; their goalies are god-awful.
3rd seed.
Remember when the Panthers had a good offensive line? Yeah, me too.
--Darin Gantt
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