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The Carolina Hurricanes are closing in on their seventh consecutive playoff appearance. They have made the dance every year under head coach Rod Brind'amour and will likely face the New Jersey Devils in the first round. In this run, they have not reached the Stanley Cup Final or won a game in the Eastern Conference Final. The Hurricanes will not win the Stanley Cup this year because they do not have the elite scorer they need to win in the playoffs.
It is not for a lack of trying, as the Hurricanes made one of the biggest trades of the year. They picked up Mikko Rantanen from the Colorado Avalanche for Martin Necas and Jack Drury. They were negotiating an extension with Rantanen, but they could not reach an agreement before the NHL trade deadline. That forced them to flip Rantanen to the Dallas Stars for Logan Stankoven and two first-round picks.
The net return for these deals gives new Hurricanes general manager Eric Tulsky two first-rounders to wield in the offseason. But that won't help this Carolina team break through in the Eastern Conference playoffs. Rantanen has been the elite scorer they needed in previous years, but was not a great fit in their system. Necas was having an excellent season before getting traded. What will they do now?
The Hurricanes hope that Stankoven can be the elite playoff scorer they need, but he is only 22 years old. Andrei Svechnikov showed the potential of an elite goal-scorer early in his career, but recent numbers have not shown that. With Auston Matthews, Matthew Tkachuk, Nikita Kucherov, Alexander Ovechkin, and more scorers in the conference, Carolina needs their guy.
Who is the most likely to step up for the Carolina Hurricanes this year?
The Hurricanes need elite goal scorers
The most likely player to step up for the Hurricanes during the playoffs is Stankoven. He scored only three goals in 19 games with the Stars last playoffs, but experience is key. He has only five points in ten games since joining Carolina and needs to step up to make the Rantanen deal worth it.
Seth Jarvis is the Hurricanes' 23-year-old center who has stepped up this season. With 29 goals in 66 games, he leads the team in goals as they hit the stretch run. He has already played 40 playoff games and scored 13 goals with 14 assists. Team Canada brought him to the 4 Nations Face-Off because they saw him as a big-game player.
If Jarvis and Stankoven can step up, the offense may be enough to get through the Devils and a tough second round. The Hurricanes are built on a stellar defensive system, manned by the best defensive defenseman in the world. Jaccob Slavin made a name for himself in the 4 Nations Face-Off with Team USA, but has been dominant for the Canes for years.
The goaltending is the other question on the Hurricanes. Pyotr Kochetkov has been the primary starter this year and has a .900 save percentage in 43 starts. In six playoff starts, he has only one win and a dismal .863 save percentage. His growth this year has nixed this from being the fatal flaw, but his playoff history is shaky.
The Hurricanes and Devils are likely going to play in the first round. That is huge for Carolina, as New Jersey will not have Jack Hughes for the series. They also might be missing top defenseman Dougie Hamilton. The Devils were projected to make a playoff run this year with goalie Jacob Markstrom joining the team. But without their top two players, the Hurricanes should be heavy favorites.
