NHL.com is providing in-depth analysis for each of its 32 teams from Aug.-Sept. 8. Today, three important questions facing the Carolina Hurricanes.
[Hurricanes 32 in 32: Season preview | Top prospects | Fantasy breakdown]
1. Can Andrei Svechnikov reach new heights?
Svechnikov, the No. 2 pick in the 2018 NHL Draft, has shown glimpses of an elite game during his four NHL seasons. He scored 30 goals in the NHL for the first time last season and had 29 assists in 78 games, playing with a combination of skill and strength.
The 22-year-old forward can help the Hurricanes reach another level with more scoring at 5-on-5. Svechnikov’s nine power-play goals and seven empty-net goals (tied with Connor McDavid for second-most in the NHL behind Alex Ovechkin‘s nine last season) were 53 percent of his scoring, so more offensive production could take Carolina to another level.
“Can he be better? Of course. He knows it,” Hurricanes coach Rod Brind’Amour said. “We need him to be better, plain and simple. His willingness to get better is the key. He’s willing to get better and he puts in the work, so that’s why I think he’s going to continue to get better.”
2, Can Martin Necas earn a role in the top six?
The no. 12 pick in the 2017 NHL Draft had 40 points (14 goals, 26 assists) in 78 games last season, landing on the fourth line throughout the Stanley Cup Playoffs, after he had 41 points (14 goals, 27 assists) in 53 games. 2020-21.
“For me personally, it was a step back from,” Necas said. “I’ve got to produce way more. That’s what everyone kind of expects from me. It was disappointing for me.”
The 23-year-old forward plays with elite speed and playmaking ability, and if he can use his size (6-foot-2, 189 pounds) to get to the net front, he will solidify a place in the top six.
Video: CAR@STL: Necas buries coast-to-coast SHG
3. Is Jesperi Kotkaniemi ready to be the second-line center?
With Vincent Trocheck‘s free agent departure to the New York Rangers, Carolina is counting on Kotkaniemi to immediately make good on the eight-year contract extension he signed March 21. The deal will pay Kotkaniemi an average annual value of $4.82 million through the 2029-30 season. .
“I think ‘KK’s’ got huge potential,” Brind’Amour said. “You saw it grow during the year. There’s a lot there.”
The 22-year-old forward had 29 points (12 goals, 17 assists) in 66 regular-season games, his first season in Carolina. Kotkaniemi signed a one-year, $6.1 million contract after the Montreal Canadiens announced their decision not to match an offer sheet tendered by the Hurricanes on Aug. 28, 2021.
He played throughout the lineup in the regular season and had two assists in 14 playoff games as the center on the fourth line.
“I knew my role pretty well,” Kotkaniemi said, “but you need to be ready when you come to camp and be ready to compete for your spot.”
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