The Carolina Hurricanes are perennial Stanley Cup contenders that continuously finish below expectations, which raises questions with no easy answers, says Adam Proteau.
As the Carolina Hurricanes deal with the letdown of losing their second-round Stanley Cup playoff series to the New York Rangers – blowing a 3-1 lead in Game 6 Thursday night in Raleigh – there are numerous questions and areas of concern.
None of those questions have easy answers, and fans of teams across the NHL should take notice.
On the blueline, the Hurricanes are at a crossroads with Brady Skjei and Brett Pesce, both of whom are UFAs this off-season.
Carolina is projected to have more than $28 million in salary cap space, so it’s very likely they’ll bring back one of the two D-men.
But if the defense corps couldn’t prevent the Hurricanes from a full-on meltdown in the third period of Game 6, does it make sense to bring back the entire group on ‘D’? We suspect not. And the speculation is Pesce will be the odd one out, which means NHL teams in the hunt for a right-hand defensive defenseman will be in luck.
Besides, by the time Hurricanes GM Don Waddell pays looming RFAs Martin Necas, Jack Drury and Seth Jarvis – and tries to retain the services of UFA forwards Jake Guentzel and Teuvo Tervainen – that cap space is going to evaporate in a hurry.
Some might wonder if another change Waddell will make will be behind the bench, as coach Rod Brind’Amour also needs a new contract.
We suspect Brind’Amour will be back – if he isn’t, there’ll be a large lineup of teams more than willing to take him off Carolina’s hands – but the organization's management structure will be very similar to what it looks like at present.
While it’s true playoff success hasn’t been there, the Hurricanes remain a lock to make the post-season next year. At this point, the changes in Carolina will likely focus on chemistry and depth. And if the Hurricanes want to go younger, a handful of thirty-somethings – including Evgeny Kuznetsov (31 years old), Jesper Fast (32), Dmitry Orlov (32) and Brent Burns (39) – could be moved on from.
(Yes, we’re aware Burns, Kuznetsov and Fast have one form of a no-trade clause or another. But if the team goes to one of them and explains they’re no longer in the big picture of Carolina’s blueprint for success, they could work with Waddell to find a new home and perhaps a better chance at a Cup.)
Carolina’s goaltending may also once again face scrutiny.
We’re not suggesting the performance of veteran netminder Frederik Andersen was the main reason for the Hurricanes’ downfall. But when they look down at the other end of the ice and see Rangers superstar goalie Igor Shesterkin thwarting shot after shot, there has to be some debate about the future of the Hurricanes’ net.
That said, 34-year-old Andersen has one year left on his contract and had stellar stats after his return from a blood clot issue. Carolina also has Pyotr Kotchetkov signed to a very reasonable $2-million cap hit for the next three seasons. They could easily run both of them back next season, but if they have any doubts about the tandem's consistency when the playoffs arrive, they could keep an eye on the goaltending market next season for a swap or make an aggressive change if an elite option becomes available.
The Hurricanes have failed to win an Eastern Conference final game since they won it all in 2005-06. Given the quality of their lineup, that’s got to be frustrating for Hurricanes fans.
This latest disappointment will resonate all summer and well into next season, but at the very least, there are numerous options for Carolina brass to consider as they reset and make another push for a championship.
No one will fault them for making notable changes, as it’s not satisfactory just to be a regular-season menace. The bar is much higher for them now, and failing to clear that bar once again this spring is reason enough to take out the knives and carve a new path forward.