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NHL Playoff Picture 2023: Hurricanes Clinch Playoff Berth; Updated Standings
Mar 24, 2023
RALEIGH, NORTH CAROLINA - MARCH 14: The Carolina Hurricanes celebrate with the Storm Surge after defeating the Winnipeg Jets at PNC Arena on March 14, 2023 in Raleigh, North Carolina. (Photo by Josh Lavallee/NHLI via Getty Images)
The Carolina Hurricanes are bringing the storm surge to the playoffs for the fifth straight season.
Carolina clinched a playoff berth on Thursday night by way of the Florida Panthers losing to the Toronto Maple Leafs 6-2 at FLA Live Arena. The Canes are just the second team this season to earn a spot in the postseason, joining the league-leading Boston Bruins.
The Hurricanes have the second-best record in the NHL at 46-16-8 (100 points) and are looking to lock up the Metropolitan Division crown for the second straight season. However, it won't be an easy task as the New Jersey Devils sit second in the division with a 45-18-8 record (98 points) and are just two points behind Carolina for the division lead.
With 12 more games remaining in the regular season, it will be crucial for the Canes to lock up as many points as possible down the stretch in order to earn home-ice advantage to start the playoffs.
Despite losing star forward Andrei Svechnikov to a torn ACL earlier this month, the Hurricanes still have the talent and star power to win the Stanley Cup this season.
Forwards Martin Necas and Sebastian Aho are having tremendous seasons offensively. Necas leads the team with 65 points—27 goals and 38 assists—in 70 games, and Aho leads the team in goals with 31 tallies in 63 contests, in addition to 28 assists for 59 points.
The additions of Brent Burns and Shayne Gostisbehere on the blue line have also elevated the franchise's title chances this year. Burns leads the team with 41 assists in 70 games, and he also has 12 goals for 53 points.
Gostisbehere, whom Carolina acquired from the Arizona Coyotes at the trade deadline in February, has tallied two goals and three assists for five points in 11 games with the franchise.
The Hurricanes also have a talented trio of goaltenders in Frederik Andersen, Pyotr Kochetkov and Antti Raanta. They have split time in the crease this season as Andersen has played in 28 games, Raanta in 23 and Kochetkov in 22.
Anderson, the team's primary netminder, ranks fifth in the NHL with a 2.44 goals-against average, and he also boasts a .903 save percentage.
The Hurricanes last won the Stanley Cup in 2006, when now-head coach Rod Brind'Amour helped lead the franchise to its first-ever championship by defeating the Edmonton Oilers in seven games.
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Hurricanes' Max Pacioretty Out 6 Months After Undergoing Surgery on Knee Injury
Aug 10, 2022
CALGARY, AB - APRIL 14: Max Pacioretty #67 of the Vegas Golden Knights in action against the Calgary Flames during an NHL game at Scotiabank Saddledome on April 14, 2022 in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. (Photo by Derek Leung/Getty Images)
Carolina Hurricanes forward Max Pacioretty will undergo surgery to repair a torn Achilles on Wednesday and will be sidelined for six months, the team announced Tuesday.
If Pacioretty returns on schedule, he could make his Hurricanes debut sometime in February.
The Hurricanes acquired Pacioretty and defenseman Dylan Coghlan from the Vegas Golden Knights last month in exchange for future considerations. The move was widely considered a salary dump for the Golden Knights, who freed up $7 million in cap space by trading the veteran winger.
"Adding offensive firepower and improving our power play were priorities this offseason, and Max certainly checks those boxes," Hurricanes general manager Don Waddell said in a news release after acquiring Pacioretty. "This acquisition gives us an elite scorer and another veteran voice in our dressing room."
Pacioretty spent the last four seasons of his career in Vegas, tallying 97 goals and 97 assists for 194 points in 224 games. However, he only appeared in 39 games during the 2021-22 season due to various injuries, though he was effective when on the ice, notching 19 goals and 18 assists.
The 33-year-old spent the first 10 seasons of his career with the Montreal Canadiens, which selected him in the first round of the 2007 NHL draft, before being traded to the Golden Knights for Nick Suzuki, Tomas Tatar and a second-round pick.
In 626 games with the Canadiens, Pacioretty tallied 226 goals and 222 assists.
With the Hurricanes, Pacioretty was expected to slot in on one of the team's top two lines. The franchise will now have to rely on Andrei Svechnikov, Sebastian Aho, Seth Jarvis, Teuvo Teravainen, Jesperi Kotkaniemi and Martin Necas to fill out the top six.
The Hurricanes will still be tough to play against without Pacioretty, but when he returns, they'll be legitimate title contenders.
Report: Max Pacioretty, Dylan Coghlan Traded to Hurricanes from Golden Knights
Jul 13, 2022
CALGARY, AB - APRIL 14: Max Pacioretty #67 of the Vegas Golden Knights in action against the Calgary Flames during an NHL game at Scotiabank Saddledome on April 14, 2022 in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. (Photo by Derek Leung/Getty Images)
The Vegas Golden Knights are trading veteran forward Max Pacioretty and defenseman Dylan Coghlan to the Carolina Hurricanes, The Athletic's Pierre LeBrun reported Wednesday.
Vegas will receive future considerations in exchange for both players.
Frank Seravalli of Daily Faceoff noted the move was a "pure salary dump" for the Golden Knights, who cleared $7.7 million in cap space.
Before the trade, Vegas was projected to be over the salary cap by more than $2.6 million, according to CapFriendly. Now that the team has cap space, it can look to re-sign restricted free agents Keegan Kolesar and Nicolas Roy and add a backup goaltender.
Pacioretty has a $7 million cap hit for 2022-23 before becoming an unrestricted free agent.
The 33-year-old has spent the last four seasons of his career in Vegas, tallying 97 goals and 97 assists for 194 points in 224 games. He only appeared in 39 games last season, notching 19 goals and 18 assists for 37 points.
Pacioretty began his career with the Montreal Canadiens, which selected him in the first round of the 2007 NHL draft. In 626 games across 10 seasons with the franchise, he tallied 226 goals and 222 assists for 448 points.
Coghlan, meanwhile, has spent the first two seasons of his career in Vegas. The 24-year-old notched six goals and 13 assists for 19 points in 88 games. Before playing for the Golden Knights, he spent two seasons with the AHL's Chicago Wolves.
Adding Pacioretty was a solid move for the Hurricanes. He will likely play on the team's top line alongside Sebastian Aho, or the second line alongside Jesperi Kotkaniemi.
As for Coghlan, it's likely he spends time in the AHL as the Canes already have a solid defensive unit that includes Jaccob Slavin, Brent Burns, Brady Skjei, Brett Pesce and Ethan Bear.
Carolina was searching for upgrades after being eliminated by the New York Rangers in the second round of the playoffs last season. With the additions of Pacioretty and Burns on Wednesday, the undoubtedly got better and should be a team to watch in 2022-23.
