So the 2010-11 Carolina Hurricanes are a team in transition. Gone are long-time captains Ray Whitney and Rod Brind'Amour. Eric Staal starts his first full season as a captain, and Brandon Sutter becomes a young leader with an A on his jersey. Gone also are a bunch of other veterans including Aaron Ward, Matt Cullen, etc. Enter youngsters like Jeff Skinner, Zac Dalpe, Jamie McBain and a bunch more who will ride the train from Charlotte to Raleigh at some point this season.

So the experts are declaring this a rebuilding year and do not expect much from the Canes. Some players will have to step up to challenges to push this team quickly from rebuilding to retooled. Reference the 2009-10 Colorado Avalanche for anyone who does not believe it is possible.

So I call out 5 challenges for this team to beat the schedule, surprise the experts (again!) and rise up in the Eastern Conference:

1) Eric Staal. He needs to take it upon himself to be flat out great - all the time. He is a "lead by example" type of captain (though he has become more vocal with his new role as captain). 30ish goals, a bunch of ups and downs and a decent season is not going to cut it.

The challenge to Eric Staal is to reach for the level of play of the Ovechkins, Crosbys and Malkins of the conference and not settle for a solid second tier showing.

2) Cam Ward. I cannot help using Ryan Miller as a reference point for Ward given their similar experience levels and coming out party in the 2006 playoffs. Ward arguably has the upper hand in the post-season winning that series, the Conn Smythe and the Stanley Cup that season in addition to another deep run in 2009. (I am not saying Miller not also been good in the post season, but his name is not etched yet.) But I would argue that Ryan Miller has taken greater strides in being the 82-game difference-maker. Again, Ward has been good overall during the regular season, but I think Miller, especially last season, has just been 1 notch better. He had a mediocre Sabres team riding on his back toward the playoffs last season before he was injured.

The challenge for Cam Ward is to put the team on his back and be 1 of the 2-3 best goalies in the Eastern Conference.

3) Jamie McBain. He looked incredible in his short audition last spring. One would logically expect some growing pains and bumps in the road even for a rising young defenseman. But the Canes really only go 2-3 deep in terms of top 4 defensemen.

The challenge for Jamie McBain is to not settle for progression toward being a top 4 defenseman but rather to seize this role right now and never look back.

4) Coach Paul Maurice. His tendency seems to be more defense-first, more based on being positionally sound and a little on the conservative side. But a good coach uses what he has. He does not have a locker room full of veterans whose strength is being perfectly sound. Instead, he has a bunch of young, hungry and reasonably fast kids. The personnel looks more suited for pushing the pace a bit and compensating for some of the mistakes that come with youth and aggressiveness by skating like mad and working hard.

The challenge for Paul Maurice is to flex his system to best use the personnel and skills at his disposal rather than fixating on a certain way regardless of personnel.

5) Joni Pitkanen. Awhile back he was labeled as a potential Norris trophy winner. Along the way, he hit a few bumps in the road and took a few steps backward. But since joining the Carolina Hurricanes, he has progressed solidly and quietly under the radar and out of the spotlight of the bigger hockey markets. He is suddenly 27 years old, a defensive leader on a young team and in his prime.

The challenge for Joni Pitkanen is to take 1 more big step forward and move into the top tier of defensemen rather than settling for being good, maybe the best on his team or whatever else.

What challenges do you lay in front of the other Canes? Are these guys capable of these big steps up from already high levels, or am I asking for too much?

Aside from Cam Ward, I think Jamie McBain could be in a position to be the biggest difference-maker on the team this year. If he looks like a talented kid still finding his way and best suited for a 3rd pairing job, the team looks shallow on defense. If instead he picks up where he left off last season and looks like he is ready now to step into the top 4, the team is suddenly deep on defense and also incredibly skilled at moving the puck with Pitkanen, McBain and Corvo all capable at pushing pace from the back end.

2 days until hockey!

Go Canes!

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