ICYMI: The rest of the State of the Canes series - Defense / Goaltending
As to be expected from one of the top teams in the NHL, the Carolina Hurricanes boast a deep and talented forward group composed of young, offensively talented stars and stalwart veterans
While goal scoring hasn't always been the most prevalent - the Canes finished 15th in the NHL in goals scored for the regular season - the Hurricanes are hands down one of, if not the, best team in the league in terms of possession and overall offensive generation.
With their main core all returning, the Hurricanes are hoping the players they have are the right mix to go all the way.
Additions and Subtractions
Carolina retained the entirety of its top nine from last season while also bringing in additional pieces as well.
Captain Jordan Staal was brought back on a significantly cheaper, four-year deal, Jesper Fast took a discount to return for two years, and while the deal won't kick in till next year, Sebastian Aho signed on for another eight years.
"This is where I want to play" - Sebastian Aho
Then in free agency, the Hurricanes signed former Toronto Maple Leaf Michael Bunting to a three-year contract and disturber Brendan Lemieux to a one-year deal.
On the other hand, the Hurricanes only lost Derek Stepan, Paul Stastny, Mackenzie MacEachern, Max Pacioretty, Ondrej Kase and Jesse Puljujarvi, all players who were either fourth-liners or injured the entire year.
So, the Canes are heading into the 2023-24 season in very good shape overall.
Contract Years
Everyone knows the contract year bump is always an extra motivator for players. The Canes currently have seven forwards heading into the final years of their contracts.
Martin Necas (two-year, $3 million AAV) Seth Jarvis (ELC) and Jack Drury (ELC) will all be RFAs, but Teuvo Teravainen, Stefan Noesen, Jordan Martinook and Brendan Lemiuex will be UFAs after this season.
Necas and Jarvis, while being big parts of Carolina's top-six, will at least still be under team control following this season, so the worry isn't too great for re-signing them, despite both seemingly poised for big years.
In terms of UFAs, both Martinook and Noesen had career years last season, so the team will be looking for them to at least stay consistent, but as both are mainly support pieces, any scoring they bring is usually a bonus.
However, the big question mark will be how Teravainen performs. Teravainen had by far the worst season of his career both from a production and injury standpoint.
Appearing in 68 games, the Finnish forward had just 12 goals and 37 points, his lowest totals since the 2015-16 when he was with the Chicago Blackhawks.
And then just two games into the postseason, he had his hand broken.
In his exit interviews, Teravainen stated, "I feel like nothing really went my way this year."
Teravainen wasn't satisfied with the season he had, so it can be expected that he'll come into camp looking to turn around the narrative surrounding himself, especially since it's a contract year.
If Carolina can get Teravainen going again, it will be a huge boost to their overall offense.
Systems
Systematically, the Hurricanes operate almost entirely off of the forecheck. Their motive is to get the puck in deep and then go to work, cycling back to the point and creating chaos in front of the net.
However, there is the question of the efficacy of this system. For one, the Canes pile on shots, but without a true sniper, a lot of the offense they generate is low-danger and relies on bounces.
While the rest of the league is moving more and more to rush-based offenses, which is heavily favored in scoring results, Carolina lags behind the curve a bit, especially in transition as the Canes generally dump pucks in rather than carry them across the blue line.
The system acts as a great equalizer, bringing the overall team performance up to a high level, but it also seemingly plateaus the team's best offensive talents. Carolina has the most talented forward pool it's ever had, so perhaps it's time to unshackle it.
The Hurricanes' forechecking system has a strong synergy with their defensive impacts, so that side of the game may take a step back, but with the talent Carolina has on hand, it could also be time to let the players be a bit freer.
Potential Winger Combinations
Here are a few of my ideas for some of the potential line combinations we may see this season. There are a lot more possible combinations than the ones I have written down, but these are just some fun ones I thought of.
Sebastian Aho
SAT
Andrei Svechnikov - Sebastian Aho - Teuvo Teravainen
A fan-favorite blend of high-end skill, the SAT line was one of Carolina's most potent back in the day, but it hasn't been seen as often as of late.
Bump and Grind
Michael Bunting - Sebastian Aho - Seth Jarvis
Would there be a top line in the league more annoying than this one? A bunch of pests that will forecheck the hell out of you AND score a ton.
Three Finns*
Teuvo Teravainen - Sebastian Aho - Seth Jarvis
The most common top line last season, if Teravainen can bounce back and Jarvis starts putting it all together, watch out.
*Jarvis is an honorary Finn
Rod Blend'Amour
Jordan Martinook - Sebastian Aho - Seth Jarvis
When the going gets tough, Jordan Martinook becomes a top liner. You just know it's going to happen eventually and Martinook will score two goals in that game too.
Jesperi Kotkaniemi
Euro-Power
Andrei Svechnikov - Jesperi Kotkaniemi - Martin Necas
This line was so good last season before Svechnikov's injury. They work so well off of each other and the talent level is through the roof.
Premium Passing AKA The 80s Line
Teuvo Teravainen - Jesperi Kotkaniemi - Martin Necas
This is the line that dismantled the Washington Capitals in front of nearly 57,000 fans at Carter-Finley Stadium back in February.
Young Guns
Andrei Svechnikov - Jesperi Kotkaniemi - Seth Jarvis
Just slap a couple of 23-and-under guys together and tell them to go out there and just have some fun. They'll also bury a couple of guys in the corner, but that's just part of the fun.
Jordan Staal
Ol' Reliable
Jordan Martinook - Jordan Staal - Jesper Fast
When the going gets tough, the Jordan Staal line gets stapled to the other team's best player and, 9 times out of 10, they shut it down. They also, surprisingly, scored a lot last season too.
This was definitely a line in the postseason
Jack Drury - Jordan Staal - Martin Necas
And it kind of worked?
Jack Drury
Protect the Kid
Stefan Noesen - Jack Drury - Brendan Lemieux
Two guys who like to get gritty and then Drury. Maybe this will help prevent every other team from trying to run the poor kid.
Why are you on the fourth line?
Teuvo Teravainen - Jack Drury - Stefan Noesen
With the Hurricanes having a plethora of wingers, someone is going to be playing on a line they are a bit too good for and it may be Teravainen to start just because of how last year went.
Believe it or not, the Hurricanes actually have a bit of a lack of center depth at the moment. Lots of wingers, but not as many centers. Losing both Derek Stepan and Paul Stastny leaves them a bit barren and the only real option for a 4C currently is Jack Drury.
That is unless...
Martin Necas
Will it happen?
Andrei Svechnikov - Martin Necas - Teuvo Teravainen
Necas has talked before about how he wants to play center at the NHL level and after his breakout season coupled with the current lineup's shortcomings, there may not be a better time to give him a shot.
He has the talent to be successful with good hands, growing faceoff skills, speed and a puck-dominant playstyle, and with the Canes' plethora of talented wingers, they can surround him with equal levels of talent.
Maybe it won't work, but maybe it will. Only one way to find out.
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