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The Carolina Hurricanes have had no shortage of drama this season, but the Stanley Cup chase is still on. The Hurricanes have been on a roll since the trade deadline, and are 8-2-0 over their past 10 games. If the Washington Capitals hadn't built such a big cushion, the Hurricanes could've been challenging for the top spot in the Metropolitan Division. If Carolina were in the Atlantic, they would be the No. 1 seed with 94 points in one fewer game than the Toronto Maple Leafs.
The Hurricanes thought they had made a playoff-changing move when they acquired Mikko Rantanen earlier in the season. The move was a mistake, as Rantanen had no interest in signing a long-term contract extension. Instead of losing Rantanen for nothing at the end of the year, Carolina flipped him to the Dallas Stars. The Hurricanes acquired Logan Stankoven and two first-round and two third-round draft picks.
The Hurricanes' loss of Martin Necas in the Colorado Avalanche deal could've been disastrous. Most believed it'd be hard to compensate for losing one of their top scorers if they weren't keeping Rantanen. However, adding Taylor Hall to the deal has helped with some lost offensive production.
The interesting part for the Hurricanes is that they are now one of the league's top teams and have some flexibility in the upcoming offseason. The Hurricanes could win the Stanley Cup this season and improve their team substantially with nearly $20 million in cap space this summer.
However, the first order of business is to win the elusive championship. No one would discredit Carolina if they threw in the towel after the Rantanen situation, but their recent play has the fans in Raleigh wondering if it could finally be their year.
Hurricanes look better without Mikko Rantanen
It sounds bizarre to say Logan Stankoven is a better fit for the Hurricanes than Rantanen. However, the results are hard to argue with. Carolina was 6-7-0 in the 13 games Rantanen played with the team, and he had just two goals and four assists. It was nowhere near his production with the Avalanche, as he tried to get over the shock of leaving his longtime home. Canes GM Eric Tulsky and the Hurricanes' front office decided there was no way they could risk Rantanen continuing to struggle and going elsewhere in the offseason.
Hall has been the real star of the trade return. He looks like a new player after getting out of a disastrous situation with the Chicago Blackhawks. He has eight goals and six assists over the 23 games. Ironically, his production has picked up even more since Rantanen left for Dallas, scoring seven goals and four assists since the trade.
It's difficult to underestimate how much of an effect the awkwardness of Rantanen's tenure had on the rest of the team. Winning just six of 13 games wasn't something the front office expected, and the team is playing with a massive weight off their shoulders since he left. Carolina has won eight of 10 games since Stankoven joined and Rantanen departed.
Stankoven seems like a better fit for Rod Brind'Amour's system with the Hurricanes. He has just two goals and three assists over the 10 games, but he is making an impact in other areas, which Rantanen failed to do. Rantanen's game needs a more controlled style with puck possession, which doesn't fit well with Carolina's chaotic nature.
Logan Stankoven and Taylor Hall aren't the only additions
Sometimes, championship teams' best additions aren't the ones they get externally. Frederik Andersen battled injury issues for most of his career, and those ailments popped up again this season. He missed nearly three months with a knee injury but has been a star for the Hurricanes since returning. Carolina believes they can go far with the tandem of Andersen and Pyotr Kochetkov.
Teams never stick to the tandem system in the playoffs, but Andersen brings some much-needed depth. With Andersen out, there wasn't much behind Kochetkov, which could've been problematic in the postseason if he struggled. The team has been going back and forth with their goaltenders, but there's a good chance Andersen gets the nod in the postseason the way he has played lately. The good news now is that if he falters early, a strong option in Kochetkov will be waiting in the wings.
Andersen has a career .914 save percentage and a 2.46 goals-against average in 72 playoff games. The Hurricanes' defense will be tough to crack with Andersen as the last line of defense behind blueliners like Jaccob Slavin. Slavin made a case for being the top defensive defenseman in hockey with his incredible performance for the USA at the 4 Nations Face-Off.
The road to the Stanley Cup is always difficult, but it's slightly less challenging for the Hurricanes this season.
