About Last Season: Teuvo Teravainen

A look at how the beloved #86 played throughout the season.

By AlexOhari Jul 5, 2022, 1:00pm EDT

NHL: Carolina Hurricanes at Pittsburgh Penguins

Teuvo Teravainen: 2021-22 By the Numbers

Age: 27
NHL seasons: 8
Scoring: 22 goals, 43 assists, 65 points in 77 games
Playoff scoring: 4 goals, 7 assists, 11 points in 14 games
Advanced statistics: 58.3 CF%, 56.3 HDCF%, 52.5 xGF%, 60.6 GF%
Average TOI: 13:09 ES, 2:56 PP, 1:35 SH
Contract status: Signed through 2023-24 at $5.4 million AAV

Since his arrival to Raleigh in what was arguably one of Ron Francis’ best moves during his time as the Canes GM, Teuvo Teravainen has become a fan favorite both on and off the ice. His consistent effort level, playmaking ability and efficient two-way play make his contract of $5.4 million annually quite the bargain, and the good news is that he’s locked in for an additional two seasons — through 2023-24.

After missing a large chunk of the 2020-21 season due to injury and COVID-19, Teravainen returned with a vengeance and had one of his best seasons to date. His 65 points were the second best total of his career (mind you, he would have eclipsed that mark if COVID didn’t end the 2019-20 season at 68 games), and the 22 goals that he scored in 77 games equals the highest goals-per-game output of his career thus far.

He also delivered in the playoffs, tying for the team-lead with 11 points in 14 games and was generally their most consistent forward for the most part. He’s relied on in all situations for the group, and continues to put up performances that largely exceed his contract in comparison to a majority of the NHL.

It's Turbo Time! Here's your mixtape of every regular season goal from Teuvo Teravainen in 2021-22. pic.twitter.com/43O9iP5UBW
— Canes Stats Fella™ (@CanesStats) June 12, 2022

During the regular season, 31 of Teravainen’s 65 points came at even strength, 31 on the power play and 3 came short-handed. While you might hope for a bit more production from a top-6 winger at 5-on-5, he’s a guy that delivers in all situations and can be counted on at any point of a game.

Teravainen also had a 58.4% Corsi For % in all situations. At even strength, he produced a 53.5% Corsi — which was down a bit from his previous seasons — but was obviously still driving play in the right direction. The Hurricanes out-scored their opposition 60-39 with him on the ice at even strength, and 101-50 in all situations. Simply put — this guy is a beauty.

In the playoffs, he upped his game by every metric. His Corsi was over 58% and the Hurricanes out-scored their opponents 17-10 with him on the ice. 7 of his 11 playoff points came at even strength, although his power play production dipped a bit with just 3 points in 14 games.

If there’s any real complaint that you could make about Turbo in general, it’s his hesitancy to shoot the puck. I mean, we’ve all seen that the guy has a wicked release and can snipe it with the best of them when he decides to rip it. The problem is that he never wants too. Shooting is always his last option, which is such a shame because of how deadly accurate his wrist shot can be. Nearing age 28, it’s hard to see him ever shaking this trait. It’s understood that he’s a set-up man and can thread passes as well as anybody on the ice, but sometimes you just wish for a bit more killer instinct — especially with the amount of open looks that he passes up.

Regardless, it’s hard to really criticize Teravainen much at all. He’s a player who’s proven to be worth every penny of his contract and more. He’s a fan favorite, he seems genuinely loved by his teammates and he’s a guy that the coaching staff trusts during any instance of any hockey game. He’s a guy that you can’t help but hope will rock a Hurricanes jersey for a very long time.