Noah Hanifin Should Not Start The Season In Carolina

If you are Noah Hanifin you want to play in the NHL, and you will. But, maybe not right away. The Carolina Hurricanes are thinking that Hanifin should hang out somewhere else to start the season. I believe that all players entering the NHL should have to play a little AHL hockey first. Sometimes being around the Hurricanes and watching how to be an NHL player can work out better than tossing the kid in the mix right out of training camp. There is something to be said about building the talent behind the prying eyes of fans and media.

Playing defense in the NHL is an art, and it’s not often that a kid can step onto the ice and play at a level that would make his team feel good about him being there. It has been done before, all you need to

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do is look at the Panthers and

Aaron Ekblad

. But for every Ekblad there are ten players who needed more time. Rushing Hanifin just because he was drafted filth over-all is not a good reason. There is also the fact that the Hurricanes are by most accounts going to stink. Burning up Noah Hanifin’s entry-level contract now is just bad business.

Keeping Hanifin safe should be major concern. Not so much from a size point of view, but things are not exactly going outstandingly well in Carolina. The Hurricanes could easily become part of the relocation debate if things don’t start turning around. Watching losing hockey in a non-traditional hockey market is not going to sit well long. Putting Noah Hanifin into the media frenzy of a bad team and possibly uncertain future is not worth it.

"We don’t want to force him in there if he’s not ready,” GM Ron Francis said. “We’ll give him time to develop. I’m certainly not ruling it out, but we want to be careful and make sure we do what’s right for Noah. Pro Hockey Talk"

At 6’3″ and 207 pounds Noah Hanifin could turn into a monster on the blueline, but he is not ready for the pounding that will come with being a rookie in the NHL. The Hurricanes roster doesn’t provide him anywhere to hide and he would quickly be leaned on in all times of the game; a load that shouldn’t be put on a rookie. It’s an issue that most NHL teams have, but most NHL teams do not have Noah Hanifin on their roster, and if developed the right way Hanifin could become a ten-year player for the Hurricanes.

For once I’m going to say something positive about the Hurricanes. If they do in fact pump the breaks and Noah Hanifin’s NHL career they could finally be building the right kind of foundation.

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