The NHL is a few games past the halfway point of the 2024-25 season and a few weeks away from the 4 Nations Face-Off. For the players who were not selected to the four teams – USA, Canada, Sweden, and Finland – they will have almost two weeks off. Until then, there is a sprint for the teams to secure their spot in the standings. Regarding the Carolina Hurricanes, they are in a tough battle for second place in the Metropolitan Division. That being said, The Hockey Writers‘ Hurricanes writing staff turn to the fans for the burning questions surrounding the team from Raleigh, NC in the most recent mailbag. What did they ask?
Opening the Mail
At This Point of the Season, What Letter Grade Would You Give the Hurricanes for Their Efforts and Results? And Why? – MrEd315 (X)
The Hurricanes on Sunday, Jan. 19 sit at 27-16-3 (57 points) in 46 games played. They are only one point behind the New Jersey Devils who are 0-2-2 in their last four games. They started the season 14-4-0 with an eight-game winning streak. Since then, they have played somewhat better than .500 hockey but overall, not the pace they did 18 games into the season. Since that start, they have gone 13-12-3 after their most recent 3-2 win over the Vegas Golden Knights on Jan. 17.
For the most part, the team has been okay but couldn’t get on the right side of games. However, there were some games where they either failed to show up on time or took their foot off the gas. It was a lot of Jekyll and Hyde hockey for the most part for the Hurricanes. That being said, the start to the season has put them in a great spot, firmly into a playoff position, six points ahead of the fourth-place Columbus Blue Jackets, and having a chance to take over second place in the Metropolitan Division leap-frogging the Devils.
Related: Sound the Siren: Hear From Hurricanes Players & Brind’Amour Following Friday’s 3-2 Win
When it comes to grading the season 46 games in for the Hurricanes, while taking into account their effort and results, I will say that the grade will have to be a B+. Some might say that it is high but you cannot overlook the amazing start to the season and discount it despite the record over the last 28 games. They’re firmly in a playoff spot and have a chance to jump into second place in their division. Furthermore, Martin Necas leads the team with 51 points. The last time he led the team in points was the 2022-23 season where he finished with 71. He is on pace to set a new career high.
Sebastian Aho has 44 points, almost a point per game player. Even Seth Jarvis has 33 points in 39 games after missing time due to injury. Furthermore, the Hurricanes are seeing career seasons from Jack Roslovic (17 goals – career high is 22) and Eric Robinson (21 points – career high is 27). Given the fact that losing Brett Pesce, Brady Skjei, Stefan Noesen, etc., and some thought they could miss the playoffs, they have exceeded expectations despite the recent run of games since mid-November. If their last 28 games saw a winning percentage closer to .600, the season would be an A. As of right now, I say it is a B+ with lots of games left to improve.
Has Eric Robinson Done Enough to Be Re-Signed or Is He Just Going to Be One and Done? Trying to Decide if I Should Get a Sweater or Not. – cbj73greaves (X)
What a season for Robinson so far with the Hurricanes. His best before coming to Carolina was when he was with the Columbus Blue Jackets in 2021-22; he had 10 goals and 27 points in 67 games played. His career high in goals is 12 (2022-23). As of now, he has 10 goals and 21 points in 46 games. He has 36 games left to tally three goals, seven assists, and seven points to achieve all-new career highs. The fact he is doing this while making $950,000 on a one-year deal is remarkable. He could be looked at as an underrated signing for a player making less than $1 million this season.
Robinson started the season outside of the top six, but once the Hurricanes had their eight-game winning streak with him alongside Jesperi Kotkaniemi and Necas, those three took off. His underrated speed was the match Necas needed for someone playing the opposite wing. He plays a two-way game that fits well within the Rod Brind’Amour system. He has more than proven himself to get an extension with the team. There is a solid chance that he could be staying with the Hurricanes past the 2024-25 season. A contract looking around a two-year, $1.2 million per season is very doable, especially with the cap supposedly going up and other contracts coming off the books. The max could be $1.5 million average annual value for a total of $3 million spread out over two seasons.
What Additions Would You Like to See and Who Would You Be Alright With Potentially Parting With to Make Those Happen? – BlakecCole94 (X)
I know the fans are clamoring for a goalie, however with Frederik Andersen back from surgery, that will most likely be an offseason addition. In the past, the Hurricanes didn’t make splash rental moves, excluding the Jake Guentzel trade in March 2024. That being said, I’m not sure we will see a huge trade, probably more of a depth forward move to help the bottom six or the top nine in some capacity. They could look at a proper seventh defenseman so they can give Riley Stillman and Ty Smith proper minutes in the American Hockey League (AHL).
However, if it were up to me, there is a player who could be a huge boost to the top six on the wing that could fit well with Jarvis, Svechnikov, or Necas. There have been rumors of the Hurricanes taking a look at Elias Pettersson of the Vancouver Canucks, not sure if they inquired about J.T. Miller. Those are not the guys I would like the team to acquire. However, he is on the Canucks and plays top-six minutes on the wing. I believe they should look at trading for, and extending, Brock Boeser.
Boeser is in the final season of his three-year, $6.65 million deal where he will become an unrestricted free agent (UFA) at the end of the season. He is 27 years old and has been a solid right-winger for the Canucks ever since playing full-time from 2017-18 to present. In 38 games for the Canucks in 2024-25, he has 15 goals and 28 points which is a .74 points-per-game average. The Burnsville, Minnesota native was selected 23rd overall in the 2015 NHL Entry Draft and is a player who could play well within the Hurricanes system while being the scorer that people are clamoring for.
Related: Jarvis & Kochetkov Help Hurricanes Complete Season Sweep of the Golden Knights
Boeser’s best season came in the 2023-24 campaign where he finished with 40 goals and 73 points. In eight seasons he has never finished below 45 points and has had three 50-plus point seasons. Furthermore, he has had four seasons with 23-plus goals. He does have that one 40-goal season under his belt, an outlier but the goal-scoring is there. What helps him is his ability to stay out of the penalty box. His highest number of penalty minutes is 24 (2022-23). Boeser is someone who could slot well on the power play and be available for other situations. The right-shot right-winger could be the necessary boost to the top six.
While he will be a UFA this summer, there is a chance the Hurricanes could give him an extension with the right amount of money to stay in Raleigh. With Andersen, Brent Burns, Dmitry Orlov, and a few other contracts coming off the books and the cap hit going up to possibly $93 million from the current $88 million, there will be room to get a deal done. Since he will be 28 years old by July 1, it could be a seven-year, $7.8 million AAV contract. The max AAV could be $8 million but a deal taking him to when he is 35 years old could be a gamble, but with the cap going up over the next few seasons, it could be viewed as a steal for the Hurricanes if he averages 50-plus points a season.
When it comes to who the Hurricanes have to give up, do not be surprised if Necas’ name is involved in the deal. However, if it is Kotkaniemi, an A-/B+ rated prospect or two, and picks, that could be something the Hurricanes could offer in the hope that the Canucks send Boeser in return. No one is sure what the ask will be for Boeser, but it’ll be enough to where long conversations will more than likely take place.
Hurricanes Go Road Tripping
The Hurricanes (27-16-3) will play a back-to-back two-game road trip on Monday, Jan. 20, against the Chicago Blackhawks (14-28-3) and the Dallas Stars (28-15-1) on Tuesday, Jan. 21. They look to take the momentum from the win Friday night and bring it on the road with them. Is the victory over the Golden Knights what they needed to right the ship into longer winning streaks?
