NHL Season Preview 2014-2015: Carolina Hurricanes
By Jason Byun
Offseason Recap
Jason Byun: As much as I want to be optimistic about the Hurricanes, they really didn’t add much in free agency. They’re not a great squad, and their best offseason acquisition is probably Jay McClement, which isn’t good unless your team is stocked with major talent.
After McClement, the Hurricanes other acquisition of note was re-signing Jiri Tlusty, which is also not a move that makes the club any better than they were before. They lost Justin Peters to Washington, which clears up their goalie situation a bit, though they still don’t have a clear starter between Ward and Khudobin. The team also lost veteran defensive-centerman Manny Malhotra to the Montreal Canadiens.
You could argue that at best, they’re the same team they were last year. However, I think they’re a worse team than they were last year.
Josh Paulisin: Since hoisting the Stanley Cup in 2006, the Hurricanes have failed to make the postseason in seven of the last eight seasons, including the past five years. It was clear that the cards needed reshuffling and that came in the front office and behind the bench.
Former Hurricane and Hall-of-Famer Ron Francis takes over as general manager and his first order of business was replacing head coach Kirk Muller with Bill Peters, who has been an assistant with the Detroit Red Wings since 2011. Despite a new GM and head coach, few changes were made to the roster this offseason.
The Hurricanes bring in fourth-liners Brad Malone and Jay McClement to add depth to the forward group after the departure of Manny Malhotra. Defenseman Tim Gleason returns to Raleigh after being traded from Carolina to the Toronto Maple Leafs in the middle of the last season. Ron Hainsey was also brought back for another three years and should continue to be a top-four defenseman for the Hurricanes.
It wasn’t an eventful offseason in Carolina and it will take some time for the Hurricanes to climb their way back up the standings, but the Francis-Peters era is officially underway and will need a few years to establish an identity.