Carolina Hurricanes: Bill Peters shouldn’t be on the hot seat

GLENDALE, AZ - NOVEMBER 04: Head coach Bill Peters of the Carolina Hurricanes getsures during third period action against the Arizona Coyotes at Gila River Arena on November 4, 2017 in Glendale, Arizona. (Photo by Norm Hall/NHLI via Getty Images)
GLENDALE, AZ - NOVEMBER 04: Head coach Bill Peters of the Carolina Hurricanes getsures during third period action against the Arizona Coyotes at Gila River Arena on November 4, 2017 in Glendale, Arizona. (Photo by Norm Hall/NHLI via Getty Images)

The Carolina Hurricanes shouldn’t consider firing head coach Bill Peters. At least not yet. 

The life of an NHL head coach is rough. Coaches have been fired for reasons beyond their control. Heck, Bruce Boudreau basically got fired by the Anaheim Ducks because his goaltenders consistently forgot how to be good in the postseason. The Carolina Hurricanes, though, have proven to be wisely patient with their head coach Bill Peters.

Perhaps it’s because they’re in a rebuilding process. But whatever the reason, the Hurricanes have given Peters a long leash, even though the highest the Hurricanes have placed under him is sixth. Carolina has made a lot of progress under him, going from a borderline tanking team to a surprising postseason contender.

So Why Would Peters Be On The Hot Seat?

In a recent article on Bleacher Report, Lyle Richardson lists Peters as a coach who should be on the hot seat.

"In his first three seasons, [Peters] avoided criticism because of the club’s rebuilding process. After Carolina brought in goaltender Scott Darling, right wing Justin Williams and center Marcus Kruger this offseason, the Hurricanes appeared to be poised for playoff contention."

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The first part is true. After all, a rebuilding team should care a lot more about development and the process of growing than winning. Though Peters’ Hurricanes have still finished with a point percentage of over .500 in their last two seasons.

However, the second part is a little dicey. Sure, Carolina was listed by many as a dark  horse to make the postseason. But even then, those who listed them as such were understandably concerned that the Hurricanes might not have what it takes to emerge from the Metropolitan Division.

ESPN’s Greg Wyshynski agrees that Peters could be on the hot seat, though he has a bit more sympathy for him.

"My concern isn’t that Peters lacks coaching prowess, because I think he’s a darn fine coach. My concern is that he misses the playoffs for a fourth straight season (and ninth straight overall), this time with improved goaltending but a sputtering offense; and that the Hurricanes fire a coach who’s only signed through 2019 because of it."

The second part is especially true. Coaches tend not to get four consecutive postseason-less seasons with a team. Front offices tend to find it much easier to change the coach than change the roster. Whether that’s fair or not, that’s life for an NHL coach.

However, the Hurricanes have been very patient with Peters. And they should continue to be, even if Carolina misses the playoffs again with him behind the bench.

Lacking Talent

Carolina has made a lot of progress under him, going from a borderline tanking team to a surprising postseason contender

The primary reason why the Hurricanes should keep Peters is, as Wyshynski noted, he’s a darn good coach. Carolina has been competitive in a very tough division despite being dealt a lesser hand in terms of talent. The Hurricanes have always been a team that executes well, even if they don’t score. Just look at their penalty kill from last season.

But to truly compete in the Metropolitan Division, you need elite talent. Why? Because the division is full of it. Peters goes against teams that have the likes of Vezina Trophy winners Braden Holtby, Henrik Lundqvist, and Sergei Bobrovsky. Hart Trophy winners like Alex Ovechkin, Sidney Crosby, and Evgeni Malkin, to go along with recent finalist John Tavares. All-Star forwards like Wayne Simmonds, Jakub Voracek, Nicklas Backstrom, Evgeny Kuznetsov, and Taylor Hall.

The closest thing Peters has to a top forward is Jeff Skinner, who is criminally underrated. His best player is probably Justin Faulk, who, go figure, is also underrated. The Hurricanes have guys like Jaccob Slavin, Brett Pesce, Noah Hanifin, Teuvo Teravainen, Jordan Staal, Justin Williams, and Sebastian Aho.

But that’s not nearly enough. So if anyone deserves the blame for the Hurricanes not making the postseason recently, it’s probably general manager Ron Francis. Though, let’s be fair, getting elite talent is extremely tough. And Francis has done a darn good job of building a talented team.

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If Peters gets fired after this season, I wouldn’t be too surprised. But the Hurricanes have given their coach a very long leash. Why shorten it now when the team doesn’t have the resources necessary to consistently compete?

Now, if Francis thinks Peters isn’t the coach to lead the Hurricanes to the promised land, that’s a different story. But they’re not ready to begin that journey quite yet. So why not stick with the guy who’s been preparing them for it?