Canes Breakdown

The Carolina Hurricanes are beginning a new era. Eric Staal has taken over as captain in place of the now retired Rod Brindamour, and Canes vet Ray Whitney is now playing in Pheonix. The team has added new and younger players as they hope to become a soon leading force in the NHL.

The Canes have added younger players to the team in hope of developing them and turning them into big time players. With the seventh overall pick in the draft, the Canes were able to pick up aruguably the best scoring forward in Jeff Skinner. Also added to the young group of players are Riley Nash and Jared Staal, the youngest of the Staal boys. Riley Nash is looking to play in the NHL this season, whereas Jared is most likely going to be playing in the AHL where he can develop.

In net is returing starter Cam Ward, who was out most of last season with several major injuries. The job is most certainly his, as young Justin Peters is backing him up, but the major question mark for him is if he can stay healthy. Cam Ward is an All-Star goaltender and is hoping to return to the explosive save making ability that he had early on last season. If he can stay healthy and still play well, the Canes may be able to make a shot for the playoffs.

One returning forward who appears to be drastically improving for the Canes is Chad LaRose. LaRose ended last season on the first line for the Canes and appeared to connect splendidly with Staal. I look to see LaRose become the standout return player for the Canes this season and possibly even be one of their leading scorers. Joe Corvo and Anton Babchuck are making their returns to the Canes deffense and hope to bring some offense with them. In ’08, Corvo and Babchuck lead the Canes deffense in scoring and will hopefully be able to return to those roles.

The Canes have very little expectations this season, and this is somewhat exciting. It appears that the Canes are best when they are not supposed to be and with this new young core of players, they will only get better. In just a few years, look for the Canes to be making strong pushes into the playoffs and maybe even contending in the East for a top spot. If all the players they picked up and have groomed are as good as they are expected, this is exactly what will happen. It’s a bright future in Carolina, and we just can’t wait for the season to begin.