About Last Season: Micheal Ferland Performance Review and Grade

Micheal Ferland: 2018-2019 By The Numbers

• Age: 27
• NHL Seasons: 5
• Games Played: 71
• Scoring: 17 goals, 23 assists, 40 points
• Ice Time: 14:06 all situations, 12:08 ES, 1:57 PP, 0:01 PK
• 5 on 5 Stats: 53.60% CF, 62.69% GF
• Contract: Unrestricted Free Agent

Making the Grade

Micheal Ferland was one of the big pieces that the Carolina Hurricanes acquired in a trade at the 2018 NHL Draft that sent Noah Hanifin and Elias Lindholm to the Calgary Flames. They added him to bring energy and more hitting to Carolina, but he had also proven that he could play on a top line in Calgary.

Ferland had a tale of two seasons, the one when he was healthy and the one after he picked up a nagging injury in November. In his first 24 games he proved to be a valuable top six asset scoring 11 goals and contributing four assists including five power play goals. He also had 13 penalty minutes, including a fighting major.

During this time, there were many rumors surrounding a potential contract negotiation between Ferland and the Canes, most of which indicated that they were far apart in their negotiations. The Hurricanes were reportedly offering around five million a year, and Ferland wanted a 7x7 deal. This also led to rumors that the Canes would trade him to get something back for his expiring contract, but they opted to keep him as “their own rental.”

His first injury came at the end of November when he missed eight games in a nine-game span. He missed four other games in the regular season. After this initial injury, he struggled to find the back of the net and just had six goals in the last 46 goals.

In March and April, after the trade deadline, he had just five assists in 17 games. He then reaggravated the injury early in the first round series against the Capitals and missed eight straight playoff games. In the playoffs he played in seven games with just a single assist and a -3 rating, when the Canes needed it the most.

He ended up the sixth lowest Corsi on the team with a 53.6% but have the second highest goals for with a 62.69%. The Corsi number is surprising given that he had a 59.67% offensive zone start percentage, so it would be expected that it would be even higher. This also explains why his goals for is so high, because he was rarely used in defensive scenarios.

Overall, Ferland showed flashes of brilliance throughout the season, but couldn’t contribute as consistently as the Canes had hoped when they trade for his expiring contract. While they will miss his physical play, he has yet to play a full season. Both his total points (40) and goals (17) were a step back from the previous season despite having a career high 19 power play points.

Both sides are likely to move on this offseason. Ferland will likely get a big payday from someone. It just won’t be the Canes, who are going to be more cautious spenders until they have all their key players re-signed. The Hurricanes should be able to replace his contributions next season with Martin Necas who will likely come in the top-six relatively quickly.

Exit Interview