December Canes Check-In
Some news and thoughts on the team as we trudge through December.
Carolina is 17-9-2 and sits second in the Metropolitan currently, but given the way things have been, they’re also three points away from last in the division. The Metro has been insane this year, and considering the fact that the Hurricanes have played a grand total of one game as a fully healthy team this year, they’re doing just fine. Since we’ve played 28 games, I think it’s time for a check in with the Hurricanes. I’d like to take a look at what they’re doing well, what concerns me, what will sort itself out, and then recap some other news in the organization. If you enjoy, consider becoming a free subscriber! You’ll get all my content, and it won’t cost a dime.
Goaltending
This has been at the forefront of my mind for the whole season here, as Carolina’s goaltending feels like one of the biggest things holding them back this year. Frederik Andersen has lost six straight games and while I don’t necessarily think he’s been unplayable, it’s certainly not trending in a good direction for him. He’s 36 years old and is extremely unreliable health wise, so the Hurricanes have a problem right now. With Pyotr Kochetkov looking iffy in his return to the lineup, Brandon Bussi is your best goalie available at the present moment. And why not see what you have in him? See if you have a 2019 Jordan Binnington on your hands right now. If it works out, it could be huge. If it turns out he’s more of an Andrew Hammond, then it’s also fine. He was a waiver claim, after all. But either way, you cannot continue to bring Andersen out when it’s clear the team doesn’t play well in front of him. The Hurricanes have to lead the league in giving up goals on the first two or three shots, and most of those are due to Andersen.
Bussi has some good underlying data and has looked better with every start, so if Carolina can see what they have in him, I’d be all for that. Ultimately, it feels like Rod Brind’Amour wants Kochetkov to be the guy for a while since he’s the more proven goalie. But until Kochetkov gets healthy, it should be Bussi’s job to lose. Now, do the Hurricanes look to make a move? It’d be tough. Goalie trades don’t happen in the middle of the season very often, and when they do, it’s usually not a goalie that moves the needle very much. Montreal and Edmonton have both been looking for goalies, Toronto could probably use an extra one and there’s a lot of other teams that could use a legitimate goalie. So with that being said, it’s not super likely that Carolina makes a move in net. I don’t think the team would be willing to part with certain assets for a goalie.
Seth Jarvis Rocks
If there’s any player on this team that I can count on to play his ass off every night, it’s Jarvis. He’s currently on pace for 47 goals and 70 points, both of which would be career highs. Jarvis is one of the best two-way wingers in the league, and if he were playing in a bigger market, he’d be getting some Selke buzz this year. Jarvis’ consistency is what really stands out to me with each passing game. He’s never one to have a bad game, even if his line isn’t producing a whole lot of offense. He’s still in on the forecheck, great on the PK and makes a lot of really impressive plays. The rest of the team needs to figure it out offensively, but I like what I’ve seen from Jarvis at this point in the season.
Shayne Gostisbehere also Rocks, Offensively
When Carolina signed Gostisbehere a year and a half ago, the thought was that he’d be a good power play quarterback that could chip in a bit offensively. I don’t think anyone expected him to be in early Norris discussions, but that’s where Gostisbehere has inserted himself this year. He’s on pace for 81 points, a total that would lead the Hurricanes based off of current projections. He has been a factor night in and night out, and the team’s power play is so much better when he’s on it rather than when he’s not. He’s right up there with Seth Jarvis for my first half Canes MVP vote, and even though we have a little ways to go, it wouldn’t shock me if he keeps this sort of production up.
Now, with Gostisbehere, you’re also going to get some defensive gaffes. He’s come a long way in this system and I think that there are nights where he actually looks good defensively. But then there are games like the San Jose game, where his mistakes end up in the back of the net. Those sort of mistakes haven’t been nearly as prevalent this year, but it’s still worth noting as he’s bound to slow down a bit offensively. I’m still very happy with his overall play, and the power play looks better now that he’s healthy again.
The Power Play Still Needs Help
Speaking of the power play, I’m still not sold on it. They did score three power play goals over the weekend, and Rod’s current fix is putting Jordan Staal on PP1. Yes, you read that right. Now, he did score his first power play goal in four years against San Jose, but is that really the thing we need right now? I’d much rather have a big forward with more skill on the power play, but that will obviously require a move. The good news is that the power play has been much more dangerous as of late, even when they’re not scoring. That may seem like a bit of cope, but a good power play can swing the momentum in your favor even if you don’t score.
Like I mentioned in a previous Substack post, Carolina needs to get more creative at moving the puck, get some size in front of the net and start winning faceoffs in the offensive zone. Too often the Hurricanes are chasing the puck back into their zone and having to start a breakout. And, aside from Ehlers, they don’t really have a player capable of consistently creating successful zone entries. That can kill a power play before it even gets started, and we’ve seen that happen numerous times this year. Carolina will lose the opening faceoff, chase back into their zone, struggle to gain entry for 30 seconds and then bring out the next unit.
A power play coach won’t change these things. That has to be the personnel on the power play. And hell, that’s the reason Jordan Staal is getting power play time in the Year of Our Lord 2025. A coach could change the way the Hurricanes move the puck or attack the net on the power play, and that might help, but none of that matters if you don’t have possession.
Ehlers Will Be Fine
I’ve been a huge fan of Nikolaj Ehlers’ game this year, and I can tell that he’s just starting to adjust to the way this team plays. Ehlers has found his way onto the scoresheet more often as of late, and I still believe that there’s another level to his game. We’ve yet to see him score a ton this year, with just six goals to start the year. That’s an 18 goal pace, and while he’s on pace for 56 points, it feels a little low. While we’re not quite in Brock McGinn or Jack Drury territory yet, Ehlers has been quite unlucky to start the year. He’s hitting a ton of posts and still generating high danger chances, they’re just not going in yet. I’m still not 100% sure the line of his with Blake and Stankoven is the best line moving forward, but it’s an interesting one at the very least. They create a ton of chances, but it all has to rely on individual skill because nobody on that line can create space for their teammates.
Prospect News and Notes
Alexander Siryatsky went down with a major injury that’ll keep him out for a few months. This came right as I finished my shift report on him, which is brutal timing.
2022 fourth round pick Simon Forsmark recently signed a three year extension with Timra in the SHL. Carolina was set to lose his signing rights on June 1, 2026, so now that’s all but confirmed. Forsmark has some interesting traits, but I don’t believe he’s elite in any regard. He’s also roughly the same player he was a year or two ago, and that doesn’t excite me. As things currently stand, Carolina has gotten zero NHL games out of their 2022 draft class.
Roman Bausov returned to game action this past week. This was his first game since being drafted by the Hurricanes, so it’s nice to see him back in the lineup. Carolina isn’t going to be rushing Bausov, but the more games he gets early on the better.
Thanks for reading! It’s a tad outdated since I wrote this before the Columbus game, but I hope you enjoy regardless. I’ll have some more content out soon!