The Carolina Hurricanes are on a hot streak and that’s putting it modestly. Carolina stands at the top of their division. The Canes have won eight of their last 10 games and are also at the top of the Eastern Conference.
Many fans believe that this might be the year the Canes make the breakthrough and win the franchise’s second Stanley Cup title in the team’s history. But is this really the year the Canes will win the Stanley Cup?
Many signs do point to yes. The Canes’ top line hasn’t missed a beat since Teuvo Terrivainen left in free agency. Martin Necas has a 13 game points streak as of Nov. 18. Andrei Svechnikov has 16 points (6 goals and 10 assists) and Sebastian Aho has 15 points (4 goals and 11 assists).
Their defense has been very good as well, with Brent Burns and Jaccob Slavin holding down the fort in the Canes backline. The Canes second line has also progressed, as Jesper Kotkanemi and Jack Drury have been patrolling the attack as well.
Jack Roslovic has also helped recuperate some of what the Canes lost with Teuvo Terrivainen, scoring nine goals so far this season. Goaltending has been very strong this year so far for the Canes. Pyotr Kochetkov has gone 9-2 in his first 11 starts of the season and is sporting a goals against average of 2.42.
However, the Canes received a blow to their goaltending room, as GM Eric Tulsky said in a press release that Fredriek Anderson, the normal starting goalie, has a knee injury that will require surgery and he will miss 8-12 weeks.
Also, Jesper Fast and Seth Jarvis, two key players on the Canes, will miss several weeks as Fast deals with a neck injury and Jarvis deals with a lower body injury. Both have been placed on the injured reserve as of this article’s publishing date.
The Canes have several options for what they can do to fill the gaps to what is needed. The biggest needs are a second or third line forward, a second line defenseman and another goalie to complete the goalie tandem with Kochetkov.
Here are several players that might make sense for Carolina to seek a trade for:
- Cam Fowler
The 15 year veteran who currently plays for the Anaheim Ducks is an ideal candidate for the Hurricanes. He is a good defenseman and would bring depth to the second defensive pair of the Hurricanes.
- Josh Anderson
The 10 year veteran for the Montreal Canadians is currently a forward. He has 9 points (4 goals and 5 assists). However, his salary may be too much for the Canes to handle, as his salary is $7 million. He is a very good player and he is a very interesting trade candidate for the Hurricanes.
- Alexandre Carrier
The 28 year old is a defenseman for the Nashville Predators. He is a good defenseman, with five points so far this season. He could be a good second line defenseman.
- Vitek Vanecek
The 29 year old Goalie is currently playing for the San Jose Sharks. He doesn’t have the most wins, but he does have a goals against average of 3.36. He would make a good backup goalie for the Canes.
So do the Canes have a chance to win the Stanley Cup?
The Canes are playing at the top of their game. The Canes can win another Stanley Cup, but they must make some moves to ensure that they are well-rounded and can play well during the playoffs. If the Canes make trades, they will be a whole lot more likely to win the Stanley Cup.
