Kyler Franklin
3/1/17
Carolina Hurricanes Media Correspondent

Hope for a playoff push in Carolina is dwindling by the day, but, there still is reason for optimism. The Hurricanes are five games back from a wild card spot, meanwhile GM Ron Francis has already began to make moves for next season by trading Viktor Stalberg to Ottawa for another draft pick. Carolina has seven picks to choose from in the first three rounds of the 2017 NHL draft, the numbers game plays out even better the higher you decide to count with the ‘Canes picking up eleven new players in a seven round draft. In case you wanted more numbers Carolina has over $20 million to spend in salary cap space, which makes them one of the richest teams in the NHL coming into next season. On paper, the Hurricanes have the capability to take over the league in whatever time span they choose.

The Hurricanes have enough cap space to buy T.J. Oshie’s free agent contract, five times over. The same player that single-handedly took over a shootout for the United States Olympic Team in the game against Russia, the Hurricanes could afford five of him. They have the money to make a dynasty, but they have to be careful with it to do so which is why Carolina has been going through a rebuilding process. The Carolina Hurricanes haven’t made it to the postseason since 2009. The team picked up forty-five wins, compared to the twenty-five wins on the year with twenty-one games remaining the playoffs are nearly impossible for the guys in red sweaters in 2017.

Carolina stayed quiet for the trade deadline, and for good reason. It’s no news to any team in the league that Carolina will finally begin building their storm next season. But now the front office wants to decide who deserves to stay here. It will take a miracle for the ‘Canes to come away with a wild card spot but this month is pivotal to the NHL season. Mathematically Carolina has ten games this month against the teams they’re chasing. The main three to focus on being Toronto, the New York Islanders, and Florida – they play these teams four times this month. Carolina wins all four of these games, maybe pick up a winning streak, along with the nine home games in Raleigh a determined team will get close to the playoffs. It’s an extremely difficult situation for the postseason to actually take place, the team the Hurricanes have to chase can change by the day with the three teams stated before are all within one game of each other, they all must lose when the Hurricanes win at least five times.

The rest of this season will show who wants to stay in Carolina. Who wants to still battle, and make something of the year. How the Hurricanes finish off this year will show who will stay and who will go. The team has money they intend to spend, players will either be rewarded with harder working teammates, or dealt to another team/free agency to make more room for new faces to bring the team back to the playoffs. The season has reached the point of figuring out what to do for next season. The fans have been ready for change in Carolina for a while, and finally, the team is seeming to be miraculously strong for the 2017-18 season.

Carolina will face Tampa Bay tonight in a definite opportunity to get a game back in the standings.