Tuesday, July 31, 2007

Can the Canes Blow Back?

The Hurricanes struggled last season and didn't make the playoffs. There were a few guys on the team who underperformed in 2006/07, but that could all very well change in the new season upcoming.

With no significant acquistions in the offseason, Hurricane management has decided that the core group of guys on the team are still good enough to take the Hurricanes into the playoffs and close enough to win another championship. If that is to be the case, the Hurricanes will have to get 2005/06 production from guys like Eric Staal and Justin Williams, both of whom had their points and rankings drop off. Staal fell from over 100 points to 70 points and Williams fell a little ways in the rankings going from 42nd to 69th.

On the positive side, quite a few players saw a positive improvement in their point production... Rod Brind'Amour kept moving up, Ray Whitney returned to his previous form, Cam Ward's first full season had 30 wins, Mike Commodore had a career year and Andrew Ladd continues his improvement in the NHL.

Ray WhitneyRod Brind'AmourJustin Williams
Cory StillmanEric StaalErik Cole
Andrew LaddMatt CullenScott Walker
Chad LaroseJeff HamiltonCraig Adams
Mike CommodoreGlen Wesley
Niclas WallinBret Hedican
Frank KaberleDennis Seidenberg
Cam Ward
John Grahame

The Hurricanes are in pretty good shape when it comes to the salary cap going into the summer. This roster will run about $42.5 million, which gives them a big ceiling if another playoff run is imminent.

Technorati Tags
, , ,

No comments: