In recent years, the Carolina Hurricanes have found themselves trying to dig out of a hole by early December. Ironically, for the 2015-16 season, the same things that dug the hole almost helped the Hurricanes climb back out of it in the middle part of the season.
The first prerequisite to surprising the hockey world and pushing up into playoff contention is a much better start. To accomplish this, the team will need to right some wrongs from 2015-16 and avoid other pitfalls.
Stars are faster out of the gate
At least in a Hurricanes uniform thus far, Jordan Staal has been a slow starter not even counting the 2014-15 season in which he missed the first half due to a broken leg. The 2015-16 season was no exception. Jordan Staal was not horrible out of the gate, but by no means was he a difference-maker in a positive way early in the season. When the Hurricanes finally rose up in December it was upon Jordan Staal’s back. His line was the team’s best during its stretch of playoff winning-pace hockey from December through February. The Carolina Hurricanes desperately need Jordan Staal to find that gear early and provide a bunch of steady and solid minutes early in the season while the new combinations and even new NHL players are acclimating and getting up to speed.
Like Jordan Staal, Justin Faulk has a history of starting slow and then getting better. The 2015-16 season, especially early on, was an interesting one for Faulk. On the one hand, he scored power play goals at a torrid pace beyond anything that Canes fans could have imagined. But at the same time, he was mediocre at best defensively especially early in the season. While there are suddenly other players who are capable of being the Hurricanes best defenseman very soon, I think Justin Faulk needs to be the leader and the best defenseman in the lineup at least for the 2016-17 season for the team to be successful.
The right combinations are found more quickly
Yesterday, I wrote in some detail about some of the player combinations that Canes fans can expect to see early in training camp. Lost in the shuffle (pun intended) of the Hurricanes slow start but subsequent recovery in 2015-16 was Bill Peters inability to find working combinations in the first third of the season despite trying everything under the sun to do so. When he finally figured out the puzzle, it was incredibly good, but in the NHL results are scored not based on what is achieved only once you figure it out but also a tally of what you were able to scrape together when things were not clicking. For the Hurricanes to avoid an early deficit, Bill Peters must be significantly better in terms of finding combinations that work more quickly and also coaxing more production in terms of wins even out the stretches where things are not working well.
Better start in net
The Hurricanes 2015-16 season was a tale of 2 extremes in terms of netminding. Early in the season Cam Ward struggled and Eddie Lack had a really rough landing trying to transition from the Canucks to the Hurricanes. The result was goaltending that was frequently less than what the opponent received which creates and uphill battle to win points on a regular basis. I would not say that Lack ever really found a groove, but he has better as the season wore on. Cam Ward actually played his best hockey in a few years during the Canes surge in December through February. But about half of a season of reasonably good goaltending will not be enough especially if part of it is a slow start. The Hurricanes must get at least league average goaltending to make the 2016-17 season successful, and it must start early in the season.
What else do you think it takes for the Hurricanes to get off to a better start in 2016-17?
Go Canes!
I personally feel that the captain and alternates have the responsibility to get the team together and build the cohesion of the team. The should be the first ones into town(barring something like the World Cup) and be driving the scrimmages as the team starts to solidify at the start of the season. Leaders lead the way, not come in at the last second and see how everything in going and hangout and expect credit to be given to them for success and have an excuse if the team starts slow and is seen as a failure.
As a leader of successful groups that have received accolades for our performance, I have a little understanding on what it takes for a group to be successful. First, everyone in the group has to feel like they part of the group. Second, Everyone has to feel that the leaders are listening and care about the each individual(the group needs to feel like family, or at least very close old friends). I don’t know about everyone else, but I think if a group of established leaders that are inviting everyone in a group to a nice meal and drinks to start off informal group activities. These guys make more money than I will ever be able to dream off, they can afford to spend a little cash on the prospects and fringe NHL players. I understand that may break a rule or something somewhere at sometime, but there always ways around the official rules.
Lead, follow, or get the hell out of the way!
Just my opinion,
RonG
While I personally wouldn’t use Patton as a role model for the Hurricanes to follow, I do agree that Staal, Faulk and Skinner really have an opportunity to step up and lead this young group of Canes forward and will be instrumental in the success or failure of the team early on.
That said the real question for success, as it always has been, begins in goal. I do expect the goalies to be better this year. Not top 10, mind you, but better than last year. Lack has a year in the system, and hopefully Cam’s non-hockey distractions will subside, and he gets his glove on all those soft shots that seem to constantly trickle under it. I agree wholly, getting league average goaltending is the key to both our start, and our season on the whole.
If the Canes are as talented as the start of last year (not a high standard to meet), then… based on the quality of the competition
they will face in the first five games, I believe they might surprise us!
That said, if the goalies really look better than last year (I’m not too confident) this team could surprise folks.
Our forward talent is uncertain, but seems to have a lot of promise/ potential…?!!