2014-15 Carolina Hurricanes Preview

The Hurricanes didn’t do much right last season, finishing towards the bottom of the league on both sides of the rink. They were especially bad on the power play, ranking 28th at 14.6 percent.

Peters comes to Carolina after serving the past three seasons as an assistant with the Detroit Red Wings, spending time mostly with the defense and penalty killing squads, so it will be up to the players to rebound on offense.

Francis, who was promoted from director of hockey operations and assistant GM to replace long-time general manager Jim Rutherford, will attempt to squeeze out some success from his veteran-heavy club, but is already fighting an uphill battle after center Jordan Staal was lost for 3-to-4 months following a broken leg suffered on Sept. 23.

That injury hurts a Hurricanes club that was already light on depth, having invested $27 million this season on its top four forwards and just over $6 million on a goaltender in Cam Ward who could end up as the backup this season.

Needless to say, Francis and Peters have their work cut out for them already.

FORWARDS – The unexpected loss of Staal opens up a major void in Carolina’s top six, one that will have to be filled by Riley Nash or newcomer Jay McClement.

Those two were expected to battle for the center role on the third line and represent a massive step back in production from Staal, who had not missed a regular-season game since being acquired from Pittsburgh in the summer of 2012.

Since coming to Carolina, Staal has potted 25 goals and 71 points over 130 contests. Nash, a former first-round pick by Edmonton in 2007, has 14 goals and 34 points in 110 games with Carolina, while McClement hasn’t posted more than 30 points in a season since 2006-07.

Peters was already looking to shake up his top lines before Staal got injured, as Jiri Tlusty struggled last season playing with Eric Staal and Alexander Semin.

While Jordan’s elder brother Eric led Carolina with 61 points and Semin posted 42 points in 65 games, Tlusty was held to 30 points in 68 games after notching 23 goals and 38 points over 48 games in the lockout-shortened 2012-13 campaign.

A bounce-back season is now imperative due to the loss of Jordan Staal, while more pressure also falls to youngsters Jeff Skinner and Elias Lindholm.

Skinner, who notched a career-high 33 goals last season, is an elite scorer when healthy, while the 19-year-old Lindholm flashed potential as a rookie last year after getting taken fifth overall in the 2013 draft.

The drop off is sharp after that. Nathan Gerbe matched a personal best with 16 goals last season, offseason pickup Brad Malone has just nine points in 54 NHL games and Patrick Dwyer has totaled 81 points in 345 games.

Depth is such a concern that 32-year-old Chad LaRose joined the training camp roster late in September after missing all of last season.

If things go south in a hurry early on, young forwards like Brock McGinn, Victor Rask, Chris Terry and Phillip Di Giuseppe could find their way onto the roster.

DEFENSE – There is some hope at the blue line in Justin Faulk, Andrej Sekera and Ryan Murphy, while vets Tim Gleason, Ron Hainsey, John-Michael Liles and Jay Harrison fill the ranks.

The 22-year-old Faulk, a U.S. Olympian, has established himself as one of the top young defensemen in the league and should see time on the ice in all situations for Peters.

Sekera should team with Faulk again after donating 11 goals and 44 points — third most in the team — from the back end last season.

Hainsey was solid and played in all 82 games last season, but the focus will be on his defensive partner Murphy. Carolina desperately needs the 21-year-old to take a step forward as the 12th overall pick of the 2011 draft is a puck mover with big upside.

Gleason was signed in the offseason after getting traded to Toronto during the 2013-14 campaign. He’ll battle with Liles and Harrison for time at the third pairing.

Carolina took 18-year-old Haydn Fleury with the seventh overall pick of the 2014 draft but he will most likely return to juniors.

GOALTENDING – Ward is set to be paid like a starting goaltender, but the injury-prone netminder will have to hold off the re-signed Khudobin.

Ward has been limited to just 47 games over the past two seasons and is signed through 2015-16. He went just 10-12-6 with a 3.06 goals against average and .898 save percentage last season while battling lower body injuries.

Khudobin, meanwhile, posted a 19-14-1 mark, 2.30 GAA and .926 save percentage over 36 games last season, but that represented a career high in games played and he also is prone to injury.

As a third option in case of injuries, Carolina signed journeyman Drew MacIntyre.

WHEN ALL IS SAID AND DONE – Things weren’t looking good before Jordan Staal’s injury and his loss makes it even more bleak. While it is odd to say a club that hasn’t been to the playoffs in five seasons has yet to enter a rebuild stage, this is shaping up to be a transition campaign for the Hurricanes. Expect the front office to evaluate what pieces are in place for the future and what parts can be sold off to improve the long-term outlook. Francis is beloved by the franchise, so he has time to work out his plan.

Categorized in: NHL