Storm Watch: What The Carolina Hurricanes Must Do This Season

After a disappointing regular season in which the Carolina Hurricanes missed the playoffs for the third time in four years, many aspects of their game need to improve if the Southeast Division runner-up from two years ago are to make the playoffs this coming campaign.  For a team that made the playoffs only twice in the last seven seasons, the chances are still good for them to clinch a playoff birth next year, as they traded away many players who were not helping them on the ice.  However, they need to adhere to some aspects of hockey, look at last season's facts and stay healthy in order to win games.

Score First, Score Often

The Hurricanes were stifled offensively in many games last season and were shutout seven times.  Only Jussi Jokinen scored more than 30 goals in 2009-10 and only three players had between 20 and 29 goals.  Eric Staal will be under the most pressure to score goals, as the captain only scored 29 goals in 70 games last season compared to 40 goals in 82 games the year before. 

The 'Canes were also stifled as a whole early on in the season and scored only 102 goals in the first 41 games, had a record of 11-24-6 and 28 points in the standings; but, their fortunes changed as they scored 128 goals over the second half of the season and had a record of 24-13-4 and 52 points in the standings.  After a season where many teams who scored first won, they certainly cannot get behind in games if they are to be successful.  They will have to see how their draft picks and offseason acquisitions turn out, but they went in the right direction in what they will need next year.

Power Surge

If a team has the most power plays in the league, which the Hurricanes did with 332 power plays in 2009-10, then one would think that that team would have many opportunies to convert on them.  However, the Hurricanes were not able to convert on as many as they could have, scoring only 56 goals.  It was good enough for the 12th most goals on the power play but only gave them a power play percentage of around 16.9 percent, which put them at 22nd in the NHL in that category. 

They also tied with Montreal in 2008-09 with the most power plays in the league with 374 power plays, but their power play was slightly better at 18.7 percent, scoring 70 goals on the man-advantage.  Their power play was much better in the last half of the 2008-09 season though, and it was one of the main reasons why they made the playoffs that year.

Stars At Their Brightest

For a team to play at their highest potential, their greatest players have to be at their best.  That did not occur last season for the Hurricanes.  Eric Staal missed 12 games, mostly due to injury.  His goal output, however, went down by 11 goals from the previous season.  Meanwhile, Tuomo Ruutu missed a total of 28 games and his offensive output went from 54 points in 79 games in 2008-09 down to 35 points in 54 games this past season. 

His 54 point season was actually the best of his career so far, but the ninth overall pick in 2001 will definitely need to pick up his game and prove that he can be healthy on a consistent basis in order to have the best impact in the organization.  Cam Ward is obviously one of the Hurricanes' greatest players, but after four consecutive seasons where he improved his all-around play and statistics as a goalie, the 26-year old saw the best numbers of his career in 2008-09 go down to average again with only 18 wins in 47 games along with a .916 save percentage and a 2.69 goals against average.  His health will be a factor again, but he will have to rebound significantly from last season's disappointments.

Along with these goals being achieved, the role players will also have to step up and the youngest players on the Hurricanes' team will have to play well if the Hurricanes are get back to the post-season next year.  If the Hurricanes can achieve these goals, then they will make it to the Stanley Cup Playoffs in 2011.