NHL Season Preview 2014-2015: Carolina Hurricanes

Mar 13, 2014; Raleigh, NC, USA; Carolina Hurricanes forward

(28) is congratulated by defensemen

(4) after his third period goal against the Buffalo Sabres at PNC Arena. The Carolina Hurricanes defeated the Buffalo Sabres 4-2. Mandatory Credit: James Guillory-USA TODAY Sports

The 2012-2013 season couldn’t have ended sooner for the Carolina Hurricanes. The team was 15-9-1 on March 12, leading the then-called Southeast Division with 23 games remaining. However, the Hurricanes hit a dreadful tailspin, going 4-16-3 the rest of the way.

The 2013-2014 campaign was supposed to be a bit different, with the team hoping to build off what made the Hurricanes so successful in the early parts of the lockout season. The team was also re-aligned to the Metropolitan Division, seen as arguably the weakest of the four new divisions. There was optimism that the team would return to the playoffs for the first time since they made the 2009 Eastern Conference Finals.

That never really materialized. The team was mired in a three-way goalie controversy, between Cam Ward, Anton Khudobin, and Justin Peters. They were in the bottom third in goals scored (22nd overall) and ranked 28th in power play percentage. The production of both Eric Staal and Jordan Staal dropped off (Eric only scored eight more points than he did in the lockout season, while Jordan only scored nine more). Their 83 points in the standings were tied for the sixth worst total in the entire NHL, and as a result, GM Jim Rutherford stepped down in favor of Ron Francis, and Kirk Muller lost his job.

Despite another middling season, the Hurricanes did have some positives in their 2013-2014 season. With the state of the Eastern Conference, the Hurricanes only finished ten points out of a playoff spot, with a record of 36-35-11. Young winger Jeff Skinner again reached the 30-goal mark for the first time since his rookie season in 2010-2011.

Combined with bounce-back campaigns from the Staal brothers and Alexander Semin, along with continued growth from young players such as Justin Faulk and Elias Lindholm, the Hurricanes should be a better club offensively in 2014-2015. However, a playoff push might be a tall order.

Jason Byun and Josh Paulisin are the editors at Pucks of a Feather. You can follow Pucks of a Feather on Twitter or like us on Facebook.