Emily Kaplan, ESPN 6y

Looking ahead for the Hurricanes: Time to get bold

NHL, Carolina Hurricanes

As each NHL team is eliminated from playoff contention -- either mathematically or by losing in the postseason -- we'll take a look at why its quest for the Stanley Cup fell short in 2017-18, along with three keys to its offseason and a way-too-early prediction of what 2018-19 will hold.


What went wrong

Before the season, I asked more than two dozen players what team they thought was most likely to surprise in 2017-18. The Carolina Hurricanes were a common answer.

Here's what one player said: "They were so hard to play against last year, and they didn't even make the playoffs. They have better goaltending now, they have a few good players, and I have played for their coach [Bill Peters] at tournaments before. I really like him."

That prediction didn't age too well.

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