For a little prospective, here's NHL.com's assessment of how we could get back to the playoffs:
CAROLINA HURRICANES
Last season: 36-35-11, 83 points, 10 points out of final wild-card spot in the East.
How it ended: The Hurricanes went 10-4-0 in January but 11-15-2 the rest of the way.
Offseason changes: After 20 years Jim Rutherford stepped down as general manager and was replaced by Ron Francis. In his first major decision Francis fired coach Kirk Muller and replaced him with Detroit Red Wings assistant coach Bill Peters. However, those were the only major changes. Manny Malhotra departed, but the team got grittier in its bottom-six forward group with the additions of Jay McClement and Brad Malone. Tim Gleason returned to add depth on defense.
Why they could get in: The Hurricanes certainly have the pieces for a playoff team in place, starting on the top line with Eric Staal centering Jiri Tlusty and Alexander Semin. All three players are healthy and expected to have bounce-back seasons. Jeff Skinner is coming off a career-best 33-goal season and promising Elias Lindholm is a year older and more mature. Losing Jordan Staal until January certainly hurts, but a healthy and motivated Cam Ward in goal should help any drop-off in offense. If Ward can get back to the top-flight goaltender he was a few seasons ago and the Hurricanes adapt well to Peters' puck-possession style, they should be in the hunt for a wild-card spot and a return to the playoffs for the first time since 2009.
That's an independent assessment, not rose colored wishful thinking as I've been accused of, just because I haven't bought into the groupthink completely.
Our roster, on paper, isn't all that horrible. Lots of other teams would kill for the set of forwards we have, even with Staal gone. Yeah, we have problems at center right now, but very few teams have the firepower we do with Staal, Skinner, Semin, and potentially significant contributions from Tlusty and Lindholm. Look at Columbus- the best forward they can ice is what, Brandon Dubinsky? Look at Buffalo. Done laughing yet? Look at Florida. They're banking on Jussi Jokinen to be an impact forward, for chrissakes.
Our defense, while below average, isn't at the bottom of the league by any means. Even without Staal, the roster is okay. The question is if we can get it to perform. Muller failed at that. Will Peters be better? It's yet to be seen. Having Brindy behind the bench rather than as the eye in the sky will also have a big effect.
They key is getting the roster to play better, and implementing better systems. If we can do that, we'll be in position for a decent season. If we can't do that, than even the most talented roster isn't going to go anywhere.
