Photo Courtesy of Jenn G via Flickr
After a disappointing exit in the second round of the playoffs last year, the Carolina Hurricanes are back and arguably better than last year.
In this season the Canes have appeared in 7 out of 8 super sixteen rankings from the National Hockey Association. They first came in at number 13 seven weeks ago, dropped to number 15 the week after and from there have shifted up and down, from seventh to two and back to seven respectively.
Many critics last year labeled the Canes as a title-or-bust team. After many years of rebuilding, Carolina was a favorite to win the Stanley Cup for only the second time in the history of the franchise.
Instead, the Canes lost in the second round to the New York Rangers, crushing fans’ hopes of bringing a title back to Raleighwood.
It left fans asking a lot of questions. Were they too quick to expect a championship from the Canes? Is the team still in a rebuilding stage? Or did the loss early in the playoffs mark the beginning of the end and many years of losing ahead?
Six months later, it appears we have some answers.
Despite a recent dry spell, the Hurricanes sit third in the Metropolitan Division.
When other teams lose multiple great players the franchise usually undergoes a rebuilding period before they are even considered playoff contenders, but it seems that the Canes are breaking that tradition. During the offseason the Canes lost four valuable players; Brady Skjei, Brett Pesce, Stefan Noeson and Teuvo Teravainen. In the 2023-2024 regular season three of those players were in the top 10 goal scorers for the team.
But in place of those players they gained William Carrier, Shayne Gostisbehere, Sean Walker and Eric Robinson, who have already proven their value by being some of the statistical leaders of the season so far. Additionally, their value could be seen in the fact that the Canes aren’t having a rebuilding season. So far they are performing just as well, if not better than the past few years.
So the real question isn’t are the Hurricanes good this year, but why aren’t you cheering them on?
