As teams determine which players to retain -- and which ones they want to sign via free agency -- ESPN.com looks at the Hurricanes. We briefly review '99-00 and the Canes' near miss of the playoffs. Then, there's the question of what must happen for Carolina to gain that playoff berth and close the gap on Florida and Washington.
Season Review: Wins, losses and balance don't add up
| |  |
| | Francis |
Keith Primeau was never around, so they didn't really miss him, although there's no doubt that he would have made a big difference, especially because he would have taken pressure off Ron Francis. In the end, Carolina was a decent team that probably deserved a playoff spot. Can you remember the last time a team with a winning record missed the NHL playoffs?
The best that can be said of the Carolina lineup was that there was a balance in scoring. Ten players scored 14 or more goals, with Jeff O'Neill leading the way with 25. Francis led the team with 72 points. Up front, Gary Roberts and Sami Kapanen had strong seasons, and although Bates Battaglia faded offensively in the second half -- 14 points in the final 52 games -- he led the team with a plus-19. On the blue line, Sean Hill was solid when healthy, and Paul Coffey had his best season in years.
The team relied heavily on goalie Arturs Irbe, who mad an astonishing 75 starts. But, he finished the year stronger than he started, posting a 1.76 GAA and .933 save percentage in the final four games of Carolina's failed playoff push.
Open Market: Are losses already mounting?
Adding Sandis Ozolinsh is a definite positive for the Canes, but it may not offset some of their personnel losses, most notably Sean Hill, now with St. Louis, Gary Roberts, who signed a contract with Toronto and Andrei Kovalenko, now a Boston Bruin. Replacing Roberts' team-leading 12 power-play goals won't be easy, and Hill would have been a solid complement to Ozolinsh's freewheeling style. Interestingly, Hill was second on the team in power play goals with eight; that's losing 20 of 58 power-play goals.
|
FREE AGENCY
|
|
Key unsigned free agents:
Bates Battaglia, Sandy McCarthy, Jeff O'Neill, Mark Fitzpatrick
Signings/offseason acquisitions:
Sandis Ozolinsh |
If the Hurricanes don't have too much trouble signing restricted free agent Bates Battaglia, he can build on last season's positives. Jeff O'Neill filed for arbitration, and that's good because he could have another breakout year. If the coaching staff looked a bit to the North -- geographically and in the standings -- and saw what Adam Oates and Chris Simon created, Carolina might try to experiment Sandy McCarthy with Ron Francis and ask McCarthy to keep his gloves on to see if he can score. Simon learned that his physical presence opened up space for him, which translated into more time to make moves, and eventually 29 goals. Carolina would be giddy if McCarthy came anywhere near 20. That is, per usual with restricted free agents, if he signs on time.
How to improve: Get team, city on a roll
Losing Hill and Roberts hurts, but the hope is that Rod Brind'Amour flourishes now that he's adjusted to being in Carolina. Brind'Amour is a tough, gritty center and should produce between 20 and 30 goals. If he can do that, and McCarthy proves to be more than a tough guy, the Canes could equal last season's balanced offense and then some.
The question remains how well the defense will play in front of Irbe. An upgrade at backup would be a plus because expecting back-to-back 70-plus starts isn't the greatest idea. But in the end, the team just needs to get the city excited about hockey, and the best way to do that is to have a solid season and win at least one playoff series. A taste is all they need, but it won't be easy.
Brian A. Shactman is the NHL Editor for ESPN.com.
