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Buffalo Sports News

Early Season Analysis of a Top Team in the Metro Division

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The Carolina Hurricanes currently sit in second of the Metropolitan Division with 20 points. Tied with the Washington Capitals and behind only the New Jersey Devils, who have played four more games. However, it isn’t just the number of wins which has been setting them apart. It has been their unique performance on the ice. So, let’s dig a little deeper and analyze which players are making the difference. See just why this team is unlike seasons past.

Hurricanes Sit Atop the Metropolitan Division

Fresh Ingredients

Credit where it’s due for the Hurricanes leading the Metropolitan Division. It’s been a topic this season we have all heard about probably more than we can count. The Carolina Hurricanes have quite a few new sweaters on the ice. It was the theme song of the off-season – multiple players departing to new teams during free agency and new players being brought in. It was a common perception that due to these rather drastic changes, the team would lack cohesion and be unable to match performances from recent years. The expectation was for a weak first season in a long and arduous retooling process.

Typically, it can be difficult with such changes on a team and eventually leads to breakdown. Luckily (yes, luckily), the team experienced such a breakdown, but at the earliest point in the regular season – the first game. Due to this, the wrinkles in their play were identified, leading to the process of ironing it out.

Dine and Dash

The Carolina Hurricanes truly began building momentum during their first stop in Canada during their annual Western Conference road trip. In six games on the road, they won five. It included a full sweep of Alberta for the first time since the 2017-18 season. During this time on the road, not only did they pick up those crucial early wins, but the team truly found their footing as lines became more permanent.

Before then, almost every game saw a new line combination up until October 24th’s game against Calgary. At the time, the Flames had been undefeated in regulation. Meanwhile, the Canes’ effectiveness still left a lot to be desired. Since then, these line combinations became the go-to, only with the exception of a few tweaks mid-game.

The Secret Sauce

There is a reason the Hurricanes lead the Metropolitan Division. The Canes have been dressing the same 18 skaters since the earliest games of the season, something unheard of in the league in 60 years, so…why? What makes this team different from previous teams? There are numerous players who have been standing out in multiple aspects of the game – by scoring, puck movement, physicality, and more. But what many of us want to know is “who are the ones to watch for”. These five you can bet on producing results.

Martin Necas

Martin Necas has been on fire this season (don’t worry, folks, the ice has not melted). Throughout the season, he has only failed to generate at least one point in two games, and currently sits on a nine-game points streak (the longest in his career) while leading the team with 23 points. On November 4th, he made his way onto the NHL’s Stars of the Week ranking, sandwiched between none other than the legends Alex Ovechkin and Sidney Crosby.

Jack Roslovic

One of the newest additions to the team, he has yet to disappoint. Upon being acquired by the Canes, most eyes were looking to other new faces coming in. However, Roslovic was here to make himself known. So far, he leads the team in goals with nine. He now skates on the same line as Sebastian Aho and Andrei Svechnikov. A line he has found his groove in, picking up rebounds and displaying strong playmaking ability.

Shayne Gostisbehere

The Ghost is back in town and has been a menace to opponents. He leads all other defencemen in shooting percentage and points while effectively acting as a seal on the blue line during forechecking opportunities. Having taken the position Brady Skjei played, he has surpassed his goals, points, and nearly tripled his shooting percentage in his first ten games compared to Skjei’s first ten last season.

Jaccob Slavin

During the off-season, as he would have become an unrestricted free agent at the end of the 2024-25 season, the stalwart Blueliner inked an eight-year contract worth an average annual value of $6.34 Million USD. Ranked as #46 of the NHL’s Top 50 Players Right Now and #13 in their Top 20 Defencemen, he is a man on a mission. A true shutdown defenceman, Jaccob Slavin leads all skaters on the team this season in time on ice, blocked shots, and takeaways (in which he is in the top five across the league). 

Pyotr Kochetkov

This year, the ones minding the twine for Carolina have been outstanding, and putting in the majority of that work so far is Pyotr Kochetkov. In games played, he has made 172 saves while only allowing 20 goals. His goals against average of 2.51 pushes him ahead of highly effective goaltenders, such as Igor Shesterkin, Sergei Bobrovsky, and even Juuse Saros (who was named as second star two weeks ago for the NHL’s Stars of the Week). His instinctual playstyle is unique and unlike what the Canes have had in recent years, often making some notably wild desperation saves, reminiscent of Dominik Hasek, which seems to be bringing some extra energy to the team.

Chet is in the net and the defence is as strong as ever. The defensive zone will be just as exciting to watch as the offensive zone.

Piping Hot Straight from the Oven

Another player who has been highly discussed in the early season is newcomer Jackson Blake. He was a gamble draft secured in the fourth round in 2021, having played only 25 games in the USHL. During the Carolina Hurricanes Training Camp this preseason, as a member of the second team, the 21-year-old forward made his case and became the first Prospect featured there to land a roster spot this season. He has weaved himself into the team and became a valuable forward for the Hurricanes in just 12 games.

So far on the season, he has made two assists and netted four goals (two of which were game-winners) for six points. Blake has displayed Necas-esque maneuverability and Aho-like puck control, alongside his own unique play-making ability. Though unable to find the back of the net in this play, the clip below shows a bit of his efficiency in the aforementioned skills. This is definitely someone to keep an eye on for the future.

Are We Cooked or Are We Cooking

The Hurricanes sit atop the Metropolitan Division. 13 games in is still very early when looking at the 82 which will be played. But so far, we are looking pretty good. Between the beginning of the season to November 5th, the Hurricanes had 118 points across the team – the most they’ve had in that time frame since the 2019-20 season. So, to answer the very Generation Z-esque question of “cooked or cooking”, we are in fact cooking.

It certainly is in part to the powerful playstyles and early achievements from the players mentioned above, or perhaps cheeseburgers and candies have just made more of an impact than any statistic can tell. Nonetheless, this season will be exciting to watch for fans and foes of the team alike.

Main Photo: Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images

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