2009-10 NHL Season Preview: Carolina Hurricanes

by James Mirtle on Sep 18, 2009 7:01 AM CDT Comment 10 comments

More photos » by Bill Kostroun - AP

Who's in: Andrew Alberts, Tom Kostopoulos, Aaron Ward, Stephane Yelle
Who's out: Ryan Bayda, Patrick Eaves, Frank Kaberle, Dennis Seidenberg

Outlook: Carolina's off-season proved to be one of the more quietly effective ones in the league.

With useful forwards in Erik Cole and Chad LaRose both headed for unrestricted free agency, GM Jim Rutherford managed to get both to return to the fold on reasonable two-year contracts soon after July 1. The losses, meanwhile, were mainly limited to the blueline, where minute muncher Dennis Seidenberg left via free agency (only to be replaced by Aaron Ward in a late-July trade) and Frantisek Kaberle was bought out.

Restricted free agent Anton Babchuk, meanwhile, is likely headed elsewhere after a breakout 16-goal performance, and Andrew Alberts was signed on a cheap two-year deal to fill some of his minutes.

The Hurricanes proved to be a fairly stingy team defensively last season, and where coach Paul Maurice will attempt to find more is on offence. Only Ray Whitney and Eric Staal hit the 55-point mark, and more will be expected from Tuomo Ruutu, Matt Cullen and Jussi Jokinen given there are no up-and-coming scoring prospects projected to make an impact.

The biggest rise, however, could come as a result of a full, dominant season by Cam Ward, who at 25 may just now be coming into his own. His .916 save percentage last year was by far a career high and could be indicative of either a blip of stardom or a sign of things to come.

Given he should see at least 70 starts, as Ward goes, so will the ‘Canes.

X-factor: Rod Brind'Amour

For a more in-depth Hurricanes preview, visit 'Canes Country
For more NHL analysis, check out the McKeen's Hockey Yearbook

Poll

Where will the 'Canes finish in the Eastern Conference this season?

1

9 votes

2

7 votes

3

27 votes

4

37 votes

5

58 votes

6

32 votes

7

30 votes

8

18 votes

9

11 votes

10

11 votes

11

1 votes

12

1 votes

13

0 votes

14

0 votes

15

7 votes

249 votes | Poll has closed

0 recs | Comment 10 comments | Add comment | Share

Story-email Email Printer Print

Comments

There is just no offense on this team other than Staal. Whitney was a freak of nature last season and while I’d love him to continue, he’s bound to regress. Eric Cole? Cullen? Ruutu? These are third-line guys on many teams.

Ward is an excellent goalie, but I can see this team completely collapse this year. Their only saving grace is that they get to play Atlanta, Tampa, and Florida so many times.

by RCheli on Sep 18, 2009 11:18 AM CDT reply actions 0 recs

Ruutu and Cullen would be third-liners?

Which teams, precisely, have 25-goal scorers who lead their team in hits or near point-per-game guys when they’re healthy on their third line?

Remember when the Panthers had a good offensive line? Yeah, me too.
--Darin Gantt

by MichaelProcton on Sep 19, 2009 3:38 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

Judging by his play in last year’s first round of the WHL playoffs, Zac Boychuk is pretty close to being that scoring prospect that steps in and helps this team out.

Hockey blogging can't get any flatter.

by saskhab on Sep 18, 2009 11:25 AM CDT reply actions 0 recs

Whitney was a freak of nature last season?….Lets see 08-09 82 games 77 pts, 07-08 66 games 61 pts, 06-07 81 games 83 pts, 05-06 63 games 55 pts.

by TylerA7707 on Sep 18, 2009 11:25 AM CDT reply actions 0 recs

At his age, keeping up his point production is freakish, yes. Where everyone else at 36 is either retiring or showing a significant decline, he had the second best point producing season of his career. (Other than Brind’amour, of course, who also had a great year-36 season.)

I think that qualifies as freak of nature.

by RCheli on Sep 18, 2009 12:08 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

team will be strong, there is definately enough scoring on this team. enough to be scary in theory even though maybe not on paper.

by chrisj on Sep 18, 2009 1:16 PM CDT reply actions 0 recs

The thing that gets me...

How is this team so much better than say, Buffalo?

They’re not.

by Afino on Sep 18, 2009 5:50 PM CDT reply actions 0 recs

Hey, a large part of being good is carefully selecting your opponents. You think it was an accident that Robert E. Lee suddenly wasn’t so good once Grant showed up? Carolina is in a division with McClellan, Burnside, and Fightin’ Joe Hooker.

by J. Michael Neal on Sep 18, 2009 7:38 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs