Vancouver Canucks 2017-18 season preview: Carolina Hurricanes edition
By David Joun
If you think the Vancouver Canucks brought in too many veterans, take a look at what the Carolina Hurricanes did.
The Vancouver Canucks and the Carolina Hurricanes may find common ground in that they have not had much success over the most recent years. The Hurricanes, however, find themselves in an eight-year playoff drought, something that Vancouver does not have to worry about quite yet.
That does not mean that the Canucks are a better club than the Hurricanes at this point, however. In some ways, the future looks brighter and closer in Carolina than it does in Vancouver.
Led by a young forward trio in Teuvo Teravainen, Sebastian Aho and Elias Lindholm, the Hurricanes’ quest for a return to the playoffs and the Stanley Cup looks bright. Of course, there are Noah Hanifin and Brett Pesce on the blueline as well.
Let’s see what the Hurricanes did this offseason in hopes of returning to the playoffs.
Offseason Changes
- Notable players in
- Notable player out
Former Canucks netminder Eddie Lack leaves Carolina to come to Calgary, where he will serve as a back up to Mike Smith after being the back up to Cam Ward. Ward will now play back up for Scott Darling as the Canes add veteran presence in the form of Justin Williams and others.
Now that the young players have developed their skills, the Canes are going to let the veterans complement them and nurture them. Would that be the way to go for the Canucks as well?
Carolina Hurricanes (36-31-15, 7th in Metropolitan Division)
| 2016-17 vs. Vancouver |
- (4-3) Vancouver, Oct. 16 @Vancouver
- (8-6) Carolina, Dec. 13 @Carolina
2017-18 vs. Vancouver
- Dec. 5 @Vancouver
- Feb. 9 @Carolina
The Canucks will be facing a team in Carolina that is struggling at an organizational level and desperately need success on the ice to draw fans to its games. The first thing the Hurricanes did was to clear up their netminding situation.
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Out goes Lack who was roasted openly by his head coach and in comes Chicago Blackhawks netminder Scott Darling. Darling isn’t a proven NHL starter quite yet but has shown that he has everything that he needs to be one. The declining once-all-star Cam Ward will settle for a backup role.
The Canes also got themselves a new goalie coach.
It should be noticed that Williams, van Riemsdyk and Kruger all have Stanley Cup experience. The veterans that Carolina spent on, including Darling who is much younger than Williams, are winners that know what it takes to win the Cup.
Vancouver’s additions in the offseason, in contrast, combine for no Stanley Cup experience. In fact, the entire NHL roster signed for next year does not have any Stanley Cup championships at all. Is that a factor why this team struggles so much in the playoffs ever since the run to the finals?
Next: 30-in-30 Calgary Flames Edition
The Hurricanes and the Canucks may only play each other twice a year but the Canucks may have things to learn from Carolina if they want to find a successful way for the youth movement and the rebuild. There is no place for veterans unless they have a winning pedigree, it seems.