Ten games down, and October is already behind us. The Carolina Hurricanes are sitting at 8-2-0, with a six-game winning streak, and have the highest point percentage in the Eastern Conference (.800). Here’s a look at how a team that was expected to take a step back this season has not skipped a beat.
Necas for Hart Campaign Starts Now
Two words: Martin Necas. Necas, coming off a disappointing 2023-24 campaign, is off to a red-hot start. Playing with Jesperi Kotkaniemi and Eric Robinson, Necas, with six goals and 12 assists, leads the Hurricanes with 18 points through ten games. Rumors swirled over the summer about whether he would remain in Raleigh or if he would benefit from a change of scenery after a dip in production last season. It seems that he is benefiting from staying in Carolina.
Related: Resurgence of Martin Necas Is Fueling the Carolina Hurricanes
Necas, who signed a two-year, $6.5 million deal this summer, is currently on pace for around 147-148 points. If he could somehow stay on pace, Hart Trophy conversations will be in his future. Is he going to double his career-high in points? Probably not. But his incredible play is benefitting the team. Maybe those blonde tips are here to stay.
Pyotr Kochetkov Is Ready
With the early season injury to Freddie Andersen, Pyotr Kochetkov is attempting to seize the moment and claim the number one spot in goal. Before Andersen went down with an injury, it seemed head coach Rod Brind’Amour wanted to rotate between goalies every game.
However, Andersen is listed as week-to-week with games perfectly spaced out until next weekend, so Pyotr is getting his chance.
While the save percentage (.893) isn’t exactly where Kochetkov would like, his record is. At 5-1-0, he is giving his team an opportunity to win every night he takes the ice. According to MoneyPuck, the young Russian goaltender is 11th in goals saved above expected among goalies with at least six games played. If he can learn to balance his aggressive nature that gets him into trouble with the amazing play we’ve seen at times, the sky is the limit. The net is there for the taking, and the young goaltender is making his argument.
Jackson Blake Is Here to Stay
Players who are 19 years old or younger on their entry-level contract (ELC) can be given a nine-game tryout before they are returned to their junior club or the first year of their contract kicks in. Jackson Blake, who made the team out of training camp, officially made it past that nine-game mark and was told he was sticking around via a nice moment on FaceTime with his dad.
The University of North Dakota product and fourth-round pick has three goals and two assists through the first five games of the season. Playing on the fourth line with Jack Drury and now William Carrier, Brind’Amour can roll all four forward lines with confidence. Every night, every line is a threat to score. A Canes rookie wearing 53 and making an impact every night? Sounds familiar.
Roslovic on His Way to Earning a Payday
After becoming trade bait for the Columbus Blue Jackets and being dealt to the New York Rangers at the deadline last season, Jack Roslovic joined the Hurricanes on a one-year, $2.8 million contract. Looking to return to the 40-45-point he was in his early time in Columbus, Roslovic wanted to prove himself in Raleigh.
There are not many situations better than the one Roslovic finds himself in. Playing alongside Sebastian Aho and Andrei Svechinkov, he has six goals on the season. His incredible speed and impressive shot have been an excellent addition to the Canes’ top line. If he can get back to his early 2020 point totals, he will be on his way to the bank. Whether it’s with Carolina or with a new dance partner on July 1, Roslovic could cash in as the salary cap continues to rise.
The Rise of GhostWalker
When the final buzzer sounded on Game 6 of the second round of the 2024 Playoffs, and the Hurricanes fell to the Rangers again, uncertainty faced the team. A lot of familiar faces would be moving on, and general manager Eric Tulsky had the challenge of replacing them, namely, Brady Skjei and Brett Pesce. The defensive pair, a mainstay on the back end, were destined for big deals and moved on. In what might be the most underrated series of moves of the summer, the Canes signed Sean Walker and Shayne Gostisbehere on July 1.
Gostisbehere, quarterbacking the top power-play unit, picked up where he left off last season and has four goals and five assists. Walker, off to a slower start offensively than his partner, has one goal through 10 games but is a plus-5. The defensive play is there as well. The pair have played 121:37 together and have only allowed 13 high-danger chances against (according to Natural Stat Trick), albeit they have played about 20 minutes less than the other two pairs so far. They are 18% better in that category than the Dmitry Orlov and Jalen Chatfield and Jaccob Slavin and Brent Burns pairings.
The Jordans
No surprise, Jordan Martinook and Jordan Staal have picked up exactly where they left off last season and continue to age like fine wine. Martinook and Staal have only combined for four points to start the season, but the head coach would be okay if they had zero. The bread and butter of these two is shutting down the other team’s top forwards. Any points on top of that are gravy in the eyes of Brind’Amour.
With those two on the ice, it doesn’t matter who is on the other wing. Whether it’s William Carrier or Seth Jarvis, the Staal line is going to shut down whoever they face. The Canes’ captain has only been on the ice for 12 high-danger chances against. How many of those have gone in the back of the Canes net? Zero. Enough said.
Hurricanes Special, Special Teams
Thanks to a red-hot number one unit, the power play is operating at a 26.5% clip with nine goals in 10 games. With the additions of Necas and Gostisbehere to the top unit, the movement and passing have improved tremendously from what the Hurricanes showed in the playoffs last season.
A good rule of thumb for special teams is that if the power play and penalty kill percentages combine to a sum over 100, the team is in a good spot. Defenseman Tim Gleason has the penalty kill humming along at 84.6%. With the sum of the two being around 111, the Hurricanes are in a pretty good spot to start the season.
A Jesperi Kotkaniemi Breakthrough?
Jesperi Kotkaniemi defenders, this one is for you. Often criticized after the Hurricanes nabbed him from the Montreal Canadiens with a signed offer sheet, Kotkaniemi has started the season strong. Playing with Necas and Robinson, he has one goal and seven assists through 10 games. The Hurricanes desperately need him to step up and become a legitimate number-two center if they want postseason success.
And you get a goal! And you get a goal! And YOU get a goal!
— Hurricanes On FanDuel Sports Network (@FDSN_Hurricanes) November 1, 2024
Kotkaniemi scores his first of the year to make it 8-2!@Canes | #RaiseUp pic.twitter.com/Xyvh5Fpzfs
Will this finally be the year he breaks through and puts the critics to bed?
If You Build it, They Will Come
The Hurricanes announced on Halloween night that the home game against the Boston Bruins marked 71 straight sellouts at PNC Arena. Excuse me, Lenovo Center. The last non-sellout came against the St. Louis Blues on Feb. 21, 2023. Hockey has come a long way in North Carolina. On Halloween night 2001, the official attendance was 7,016 – the lowest in franchise history in the Raleigh building (from ‘The Carolina Hurricanes — and their Lenovo sellout streak — keep gathering momentum, News and Observer, Sept. 23, 2024). Twenty-three years later, the Hurricanes are rolling, and the Caniacs are obsessed.
Raleigh, North Carolina, is a Hockey Town. Don’t let anyone tell you otherwise.
Can this Hurricanes Group Be the One to Break Through?
The Golden Question. We’ve seen hot starts from the team in the past. Due to their fast, hard forecheck and defensive system, the Hurricanes bode well for early season success. Brind’Amour does an amazing job of extracting every ounce out of his group. However, when it gets down to crunch time in late April and into May, the Canes seem to lack that next gear. The amazing start gets forgotten, and everyone gets frustrated.
The Stanley Cup is the hardest trophy to win in professional sports. The team’s sustained success since Tom Dundon took over as majority owner is nothing to sneeze at. However, the goal every year is to lift the Cup. Over the summer, the Hurricanes were written off by many as a “reset year” team. Only ten games into the season, they are proving they are anything but that.