With Nashville’s bounce back 5-1 win on Saturday night, the 2016-17 NHL season suddenly has a bit more life. But whether it lasts two more games or the maximum four more, the current season is finally within a maximum of 10 days of being over. And right behind that is a unique off-season that includes the expansion draft on top of the usual draft and start of free agency.

Canes and Coffee started in earnest covering the process of building the opening day roster for the 2017-18 this week. Hurricanes’ general manager Ron Francis started the process in earnest when dealt for and signed goalie Scott Darling. Thing will intensify both in the NHL world and at Canes and Coffee over the next couple weeks.

While we wait for the fireworks, we have pulled together an eclectic mix of Hurricanes hockey reading to bide time and mostly save the roster building stuff for closer to when most of it will likely happen.

Carolina Hurricanes history

Harkening back to yesteryear playoff stories of Hurricanes’ past ‘Down Goes Brown’ includes the Hurricanes 2002 playoff run in a list of the “13 best Cinderella stories of all time.”

Brian LeBlanc at Canes Country offers an interesting article that looks at both sides of whether Peter Laviolotte was dismissed too early.  

In an interesting article that maybe looks forward to where the Hurricanes’ increasing depth will take them, Kyle Morton at Canes Country offers an interesting take on the evolution of the fourth line in today’s NHL.

Great LOCAL hockey story

In a great story about LOCAL HOCKEY, Anne Gomes from the U.S. Army website wrote a great article on Staff Sgt. Gary Smith’s play on the Carolina Hurricanes Sled Hockey team as part of Fort Bragg’s Warrior Transition Unit.

Teasers for the busy part of the NHL off-season coming up soon

As a teaser to what awaits, Matt Larkin provides a list of the top 30 free agents who will take to the market on July 1. Since the article is from May 4, (before Darling signed with the Hurricanes) read where Scott Darling ranked before the Hurricanes traded for and signed him.

And looking forward to the first order of business in the off-season once the playoffs conclude, Andrew Schnittker from the Technician shares his insight on the expansion draft.

And here at Canes and Coffee, we are already on Part 3 of an extended series that tracks the process of building the 2017-18 opening day Carolina Hurricanes roster (and includes links to parts 1 and 2.)

Go Canes!