Storm Surge- Carolina Hurricanes 2021 Season Preview

Emma Brown / NHL / December 31, 2020

This season was pivotal for the Carolina Hurricanes. Not only is Andrei Svechnicov beautiful off the ice, but he’s also turning into a superstar on the ice. The Canes lost in the second round of the playoffs against the Boston Bruins after beating the New York Rangers in round one. This team is really headed in the right direction.

Key Additions: Jesper Fast (New York Rangers)

This is a very versatile player. He played in New York for seven seasons where he was a top six player. But that’s where his style of play fit for that team. He’ll fit best in Carolina’s bottom six. He’s a player that will learn to play wherever you put him.

Losses: Joel Edmunson (Montreal Canadians)

Joel Edmunson left for Montreal in free agency. He was a crucial player on the Canes defense, and it will be sad to see him go. However, I don’t think there will be a huge issue in feeling in the defensive gaps.

Forward Line Predictions:

LW	C	RW
Andrei Svechnicov	Sebastion Aho	Teuvo Teravainen
Nino Niederreiter	Vincent Trocheck	Martin Necas
Brock McGuinn	Jordan Staal	Jesper Fast
Warren Foegele	Morgan Geekie	Ryan Dzingle

Defensive Pairing Predictions:

Jacob Slavin	Dougie Hamilton
Jake Gardiner	Brett Pesce
Brady Skjei	Hayden Fleury

In the net:

The Carolina Hurricanes have solid regular-season goaltending. However, in the playoffs, when the competition ramps up, goaltending stays stagnant. It wouldn’t come as a shock if they sign another goalie at the trade deadline. I think they just need some more consistency in the net and you can never have too many goalies.

Progress or a New Buffalow? Previewing the 2021 Buffalo Sabres

The Verdict:

Without a doubt, this is a playoff team. How far will they go before they hit a wall? Too soon to tell. Having younger players like Svechnicov, Aho, and Skjei on the front and backends will create depth for opposing teams. Overall, there’s not a lot for Canes fans to complain about. They’re not a Stanley Cup winning team, yet but it’s coming and they’re taking all the right steps.

More NHL previews:

Jets, Islanders, Flames, Flyers