Carolina Hurricanes: 2018-19 NHL Season Preview, Predictions
Strengths
Skillful Youth
Most of the Carolina Hurricanes best players are young. Even before factoring in Necas and Svechnikov, Teravainen and Aho were arguably their two best forwards from last season. Staal is a bit underrated, as he’s just outside that tier of great centers. But he’s still a pretty good one.
Svechknikov and Necas should give them a huge boost. The former has been a top-tier goal scorer, posting eye-popping numbers at every level he’s played at. Necas didn’t look out of place playing against grown men in the Czech league. It feels like they should be older, but Hamilton just turned 25 and Slavin is still under 25.
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Strong Possession Numbers
The Carolina Hurricanes have struggled to score goals, but they’ve been playing strong possession hockey over the past few years. Last season, the Hurricanes ranked in the top five across the board in possession stats. However, this did not lead to goals.
Still, if the Hurricanes dominating possession and their young players can add some much-needed scoring, Carolina could surprise a lot of people next season.
Blueline Depth
There’s a good chance the Carolina Hurricanes will trot out two first pairings next season. Slavin and Hamilton are both top pairing caliber defensemen. Should the Hurricanes choose to keep them apart, de Haan and Pesce are solid complementary pieces.
Faulk can move the puck and put pucks in the net. The Hurricanes are going to lean heavily on their defense this season. This year, it might be good enough to carry them.