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Evening Notes: Devils, Svechnikov, Hill

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TSN’s Pierre LeBrun recently shared that New Jersey Devils defenseman Dougie Hamilton could be out through the end of the regular season, after undergoing surgery to repair a pectoral injury. The Devils would gain $9MM in cap space if they moved Hamilton to long-term injured reserve, money that LeBrun says would put the Devils in a position to be aggressive at the Trade Deadline.

The Devils have come back into their own, winning seven of their last 10 games after a more-than-slow start to the year. LeBrun added that the Devils would be in the market for roster pieces, including looking for a new goaltender. New Jersey was rumored to be closely attached to former Vezina Trophy-winner Connor Hellebuyck this off-season but weren’t able to get a deal done before the netminder signed a seven-year extension with the Winnipeg Jets. Hellebuyck’s new deal carries a cap hit of $8.5MM – just under the Devils’ available cap. The deal also carries a no-movement clause for its first three seasons and a modified no-trade clause for the last four.

There’s no doubting the Devils’ need for a goaltender. The team has scored the eighth-most goals in the league through the first half of the year but they’ve allowed the tenth-most goals-against, with both Vitek Vanecek and Akira Schmid boasting save percentages below .900.

More notes from around the league:

Hurricanes' Andrei Svechnikov Could Return Soon

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The Pittsburgh Penguins tweeted today that forwards Rickard Rakell, Noel Acciari, as well as defenseman Chad Ruhwedel will all be game-time decisions when the Pittsburgh Penguins take on the Minnesota Wild this evening. The news was announced by Pittsburgh head coach Mike Sullivan who has been trying to manage a litany of injuries up and down the Penguins lineup.

Pittsburgh has been mired in a cycle of inconsistent and sloppy play that has been a constant throughout the first third of the NHL season. They are currently sitting in seventh place in the Metropolitan division and are five points out of a wild card position.

The Penguins put forward Bryan Rust on IR just a few days ago, which left them with two big holes in their top 6, however, with the potential return of Rakell it seems likely that he will have an opportunity to fill one of those holes. Rakell has been practicing on a line with Sidney Crosby and Jake Guentzel and given his history with the duo it seems likely he return to that spot either tonight or later this week.

Acciari had been centering the Penguins’ fourth line before his injury and seems likely to take up that spot if and when he does return, while Ruhwedel will likely get a look on the Penguins’ third defensive pairing, presumably with youngster John Ludvig who has emerged on the backend for Pittsburgh in recent weeks.

In other Metropolitan Division notes:

  • Kevin Kurz of The Athletic is reporting that Philadelphia Flyers defenseman Travis Sanheim was back at practice today and should be good for tomorrow night’s game against the New Jersey Devils. Sanheim was dealing with an undisclosed illness and missed Saturday’s game against the Detroit Red Wings. The 27-year-old had been heating up before getting sick as he had posted two goals and three assists in his previous five games. Sanheim has been a huge part of the Flyers’ surprising start to the season as his 21 points in 29 games has him second in team scoring behind Travis Konecny.
  • Carolina Hurricanes reporter Walt Ruff is reporting that Hurricanes forward Andrei Svechnikov was a full participant in today’s practice and even was seen taking power play reps with the team. Ruff goes on to add that the 23-year-old could be back in the lineup as soon as tomorrow night against the Vegas Golden Knights. Svechnikov has missed the last six games with an upper-body injury and struggled the week prior to getting hurt. On the season, the former second-overall pick has just a single goal in 16 games, although he does have 10 assists as well. Carolina has underperformed so far this season but currently sits in the first wild-card spot in the Eastern Conference. Getting Svechnikov healthy and productive once again could be a big boost for Carolina as they close in on the mid-way point of the season.
  • Stefen Rosner of The Hockey News is reporting that New York Islanders forward Oliver Wahlstrom missed practice today with an illness. The 23-year-old was unlikely to play in tomorrow night’s game even if healthy as he has been a healthy scratch for the Islanders in seven straight games. Wahlstrom has just two goals and three assists in 17 games this season and has been averaging less than 12 minutes of ice time a game when he has been in the lineup.

Aaron Dell Joins Carolina On PTO Agreement

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Goaltender Aaron Dell has joined the Carolina Hurricanes on a professional try-out contract. This moves comes after Carolina placed Antti Raanta on waivers and subsequently sent him to the AHL’s Chicago Wolves.

Dell hasn’t played yet this season, spending most of last year with the AHL’s San Jose Barracuda. He appeared in 38 games with the club, setting a 15-17-4 record and recording a .898 save percentage. Dell also received four NHL games last season – going 0-3-0 and stopping 94 of a possible 103 shots for a .913 save percentage. Now 34, Dell has become a prominent option for goaltending depth around the league, with Carolina set to become the fourth franchise that the netminder has suited up for.

Dell’s journey to the big leagues began at the University of North Dakota, where he played three seasons before setting his sights on pros. But his options were limited after going undrafted in the NHL Draft, with the goalie opting to move to the Allen Americans of the now-defunct Central Hockey League to kick off his pro career in 2012-13. Dell moved to the ECHL for the following season, playing well enough to warrant an AHL call-up mid-season and an invite to the San Jose Sharks’ training camp ahead of the 2014-15 season. Dell wouldn’t receive an NHL contract out of camp but, after continuing his strong performances in the minors, signed his first deal with the Sharks in March of 2015. He would receive his NHL debut in the 2016-17 season, a year where Dell played in 20 games and set a career-high .931 save percentage.

Now, eight seasons later, Dell will look to continue his NHL career in Carolina. The veteran pro has totaled 130 career NHL games, going 50-50-13 and recording a .905 save percentage.

Freddy Andersen Medically Cleared To Return

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In some incredibly fortunate news for both the player and the organization, reports are confirming that goaltender for the Carolina Hurricanes, Frederik Andersen, has been medically cleared to resume skating, and is about one month away from a potential return (X Link). Andersen has been out for over a month and a half after the discovery of a blood clotting issue during medical testing.

Entering the season as a Stanley Cup favorite out of the Eastern Conference, Carolina’s goaltending carousel this season has been holding them back, as all three of Andersen, Antti Raanta, and Pyotr Kochetkov have a combined save percentage of .876 on the year. These issues have led the Hurricanes to make some tough decisions, most notably by sending Raanta through waivers for reassignment to the AHL, yesterday.

[SOURCE LINK]

Hurricanes Assign Antti Raanta To AHL

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Dec 17, 3:23 p.m.: The Hurricanes reached an agreement with their former AHL affiliate, the Chicago Wolves, to find Raanta a home in the minors, per a team release. Raanta joins another NHL veteran, Keith Kinkaid, in the struggling Wolves’ crease. Chicago’s decision to go independent has quickly backfired, and they sit near the bottom of the league with a 6-13-3 record. If Raanta suits up, it will be his first AHL appearance since suiting up with AHL Tucson in 2019-20 while on a conditioning stint.

Dec. 17, 1:03 p.m.: Raanta has cleared waivers and can now be assigned to a minor-league team, according to Chris Johnston of TSN and The Athletic. Without a dedicated AHL affiliate, it’s unclear where the team will assign Raanta. It’s unlikely he would accept an assignment to ECHL Norfolk.

Dec. 16: The Hurricanes have had a tough time between the pipes lately and a shakeup could be on the way as Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reports (Twitter link) that goaltender Antti Raanta has been placed on waivers.

The 34-year-old inked a one-year, $1.5MM contract on the opening day of free agency to stay with Carolina, taking a $500K pay cut in the process.  Raanta opted to do so despite coming off of a pretty strong showing, one that saw him post a 2.23 GAA and a .910 SV% in 27 games last season, numbers that were better than league average.  Clearly, he was comfortable with the Hurricanes and vice versa so him sticking around certainly made plenty of sense on the surface.

Unfortunately for both sides, things have not gone well at all.  Raanta has struggled mightily this season, putting up a 3.61 GAA along with a .854 SV% in 14 games.  Friday’s game against Nashville was one to forget as he allowed six goals on 30 shots in an overtime loss which appears to be the last straw.

That said, it’s not as if Carolina’s other two netminders have been demonstrably better either.  Prior to being sidelined with blood clots, Frederik Andersen had a career-low .894 SV% in his six appearances while Pyotr Kochetkov has been hit or miss in his 14 games, checking in with a .890 SV%.  Those numbers are below the NHL average this season as well.

With Andersen still out indefinitely, the timing of this move is particularly noteworthy.  The only other goalie that Carolina has on an NHL contract is prospect Yaniv Perets who is playing with ECHL Norfolk with the Hurricanes not having their own AHL affiliate this year.  Are they really comfortable running with him as the backup to Kochetkov?

Accordingly, it’s possible that Raanta’s waiving is the precursor to a trade.  Speculatively, the other team might not want to take Raanta’s contract on, or, conversely, want to make sure he’d be available to be recalled from the minors if they were to move a netminder.  Montreal, Columbus, Buffalo, and Detroit are currently carrying three goalies on their active roster at the moment with those teams having varying degrees of interest in dropping to two.  Meanwhile, there may be other teams that are willing to move one of their two current goaltenders as well.

Of course, it’s also worth noting that Raanta doesn’t have to be sent down if he clears waivers on Sunday at 1 PM CT.  This could just be a move to give them a bit of extra flexibility when it comes to day-to-day cap management or to try to send Raanta a message to help try to get him back on track.  With the roster freeze now just a week away, it shouldn’t be long before we find out what route Carolina intends to take with the veteran.  If he does clear and is sent down, Carolina will be able to clear a prorated $1.15MM off their salary cap.

Carolina Hurricanes Recall Yaniv Perets

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After placing netminder Antti Raanta on waivers yesterday, the Carolina Hurricanes have recalled goalie prospect Yaniv Perets from his loan to the ECHL’s Norfolk Admirals.

With Raanta on waivers, the Hurricanes had to find a goalie to back up starter Pyotr Kochetkov for tonight’s game against the Washington Capitals. Unlike every other NHL club, the Hurricanes do not currently have an AHL affiliate. As a result, the team’s organizational depth at the goalie position is notably thinner than just about every other franchise.

The Hurricanes only have four goalies under contract: Perets, Raanta, Kochetkov, and the injured Frederik Andersen. That lack of depth isn’t an issue when three of those goalies (the latter trio of names listed) are all performing up to their expected capabilities, but so far this season Andersen has been injured and Raanta has struggled immensely.

That has left the Hurricanes in a rather precarious position in net, as they don’t have a goalie ready and waiting in the AHL to be recalled if necessary. As a result, they’re forced to turn to a goalie playing in the ECHL with just 11 total professional games played under his belt.

That’s not to say Perets, 23, is not a promising netminder. The 23-year-old was a star in college hockey, backstopping Quinnipiac University to a men’s hockey national championship last season. He’s a two-time Hobey Baker award finalist, a two-time second-team All-American, and a two-time ECAC goalie of the year.

The Hurricanes simply need goaltending that will allow them to win games, first and foremost. Perets had no issues winning in college, posting an unbelievable 56-9-5 record in college with a .935 save percentage. He’s also been decently successful in the ECHL with a .916 save percentage to start his career.

Is he likely to be NHL-ready after just 11 professional games? No, that’s probably a stretch. But although the Hurricanes’ affiliate situation has somewhat backed the club into a corner in terms of their goaltending situation, Perets himself is a respectable goalie prospect who very well could become a legitimate NHLer down the line.

Andrei Svechnikov Out "For At Least A While"

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The Carolina Hurricanes are currently on a four-game losing streak, and things don’t appear to be getting any easier, as star forward Andrei Svechnikov has missed the club’s last two losses. Team reporter Walt Ruff relays word from Hurricanes coach Rod Brind’Amour, who says that Svechnikov will be out for “at least a while” as Svechnikov deals with an upper-body injury.

The 23-year-old 2018 second-overall pick is arguably the Hurricanes’ most lethal offensive weapon when healthy. A torn ACL cut his season short last year, but before the injury he had scored 23 goals and 55 points in 64 games. As Svechnikov seems set to miss a meaningful chunk of time due to this new injury, the Hurricanes will have to rely more heavily on other players to generate offense and lift the team out of the middle of the pack in terms of goals scored per game.

Salary Cap Deep Dive: Carolina Hurricanes

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Navigating the salary cap is one of the more important tasks for any GM.  Teams that can avoid total cap chaos by walking the tightrope of inking players to deals that match their value (or compensate for future value without breaking the bank) remain successful.  Those that don’t see struggles and front office changes.

PHR will look at every NHL team and give a thorough look at their cap situation for the 2023-24 season.  This will focus more on players who are regulars on the roster versus those who may find themselves shuttling between the AHL and NHL.  All cap figures are courtesy of CapFriendly.

Carolina Hurricanes

Current Cap Hit: $81,694,391 (under the $83.5MM Upper Limit)

Entry-Level Contracts

F Jack Drury (one year, $925K)
F Seth Jarvis (one year, $894K)

Potential Bonuses
Jarvis: $500K

Jarvis had an impressive rookie season before stagnating a bit last year.  However, he is off to a big start this season, flirting with the point-per-game mark early on.  That has him well on his way toward hitting his bonuses at a minimum while he’s the type of player that it wouldn’t be surprising to see Carolina try to work out a long-term deal with.  A bridge contract likely checks in around the $4MM mark while a longer-term pact could push closer to $6.5 to $7MM.  Drury has carved out a regular role this season, albeit on the fourth line.  If he holds onto that for the full season, he could push for a small raise on a short-term bridge contract.

Signed Through 2023-24, Non-Entry-Level

D Jalen Chatfield ($762.5K, UFA)
D Tony DeAngelo ($1.65MM, UFA)
F Brendan Lemieux ($800K, UFA)
F Jordan Martinook ($1.8MM, UFA)
F Martin Necas ($3MM, RFA)
F Stefan Noesen ($762.5K, UFA)
D Brett Pesce ($4.025MM, UFA)
G Antti Raanta ($1.5MM, UFA)
D Brady Skjei ($5.25MM, UFA)
F Teuvo Teravainen ($5.4MM, UFA)

Teravainen has reached 63 points or more in three of the last five seasons but is also coming off a down year that saw him score just 12 times in 68 games, making this a key platform year.  He’s off to a nice start and is near that goal total from 2022-23 already.  If he can get back to even the 50-point mark, he could have a shot at landing a small raise on another long-term agreement.  Martinook had a career year offensively last season with 34 points but is still looking for his first goal this year despite logging nearly 15 minutes a night.  His typical offensive profile is one that should see him signing for a bit less than this, especially if he’s able to secure another multi-year agreement.

Necas is going to be a particularly interesting case to follow.  He had a breakout 71-point performance last season, providing impressive value on the first year of his bridge deal.  He also spent some time at center, his natural position but one he hasn’t played a ton in the NHL.  At this point, Necas has established himself as a full-time top-six forward and will have arbitration eligibility for the first time this summer.  His qualifying offer is $3.5MM but that’s well below what he’ll get on his next deal.  His camp would probably like to see Necas deployed more down the middle to bolster his value but that might be injury-dependent.  If Carolina wants to lock him up long-term, they’ll need to at least double his current AAV.

Lemieux had to take a $550K pay cut in free agency this past summer and has found himself out of the lineup more often than not this year which doesn’t bode well for his next contract.  He’s going to wind up close to the minimum salary once again and even a one-way deal might not be guaranteed.  Noesen has been one of the top under-the-radar bargains after putting up 36 points on a minimum-salary contract; he’s on pace for more than that this year with the AAV now below the minimum.  His journeyman track record will work against him here (is it a late breakout for the 30-year-old or is he just the right system fit?) but even so, he should push for closer to $2MM on the open market.  If enough teams think it’s a late breakout, that number will go higher.

Skjei had never reached the 10-goal mark until last season when he broke out with an 18-goal campaign.  He has consistently been a strong third option on the back end and should be in a position to land at least a small raise and, at 30, close to a max-term agreement if he wants to pursue that long of a contract.  Pesce has been in trade speculation dating back to the summer as many suspect the Hurricanes won’t be able to keep him in the fold.  Like Skjei, he’s a reliable second pairing player but has a better defensive game but a weaker offensive one.  The fact he’s also a right-hand shot will also help his market.  Both players should land somewhere in the $6MM range.

DeAngelo was a late entrant into free agency after being bought out by the Flyers after a planned trade to the Hurricanes didn’t go through quite as planned.  Unfortunately, the reunion hasn’t been great so far as playing time has been hard to come by and he has struggled.  Nonetheless, a contract similar to this one could still be doable from a team looking to add some offensive upside on the back end at a lower cost.  Chatfield has worked his way up to being a reliable sixth defender with very strong possession numbers.  He’s the type of player that a team or two might believe is capable of a bigger role which could drive his price tag past the $2MM mark.

Raanta acknowledged that he left money on the table to remain with Carolina over the summer.  That might wind up biting him a bit in the end as he has struggled considerably this season which won’t help his marketability this summer.  That said, if he can turn things around, something in this range should still be doable, perhaps with the Hurricanes if they want to keep the extra depth.

Signed Through 2024-25

G Frederik Andersen ($3.4MM, UFA)
D Brent Burns ($5.28MM, UFA)*
F Jesper Fast ($2.4MM, UFA)
D Dmitry Orlov ($7.75MM, UFA)
D Jaccob Slavin ($5.3MM, UFA)

*-San Jose is retaining an additional $2.72MM on Burns’ contract.

Fast has been a capable depth scorer for most of his career while also being an effective penalty killer.  Assuming that holds up over these last two years – he’s off to a bit of a slow start this season – there’s little reason to think he could land another two or three seasons around this price point.  It’s worth noting he’ll be 34 at that time, however, which may restrict his market a bit.

Orlov surprised many by signing the priciest deal in free agency in terms of AAV, electing to take a short-term inflated contract with the hopes of landing another one in a more favorable marketplace two years from now.  It was also surprising that Carolina was the one to give it to him with the depth they had on the back end plus them needing to re-sign or replace Skjei and Pesce a year from now.  The move hasn’t worked out the greatest so far although there’s lots of time to turn it around.  He’ll also be 34 when it’s time to sign his next contract so it’d be difficult to expect he’d land this much, even with the projected raise in the cap.  But if it came in starting with a six on a three-year deal (or even four) if he’s able to turn his play around, going this route could ultimately work out well for him.

Slavin hasn’t been asked to play true number one minutes recently but that doesn’t mean he can’t handle them; he’ll almost be certainly valued as someone who can in free agency.  He’s not a top point producer but he has shown progress on that front as well while being a stalwart in his own end.  Accordingly, he could be pushing for $8MM or more on a max-term agreement, even though he’ll be 31 at that time.  Burns has fit in quite well with Carolina while still playing a big role.  However, he’ll be entering free agency at age 40.  Will he even want to sign another deal?  If he does, it’ll almost certainly be a one-year agreement, setting up the ability for a team to make some of it bonus-based for additional cap flexibility.

Andersen also took a pay cut to remain with Carolina over the summer and he was also off to a rough start to his season.  However, he’s now out indefinitely with blood clots and it wouldn’t be fair to speculate on his next deal until he’s able to return.

Signed Through 2025-26

F Michael Bunting ($4.5MM, UFA)

Bunting went from being a fringe piece with Arizona to an integral part of Toronto’s top six over the last two seasons, making him one of the more intriguing players to hit the market over the summer.  He didn’t quite wind up with a long-term deal but this one should hold up pretty well if he can provide around 45 points a year on the second line.  If he does, he’ll have a much more favorable market next time around having proven he can produce outside of Toronto.

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Tony DeAngelo Reportedly On Trade Market

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Carolina Hurricanes defenseman Tony DeAngelo “has been on the trade market for more than a month already,” according to The Athletic’s Pierre LeBrun. (subscription link) But according to LeBrun, “the market has been soft for DeAngelo,” and the Hurricanes’ efforts to find a trade partner for the defenseman are potentially impacted by the presence of Tyson Barrie, another right-shot power play specialist, on the trade market alongside DeAngelo.

DeAngelo’s second stint in Raleigh hasn’t quite gone as well as his first. In 2021-22, the now-28-year-old 2014 first-round pick averaged 19:49 time on ice per game and scored 10 goals and 51 points in 64 games, which is a 13-goal, 65-point 82-game pace. This season, though, he’s only averaged 16:11 time on ice, has just seven points in 16 games, and has not played since mid-November. Although he has two 50-plus point seasons on record and once appeared on some Norris Trophy ballots, DeAngelo may not be in the Hurricanes’ plans for much longer.

What Your Team Is Thankful For: Carolina Hurricanes

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As Thanksgiving and the holiday season approaches, PHR will be taking a look at what teams are thankful for in 2023-24. There also might be a few things your team would like down the road. We’ll examine what’s gone well in the early going and what could improve as the season rolls on for the Carolina Hurricanes

Who are the Hurricanes Thankful For?

Seth Jarvis.

Of all the Hurricanes players, so far this season Jarvis has been the most impressive and taken the biggest step forward. 2018 third-overall pick Jesperi Kotkaniemi was a contender for this title until the calendar flipped to November and his hot start faded quickly.

While Kotkaniemi still appears on track to have the best season of his NHL career, it’s Jarvis who has stood out the most.

At the moment, Jarvis is only behind franchise pivot Sebastian Aho on the team’s scoring leaderboard and is on pace to register 35 goals and 65 points by the end of the season. But based on how he has been performing, there is a distinct possibility that Jarvis’ pace even increases over the course of the season.

A player who is defined by his aggressive and fearless approach to creating offense, Jarvis stands just five-foot-ten and yet is an extremely difficult player to win battles against.

The Athletic’s Cory Lavalette reported that Jarvis added eight pounds of muscle this offseason, and his diligent preparation for 2023-24 stands in contrast to how he began last season. Hurricanes head strength and conditioning coach Bill Burniston told Lavalette that last season, Jarvis “really wasn’t where we thought he should be or could be” in terms of his preparedness to handle the rigors of the NHL season. (subscription link)

That’s changed in 2023-24, and the Hurricanes are reaping the benefits on an almost nightly basis.

What are the Hurricanes Thankful For?

The struggles of several of their Metropolitan Division rivals.

Entering the season, most neutral observers viewed the Metropolitan Division as easily the NHL’s most cutthroat collection of teams. The division boasted three clear-cut Stanley Cup contenders in Carolina, the New York Rangers, and the New Jersey Devils, while fans were also optimistic that both Sidney Crosby and Alex Ovechkin would lead their teams to bounce-back campaigns.

In addition, aggressive offseason additions made by the Columbus Blue Jackets, the returns of Sean Couturier and Cam Atkinson to the Philadelphia Flyers, and the presence of elite netminder Ilya Sorokin between the pipes for the Islanders meant that the entire Metropolitan division could conceivably have entered the season with legitimate hopes of making the postseason.

So far, things haven’t shaken out quite as expected in the Metro. The Rangers have clearly separated themselves and the Washington Capitals are close to doing the same after a slow start, but otherwise, each team in the division has had its fair share of struggles.

So while the Hurricanes have had a less-than-ideal start to their season, they still find themselves firmly in the mix for a playoff spot due to similarly uneven starts from expected contenders.

The Devils, for example, are currently second-to-last in the division. The Penguins are at the moment sitting on a flat .500 record with 10 wins and 10 losses, while the Islanders have not been able to carve out any sort of consistency under head coach Lane Lambert, whose seat may be starting to warm.

In prior seasons, the Hurricanes’ slow start could very well have doomed them in such a competitive division. This year, the Hurricanes remain firmly in the playoff picture thanks to many division rivals also struggling. That’s definitely something for the franchise to be thankful for in a Stanley Cup-or-bust season.

What Would the Hurricanes be Even More Thankful For?

An improved penalty kill.

When looking for explanations as to why the Hurricanes are currently 11-8-0 and a point behind the still-rebuilding Philadelphia Flyers, the penalty kill might be one of the most obvious choices. Under head coach Rod Brind’Amour, Hurricanes fans have grown accustomed to having among the best short-handed units in the entire NHL.

From 2018-19, Brind’Amour’s first season as the bench boss in Carolina, through 2022-23, the Hurricanes rank a clear first place in the NHL in penalty kill percentage. Their 84.7% kill rate stands a full percentage point above the next-best team, and has been a clear driver of team success throughout the club’s entire Brind’Amour era.

That longstanding track record of success short-handed makes this season’s immense struggles all the more confusing. The team currently ranks eighth-worst in the NHL in penalty killing with a 74.6% kill rate, a far lower number than any years prior. There do not appear to be major structural differences driving this decline, as NHL Edge indicates that the Hurricanes are actually spending even less time in their defensive zone while short-handed than they did last year.

So why has their penalty kill been so uncharacteristically bad? The answer could lie in goaltending. Last year, according to MoneyPuck, Carolina saved 88.24% of its shots on goal while on a four-on-five penalty kill. This season, that number has crashed all the way to 75%, which is by far the lowest mark in the NHL. To put it simply: Hurricanes goalies are not making the saves while short-handed that they once made.

The Hurricanes’ penalty kill, for the entirety of Brind’Amour’s tenure as coach, had served as the bedrock for the team’s exceptional team play. That team play, in turn, translated into success in the standings and multiple deep playoff runs. So far this season, that bedrock has eroded and the penalty kill has dropped to the league’s basement. So the number-one thing that the Hurricanes would be even more thankful for would likely be a return to form for its short-handed units.

What Should Be On the Hurricanes Holiday List?

Potential reinforcements in net.

Expected number-one netminder Frederik Andersen is out indefinitely with a blood-clotting issue. As a result, the Hurricanes have relied more heavily upon a tandem of Antti Raanta and Pyotr Kochetkov, and that tandem has appeared to be a major weakness so far this season.

According to MoneyPuck, Raanta currently ranks fourth-worst in the NHL in goals-saved-above-expected. Kochetkov, in just six games played, has also posted a below-expected mark.

Using more traditional numbers, both Raanta and Kochetkov have posted disastrous save percentages. Kochetkov has a grisly .874 mark, while Raanta’s .854 save percentage through ten games is a glaring issue.

Although the Hurricanes have found ways to win despite Raanta’s struggles (he has a 6-3-1 record) the veteran netminder will be 35 years old come the postseason and looks far worse than last season, when he posted a respectable .910 save percentage.

Moreover, Raanta’s tendency to run into injury trouble throughout his professional career raises questions as to whether the Hurricanes can rely on him to endure the rigors of being an NHL starting goalie. With each day that passes, it appears more and more necessary for Carolina to seek outside help between the pipes. They already did so in the form of signing veteran Jaroslav Halak to a PTO, but that tryout was relatively short-lived.

Moving into the Holiday season, the Hurricanes should be scouring the goalie market to find a netminder capable of leading them to a Stanley Cup championship. Should contract talks between 27-year-old Sam Montembeault and the Montreal Canadiens end without an extension in place, he could be the kind of goalie the Hurricanes target.

Montembeault ranked as one of the league’s better goalies by goals-saved-above-expected last season and has excelled for the Canadiens so far this season. It’s possible that in an environment where his club is likely entering almost every game with a talent advantage, Montembeault could post even greater numbers, just as he did for Canada at the recent IIHF Men’s World Championships. (6-1-0, 1.42 GAA .939 save percentage)

Regardless of if it’s Montembeault or someone else, the Hurricanes should be looking for external help between the pipes. Raanta has simply played too poorly and proven himself to be too injury-prone for the Hurricanes to count on him as their number-one goalie this season, a year where the team is looking to win the Stanley Cup. Entering the Holiday season, a talented goalie should be number one on the team’s wish list.

Photos courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

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