The Carolina Hurricanes begin their season tonight against the Detroit Red Wings and with a favourable division realignment, the Hurricanes have a good shot at a very successful year.
One key storyline for the Hurricanes will be their goaltending. After failing to make an upgrade in net, Petr Mrazek and James Reimer will be counted on once again. If either of them can provide the team with quality goaltending, the Hurricanes are a contender this season. If not, Carolina may have trouble going deep in the playoffs.
The Hurricanes will also rely on their top line to provide the bulk of their offense, once again. Sebastian Aho, Andrei Svechnikov and Teuvo Teravainen have been dominant together and they’ll need to keep it going. Within the forward group, we can also watch to see if anyone is able to take advantage of an opportunity and find success on the second line. The team has yet to find a second line that truly works and if certain players can step up, it would go a long way for the Hurricanes.
On an individual player basis, Jake Gardiner will be looking for a bounce-back season. He was better at the end of the season but we can’t forget that he struggled through a good chunk of the year. While the defense group as a whole is strong, Gardiner could be a wildcard.
Lastly, something else to focus on will be which prospects can fight their way into the lineup. Both Jake Bean and Morgan Geekie will start the season on the taxi squad but can either win a spit in the lineup this year? Geekie had a solid stretch with the Hurricanes, while Bean has been excellent in the AHL.
The Hurricanes have built a solid roster and we’ll see whether they can elevate their game and make a deep playoff run this year.
Puck drop is at 7:30 p.m. For a comparison on the Hurricanes and Red Wings rosters, you can find that here.
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Here’s today’s poll question (results and discussion will be posted in a future article):
Where do you think the Hurricanes will finish within the Central Division this season?
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