Boston College's captain gets an NHL deal

Boston College senior free agent forward Patrick Brown has signed a two-year entry-level contract with the Carolina Hurricanes.

Brown, the son of former NHL forward Doug Brown, is a 6-1 197 lbs. power forward that captained the Eagles this season. He was fourth on the Eagles in scoring this season, trailing only the three tremendous players on Boston College's top line, with 15 goals and 15 assists. Brown provided a big body that was willing to bang in front of the net and create space for the offensive players around him on the Boston College power play. 10 of his 30 points this season came via the man advantage.

The Hurricanes also cited Brown's work ethic and leadership qualities as big reasons why they offered him a contract.

Brown just completed his senior season at Boston College where he served as team captain for the Eagles.

The Carolina Hurricanes announced today that Boston College forward Patrick Brown has been signed to an entry level contract.  The contract is two-way for two years and will pay Brown $60,000 at the AHL level and will pay $575,000 in 2014-15 and $600,000 in 2015-16 at the NHL level. It also includes a signing bonus of $130,000.

Brown served as the captain of the Boston College Eagles and his leadership was instrumental in their success during his collegiate career.  He is perhaps most famous for his game-winning goal during the Beanpot championship between BC and Northeastern on February 10th that became the number one play on ESPN SportsCenter.  Read about it HERE (and click the photo below for GIF animation).

His father, Doug Brown, played in the NHL for 15 years and has two Stanley Cups with the Detroit Red Wings on his resume.  Goaltender John Muse, currently with the Charlotte Checkers, is a former teammate.  Brown also has an interesting celebrity connection as the cousin of actors Kate and Rooney Mara.

Follow Patrick on twitter at: @PattyBC23

The team press release follows:

Canes Agree to Terms with Patrick Brown
Center served as captain for Boston College this season

RALEIGH, NC - Ron Francis, Vice President of Hockey Operations for the National Hockey League's Carolina Hurricanes, today announced that the team agreed to terms with center Patrick Brown on a two-year, entry-level contract. The deal will pay Brown $575,000 in the NHL in 2014-15 and $600,000 in the NHL in 2015-16, or $60,000 in the American Hockey League (AHL) both years. He also receives a signing bonus of $130,000.

"Patrick showed tremendous leadership and character while serving as Boston College's captain this season," said Francis. "He has an excellent work ethic and made great strides during his college career. We look forward to his continued development as a professional."

Brown, 21, completed his senior season at Boston College in 2013-14, ranking third among Eagles in goals (15) and fourth in points (30) in 40 games played. The Bloomfield Hills, MI, native was also third on the team in game-winning goals (4), including the game-winning goal of the Beanpot final against Northeastern. Brown found the net in Boston College's Frozen Four semifinal game against Union, as the Eagles ultimately fell to Union 5-4 to end their season.

Brown completed his collegiate career with 21 goals and 22 assists (43 points) in 120 games for the Eagles. During his time at Boston College, his team totaled 112 victories, one NCAA championship (2012), three Hockey East regular-season titles and two Hockey East tournament championships. Brown was a member of the Hockey East All-Academic team each of his first three seasons in Chestnut Hills. His father, Doug Brown, played 15 seasons in the NHL, capturing the Stanley Cup with the Detroit Red Wings in 1997 and 1998. Patrick Brown's grandfather was Wellington Mara, former owner of the NFL's New York Giants.

Canes sweep Flyers for first time since 1991-92 season.

One day after breaking a 25 year drought in Detroit, the Carolina Hurricanes completed a season sweep of the Philadelphia Flyers for the first time since 1991-92, with a 6-5 shootout win at the Wells Fargo Center on Sunday afternoon.

Eric Staal scored two goals, plus notched the game-winner in the shootout, and Jeff Skinner also scored twice to lead the Hurricanes.

The Canes jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the first period, taking advantage of rookie goaltender, Calvin Heeter, who was making his debut NHL start.  Skinner scored two minutes into the game and Staal scored his first just 8:31 into the game.

Then Matt Read got the home team on the board but Manny Malhotra made it, 3-1 before the end of the period.

Just 17 seconds into the second period, Staal scored his second goal of the game, making it 4-1 and the Canes seemed in control, but the Flyers had other plans.

By the end of the second period, the Flyers scored three straight goals to tie it, 4-4, two of the goals coming within 10 seconds of each other.

At 15:39 into the third period, Skinner broke the tie with his career best 33rd goal of the season, but Wayne Simmonds tied it again with just 10 seconds left in the game.

Neither team could score in the overtime period and Eric Staal was the only scorer in the shootout to give the Canes the win.

Anton Khudobin made 39 saves on 44 shots and did not allow a goal in the shootout.

The team will fly home and begin individual exit reviews tomorrow in Raleigh.

Game Notes:

• The Canes were outshot 44-38.  The club was led by Skinner, Staal, and Justin Faulk with six shots each.
• Faulk had a team high 24:28 of TOI with Ron Hainsey right behind with 24:15.
• John-Michael Liles led the way with six blocked shots.
• The team won 62% of their faceoffs with Malhotra at 80%.
• Post game interviews at Canes PR.com.

Only Florida, Edmonton, and New York Islanders have earned fewer points over same time frame

Another season is over and it's another disappointment for fans of the Carolina Hurricanes.  The team finished with 83 points, good for seventh from the bottom of the league.  Last season, the team finished with the fifth worst point total, 42 points in the 48 game mini-season, the equivalent of .878 points per game or 72 points in a normal 82 game season.

The owner of the Hurricanes might be thinking his team just needs a little tweak here and little tweak there to fix things, but in looking at how many points the Canes have earned over the past five years, it would seem they might need more than just tweaks.

* equivalent point total for 82 game season

Has the team improved?  Gotten worse?  On the right path?  To try to answer these questions, we need to look at some other stats.

Goals scored per game - 2.5

The team finished 22nd in the league and averaged scoring 2.5 goals per game.  This was down from last year's 2.65 goals per game average, which was 14th best in the league.

Goals allowed per game - 2.76

This year's 2.76 per game average is a significant improvement from last year's 3.31 which was near the worst in the league.  This season's number moved them to 19th in the league.

Shots per game - 31.2

The Canes averaged 31.2 shots per game which is the 9th highest in the league.  That is down from last year's 32.2 average, which was third best in the league.

Shots allowed per game - 30.9

They allowed 30.9 shots per game, which is 21st most in the league.  This is an improvement from last season's 32.2 average, which was 26th.

Powerplay percentage - 14.6%

This season's 14.6% put them at 28th best in the league and is the exact same percentage they had last year, which was 27th best at that time.

Penalty kill percentage - 81.7%

This season's 81.7% is a big improvement from last season's 77.6%.  They moved up from 28th in the league to 17th with the increase.

Face off percentage - 52.6%

This year's 52.6% was good for fourth best in the league and is up from last season's 50.2%, which was 14th best in the league.

Blocked shots - 1096

The team blocked 1096 shots this season which was an average of 13.37 per game, good for 22nd in the league.  Last year they blocked 667 shots in 48 games, a 13.9 per game average, which put them at 20th in the league.

Takeaways - 785

The Hurricanes led the entire NHL with 785 takeaways this season, a 9.6 per game average.  Last year they averaged 8.9 per game and had a total of 426 takeaways, good for third best in the league.

Hits - 1807

Their 1807 hits gave them a 22 hits per game average, 18th in the league.  Last season they had 1100 hits in 48 games, a 22.9 per game average, good for 17th in the league.

-------

While the team has been able to improve some of the team statistics, obviously it has not added up to enough wins on the ice, which is where it counts. Can they continue to improve and will it translate to more wins?

After five straight years of no postseason for the Hurricanes, many players seem unsure of their future with club

The Carolina Hurricanes held player exit interviews with local media Tuesday and the mood was understandably somber.  Most players could not explain why the team was so inconsistent and none could or would say what they thought was specifically wrong with the team.

Those who were asked directly, supported the current coaching staff, although with this classy bunch it would have been a surprise if they did not say so.  A couple of players did speak in veiled terms and did not seem pleased.

Drayson Bowman mentioned that he felt his ice time was reduced after the start of the season and it was hard for him to get going again.  Cam Ward indicated that he would have liked to have gotten more work.

Players like Nathan Gerbe and John-Michael Liles, who performed very well under Kirk Muller's system, of course were happy with the system.

Gerbe put up near career best numbers this season, said he was happy to be in Carolina, and looks forward to hopefully returning next season.  (Gerbe is an RFA). He was offered a chance to play in the World Championships, but turned down the opportunity so he could spend time with family.  He will be training in Connecticut again this offseason.

Liles went from being a healthy scratch option in Toronto to playing big minutes with the Canes.   When asked about his improvement, he said that it was not that uncommon for a player to do better when given another chance, and sometimes there is just a better fit in a new location.

Jeff Skinner also will not play in the World Championships because he is recovering from the removal of ingrown toenails.  He liked his training routine from last summer and will repeat that again this offseason.

The Staal brothers of course were given a lot of attention and asked the most questions.

While answering one question, Jordan Staal said "If I return next season" to which a couple reporters asked him, "IF??"   He replied that he was under evaluation, just like everyone else.  Who knows what next season brings?  Jordan has not yet been asked to play in the Worlds, so that is not an option at the moment.

When asked about the possibility of a trade this summer, Eric Staal responded that he had never dreamed about playing anywhere else but Carolina, but, he said that he was sick of not making the playoffs.  Without him actually saying the words, it seemed like he might be open to the idea of a trade.  He also admitted that while he needs to improve, so do others on the team.  As reported earlier by Chip, he will skip the Worlds this year.

Elias Lindholm was asked if he would look to gain some weight and muscle mass this summer and he looked a bit surprised at the question.  He seems happy with his current weight of 196.  Apparently, he and Skinner joke around sometimes on the bench.  "He's a funny guy," Lindholm said of his friend.

Jiri Tlusty looked pretty glum for his interview and said that he would skip Worlds because he doesn't have a contract yet and didn't want to chance anything.  The winger, who is an RFA, said that he was putting too much pressure on himself early in the year, plus was dinged up a bit, but played better when he played more loosely later in the season.

Radek Dvorak was asked about possible retirement after this season, but he will make that decision later.

Andrei Loktionov has been invited to Team Russia's training camp for Worlds and will attend next week.  He said he felt comfortable here and he played well.  He hopes to return, (he's also an RFA).

Manny Malhotra had an upbeat interview and said that he felt that he proved to everyone he could still play in this league.  He stated that he wanted to return here again next season, if possible.

Ron Hainsey also wants to return.  "There are ups and downs every season," he said, but he felt he had a good year.

Brett Bellemore also felt he proved that he could be a regular defenseman in the league, and I doubt anyone will argue.  He was asked to be physical at times and did not mind it at all.  "Being a bigger guy, I have always been asked to be physical," he said.

Justin Peters is unsure of his future, but also would like to come back.  He likes the team and the staff, but it was frustrating at times being the third goalie.  "I got a lot of practice stopping Rod Brind'Amour's shots," he quipped.   He thinks that he has proven himself to be NHL caliber as well.

To see all the interviews, check out  CH.com.

In other news, the Hurricanes lost the NHL Draft Lottery on Tuesday night.  Florida won it and jumped over the Sabres, who have had such a tough season they cannot even win when the odds are in their favor.  The Canes will choose seventh, unless they decide to trade the pick.

Kirk Muller will be interviewed on Wednesday.

Head coach has not been informed of any change of status by management yet

Carolina Hurricanes head coach Kirk Muller held his end-of-season press conference on Wednesday and seemed fairly pleased with where his team is at, considering he has yet to make the playoffs.  He said that he is very optimistic about next year and feels the team is heading in the right direction.

Muller seemed to blame injuries on the reason the team is not in the playoffs and said that the club needs to keep the "man games lost" stat down in order to be more successful.

The coach was asked repeatedly about his relationship with his players and he said that from his side, he felt like he had a good relationship with them, both the younger and older groups.

He pointed out that the team's goals allowed per game stat had dropped from last season's atrocious 3.31 per game average to 2.7 this year.  "That puts us right where many of the current playoff teams are at" the coach said.

He also said that the younger players had played better of late and should continue to improve under his watch.  While special teams have been an issue, especially the powerplay, he pointed out that since the Olympics break, things had improved.

According to the coach, the Hurricanes were buzzing right along until both goalies got hurt and Jeff Skinner went down, within a five day period earlier in the season.  But he did admit that Justin Peters was able to keep the team in the mix and proved that he was an NHL caliber goalie.

There is at least one major problem with the injury excuse by the coach, (and the owner).

At the Olympics break, the team had a 26-22-9 record, which was good for 61 points and they were only two points outside of a playoff spot.  (Both the Caps and Blue Jackets had 63 points).  But the team went on a losing streak when returning from the break and slid down hill big time from there.  They were mostly healthy at this time, or at least, the regulars were playing.

The fact that Joni Pitkanen was lost for the season threw the "man games lost" stat out of kilter, but the team had the chance to sign Ron Hainsey to fill in for the Finn, so that injury should not be counted as an excuse either.

Every team faces injuries, some more than others.  Last year the Senators overcame major injuries and this season both the Penguins and Red Wings faced them.

Anton Khudobin said it best during his interview.  (paraphrasing)  "Excuses are just words.  It takes actions to make the playoffs, anything else is just words."

Muller should be given credit for keeping things upbeat and looking at the positives.  He mentioned that he still believed in his system and that it will work when it is played properly.  But is he being realistic?  When his team is inconsistent about being successful using his system, what are the reasons for the inconsistencies?  These must be examined and explained as well.

It is not good enough to say that it is evident the system works well just because the Canes can beat the best teams in the league,  sometimes.   Why do things not go well at other times?  Are these players incapable of playing the system successfully on a consistent basis?

Consistency is the key to success, not being able to beat the good team sometimes.

Muller was also asked about the team's continual slow starts to which he had no reasoning.  "We have tried everything, morning skates and no mornings skates.  This is one of the things our staff will look more closely at during the offseason," he said.

Will the coach return next season or not?  So far, it looks like he will.

Check out the entire 42 minute press conference at CH.com.

Each of the Canes Country staff chime in with what we would do regarding the head coach question.

(This is number one in a series of round table discussions we will have at Canes Country this offseason.)

The Carolina Hurricanes have some major decisions to make.  One of them is whether or not to bring back head coach Kirk Muller for another season behind the bench.  Muller has one more year left on his contract, but has yet to have an official vote of confidence from management.

Last week we ran a poll here on the blog asking for reader feedback and we got plenty of it.  Out of over 800 respondents, 39% supported the coach's return, in one way or the other, while 57% want him replaced.

There is similar discord between the contributors of the blog.

I asked our staff the following question and this is what they came up with.  "If you were Carolina GM, would you bring Kirk Muller back for next season, and if so, why?  If not, who would you hire to replace him?"

First up will be the Muller supporters:

Brian LeBlanc - Editor

Unlike many successful teams, the Hurricanes are not blessed with great depth of talent. That is not on the head coach. But it is on the coach to optimize the talents of the players that he is given, and I don't think this coach has done that. It's my view that a substantial subset of the talent has underperformed to its skill set. Not only that, but there are far too many players that over the years I respected for their character and commitment to the game that don't appear to mesh with what this particular coach brought to the table. But even more disturbing is I see no improvement year-over-year in results despite what appears to be an upgrade in personnel, and there's no accountability to acknowledge real holes in the team's performance nor a coherent plan to correct them, except with platitudes that the system is working and the team just needs to buy into it, work harder, play the right way, and get hurt less. Tweaks and patience.

Daily Washington Capitals news and notes: Recaps of last night's win over the 'Canes, reflecting on a lost season, pointing fingers and more.

Your savory breakfast links:

• Recaps of last night's relatively meaningless win from us, Vogs, Monumental video (Oates, Holtby, Ward, Fehr), NHL.com, AP, SportsXchange, WaPo, Frankovic, DSP, RMNB and Peerless, and from the Carolina contingent, the News Observer and Canes Country.
  • The third line of Jason Chimera, Eric Fehr and Joel Ward was on fire last night, with each member of the trio picking up a goal and two assists. [WaPo]
• Previews of tonight's penultimate game of the season against Chicago from Vogs and NHL.com and Peerless, and be sure to check out our SB Nation partners over at Second City Hockey for the other side of tonight's matchup.
• News and notes from yesterday's pregame skate:
  • In general. [Monumental video (Oates, Ovechkin, Backstrom, Rinkside Update/Carrick)]
  • Prior to the season, Ted Leonsis noted that he felt the team had no flaws - and now notes that perhaps he was wrong. [Ted's Take, WaPo, PHT]
  • Does that mean that George McPhee is on the hot seat? [Yahoo!, WNST (audio)]
  • Meanwhile, Adam Oates stands by what he said about Jaroslav Halak...failing to see that what he said is probably less of a big deal than the fact that he said it at all. [WaPo, CSNW]
  • For the first time since 2007, the Caps find themselves out of the playoff picture - and decidedly at a crossroads. [NBC4]
• RIP, Caps. [Puck Daddy]
• Scoring 30 goals in a season is actually not as easy - or as common - as you might think. But by all means, kick dirt at the guy who scored 50. [Sporting News]
• Time to play the blame game!
  • It's the coaches' fault. [CSNW]
  • It's Alex Ovechkin's fault. [Talk the Red, FTW]
  • It's all of the players' fault. [WaPo]
  • It's everyone's fault. [WaPo (Wise)]
• Let's step into the wayback machine, shall we? 
  • Leonsis has never been afraid to speak candidly about his teams, and he had plenty to say about his hopes for the Caps' future back in 2008. [WaPo]
  • Ah, 2008. Remember that glorious night when the Caps downed the Panthers at home to clinch their first playoff spot in years? Memories. [Caps Outsider]
  • ...and then remember the series of heartbreaking playoff elimination games later that spring and the springs that followed? Nightmares. [WaPo]
• Considering what types of stories usually land one on the list of Masterton Trophy nominees, it's not always a good thing to be included - but for the Caps' nominee, it's truly just about perseverance. [SI.com]
• Troy Brouwer had a bit of a dubious accomplishment in Tuesday's win over St. Louis. [RMNB]
• Unlike their parent club, the Hershey Bears are still in the race for a playoff spot - but the math is starting to get a little tricky. [Patriot-News]
• There will be free agent goalies a-plenty this summer...and yes, you should probably expect to see Jaroslav Halak among them. [PHT]
• Speaking of goalies, a final look at the goalie rankings around the NHL for fantasy hockey as the regular season comes to a close... [NHL.com]
• ...and a final look at all of the lids used by the League's netminders. Never should've painted that mask, Jaro. [SI.com]
• The Caps and the Wiz have historically been very good at not stealing each other's playoff thunder...usually because one of them is very bad in general. [WaPo]
• No playoffs? No problem! Time to brush up on yer golf game. [Peerless]
• Finally, happy 62nd birthday to Ron Jones, happy 43rd to Trevor Linden, and happy 35th to Ben Clymer.

This is a look at the zone exit and passing statistics for the New Jersey Devils' 78th game of the season against the Carolina Hurricanes on April 5th. Read on for the details.

Passing Stats

Forwards: A poor night passing and shot-generation-wise. The forwards converted merely 29.2% of their shot attempts in shots. Woeful. As a group the forwards generated twenty-four shot attempts (SAG) and only seven shots (SG). Now, each forward apart from Mike Sislo generated at least one shot attempt. Jaromir Jagr and Travis Zajac led the way with four each, but only one shot each. Damien Brunner was quite active as he went 15/20 and generated two shots on two attempts.

Stephen Gionta had an efficient game as well, completing all eight of his passes and generating three shot attempts. Tuomo Ruutu (10/12, 3 SAG, 1 SG) and Michael Ryder (7/12, 2 SAG, 2 SG) had some of the better numbers for forwards.

Defensemen: Seven attempts generated and three shots generated—about average production from the blue line. Marek Zidlicky was busiest as he went 23/27 with one attempt generated. Andy Green and Mark Fayne each generated two attempts, but both of Greene’s attempts resulted in shots. Only Eric Gelinas generated another shot from the defense.

Passing Data Explained:

Pass: A reasonable and deliberate attempt to get the puck to a teammate which results in 1 of 3 outcomes: 1) Maintaining possession; 2) Allows for the recipient of the pass to make a “hockey move” (dump in, deflection, another pass etc.); 3) A shot attempt. When in doubt, common sense will prevail.

What you see above is a chart illustrating pass completions, pass attempts, and pass percentages for each player in all three zones. A pass that goes across a zone or two will be marked as occurring in the zone it originates from.

Each completed pass that results in a shot taken by a teammate counts as one “shot attempt generated” or “SAG” in the chart below. This is tracked to attempt to determine which teammates are better at generating opportunities to shoot. You’ll also see a “shot generated” or “SG” column to track the highest quality of shot attempts. The last column totals the percentage of shot attempts that result in shots on net.

Zone Exit Stats

Forwards:Ryan Carter, and Mike Sislo. Only Carter and Zajac were under 50 PE% as the group finished at 52.6 PE%. Carter and Zajac accounted for twelve exit attempts but only three possession exits. Ruutu led the group with seven attempts and four possession exits.

Defensemen: Zidlicky was not good, committing three turnovers and finishing 2/7 on his possession exits. Anton Volchenkov was…well, Anton Volchenkov with zero possession exits on seven attempts and two turnovers. Peter Harrold“led” the group with a 42.9 PE% as this group once again was the Achilles heel of the team. Jon Merrill more than double the next highest defenseman as he attempted fourteen exits, five of which kept possession.

Zone Exits Explained: Any attempt made by a player to advance the puck from their defensive zone. These actions fall into the below categories (as illustrated on the below chart).

Possession Exits:

P) Pass: When a player passes the puck out of the zone and it successfully finds a teammate.

(C) Carry: When a player skates with the puck out of the zone, maintaining possession.

Successful Zone Exits without Possession:

(FP) Failed Pass: When a player passes the puck out of the zone, but it fails to find its target.

(FC) Failed Carry: When a player skates with the puck out of the zone, but loses possession shortly thereafter.

(CH) Chip: When the player lifts the puck out of the zone or throws it off the boards and out.

(X) Other: Any action that results in a successful zone exit not already covered.

Unsuccessful Zone Exit:

(PT) Pass Turnover: When a player fails to clear the zone with a pass and it results in a turnover to the opposition.

(CT) Carry Turnover: When a player fails to skate out of the zone with the puck and loses possession.

(I) Icing: An attempt to clear results in icing the puck.

(T) Turnover: Any action that results in a turnover not already covered.

What reaction do you have to these stats? How do they compare with your viewing of the game?

Cam Ward with a strong game and Canes win on the road

The Carolina Hurricanes took a lead in the first period and held on the rest of the way to defeat the Detroit Red Wings, 2-1 at Joe Louis Arena on Friday night.

It was the first regular season win in Detroit for the Carolina franchise since the 1989 season.

Cam Ward made 28 saves and looked very confident between the pipes in this contest.

Elias Lindholm opened the scoring with a powerplay tally about midway through the first period.  It was the rookie's ninth goal of the season.  Andrei Loktionov and Jay Harrison had the assists on the play.

Just before the end of the period, the Canes lit the lamp again off of a nice put back of a rebound by Jiri Tlusty.  Eric Staal shot/passed the puck off of Jimmy Howard and Tlusty was right there to knock it in.

After a scoreless second period, the Wings came out with a bit more fire in the third.

Riley Sheahan made it 2-1 during a powerplay opportunity after Jay Harrison was called for slashing early in the period.  The home team came close a couple of more times, but Ward was equal to the challenge and Carolina skated home with the win.

The Wings outshot the Canes 9-4 in the third period, and 29-19 for the game, but Carolina capitalized on their chances in this game.

The Hurricanes will close out their season with a 3 p.m. game at Philadelphia on Sunday.

Game Notes:

• Eric Staal notched his 40th assist of the season and needs one more to make 400 in his career.  The captain also led the team with five shots on goal.  Jeff Skinner was next with four.
• Justin Faulk played a team high 26:38 of ice time while Drayson Bowman was low man with just over 10 minutes.
• Check out post game interviews at Canes PR.com.

After earning a point to clinch the playoffs on Wednesday, the Wings put up a stinker against the Canes, losing 2-1 on two first-period defensive failures and 60 minutes worth of bad passes, wasted opportunities, and half-skating.

The refs let a ton of stuff go, giving each team just two power plays. Both teams scored once with the man advantage. Detroit outshot Carolina 29-19

CSSI Methodology Explanation here

Box score here

Goaltending

Two goals on 19 shots just isn't going to do it. Neither goal was soft or anything, but I thought Howard maybe could have prevented both. I'm not that worried about this one from a goaltending standpoint. The defense let Howard down both times and the offense did even worse.

The Goals

1st Period 08:15 - Carolina Goal (PP): Elias Lindholm (wrist shot) from Andrei Loktionov and Jay Harrison
The Canes get on the board early as Lindholm gets free right in front of the goal and puts it in off the far post. The Wings get it out early, but Carolina regains with a speedy dump-in where they overload to Lashoff's side to turn the puck back over and get it back up to the point. Three passes later, Skinner gets a beautiful shot at the empty net that he just fails to score on. Lindholm recovers off the glass and resets the play back to Harrison up top. Harrison sets up the umbrella and passes off to Loktionov at the boards. Here, the puck-carrier takes it to the corner being chased by Miller with Lashoff in the shooting lane. As Loktionov gets to the bottom of this lane, he passes off to Lindholm low at the side of the net. Lindholm quickly pulls the puck around to the front of the net behind Lashoff and roofs it over an outstretched Howard who is caught by surprise a little thanks to the quick turn. I'm going to give both Lashoff and Miller a minus on this PK. Every part of the play that turns dangerous happens on Miller's side of the ice and Lashoff blows the coverage on Lindholm.

1st Period 18:24 - Carolina Goal: Jiri Tlusty (wrist shot) from Eric Staal and Justin Faulk
Carolina makes it 2-0 on a harmless turnover and listless backcheck by the Wings that earns Tlusty the rebound goal. The play starts as Legwand gets a puck just across the Carolina blue line and instead of getting it deep so the defense can finish the change they're making, he drops it back between his legs for Miller skating up through center. Unfortunately, Loktionov is in the position he should be and he breaks up the entry. The puck bounces off Miller and to Faulk at the top of the circle in the zone. Faulk doesn't wait long to chip it back out of the zone into the path of Staal turning the other way. Kronwall is there to watch Staal along the edges of the right wing while Smith watches the center lane (occupied by Tlusty). The next level of players is made up of Franzen just off the bench and Glendening backchecking hard. This is essentially a 3-on-4 rush as Staal hits the top outside of the circle and fires a low hard shot on Howard. Jimmy stops it, but kicks the rebound right out front on the other side. By this time, Tlusty has completely skated through Smith and has no trouble finding the wide open net. I hate a lot of things about this goal. One thing I don't hate is Abdelkader, who had just come on. I'm going to give Legwand back the Abdelkader minus as a line change adjustment. I'm also going to give Legwand a minus for the turnover on a bad decision at the offensive blue line. Kronwall will have his minus halved. He's just coming on, so he can't get to Staal before the puck gets to the blue line. I do think that he has a chance to more-aggressively attack and potentially deflect the initial shot attempt. Franzen and Glendening are playing their positions as they should and will be cleared. Smith will pick up an extra minus for misplaying Tlusty and allowing this one. Smith steps up on his man above the slot and this lets Tlusty by.

Goal-Saved Adjustment - 2nd Period 09:23: Jakub Kindl: Tomas Jurco fires a backhander on net with Tatar and Quincey joining him. Ward blocks it away to the left faceoff circle and Glendening (who should be covering the point for Quincey) decides to step up on the puck to try and score. Glendening whiffs and the Canes come back 2-on-1 against Kindl. Howard stops the cross-ice pass from Skinner to Boychuk, but the puck bounces out in front of him. Eric Staal is the first player on the loose puck and he tries to loft it over the outstretched Howard, but Kindl is able to pop it out of mid-air before it gets across the line. Kindl will get a plus for saving this goal.

3rd Period 03:43 - Detroit Goal (PP): Riley Sheahan (wrist shot) from Tomas Jurco and Tomas Tatar
Detroit breaks the shutout on an early third period power play opportunity where all three forwards crash in on the crease and finally push it through. Carolina clears it and then cuts off one attempted rush, forcing the Wings back again. This time, it takes two passes to go from DeKesyer to Alfredsson to Tatar, which earns the Wings a clean zone entry as it catches two PKers behind the puck. Tatar pulls up to allow them to get set up and plays catch with Jurco a couple times to draw the PKers up. Jurco catches Hainsey cheating up on him a bit and throws the puck to Sheahan at the front of the net. Sheahan initially tips it in on Ward and then backs to the top-middle of the crease to establish body position. Ward can't control the puck and it sits loose in the crease for long enough for Sheahan to jam it home. I'm going to give Tatar a half-plus for creating this zone entry/setup with his speed and puckhandling.

Penalty Adjustments

1st Period 07:36 - Detroit Bench (too many men): Carolina clears the zone near a Red Wings' line change. DeKeyser is fresh off the bench and plays it (because his man already got off). DK has his dump-back-in attempt blocked and the puck comes back through the mess of players and the refs blow it dead. This one isn't a good call. It looks like it should be, but if the refs are paying attention, the guys coming in don't get involved and are in the acceptable changing area. No adjustment.

2nd Period 06:21 - Ron Hainsey (tripping): The Wings finally earn a power play as a good rush creates the third scoring chance of the period that's cut short by an obstruction/interference/tripping by a defender. This one actually gets called as Hainsey takes down Helm, who tries to stop short on him and ends up getting his leg taken out by the sliding defenseman. Helm will get the plus here.
2nd Period 14:05 - Kyle Quincey (high sticking) and Jeff Skinner (roughing): Q gets beaten positionally and hit pretty hard in the corner, bringing his stick up into the face. This is going to earn Quincey a minus, but I'm going to give him back a plus for taking the even-up punch that gets Skinner sent as well. I just want to record that the high-stick here is worth a minus.

3rd Period 02:58 - Jay Harrison (slashing): Datsyuk gets a break in on net and draws a penalty on a love-tap from Harrison. Datsyuk will get a plus for the fantastic job of splitting the defense and shaming the refs into calling the same penalty they should have called in the 2nd when Jurco took even more of a shot on his own breakaway.
3rd Period 15:24 - Detroit Bench (too many men): This time the too many men call is good. How fucking stupid. The problem here is that there are three defensemen on the ice in Kronwall, DeKeyser, and Smith. Honestly, they're all three partially at fault here. Krowall had just been on with Kindl for a minute-long shift and probably should have changed, but both Smith and DeKeyser have to recognize as well. I'm going to give all three a half-minus.

Bonus Ratings

-1 to Kyle Quincey and Danny DeKeyser: Quincey was the victim of what seemed to be a gameplan to dump the puck to his corner and create turnovers because it happened a lot. DeKeyser turned the puck over way too often in his own zone.
-1.5 to Johan Franzen, -1 to Justin Abdelkader: Both were bad again. Franzen was worse.

Honorable Mentions:

The Kid Line had a good number of chances, but they've got to finish.

Current Game Chart

Season Totals Chart

Screener's Assist Totals

Boston College's captain gets an NHL deal

Boston College senior free agent forward Patrick Brown has signed a two-year entry-level contract with the Carolina Hurricanes.

Brown, the son of former NHL forward Doug Brown, is a 6-1 197 lbs. power forward that captained the Eagles this season. He was fourth on the Eagles in scoring this season, trailing only the three tremendous players on Boston College's top line, with 15 goals and 15 assists. Brown provided a big body that was willing to bang in front of the net and create space for the offensive players around him on the Boston College power play. 10 of his 30 points this season came via the man advantage.

The Hurricanes also cited Brown's work ethic and leadership qualities as big reasons why they offered him a contract.

Brown just completed his senior season at Boston College where he served as team captain for the Eagles.

The Carolina Hurricanes announced today that Boston College forward Patrick Brown has been signed to an entry level contract.  The contract is two-way for two years and will pay Brown $60,000 at the AHL level and will pay $575,000 in 2014-15 and $600,000 in 2015-16 at the NHL level. It also includes a signing bonus of $130,000.

Brown served as the captain of the Boston College Eagles and his leadership was instrumental in their success during his collegiate career.  He is perhaps most famous for his game-winning goal during the Beanpot championship between BC and Northeastern on February 10th that became the number one play on ESPN SportsCenter.  Read about it HERE (and click the photo below for GIF animation).

His father, Doug Brown, played in the NHL for 15 years and has two Stanley Cups with the Detroit Red Wings on his resume.  Goaltender John Muse, currently with the Charlotte Checkers, is a former teammate.  Brown also has an interesting celebrity connection as the cousin of actors Kate and Rooney Mara.

Follow Patrick on twitter at: @PattyBC23

The team press release follows:

Canes Agree to Terms with Patrick Brown
Center served as captain for Boston College this season

RALEIGH, NC - Ron Francis, Vice President of Hockey Operations for the National Hockey League's Carolina Hurricanes, today announced that the team agreed to terms with center Patrick Brown on a two-year, entry-level contract. The deal will pay Brown $575,000 in the NHL in 2014-15 and $600,000 in the NHL in 2015-16, or $60,000 in the American Hockey League (AHL) both years. He also receives a signing bonus of $130,000.

"Patrick showed tremendous leadership and character while serving as Boston College's captain this season," said Francis. "He has an excellent work ethic and made great strides during his college career. We look forward to his continued development as a professional."

Brown, 21, completed his senior season at Boston College in 2013-14, ranking third among Eagles in goals (15) and fourth in points (30) in 40 games played. The Bloomfield Hills, MI, native was also third on the team in game-winning goals (4), including the game-winning goal of the Beanpot final against Northeastern. Brown found the net in Boston College's Frozen Four semifinal game against Union, as the Eagles ultimately fell to Union 5-4 to end their season.

Brown completed his collegiate career with 21 goals and 22 assists (43 points) in 120 games for the Eagles. During his time at Boston College, his team totaled 112 victories, one NCAA championship (2012), three Hockey East regular-season titles and two Hockey East tournament championships. Brown was a member of the Hockey East All-Academic team each of his first three seasons in Chestnut Hills. His father, Doug Brown, played 15 seasons in the NHL, capturing the Stanley Cup with the Detroit Red Wings in 1997 and 1998. Patrick Brown's grandfather was Wellington Mara, former owner of the NFL's New York Giants.

Canes sweep Flyers for first time since 1991-92 season.

One day after breaking a 25 year drought in Detroit, the Carolina Hurricanes completed a season sweep of the Philadelphia Flyers for the first time since 1991-92, with a 6-5 shootout win at the Wells Fargo Center on Sunday afternoon.

Eric Staal scored two goals, plus notched the game-winner in the shootout, and Jeff Skinner also scored twice to lead the Hurricanes.

The Canes jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the first period, taking advantage of rookie goaltender, Calvin Heeter, who was making his debut NHL start.  Skinner scored two minutes into the game and Staal scored his first just 8:31 into the game.

Then Matt Read got the home team on the board but Manny Malhotra made it, 3-1 before the end of the period.

Just 17 seconds into the second period, Staal scored his second goal of the game, making it 4-1 and the Canes seemed in control, but the Flyers had other plans.

By the end of the second period, the Flyers scored three straight goals to tie it, 4-4, two of the goals coming within 10 seconds of each other.

At 15:39 into the third period, Skinner broke the tie with his career best 33rd goal of the season, but Wayne Simmonds tied it again with just 10 seconds left in the game.

Neither team could score in the overtime period and Eric Staal was the only scorer in the shootout to give the Canes the win.

Anton Khudobin made 39 saves on 44 shots and did not allow a goal in the shootout.

The team will fly home and begin individual exit reviews tomorrow in Raleigh.

Game Notes:

• The Canes were outshot 44-38.  The club was led by Skinner, Staal, and Justin Faulk with six shots each.
• Faulk had a team high 24:28 of TOI with Ron Hainsey right behind with 24:15.
• John-Michael Liles led the way with six blocked shots.
• The team won 62% of their faceoffs with Malhotra at 80%.
• Post game interviews at Canes PR.com.

Only Florida, Edmonton, and New York Islanders have earned fewer points over same time frame

Another season is over and it's another disappointment for fans of the Carolina Hurricanes.  The team finished with 83 points, good for seventh from the bottom of the league.  Last season, the team finished with the fifth worst point total, 42 points in the 48 game mini-season, the equivalent of .878 points per game or 72 points in a normal 82 game season.

The owner of the Hurricanes might be thinking his team just needs a little tweak here and little tweak there to fix things, but in looking at how many points the Canes have earned over the past five years, it would seem they might need more than just tweaks.

* equivalent point total for 82 game season

Has the team improved?  Gotten worse?  On the right path?  To try to answer these questions, we need to look at some other stats.

Goals scored per game - 2.5

The team finished 22nd in the league and averaged scoring 2.5 goals per game.  This was down from last year's 2.65 goals per game average, which was 14th best in the league.

Goals allowed per game - 2.76

This year's 2.76 per game average is a significant improvement from last year's 3.31 which was near the worst in the league.  This season's number moved them to 19th in the league.

Shots per game - 31.2

The Canes averaged 31.2 shots per game which is the 9th highest in the league.  That is down from last year's 32.2 average, which was third best in the league.

Shots allowed per game - 30.9

They allowed 30.9 shots per game, which is 21st most in the league.  This is an improvement from last season's 32.2 average, which was 26th.

Powerplay percentage - 14.6%

This season's 14.6% put them at 28th best in the league and is the exact same percentage they had last year, which was 27th best at that time.

Penalty kill percentage - 81.7%

This season's 81.7% is a big improvement from last season's 77.6%.  They moved up from 28th in the league to 17th with the increase.

Face off percentage - 52.6%

This year's 52.6% was good for fourth best in the league and is up from last season's 50.2%, which was 14th best in the league.

Blocked shots - 1096

The team blocked 1096 shots this season which was an average of 13.37 per game, good for 22nd in the league.  Last year they blocked 667 shots in 48 games, a 13.9 per game average, which put them at 20th in the league.

Takeaways - 785

The Hurricanes led the entire NHL with 785 takeaways this season, a 9.6 per game average.  Last year they averaged 8.9 per game and had a total of 426 takeaways, good for third best in the league.

Hits - 1807

Their 1807 hits gave them a 22 hits per game average, 18th in the league.  Last season they had 1100 hits in 48 games, a 22.9 per game average, good for 17th in the league.

-------

While the team has been able to improve some of the team statistics, obviously it has not added up to enough wins on the ice, which is where it counts. Can they continue to improve and will it translate to more wins?

After five straight years of no postseason for the Hurricanes, many players seem unsure of their future with club

The Carolina Hurricanes held player exit interviews with local media Tuesday and the mood was understandably somber.  Most players could not explain why the team was so inconsistent and none could or would say what they thought was specifically wrong with the team.

Those who were asked directly, supported the current coaching staff, although with this classy bunch it would have been a surprise if they did not say so.  A couple of players did speak in veiled terms and did not seem pleased.

Drayson Bowman mentioned that he felt his ice time was reduced after the start of the season and it was hard for him to get going again.  Cam Ward indicated that he would have liked to have gotten more work.

Players like Nathan Gerbe and John-Michael Liles, who performed very well under Kirk Muller's system, of course were happy with the system.

Gerbe put up near career best numbers this season, said he was happy to be in Carolina, and looks forward to hopefully returning next season.  (Gerbe is an RFA). He was offered a chance to play in the World Championships, but turned down the opportunity so he could spend time with family.  He will be training in Connecticut again this offseason.

Liles went from being a healthy scratch option in Toronto to playing big minutes with the Canes.   When asked about his improvement, he said that it was not that uncommon for a player to do better when given another chance, and sometimes there is just a better fit in a new location.

Jeff Skinner also will not play in the World Championships because he is recovering from the removal of ingrown toenails.  He liked his training routine from last summer and will repeat that again this offseason.

The Staal brothers of course were given a lot of attention and asked the most questions.

While answering one question, Jordan Staal said "If I return next season" to which a couple reporters asked him, "IF??"   He replied that he was under evaluation, just like everyone else.  Who knows what next season brings?  Jordan has not yet been asked to play in the Worlds, so that is not an option at the moment.

When asked about the possibility of a trade this summer, Eric Staal responded that he had never dreamed about playing anywhere else but Carolina, but, he said that he was sick of not making the playoffs.  Without him actually saying the words, it seemed like he might be open to the idea of a trade.  He also admitted that while he needs to improve, so do others on the team.  As reported earlier by Chip, he will skip the Worlds this year.

Elias Lindholm was asked if he would look to gain some weight and muscle mass this summer and he looked a bit surprised at the question.  He seems happy with his current weight of 196.  Apparently, he and Skinner joke around sometimes on the bench.  "He's a funny guy," Lindholm said of his friend.

Jiri Tlusty looked pretty glum for his interview and said that he would skip Worlds because he doesn't have a contract yet and didn't want to chance anything.  The winger, who is an RFA, said that he was putting too much pressure on himself early in the year, plus was dinged up a bit, but played better when he played more loosely later in the season.

Radek Dvorak was asked about possible retirement after this season, but he will make that decision later.

Andrei Loktionov has been invited to Team Russia's training camp for Worlds and will attend next week.  He said he felt comfortable here and he played well.  He hopes to return, (he's also an RFA).

Manny Malhotra had an upbeat interview and said that he felt that he proved to everyone he could still play in this league.  He stated that he wanted to return here again next season, if possible.

Ron Hainsey also wants to return.  "There are ups and downs every season," he said, but he felt he had a good year.

Brett Bellemore also felt he proved that he could be a regular defenseman in the league, and I doubt anyone will argue.  He was asked to be physical at times and did not mind it at all.  "Being a bigger guy, I have always been asked to be physical," he said.

Justin Peters is unsure of his future, but also would like to come back.  He likes the team and the staff, but it was frustrating at times being the third goalie.  "I got a lot of practice stopping Rod Brind'Amour's shots," he quipped.   He thinks that he has proven himself to be NHL caliber as well.

To see all the interviews, check out  CH.com.

In other news, the Hurricanes lost the NHL Draft Lottery on Tuesday night.  Florida won it and jumped over the Sabres, who have had such a tough season they cannot even win when the odds are in their favor.  The Canes will choose seventh, unless they decide to trade the pick.

Kirk Muller will be interviewed on Wednesday.

As I have said before, the Carolina Hurricanes are like North Carolina weather, you just don't know what you're going to get. But there are certain weather patterns that are predictable, like I can almost assure you that July will be hot and humid. And even though the Canes are an inconsistent bunch, one constant has been that by mid-April, the PNC Arena is devoid of hockey.

The final horn has gone off on the Carolina Hurricanes season and while the Canes walked away with a win, the season as a whole has to be considered a loss. It's now 5 years in a row and 11 of 16 seasons since moving to Raleigh without a playoff appearance. So somethings need to change and this summer looks like a critical one for franchise. So with the season done and this being the last Storm Tracking article, I thought I would change things up a bit. Instead of focusing on the weekly stats, I decided to focus on the season stats for each individual player. See how each player fared this season, who was good, who was solid and who was bad. I've added a couple of things, moved others around and excluded the team stat portion. So here we go, for the last time. Here are the stats for the 2013/2014 season.

Canes Season Stats

All Situations Possession Stats

5 on 5 Possession Stats

5 on 5 Close Possession Stats

Who Was Hot

• Andrej Sekera - I think it would be safe to say that Sekera was the most consistent and best Hurricane player this season from start to finish. Not only did he handle a ton of defensive responsibilities, he also contributed a lot offensively, setting career highs all across the board. He was 2^nd on the team in assists with 33 and finished 3^rd in points with 44, beating out higher profile players like Alexander Semin and Jordan Staal. But those numbers are strictly a snapshot of the things he provided for the team. Sekera had a team high 127 blocked shots, was 2^nd in takeaways with 68 and 2^nd in +/- with a +4 on the year. One of the weaker parts of his game were his possession numbers which were right around the 50% mark. They were very close to the team average and you do have to take into consideration that he was constantly going up against the best in the game, playing in almost every critical situation for the Canes. But those are numbers I would like to see improve next season. He also had some bad games or small stretches and when he did the Canes struggled even more, but he honestly was the most consistent Cane this year. And maybe I have my rose-colored glass on, but I would argue that if the Canes record had been better, Sekera might have received some consideration for the Norris Trophy, he was that good. I think he was one of the top 10 all-around defenseman in the league this season and I hope that continues into next year. I also need to retract my original statement about him when the Canes traded for him. The way he played, he is worth every bit and more of Jamie McBain& a 2^nd Round Pick.
• Anton Khudobin - If you talk to Peter Karmanos, a freak injury early on to Khudobin is the main reason Carolina isn’t playing playoff hockey right now. While I don’t completely agree with the Hurricanes owner, you do have to wonder what might have been if Dobby had not injured himself against Phoenix. He started his Hurricanes career with 2 wins before missing 2 ½ months with a lower body injury. When he returned to the lineup, he picked up right where he left off, winning his first 4 games. On the season, Khudobin compiled a 19-14-1 record, but that is nowhere near the whole story. He kept this team in games it had no business being in and stole victory in games this team should have lost. If he got a little more "run support" this season, that record would have been better. But 2 stats that really stood out for Khudobin were his 2.30 GAA and his 0.926 Sv%. The 2.30 GAA was tied for 11^th in the league and was half a goal higher when he wasn’t in net for the Canes. His 0.926 Sv% was 5^th best in the NHL and set a franchise record. Now there are things he needs to work on, in particular his puck handling, but Khudobin played the part of Ward this season and did it better than Cam has ever done. While many have been critical (and deservedly so) of Jim Rutherford, his signing of Dobby last summer might have been his best free agent signing since 2005. Let’s just hope that Khudobin isn’t a one-hit wonder and continues to play at this level for the next couple of seasons.
• Jeff Skinner - If I had to describe Skinner, I would probably use the term polarizing figure. Fans either seem to absolutely love him or they find fault in his game no matter what. But no matter which side of the fence you fall on, you have to admit that Skinner is an offensive force in this league and he put together a pretty solid season. He led the team in goals with 33 (11 more than his closest competitor), led the team in shots on goal with 274 (despite only playing in 71 games) and was 2^nd in points with 54. Jeff also ranked quite high in "All Situations" possession numbers, finishing 2^nd on the team in Corsi, Fenwick and Shots For. But those numbers did drop off come "5-on-5" and "5-on-5 Close" situations, mainly coming in below 50%. He also tied for a team worst -14 rating on the season, but appeared to be playing more responsibly at the end of the season. Skinner and Elias Lindholm really seemed to be developing some chemistry and that is a very good sign for the future. If Jeff can continue taking steps in his own zone and look to involve his teammates more in the offensive zone, his game should progress to the next level. He also needs to work on being a little more consistent, limiting the large stretches of minimal production. But as a young kid, these are things that should improve in time.

Who Was Not

• Cam Ward - To say Ward had a bad season would be an understatement. At best Cam was simply inconsistent, at worst Cam didn’t even look like a full-time NHL goalie anymore. Not only was he outperformed by the newly acquired Khudobin, but he was also outperformed by Justin Peters. His 3.06 GAA was his highest since his rookie season and is 0.898 Sv% was his lowest since 06/07. Couple this with the 5^th highest goalie salary cap number, an increasing salary and multiple trade rumors and you could understand why this would be a year Cam would like to forget. But things have changed and it looks very possible that Ward career in Carolina is over. The big question is whether or not he can regain form and be a #1 goalie in this league again. He certainly has the ability, but he need to regain his confidence and prove that he can be more consistent game to game. Adding to his difficult year were his comments about Kirk Muller in the exit interview. It seems as if there is/has been some friction between Ward and Muller and that might make moving him even more critical this offseason.
• Eric Staal - Eric is another "core" player that had a very poor season. While some of his stats aren’t horrible, they certainly aren’t near his average and aren’t good enough for a player making $9.25 million. Eric did lead the team in assists with 40, points with 61 and takeaways with 77, but he was close to the bottom in +/- and had a team high 61 giveaways. While injuries to himself and his typical line mates played a factor into his production, he simply must be better. He is the captain, "the straw that stirs the drink," the guy that is counted on and has to figure out how to up his game. His on-ice demeanor needs to improve and he needs to get away from some of the "lazy" penalties. Whether or not Eric is back with the Canes next season (and I hope that he is), there are a number of things he has to work on. He needs to work on strengthening his knee, getting back to the strong skating ability he use to have. He also needs to work on his shot, the Canes are better with him shooting & scoring, it opens up a lot. And he simply needs to show a better work ethic, putting in the work not only improves his game, but sets an example for his teammates. I think we will see a different Eric Staal next, but will it be in a Canes uniform or not?
• Kirk Muller - While some other guys could have easily been put in this slot, I don’t believe any of them had as big of an influence on the overall performance as Coach Muller. This was Muller’s first season with a full training camp and we definitely did see a different Canes team this year. The defense did improve, but was that because of Muller or because of an upgrade to the defense and goaltender? The offense took a step backwards, as most of the players production actually declined from last season. And Muller’s key selling point, the PP, continued to be one of the worst in the league, costing the team games and momentum. With the rumors that there were some rifts between certain players and Muller, it makes this summer even more interesting. Often it’s easier getting rid of a coach rather than multiple players. And given that Muller hasn’t really proven to be successful as a NHL head coach, I believe his departure may be eminent. I do think Kirk can be a good NHL head coach, he was just given the job to early. Taking what he’s learned here and getting some more experience at the AHL level, should help him become successful at his next job, if that indeed happens.

Former Canes Season Stats

Another sub-par season leaves the Carolina Hurricanes on the brink of an identity crisis.

The Carolina Hurricanes wrapped up their season with a shoot out win over the Philadelphia Flyers but with extended play on the golf courses again.The Hurricanes extended their post-season drought to five seasons finishing 7^th in the Metropolitan Division, 13^th in the Eastern Conference and 24^th in the league.

As training camp began, plenty of optimism breezed through the locker room considering this was ‘the year’ for the Hurricanes to step up and make the playoffs and it was Kirk Muller’s first complete training camp.In retrospect, the Hurricanes did everything except take abrasive action.

On paper, this was a star-studded roster at the fingertips of head coach Kirk Muller and was possibly the most talented roster the franchise had laid it’s eyes on.Instead, they did what they’re identity was the entire season, show up late. When they did show up on time, however, they proved that they were just as good as any other team. Simply put, the Hurricanes are at the brink of an identity crisis.

Captain Eric Staal can tell you that his game didn’t start to come together until late December, which was when the team reached what seemed to be their only peak. "After Christmas my pace and my game was back to where it needs to be," he told the News and Observer. "It was tougher than I thought it would be, but I’ve never made any excuses and I’m not going to make any now. It was a tough start not only for me but I think for a few other guys. … That makes it a tough hill to climb and you get behind."

Granted, there were goalie injury issues that transpired early in the season, but they could have done better than they did.Their success rolled in to January, as the Staal, Alexander Semin, and Jiri Tlusty line were the top producers of that time span.The hurricanes recorded a five game winning streak and had the hot hand in the New Year.

From late December up until the Olympic break the Hurricanes had found their groove and had a record of 16-11-4 in that span and a remarkable record for the month of January going 10-4-0. Jeff Skinner recorded his second hat trick of the season and his career, Andrej Sekera was named the third star of the week on Janueary 27, and Anton Khudobin was awarded the first star for the month.

After the Olympic break, success seemed to slip away for the Hurricanes.The return included two losses to the Buffalo Sabres and Dallas Stars at the end of the month of February.The beginning of March saw a four game losing skid continue.Slowly the Hurricanes saw their playoff chances deteriorate as they no longer had the spark that kept them going in January.So the Canes gotbumped from playoff race again, what’s to be done?

What is really critical for the Carolina Hurricanes to be successful in the future is to have a more physical presence.Their current offensive style tends to be dump and chase, but because they don’t have the bodies to get physical on the boards it tends to be dump and lose.There is also a lack of effort in the battle on the boards.If they’re able to add physical company, it will even up the score against bigger teams like the Boston Bruins who might be the most physically dominant team in the league.

The production within the lineups needs to change.A talented roster should never go unnoticed, but it did.

Eric Staal’s $9.5 million a year is amidst the preeminent contracts in the league. This season Staal reached a low of 21 goals and in the past three seasons hasn’t exceeded 30."For me, I know what’s expected of me here," Staal said. "I’ve been here long enough to understand that and obviously I’m counted on offensively to produce. I felt like I’ve done a lot of the same things I’ve done every year but for whatever reason, goal-scoring wise, the puck didn’t seem to be hitting the back of the net as it has in the past."

Staal was ‘snubbed’ from this years’ Canadian Olympic team and soured back stating, "Do I think they made a mistake in not taking me? I hope to prove that."Instead, Staal dismally had one of the worst seasons of his career and has been the anathema of many fans."Whether people think that or not, I’m out there competing as hard as I can, regardless of the situation."

What we know is that Staal is much more capable of playing at a higher level that he’s played in recent years.Which begs the question, what can get him back to that level again?He stated in a recent interview that he’s continued to do what he’s done in previous years, but that the puck hasn’t bounced in his favor.The same tricks only work so many times.

Semin is also much more capable than producing 22 goals seeing he tallied a 40 goal season in 2009-2010.Jim Rutherford was not afraid to mention the fact he wasn’t receiving the production numbers he wanted from Semin in an interview with ABC 11. Staal and Semin have potential to be the top producers in the league unless the money they’re receiving means otherwise.

On the other hand, Andrej Sekera and Manny Malhotra may have been the most valuable players on the roster this season and were undoubtedly the most consistent.Malhotra made a noteworthy return after battling adversity due to puck to an eye injury in 2011.He told the media in a final season interview on Tuesday that he believes that he proved he can still play in the NHL.

Sekera was worth every penny and more(Jamie McBain and a second round pick to Buffalo).Sekera played many key roles for the Hurricanes and never did he disappoint.He was one of the top producers for the team recording 11 goals, 33 assists for 44 points.Sekera also led the team in average ice time per game with 23:40.

Jeff Skinner proved that he is indeed a franchise cornerstone.For the second time in his career he surpassed 30 goals and recorded his first hat trick in Nasville as well as a second in the nation’s capital.An early concussion may have altered his production numbers by a tad, but it wasn’t significant.He led the team in goals(33),shots on goal (274), and was second in points (54), despite playing in only 71 games.

Anton Khudobin was the first star of this team.He stood on his head the majority of the season allowing the ‘Canes to have a fighting chance in games they had no business being in and won games they could have easily lost.Khudobin came in and took charge recording six wins in his first six starts.He finished this season 19-4-1 recording a .928 save percentage and 2.30 goals against average.Khudobin signed a 2-year $4.5 million contract extension in March.He was the Hurricanes best player only hoping for more support and a better outcome next season.

Kirk Muller is determined his system works.Muller has seen success with it, but it hasn’t been consistent.He now has only one full training camp under his belt, which is why he deserves another chance to finish up his last year on his contract.

A coach must be able to be willing to find a common ground in his system among his players in order for the system to be successful.There needs to be breathing room and flexibility instead of making the players fit the system.Having the system fit the players would seem more effective than shoving a system down their throats that they don’t adapt to well.The urge is to find consistency in his system or it’s going to be a short-lived season for Muller next season (assuming he returns).

"I’m optimistic. I’m disappointed, I’d much rather be starting in the playoffs." Muller said."But I really believe we’re going to have a good hockey team ready to go next year."‘Ready to go’ are the key words bearing in mind their lagging start this season.

Fans patience is slowly regressing and what the ‘Canes need to fix their identity crisis is a winning record and a trip to the playoffs.Five years on the outside looking in is long enough, six could possibly the final match in the powder barrel.

Personnel changes are coming, a new general manager is expected, and the future for the Hurricanes is uncertain.Will the offseason entail once keystone players to be relocated in order to rebuild?

The Hurricanes have the second fewest number of scouts listed as any team in the league

The Carolina Hurricanes are known as a budget team.  Most would recognize that term as being frugal when it comes to player salaries, but being a budget team can also mean being cost conscious in other parts of the organization.

When compared to other teams around the NHL, it appears that the Hurricanes are especially tight with a dollar when it comes to their scouting budget.

After a compiling of information made available on every team's home page, I put together the following chart, which shows the total number of scouts listed for each franchise.

The highest total is 24, a number which is employed by the Jets, Maple Leafs, and Sabres.  The lowest total is seven, by Columbus.  The Hurricanes are next lowest with eight, but that is including Marshall Johnston, who is in his 70's and is near retirement.

The average number of scouts per team is 15.

How important are scouts?  Not only do they help to decide who the organization drafts each year, but the pro scouts travel to watch each NHL team play and determine what players might be worth trying to acquire, either via trade or free agency.

For instance, does it seem that proper scouting and due diligence may have helped the team before signing players such as Tomas Kaberle or Anthony Stewart, both of whom were not the players they once were and never lived up to expectations once signed by Carolina?  The Canes had to waste a draft pick when they sent Stewart to Los Angeles in a subsequent deal.

Of course, quantity does not mean quality and the Canes amateur department seems to be doing an excellent job of late.  But, it only seems logical that more boots on the ground and eyes in the sky can compile more information which would help management to make better, more educated decisions.

There is only so much time available and so many miles a single scout can travel.  Some teams have scouts specifically assigned to Europe, and some do not.

Many consider the draft to be nothing but a crap shoot, so why not increase your odds?  Also, the winners of the draft are sometimes determined in the later rounds and that is where the good scouting staffs really earn their money.

Perhaps that is how some teams find gems like Jamie Benn in the fifth round or Keith Yandle in the fourth?

Building a successful base of talent through the draft is especially important to small market teams and it would seem that it would be money well spent to have a few more quality scouts in the mix, for any team.

While the club has hit a couple of home runs recently in Jeff Skinner and Justin Faulk, there have been some lean years and the Carolina prospect pool is not highly rated in most circles.

For instance, in the 2009 draft the Hurricanes are the only team to choose someone in the first round, who never has played a single game in the NHL, (Philippe Paradis.)  Thanks to a shrewd trade by Jim Rutherford, the Canes were able to acquire Jiri Tlusty for Paradis, but still, that poor pick belongs to the scouting staff.

When a franchise often operates in the red, tough choices have to be made regarding expenses.  But it would seem that putting more resources into assessing talent, by increasing the number of scouts at least to the average number in the league, would be a wise allocation of funds.

Should Ron Francis be the next General Manager of the Carolina Hurricanes?

There are a lot of assumptions going on in Carolina.  It is assumed that Jim Rutherford will soon step down as acting General Manager and it is also assumed that Ron Francis will be his successor.

About a month ago, Rutherford was quoted as saying that he was considering stepping down.  When asked about possible changes over the offseason, the General Manager said that they first had to decide who was going to be making the decisions.

That is not exactly a slam dunk announcement of his pending retirement but the wheels are certainly turning in the Canes front office.  There has been nothing but deathly silence coming from Edward Mills Road since Kirk Muller's postmortem, end of season press conference last week.

Will Rutherford, who has the second longest tenure as general manager in the NHL, finally step aside?  Will Ron Francis take over?  Will Francis be allowed to run the show and make his own decisions, or will he just be a puppet at the end of strings pulled by Rutherford, (who very likely will stay on as President), and owner, Peter Karmanos?

This is the question posed to our round table this week.

Once Jim Rutherford steps down, should Ron Francis be the next GM by default, or should the club go outside the organization?

Let's see what the Canes Country brain trust feels about the subject.

Cory Lavalette - Editor

Ron Francis has been groomed to be Jim Rutherford’s replacement as general manager, and there's no reason to divert from that plan. While many will argue that promoting Francis is just like continuing Rutherford’s up-and-down tenure, Francis is his own man with his own ideas.