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About Last Season: Ron Francis, Bill Peters, and the Coaching Staff

Ron Francis, Bill Peters, and their respective assistants were hard at work making this team better in 2016-2017, but how will the Canes Country community grade their performances?

By Kyle Morton
Ron Francis and Bill Peters talk with Michelle McMahon during one of the SummerFests that they’ve worked together.
Jamie Kellner

About Last Season

Jamie Kellner

Canes Country’s player-by-player review and grades for the 2016-17 season.

Making the Grades

For general manager Ron Francis and the coaching staff of Bill Peters, Steve Smith, Rod Brind’Amour, and David Marcoux, last season was one in which their respective goals may not have aligned all that much.

For Francis and his staff, last season was about icing as competitive of a team as possible while still remaining mostly fixated on the future that lies ahead of this team with its young core and stable of prospects.

The coaching staff, on the other hand, had to be strictly focused on winning as many games as possible

Francis did his job well. The additions of Teuvo Teravainen, Lee Stempniak, and Viktor Stalberg before the season started made this year’s forward group the most well-rounded it had been in years.

But when it became clear that this team’s chances of making the playoffs were slim, Francis had no problem moving out veteran players for assets.

Stalberg was moved prior to the trade deadline for Ottawa’s third-round pick, a far higher price than anyone really expected Stalberg to command. Francis just recently used that pick to acquire and sign goaltender Scott Darling, so that’s a win by any standard.

He also moved veteran defender Ron Hainsey to Pittsburgh for a second round pick, which was once again a steeper price than most experts were predicting that Hainsey would return.

As for the coaching staff, things were a bit of a mixed bag. In my mind, the best job was done by Steve Smith, who oversaw a fantastic, young, developing defensive unit and was the mastermind behind one of the league’s best penalty killing units.

Peters’s system once again delivered strong results at 5-on-5. The Hurricanes were an above average team by corsi for percentage and expected goals for percentage.

For Brind’Amour, the power play could have been better, but it’s hard to know how much of that was on him and how much was on the lack of star personnel with which he was given to work.

Francis announced that the expiring contract of goalie coach David Marcoux would not be renewed during his end-of-season press conference that you can find below. I’m just going to venture a guess here, but that may have had something to do with the fact that the Hurricanes ranked 29th in the NHL in 5-on-5 save percentage.

Exit Interview

Poll

How do you grade Ron Francis’s 2016-2017 performance?

This poll is closed

  • 15%
    A - significantly outperformed expectations
    (63 votes)
  • 51%
    B - outperformed expectations
    (209 votes)
  • 26%
    C - met expectations
    (108 votes)
  • 4%
    D - underperformed expectations
    (20 votes)
  • 0%
    F - significantly underperformed expectations
    (2 votes)
402 votes total Vote Now

Poll

How do you grade Bill Peters’ 2016-2017 performance?

This poll is closed

  • 4%
    A - significantly outperformed expectations
    (17 votes)
  • 32%
    B - outperformed expectations
    (129 votes)
  • 54%
    C - met expectations
    (213 votes)
  • 6%
    D - underperformed expectations
    (27 votes)
  • 1%
    F - significantly underperformed expectations
    (5 votes)
391 votes total Vote Now

Poll

How do you grade Rod Brind’Amour’s 2016-2017 performance?

This poll is closed

  • 0%
    A - significantly outperformed expectations
    (3 votes)
  • 6%
    B - outperformed expectations
    (26 votes)
  • 46%
    C - met expectations
    (174 votes)
  • 44%
    D - underperformed expectations
    (165 votes)
  • 1%
    F - significantly underperformed expectations
    (7 votes)
375 votes total Vote Now

Poll

How do you grade Steve Smith's 2016-2017 performance?

This poll is closed

  • 31%
    A - significantly outperformed expectations
    (114 votes)
  • 52%
    B - outperformed expectations
    (190 votes)
  • 12%
    C - met expectations
    (47 votes)
  • 1%
    D - underperformed expectations
    (6 votes)
  • 1%
    F - significantly underperformed expectations
    (7 votes)
364 votes total Vote Now

Poll

How do you grade David Marcoux's 2016-2017 performance?

This poll is closed

  • 0%
    A - significantly outperformed expectations
    (2 votes)
  • 0%
    B - outperformed expectations
    (2 votes)
  • 6%
    C - met expectations
    (24 votes)
  • 32%
    D - underperformed expectations
    (120 votes)
  • 60%
    F - significantly underperformed expectations
    (223 votes)
371 votes total Vote Now