Carolina Hurricanes Struggling to Find a Goal Scorer

This won’t be shocking to anyone who has followed the Carolina Hurricanes over the past few years. The group restricts shots against and produces a ton of shots. However, they have had a relatively poor conversion rate on those opportunities, which appears to be one of the factors preventing the team from winning more games in the playoffs. The Hurricanes are still searching for a legitimate goal scorer, despite the fact that this year’s rate has increased. especially in light of the fact that, despite their efforts to prevent opportunities against, those that do pass manage to enter the net completely.

The Hurricanes ought to look into signing a goal scorer.

On the team’s most recent road trip across Western Canada, the goal-scoring problems were clearly visible. This is becoming increasingly necessary since Andrei Svechnikov might be sidelined for a long time. After delving deeper into goalkeeper choices here and covering many of the issues raised during that trip in a post here, we now shift our attention to potential goal-scoring options.

In Vancouver, an Outcast

The squad that gave Carolina the last blow during their road tour across Western Canada appears to have the greatest choice available. According to reports, Andrei Kuzmenko is a strange man in Vancouver, but the Canucks appear open to working out a trade for the Russian forward. Given Vancouver’s recent on-ice success and the offensive growth of their best players, Kuzmenko might be a useful trade asset for the Canucks.

He has five goals and eleven assists in 26 games this year, averaging about fifteen minutes of ice time per game. He has, however, been healthy scratched twice recently and has been having offensive and defensive struggles in comparison to previous year. He appears to be at conflict with Rick Tocchet, the head coach, as well.

What Kuzmenko May Offer

Carolina may have a fantastic opportunity here. Kuzmenko, who signed a one-year contract with Vancouver in 2022, had an incredible season in 2023–2021 with 39 goals and 74 points. After the previous season, he inked a two-year, $11 million contract that included a 12-team no-trade list. Carolina may find things difficult as a result of this cap hit, but they should be able to find a creative method to sign the winger. When Kuzmenko was available, Carolina reportedly made a strong effort to sign him; nevertheless, he chose to play in Vancouver.

Although Kuzmenko’s backchecking worries Tocchet, his advanced analytics suggest that he might work well in Carolina’s system. With 7.1 anticipated goals and 1.1 expected goals per 60 minutes, he is among the Canucks’ top five scorers. Not to mention, at 63% and 62%, respectively, he leads Vancouver in Corsi and Fenwick. Make like a member of Brind’Amour? Additionally, he has a strong on-ice goal differential of 19 when it comes to defense versus offense.

An Ideal Match?

This could be the ideal fit because Carolina needs a goal scorer and you’re the odd man out in Vancouver. Considering that Andrei Svechnikov might be sidelined for a while, this is especially true. It will be difficult to make the cap work, particularly since Vancouver is also somewhat cap-strapped. Regarding Svechnikov or Frederik Andersen, there might be some possibilities for LTIR relief for Carolina. For a guy who has demonstrated that he is capable of hitting forty goals, the move back to Vancouver would still be significant. Should Carolina provide minimal compensation in return, that might work to Vancouver’s advantage. If not, is this a move that finally sees a defenseman leave? This year, Carolina has a second-round draft pick; Vancouver does not.Compared to Carolina, Vancouver does not have a second-round draft pick this year.

Is There a Tampa Cornerstone Piece Up for Sale?

Though this may be more of a “just for fun” idea, Carolina might check whether Tampa Bay Lightning captain Steven Stamkos is available. After their dominant Stanley Cup campaigns, Tampa Bay has been slipping a little bit. However, not by much. But since Stamkos will need a new deal at the end of the current campaign and the team may need to retool, they might consider getting something in exchange for the seasoned center. If and when this happened, it most likely would happen closer to the deadline and only if Tampa Bay was eliminated from the postseason picture.

Potential Benefits of Stamkos

The potential that Stamkos has to provide Carolina is not at all hidden. years of leadership and experience. Many Stanley Cups. and the capacity to place the puck inside the goal. He played in 81 games last season, tallying 34 goals and 50 assists. In 81 games the previous year, he recorded 42 goals and 64 assists. In 27 games played this year, he has 10 goals and 16 assists. However, it would be on Carolina’s power play that he might be most useful. With one timing, Stamkos is nearly automatic from the left circle, possibly just trailing Alex Ovechkin in scoring. A team seeking some offensive punch with the man advantage would appreciate the addition of a sniper on the power play.

Stamkos won’t come cheap, and Tampa’s demands for a return could vary depending on their assessment of the team’s short- and long-term prospects. Top prospects and high draft picks, if available, should be traveling south. However, Carolina may be ready to go all in now that they are at the height of their Cup-winning abilities. Numerous factors will influence this, such as the team’s performance in goal, the condition of injured players, and the team’s performance when Stamkos may potentially return. While doubtful, Stamkos is not totally out of the question.

Being together feels amazing.

Losing against Calgary hurt a lot. However, might Carolina consider asking the Flames to re-acquire a Swede that they traded for a few years ago? I’m talking about Elias Lindholm here. Lindholm was still figuring things out and Carolina didn’t appear to think he was worth what he was seeking for in a contract when they sold him to Calgary. He’s done fairly well in Calgary ever since. He centers the top line this season and is close to the top of the Flames’ goal and point charts with seven and eighteen, respectively. Despite Calgary’s difficult season the previous year, he still managed to record 22 goals and 42 assists in 80 games. The previous year: 40 assists and 42 goals.

Potential Benefits of Lindholm

There’s no denying that Lindholm could give Carolina a combination of playmaking and goal scoring. He has a really fast release and plays a hard game without fear of getting rough. Given that he is nearing the end of his contract and that Calgary is once more finding it difficult to gain any ground in the postseason, Lindholm may be traded in favor of future assets. However, Calgary might hold off on relocating Lindholm until after the year is over. Because there will be a smaller relative cap hit closer to the deadline, this could simplify matters from a cap standpoint. However, he can potentially get more costly. Additionally, a lot of teams would be vying for his services.

Lindholm may help Carolina by strengthening their position in the middle. While Lindholm is the 2C, Jesperi Kotkaniemi and Jordan Staal have the potential to practically move down, with Sebastian Aho most likely remaining in the 1C position. At that point, there might not be much of a skill difference between the second and third lines. Jack Drury might be included in the return piece that goes to Calgary, making the Staal line the fourth line—a position for which they appear more appropriate this season. But labels are all that they are. Lindholm has further versatility as he can also play on the wing. Lindholm will cost money, but it’s well worth the look.

Friend Found on the Pacific Rim

The final stop on Carolina’s quest for a goal scorer is a squad the Hurricanes have recently enjoyed some success against. The San Jose Sharks are this team. Although they were unsuccessful in winning the Timo Meier Trophy the previous season, the Hurricanes did well in acquiring Brent Burns from the Sharks. They might look at Logan Couture and Tomas Hertl, two additional forwards for the Sharks.

San Jose may be trying to continue their rebuilding by assembling future assets, despite their recent success. They currently reside at the bottom of the league. It’s not like Couture and Hertl have expiring contracts that require trading or resigning—both are signed long-term at over $8 million AAV. However, unless a team like Carolina views it as a long-term component of the plan, it also presents challenges.

Hertl, Tomas

With 24 points, nine of which are goals, Hertl leads the San Jose squad in scoring this season. Hertl has been an excellent player for the team. He is another natural center with excellent offensive skills who can also go to the wing when necessary. While he might not be a 40-goal player, he could be relied upon for 20 to 30 goals as well as depth in the middle, much like the previously mentioned Lindholm. He could also assist on the power play, where he scored six of his 24 points.

Logan Couture

Given his past history of injuries, Couture might be a greater danger. Concerns exist over his ability to regain optimal health. His lower body injury has prevented him from playing in any games this season. That season, he did participate in all 82 games and finished with 27 goals and 40 assists. Depending on injuries, he could be counted on for anywhere from 15 to 30 goals, but he has occasionally exceeded the 30-goal threshold in his career.

Couture is more of a pure goal scorer and might succeed in the correct environment. In addition, he leads the Sharks, which has advantages of its own. But given his AAV and injury issues, Carolina might

Be more cautious when using couture. That may obviously suggest that he could be less expensive and that it would be worthwhile to take a chance on him.