Loading ...Going into this year's offseason, the main concern for for the Carolina Hurricanes was resigning key defensive players and acquiring, either via trade or free agency signing, a top line forward that would provide an immediate offensive impact. The Hurricanes succeeded in both objectives by resigning Jamie McBain and Jay Harrison on defense while also trading for Jordan Staal and signing winger Alexander Semin. With a mixture of veteran savvy and explosive talent, fans should look for the Carolina Hurricanes to do well in the Southeastern Division and make a deep run in the 2013 Stanley Cup Playoffs.
Offensively the Carolina Hurricanes have the ability to put together one of the deadliest top scoring lines in the National Hockey League by having Jordan Staal play center, Eric Staal play left wing and Alexander Semin play right wing. This provides the Hurricanes with talented scoring options and playmakers at all three forward positions; both Eric Staal and Alexander Semin have scored 40 goals in a season before, and Jordan Staal scored 25 goals as the third line center for the Pittsburgh Penguins last year. This line will definitely be the spark of the Carolina Hurricanes' offense in the upcoming season, and could prove to be very difficult for opposing defenses.
The Carolina Hurricanes also return other key offensive members from this past season like Jeff Skinner, Jussi Jokinen, Tuomo Ruutu and Jiri Tlusty. All four of these players scored at least 34 points this past season and with the improved roster changes made this past offseason all four of theses players should see their statistics improve. If the Hurricanes decide to put both Staal brothers and Alexander Semin on the top scoring line, the second scoring line would feature Jeff Skinner on the left win, Tuomo Ruutu at center and Jussi Jokinen on the left wing. This would give the Hurricanes two impressive top scoring lines that would be able to compete with most teams in the National Hockey League.
The Carolina Hurricanes' defensive unit is another reason this year's team should make a deep run into the 2013 Stanley Cup Playoffs. The team resigned the top two leading defensive scorers from this past season, Jamie McBain and Jay Harrison, and added ex-Carolina Hurricane Joe Corvo. This gives the Carolina Hurricanes a group of top-six defenders who can provide needed offensive support from the blue line in both even-strength and powerplay situations, while also holding strong defensive positions at the blue line and giving starting goaltender Cam Ward needed defensive support.
The final piece to the Carolina Hurricanes' playoff puzzle is the play of starting goaltender Cam Ward. Ward has shown throughout his career, most notably the 2005-2006 Stanley Cup Playoffs, he has the ability to be a top-five NHL goaltender, yet his inconsistent play has been a weakness for the Carolina Hurricanes the past couple of seasons. Ward should receive great pressure and help from his defensive unit, and if he plays consistently at the high level of play he is capable of the Hurricanes should be a very tough team to beat in the Eastern Conference.
With all of these pieces in place, the Carolina Hurricanes should have a very successful season and should make an extended run into the 2013 playoffs. The Hurricanes have a group of top-six forwards that will provide the needed scoring to win games, and also showcase a defensive unit that can keep others from scoring. All of these pieces together create a great outlook for the upcoming 2012-2013 season for the Carolina Hurricanes.
Tags: alexander semin, Carolina, Carolina Hurricanes, Eric Staal, Hockey, Jamie McBain, Jay Harrison, Jeff Skinner, Jordan Staal, Jussi Jokinen, NHLRelated Videos
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