The Carolina Hurricanes’ quest for the Stanley Cup is only two months away. A new hockey season is upon us, and the expectations for the team are higher than the season before. New faces have found their way into Carolina, giving head coach Rod Brind’Amour options at assembling the best lineup on the ice. The roster is littered with talented individuals, but the team must succeed. Here are three keys to success for the Hurricanes entering the 2023-24 season.
Improved Power Play
It is no secret that the Hurricanes are a dominant team at 5-on-5 and on the penalty kill. That makes them a dangerous team, as they can beat you in any given situation during the game. They work as hard as their coach and play the right way. Although, there is one situation where they’ve struggled and need to improve during the 2023-24 season.
Related: 3 Hurricanes Forwards Who Need to Step Up in 2023-24
When you have players such as Martin Necas, Sebastian Aho, Brent Burns, and Andrei Svechnikov on your top power play, you would expect better results, but that has not been the case. During the 2022-23 season, the Hurricanes finished with the 20th-ranked power play and saw its success rate drop from 22 to 19 percent. In addition, they finished with the 14th fewest goals (43), generated the 11th most expected goals (53.05), and had the 18th most scoring chances on the man advantage (217). As a team, they’ll need to do a better job of getting into high-danger areas and scoring goals. The Hurricanes are middle of the pack regarding the power play but have the personnel to be better.
The addition of Michael Bunting helps create a front-net presence that is missing from the lineup. Carolina loves to involve the defensemen in generating offense, so if he can develop traffic in front of the goaltender, good things can happen. In addition, the power play with Tony DeAngelo quarterbacking was more successful, so having him back in the fold helps improve the unit. The slogan when an opposing team takes a penalty is “Cheaters Never Win,” so cashing in on these opportunities goes a long way and can help build momentum. The following key to success ties into the team’s power play woes.
Improved Finishing Ability
One thing that makes the Hurricanes unique is their ability to possess the puck and dictate the game’s pace. When playing the Hurricanes, as an opponent, you need to capitalize on your chances when you get them because they do not come often. Brind’Amour has a system, and the players follow it to a tee and execute it properly. The Hurricanes have become a force offensively and generate a lot of scoring chances. However, there is one improvement that goes along with this.
Entering the 2023-24 season, the Hurricanes must improve their finishing ability. It’s not saying that they struggle to score goals, but the team needs to capitalize on their chances more often. During the 2022-23 season, the Hurricanes had 12 players reach the ten-goal mark and two total over 20. However, they were one of the worst finishing teams despite being one of the best teams to generate scoring chances.
The Hurricanes led the league in Corsi for percentage (CF), also regarded as shot attempts, at 60.38 percent. In addition, they had the best-expected goals percentage (60.14%) of any team at 5-on-5. The puck was on their sticks often, and with their speed and forechecking, they found ways to generate scoring chances. As a team, they finished with the second most expected goals (209), which significantly indicates how potent their offense is. Despite that, the Hurricanes finished with the third worst goals for above expected (-31.13).
With added offensive reinforcements, the Hurricanes should be better at putting the puck in the back of the net. Fortunately, they will get key players back from injury, leading to the following key to success.
Staying Healthy
If there is any rotten luck the Hurricanes have faced in recent years, it is the health of their players. During the 2021-22 season, Frederik Andersen went down with an injury a few times during the regular season and was shut down for the playoffs. But more injury trouble came during the 2022-23 season.
It was a blessing when the Hurricanes received veteran sniper Max Pacioretty for future considerations. He was an added scoring boost to a team that was starving for a scoring winger. Unfortunately, he tore his Achilles tendon before the start of the season and, upon his return, tore it again. Pacioretty was a breath of fresh air and showed flashes of promise in his short sample size, but injuries derailed his impacts. The next set of injuries crushed the team and in the biggest ways.
Power forward Andrei Svechnikov was having a solid season and was one of the team’s top players. Before his ACL tear, he was on pace for 29 goals and 70 points, which would have been one behind Martin Necas for the team lead. His style of play would’ve been excellent down the stretch, especially with their physical playoff series against the Florida Panthers. And who knows, one shot away in every game against Florida, the team could’ve used Svechnikov in the lineup. Veteran winger Teuvo Teravainen was also hurt on multiple occasions, including a broken wrist during the playoffs.
It is not just health for all players in the lineup, but health for key impact guys on the roster. The Hurricanes always have the “next man up” mentality, but having your star players goes a long way to the team’s success.
These Are the Keys to the Promise Land
The Hurricanes will be a great hockey team and among the best in the league. It is not far-fetched to say that the club can win the Presidents’ Trophy, which goes to the team with the most points. But there is a bigger prize that the club has its eyes on and will have keys to succeeding.
Those keys are all things that played a factor in the clubs’ shortcomings, so improving on those can take them to the top of the hockey mountain. It will be an exciting season, and seeing how well the team improves in those areas.
