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The Carolina Hurricanes had the opportunity to participate in their first outdoor game as a franchise over the weekend, taking center stage as they took down the Washington Capitals at Carter-Finley Stadium.
The Hurricanes have established themselves as a top threat in the East yet again, currently second in the NHL in points, and certainly deserved the spotlight. It was a big moment and somewhat of a celebration for a franchise who's gone from missing the playoffs nine years in a row, to being legitimate Stanley Cup contenders.
Heading into the All-Star Break, the Hurricanes were riding a seven-game winning streak and 10-game point streak. While they did drop their first game back to the New York Rangers after the break (despite only allowing 19 shots in the loss), they’ve rebounded with three more wins since. As of now, the Hurricanes hold the top spot in the Metropolitan Division, three points up on the New Jersey Devils with a game in hand.
Despite losing Max Pacioretty, Carolina’s offense has actually remained solid. Between their win streak and then the four games after the break, the Hurricanes have scored at least four goals in eight of the last 11 games.
Notably, Sebastian Aho has registered 12 goals and 18 points over his last 16 games. Another key though has been Martin Necas and Andrei Svechnikov bouncing back: Necas has 12 points over the 11 games, while Svechnikov has 12 assists over his last 12 games. The duo had cooled off a bit for a stretch in mid-January, and considering how important they’ve been to the team’s offense, it’s huge for them to be producing.
Another key: Teuvo Teravainen is turning his season around. After getting off to a slow start to the year and dealing with injury trouble, this calendar year, Teravainen has managed 16 points over his last 18 games. Teravainen really is counted on as a key playmaker for Carolina and when he’s not generating offense, the impact is felt. While Seth Jarvis has hit a bit of an offensive slump over the last month, hopefully his first career hat trick against Montreal will be a bit of a spark.
The third line has also continued to produce for Carolina. Jordan Staal alone has four goals and eight points over his last 10 games.
Meanwhile, the Hurricanes have allowed two goals or less in eight of the last 11 games, despite spending almost their entire seven-game winning streak before the break without Jaccob Slavin The rest of the top-four continues to be solid, while Jalen Chatfield has proven to be capable with a larger role in Slavin’s absence.
Another huge key: Carolina’s power play has actually been converting. The Hurricanes have managed to score nine goals on the man advantage over the last 11 games. Given the team’s power play has held them back through stretches of the season, it’s a really positive development.
So right now, it’s hard to point towards any clear issues for the Hurricanes. From late November until now, the Hurricanes have posted a ridiculous 27-4-3 record over their last 34 games, including two different 10-game point streaks.
With all the positives and as well as the Hurricanes are been playing though, the regular season hasn’t been Carolina’s problem. They’ve won their division in each of the last two years, but it hasn’t helped them avoid a premature playoff exit.
So with the trade deadline quickly approaching and Carolina finally looking to get over the hump this year in the postseason, do they have to add at the deadline?
Even though the Hurricanes have been playing well since Pacioretty’s injury, you have to think they’re now looking to improve up front. They’ve been linked to Timo Meier as a potential option, which would be a massive swing.
If they were going to add, they’re probably looking at one of two positions: a high-end, top-six forward, or a bottom-pairing defender. The Hurricanes have three capable goalies as is, their top-four defense group is as solid as any team in the league, and the bottom-six of their forward group is very capable.
But in Pacioretty’s short time in the lineup, he did bring something the Hurricanes lacked, as a scoring forward with size. Carolina has the cap space and assets to make a deal work for almost any trade deadline target, and considering their position right now, this could be the right time to add a high-end forward (ideally one with term).
While Pacioretty was a top winger though, the focus could possibly turn to a top-six center. Since Vincent Trocheck's departure, the Hurricanes really haven't had a legitimate second-line center. Jesperi Koktaniemi has been playing quite a bit better, but if we're looking at one glaring issue with the Hurricanes' lineup, it's a lack of a true 2C.
On the flip side, if they wanted to go smaller, they could look towards possibly adding a bottom-pairing, left-handed defensemen. While five of their blue liners are locks, if the Hurricanes wanted to improve without spending major assets, looking for an upgrade over Calvin de Haan may be a possibility. Again though, if we're looking at the move that could really lift the Hurricanes over the top, that's probably not the one.
The Hurricanes are in a position to compete now, and while you never want to hurt your chances for the future, the organization has set themselves up with enough pieces in place already that they can afford to add for a playoff run. We know Don Waddell typically doesn’t opt for rentals, and when he does, he doesn’t add pieces that come at a big price. So it wouldn’t be shocking to see him make a big play, but add someone who could be around for multiple years.
While making a deadline move may not be an absolute necessity based on Carolina's success with the current lineup, other teams around them will be looking to add. Two teams in the East have already made big additions, with the New York Rangers bringing in Vladimir Tarasenko and the Toronto Maple Leafs adding Ryan O'Reilly. Bringing in some help could be what boosts the Hurricanes over the edge this year.
Carolina is poised to be a threat for a long time, but with the way this team is playing right now and how strong of a contender they seem to be, this seems like the ideal time to push in some chips and make a big move.
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