Carolina Hurricanes 2015-16 Season Primer

Our first look into the Metropolitan division.

Carolina Hurricanes

2014-15 Record: 30-41-11, 71 points (8th Place in Metropolitan Division, 26th overall)
2014-15 Outcome: Missed Playoffs

Total Cap hit: $59,161,665
Total Salary: $58,995,833
Salary Cap Space: $12,238,335
Source: Generel Fanager

In: T.J. Hensick, C (FA-Minors), Eddie Lack, G (T – Van), James Wisniewski, D (T – Ana), Derek Ryan, C (FA-Europe)

Out: Alexander Semin, RW (FA – Mtl), Austin Levi, D (FA-Minors), Greg Nemisz, RW (Retired), Ben Holmstrom, C (FA – NYI), Anton Khudobin, G (T – Ana)

Source: Sports Forecaster

Offseason Changes:

Carolina GM Ron Francis inherited a club in need of a massive overhaul from former boss Jim Rutherford and after a dreadful start, the Hurricanes began to ship out veterans with expiring contracts like Jiri Tlusty, Jay Harrison, Andrej Sekera and Tim Gleason. The return of forward Jordan Staal from injury and the club becoming more familiar with rookie coach Bill Peters led to an over .500 record in the second half.

During the summer, Carolina selected Boston College defenseman Noah Hanifin with the fifth overall selection at the 2015 NHL Draft and made the costly but necessary decision to buyout the final three years of winger Alexander Semin’s contract. Francis also traded backup goalie Anton Khoudobin to Anaheim for defenseman James Wisniewski and acquired goalie Eddie Lack from Vancouver.

Outlook for the 2015-16 Season:

Carolina is an organization in a state of limbo, because owner Peter Karmanos may be looking to sell the club and pricey veterans Eric Staal and Cam Ward are entering the final year of their contracts.

The once-dominant Staal has been declining offensively the last five years, but still led Carolina with 23 goals and 41 assists last season, while Ward rebounded after missing significant time due to injury the last two seasons, playing 51 games and posting his best win total, goals against and save percentage in years.

The Hurricanes did not lock up either veteran over the summer and may be looking for them to take a pay cut or a shorter term extension to remain in Raleigh, but the possibility of dealing the only remaining members of the 2006 Stanley Cup winning club is something that Francis will ponder most of next season.

Peters is heavily reliant on an inconsistent and fragile core group to generate most of the club’s offense.  Jordan Staal scored over 20 goals three times in Pittsburgh playing behind Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin, but scored just six goals playing on the top line after returning from a broken fibula in late December.  Jeff Skinner dropped to 18 goals last season and was mentioned prominently in trade rumors over the summer.

Former top five pick Elias Lindholm showed dramatic improvement in his sophomore season and appears on track to be a big part of the Hurricanes core group going forward, diminutive Nathan Gerbe provides speed and hustle and 22-year-old Swede Victor Rask scored 33 points as a rookie. Andrej Nestrasil(a waiver pickup from Detroit), Riley Nash, Chris Terry and veteran Jay McClement will serve as depth forwards.

Justin Faulk has become one of the best defensemen in the NHL and finished second in team scoring with 49 points. The 23-year-old led the club in ice time averaging over 24 minutes per game and will have to do the same this season. The much-travelled Wisniewski adds a second offensive weapon that will lessen the burden on Faulk and veteran Ron Hainsey is dependable and solid defensively, but the rest of the Hurricanes blueline is a hodgepodge of John-Michael Liles, former 1^st rounder Ryan Murphy, Brian Bellemore and Michal Jordan.

Hanifin and 2014 top pick Haydn Fleury are both signed to their entry-level deals and will get long looks at training camp, but both defensemen may benefit from some development time and not being pressed into service before they turn 20.

Ward and Lack form a solid tandem in goal and will be fighting for playing time in the final year of their contracts. Lack replaced the injured Ryan Miller in Vancouver and got the Canucks into the playoffs and may be considered a less injury-prone and option as a future starter if Ward balks at an extension.

Trending Up:

Elias Lindholm avoided the dreaded sophomore slump and nearly doubled the offensive output of his rookie season. The 20-year-old could be the Hurricanes center of the future if they decide to move or not re-sign Staal. Faulk had a career-high 15 goals in 2015 and his numbers will continue to improve as he enters his prime years.

Trending Down:

Eric Staal is still the best forward the Hurricanes have, but his drop in production coincides with the serious knee injury suffered at the World Championships two years ago. Skinner’s production last season was considerably less than his career-high 33 goals in 2014 and questions of durability linger due to a history of concussion issues.

Trade Deadline Outlook:

The Hurricanes have over $12 Million in available cap space, but are unlikely to spend significantly more or add players even if they are in content due to budgetary constraints. Carolina may be going in the direction of a full rebuild and will have to move Staal and Ward for young assets before the trade deadline if they cannot re-sign them, as well as free agents Gerbe, Lack and Liles.

Playoff Chances: Low

Prediction: 8^th in Metro

Written by Michael Augello, who can be found on twitter @MikeInBuffalo

Hurricanes: Outlook | Lines and Roster | Top Prospects | Draft History | Stats | Schedule

Potential line combinations, defensive pairings, and goalies.

Eric Staal – Jordan Staal – Jeff Skinner
Nathan Gerbe – Victor Rask – Elias Lindholm
Andrej Nestrasil – Riley Nash – Chris Terry
Zach Boychuk – Jay McClement – Brad Malone
Brock McGinn

Ron Hainsey – Justin Faulk
Noah Hanifin – James Wisniewski
John-Michael Liles – Ryan Murphy
Michal Jordan

Cam Ward
Eddie Lack
 

Source: Sports Forecaster

Hurricanes: Outlook | Lines and Roster | Top Prospects | Draft History | Stats | Schedule

Some top Hurricanes prospect lists heading into the season.

* Different sites have different guidelines for who is a ‘prospect.’ Dobber Prospects bases their rankings on future fantasy value.

1. Noah Hanifin: Defense – 6’2” / 205 lbs – For most of the year, Hanifin was the consensus third ranked player for the 2015 draft class behind only Connor McDavid and Jack Eichel, so Carolina must have been elated to have him fall to the at fifth overall. While Hanifin didn’t exactly produce jaw dropping numbers in his draft year scoring 23 points in 37 games with Boston College, scouts are not concerned about his offensive abilities citing his teams overall lack of offensive fire power as the reason why. Hanafin has plenty of potential and projects to be a top pairing two-way defenceman in the NHL.

2. Haydn Fleury: Defence – 6’3” / 198 lbs – Fleury had a disappointing year, seeing his point totals plummet from 46 points in his draft year to 28 this year, and two points in a short five game playoff before being eliminated. Upon conclusion of his season in Red Deer, Fleury made his pro debut with Charlotte in the AHL and scored his first AHL goal in his first AHL game.

3. Brock McGinn: Left Wing – 6’0” / 186 lbs – Since being drafted, McGinn had a breakout season in junior with Guelph seeing his point totals jump to 54 and to 85 in his final two seasons and was a key member in their Memorial Cup run. Last year he played a full season in the AHL and as a rookie he scored 27 points in 73 games. His AHL numbers were not impressive enough to earn him a NHL spot, so unless he has an amazing leap forward in training camp, expect the Hurricanes to allow him to continue to develop for another year in Charlotte.

4. Sergey Tolchinsky: Left Wing – 5’8″ / 169 lbs – Tolchinsky was a training camp invitee and his offensive skills were so impressive that the Hurricanes signed him to a contract. His offensive numbers are impressive, scoring 91 and 95 points in his last two seasons with the Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds in the OHL and adding 14 points in 14 playoff games this season. He has also impressed on the international stage, scoring four goals and an assist in seven games with Russia at the World Juniors. His one-on-one moves against the goalie are youtube highlight reel material. He can score with frequency at the highest levels in junior and in training camp, but expect his offensive contributions to be put to the test in the AHL for the upcoming season to see if his scoring skills will translate into the pro ranks

5. Trevor Carrick: Defence – 6’2” / 175 lbs – Carrick is one of the players Carolina is hoping they can develop who was drafted in a later round. The hard hitting and physical defender made his pro debut playing in 76 games with Charlotte and played well, contributing 32 points and racking up 94 penalty minutes. His skating, and defensive game will need to improve as his plus minus was a minus -19 before he will patrol the Hurricanes blueline. Still only 20 years old, and if he continues to develop at his current pace, he will evolve into a serviceable top four NHL blueliner.

Expanded Top 10 Hurricanes prospects with videos and stats can be read here. 

Hurricanes: Outlook | Lines and Roster | Top Prospects | Draft History | Stats | Schedule

A look at the Carolina Hurricanes drafting from 2010 to 2015.

Hurricanes: Outlook | Lines and Roster | Top Prospects | Draft History | Stats | Schedule

Carolina Hurricanes 2014-15 player stats.

Hurricanes: Outlook | Lines and Roster | Top Prospects | Draft History | Stats | Schedule

A look at the Carolina Hurricanes 2015-16 schedule.

Hurricanes: Outlook | Lines and Roster | Top Prospects | Draft History | Stats | Schedule