With their young forwards developing into stars, plus the key moves made at the deadline, the Carolina Hurricanes aren’t too far away from being a legitimate Stanley Cup contender. But there are still two holes in the lineup they'll need to address in the offseason to put themselves in a position for a Cup run next season.
First: One more top-six forward. Carolina’s defense is very well-off, especially after adding Brady Skjei, but they need consistent secondary scoring (I apologize if you’re tired of hearing me say that). Adding Vincent Trocheck was great and Martin Necas is likely to continue to improve next season but they're still lacking one true top-six forward on the left side. Nino Niederreiter looked like he could’ve been the missing piece last year but that’s doubtful after his performance this season. Ryan Dzingel started well this year but cooled off and ideally, he’s a third-line forward as well. Warren Foegele had a very solid season but using him as a top-six forward permanently, at least this early, would be a step he’s not ready for.
The Hurricanes are doing fine in terms of cap space right now and could afford to add someone in either a trade or free agency. Jake Gardiner is now expendable and while his trade value won’t be significant, he could likely bring back some picks that the Hurricanes could use as part of a package for a forward. Even after diluting their prospect pool with deadline moves, the Hurricanes should be looking to see what it'll take to add someone that can help right now. The other option is to go the free agency route, however there aren’t a ton of options up front this summer not named Hall, Hoffman or Dadonov. Either way, they’ll need to add someone who could play with Trocheck and Necas and is able to drive some offense on their own.
The second area is pretty obvious: a starting goalie. In a poll that I did a few weeks ago, I asked whether fans had confidence in Petr Mrazek as Carolina’s starter going forward, to which 65 per cent of voters said they did not. Simply put, Mrazek had the chance to take the starter’s job and run with it and he failed. Now, the Hurricanes can’t keep waiting on him.
Basically anyone who needs a goalie will be working on trying to sign Robin Lehner, should he hit free agency. I had said he should’ve been a target at the trade deadline but after that opportunity passed the Hurricanes by, Don Waddell should make a real run at bringing him to Carolina. If it’s not Lehner, I don’t know what the solution is, as obviously there aren't many teams who have an abundance of quality goaltenders. Whatever it takes though, the Hurricanes need a true starting goalie to establish consistency in net.
With young stars leading the way up front and a very capable group of defensemen, Carolina has the foundation necessary to be a good team for a long time. If the Hurricanes are able to add a second-line winger and a starting goalie, they have a great chance at contending for a Cup in the coming seasons.
Here’s today’s poll question (results and discussion will be posted on Saturday):
With the addition of another top-six forward and a starting goalie, are the Hurricanes a legitimate Cup contender?
Carolina Hurricanes Blogger • 
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