2021-2022 Season Preview

 The 2021 NHL season is almost upon us. With a very eventful off-season complete, the Carolina Hurricanes look to continue their form from last season’s Central Division title.


A Busy Summer

The Hurricanes had a lot of roster turnover during the off-season. The Hurricanes lost Alex Nedeljkovic, Jake Bean, Petr Mrazek, James Reimer, Jani Hakanpaa, Cedric Paquette, Warren Foegele, Brock McGinn, and Morgan Geekie. However, none of these players come close to the loss of Dougie Hamilton. Who signed with division rival New Jersey. Dougie is an elite offensive defenseman who logged top-pairing minutes with a high impact that is nearly irreplaceable. Carolina signed the highly skilled defenseman Tony DeAngelo in an attempt to replace Dougie’s offensive impact on the ice. Time will tell if Tony can be the offensive dynamo he was in 2019-2020 with the Rangers. If Tony can return to that form, the blow from losing Dougie will be softened.



Other players brought into the team during the off-season are goalies Anti Raanta and Frederik Andersen, defensemen Ethan Bear, Brendan Smith, and Ian Cole, and forwards Josh Leivo, Derek Stepan, and Jespari Kotkaniemi. The biggest name on this list is Jespari Kotkaniemi, signed to a 1-year offer sheet by the Hurricanes from the Montreal Canadiens. Putting the offer-sheet soap opera aside, the signing of Kotkaniemi is a low-risk-high reward signing. Jespari Kotkaniemi is now free to play more top-6 time in Carolina on the wing. He likely will have great chemistry with fellow Fins Sebastian Aho and Teuvo Teravainen. Jespari has the talent to become a good 2nd liner or even potentially a 1st liner. Worst case scenario is that Jespari ends up not producing at the expected level. This will not be an emergency for Carolina, as they signed Jespari to only a 1-year deal. Limiting the risk of the contract. Giving up their 1st and 3rd round picks this season on the surface looks risky, but with the level of talent Carolina has in their prospect pool, combined with their expectations. The picks are not very valuable to Carolina this season. 


The Andrei Svechnikov Extension

Perhaps the biggest move of the off-season was signing star forward Andrei Svechnikov to a contract extension (8 years, 7.75 million per). The Russian winger scored 42 points in 55 games last season, also adding 8 points in 11 postseason competitions. If Andrei scores at that rate over the next 8 years it will be a good contract. Andrei has shown flashes of brilliance throughout his first three seasons with the team. If he can get to that level more consistently, this contract will be comparable to the David Pastrnak and Brad Marchand deals that Boston signed them to before they both broke out into superstar caliber forwards. 



Goaltending Question Marks

If there is one thing that will hold Carolina back this season, it will be goaltending. Losing Alex Nedeljkovic, James Reimer, and Petr Mrazek all in one off-season leaves Carolina with a big question in the net. No doubt a healthy Anti Raanta and a fresh Frederik Andersen are both great starting goaltenders. The question lies in how healthy Raanta will be, and if Andersen will ever return to his elite form after being burnt out by Toronto in multiple seasons (66, 66, and 60 GP respectively from 2016-2019). Trading Nedeljkovic for low value was a bit of a head-scratcher considering he played at an elite level through the season and playoffs. Even if Raanta and Andersen are a good duo, neither of them is likely going to play at the elite level Nedeljkovic did last season for Carolina. He bailed out Carolina on multiple occasions last season and in the playoffs.






The Youth Movement

In the past drafts, Carolina has drafted and traded very well. Consistently adding high-value and talented prospects. The fruits of their labor are starting to pay off. They have already seen plenty of production and excitement from Czech forward Martin Necas (22) and Russian Winger Andrei Svechnikov (21). The new addition Jespari Kotkaniemi (21), is also expected to be an impact player in the lineup. Other young players expected to be in the lineup at times this season are Joey Keane (22), Ryan Suzuki (20), Jack Drury (21), Jameson Rees (20), and last season’s 1st round pick Seth Jarvis (19). The youth movement has been building for a while in Raleigh. Expect some of these players to step in. They will add an injection of energy, and make an impact for Carolina this season.



The Metropolitan Division

There is no secret that the Metropolitan Division every season is always one of the most unpredictable divisions in hockey. This season is no exception. Seven of the eight teams are expected to be in the fight for the playoffs. Carolina will have a lot of competition to deal with top to bottom. Every game in the Metro will be competitive and tough-fought. The Islanders are back-to-back conference finalists and kept all of their key pieces. The Penguins and Capitals still have their top dogs and have good depth. The Rangers have a lot of young potential and high-end talent. The Devils are building a good, young team. And the Flyers still have their top guys and are looking to bounce back this season. Carolina can realistically finish anywhere between the top of the Metro or near the bottom of the division. Every in-division game will be crucial in what will once again be the most unpredictable division in the league. 



Roster summary

The Carolina Hurricanes still pose one of the most threatening forward cores in the NHL. With core guys like Sebastian Aho, Teuvo Teravainen, Vincent Trocheck, Jordan Staal, with the two youngsters Necas and Svechnikov. The top 9 are looking to be as menacing or more menacing to opposing defenses and goaltenders as it was last season.


The defense has taken a definite step back after the departure of Dougie Hamilton. Core guys like Jaccob Slavin and Brett Pesce look to carry the load in the top 4 this season. Additions like Ethan Bear and Tony DeAngelo can add to the defense, but time will tell if either of them can come close to what Dougie brought to Carolina.


Goaltending, as mentioned prior, is a question mark heading into the season. However, both Andersen and Raanta are incredibly talented goaltenders. With no injuries and proper use, both goalies should be able to carry the load for Carolina.





Season Prediction

Carolina is looking to be a high-quality offensive team once again in 2021-2022. Carolina has been at or near the top in xGF in the past few seasons. The defense and goaltending are question marks that could hold this team back from making the playoffs in an uber-competitive Metropolitan division. Carolina is the boom or bust team in the NHL this season. They could finish 7th in the Metro and be mediocre, or they could contend for the President's Trophy and the Stanley Cup. The prediction here is that Carolina finishes at the top of the Metropolitan division and gets guaranteed home ice until the conference finals. They will make it to the conference finals but fall to one of Boston, Tampa, or Florida from the top-heavy Atlantic division.



Predicted Record: 48-28-6 (104 points)

Leading points scorer: Sebastian Aho

Leading goals scorer: Sebastian Aho

Team MVP: Sebastian Aho

Breakout player: Ethan Bear

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