Erik Cole is one player who needs to step up his game if the Hurricanes are going to return to the postseason.

Hurricanes plot a return course
By Phil Coffey | NHL.com
Sept. 6, 2005

The 2002 Stanley Cup Finals seem like a distant memory to the Carolina Hurricanes. The 'Canes have stumbled badly in each of the two seasons since they posted a 35-26-16-5 record and raced through the Eastern Conference to meet the Detroit Red Wings in the finals.

Though they fell short against the heavily favored Wings, the future seemed bright in Carolina. But the next two seasons saw the Hurricanes lose their winning ways and miss the playoffs both times.

So what's the prognosis for 2005-06? Can the Hurricanes compete in the Southeast Division and plot a return course to the postseason.

Admittedly, the Hurricanes will need some breaks along the way, because many Eastern Conference teams have loaded up. But the moves GM Jim Rutherford made during the summer -- signing free-agents Ray Whitney, Cory Stillman and Oleg Tverdovsky -- make this a much better team than the one that left the ice after a 28-34-14-6 season in 2003-04.

Those three additions on their own, while bettering the roster, won't be enough to get it done for Carolina unless there is improvement from within. That means Eric Staal has to take another step forward after a fine rookie season. The same applies to Josef Vasicek and Erik Cole, Justin Williams, Radim Vrbata, and Pavel Brendl -- they all must step up. The Hurricanes were at the bottom of the league in offense in 2003-04, and that can't happen again if they hope to be playing playoff hockey.

It's going to be a team effort regardless of result in Carolina. Either the Hurricanes are going to win together -- or they will lose together.

Forwards

Coach Peter Laviolette enters his first full season in Carolina with an interesting mix of players to choose from, and has the makings of three productive lines.

Let's look at center first.

Vasicek showed some impressive potential in 2003-04, leading the Hurricanes in scoring with 19 goals and 26 assists in 82 games. His 45 points doesn't put him among the NHL's elite scorers, but it may well herald better days ahead for the 25-year-old center.

Staal, the No. 2 overall selection in the 2003 Entry Draft, is just 21 and scored 11 goals and 20 assists in 81 games in 2003-04. Staal, now 6-foot-3, 200 pounds, played with the AHL's Lowell Lock Monsters in 2004-05, and his development continued quite nicely. In 77 AHL games, Staal scored 26 goals and assisted on 51 others. He also played a physical game, picking up 88 minutes in penalties. He had two goals and eight assists in 11 Calder Cup playoff games as well. There is no reason to think the Hurricanes were anything but right on the money when it comes to Staal's potential.

Classy veteran Rod Brind'Amour, now team captain, isn't the scorer he was in his younger days, but the 35-year-old is still strong on faceoffs, is a smart and productive defensive center, and a strong leader. Young players will get better being around a player like Brind'Amour.

Kevyn Adams is one of the Canes' most popular players, in large part because he has embraced the Raleigh area as his home and because he is very approachable for the media. And he can play a little, too. Adams scored 10 goals and 12 assists in 73 games in 2003-04, but that doesn't really sum up his value. He is a smart, versatile smart player who always put the team first.

"Kevyn is a leader and an important player for the Hurricanes," Rutherford said after re-signing Adams to a two-year contract this summer. "His work ethic and determination set good examples for our team."

The Hurricanes also signed former Florida Panthers center Matt Cullen. The 28-year-old played in 36 regular-season games with Cortina of the Italian League during the 2004-05 season, scoring a league-leading 27 goals and finishing with 60 points, the second-best total in the league. In Cortina's 18-game playoff run, Cullen scored eight goals and earned 14 assists as Cortina fell in the league championship series to Milan.

On the right side, the Hurricanes have skill and depth. Leading off is Stillman, signed as a free agent.

"Cory has been a consistent offensive player throughout his NHL career," Rutherford says of Stillman's signing. "He was a key member of Tampa Bay's power play, and we will look for him to do the same for our team."

Stillman, only 31 but with 645 games to his credit, was second among Lightning scorers and seventh in the NHL with 80 points (25 goals and 55 assists) in 81 games during the 2003-04 season. He was third in the NHL in assists (55) and led Tampa Bay with 11 power-play goals. His totals in games played (81), assists (55), points (80) and power-play goals (11) all were career highs. Stillman scored two goals and five assists in 21 postseason games as the Lightning won the Stanley Cup.

Former Mighty Duck backup Martin Gerber is slated to be the new No. 1 goalie in Carolina.

Williams came over from the Philadelphia Flyers during the 2003-04 season in exchange for defenseman Danny Markov and scored five goals and 13 assists in 32 games with the Canes, for a total of 11 goals and 33 assists in 79 games for the season. The Hurricanes have high hopes that Williams can take his game to an elite level.

"Justin is a young player who we anticipate will play a significant role on our team," Rutherford says. "He brings a good deal of NHL experience to our group of young forwards, and has demonstrated that he can develop into a top-level NHL player."

Another right-sider with potential is Vrbata, 24, who had a dozen goals and 13 assists in 2003-04 in his first full season with Carolina after coming over in a deal with Colorado.

"Radim had an extremely productive season in the Czech Republic," Rutherford says of Vrbata's 2004-05 play in the Czech League with Liberec, where he had 18 goals and 25 assists in 45 games. "We will look for him to take the next step offensively for the Hurricanes this year."

Brendl and Jesse Boulerice, two prospects acquired from the Flyers, will vie for a spot on right wing. Brendl, a big scorer in the junior ranks, had five goals and three assists in 18 games in 2003-04, while Boulerice is a physical player who had six goals and one assist in 76 games in 2003-04. He also had 127 penalty minutes.

On the left side, Whitney will add an offensive spark and his presence should allow Cole to get more scoring opportunities.

"I am very excited with the addition of Ray. He's a skilled forward who will add more speed and offense to our team," Rutherford says of Whitney.

Whitney scored 14 goals and 29 assists in 67 games for Detroit in 2003-04. For his NHL career, Whitney has scored 205 goals and 330 assists in 700 games. He should give the Hurricanes a boost up front.

So should Cole, coming off a 2003-04 season in which he scored 18 goals and 24 assists.

"Erik has performed well for the Hurricanes and we are happy to have him signed," Rutherford notes. "He led his team in Germany to the league championship last season and also performed well for coach Laviolette at the World Championships."

Cole, 26, scored six goals and 21 assists in 39 games for Eisbaren Berlin of the Deutsche Eishockey Liga in 2004-05. He scored five goals and added one assist in eight playoff games, capturing the playoff Most Valuable Player award as Berlin won the league title. Cole played for Laviolette on Team USA at the 2005 IIHF World Championships in Austria, netting a goal and five assists in seven games.

Defense

The Hurricanes made two big off-season additions to the defense, acquiring Mike Commodore from the Flames and signing Oleg Tverdovsky, who had been playing in Russia.

Commodore played 12 games in Calgary during the 2003-04 regular season and another 20 in the Stanley Cup playoffs as injuries took their toll on the Calgary backline. Last season, Commodore played with the Hurricanes' AHL affiliate, the Lowell Lock Monsters and had six goals and 29 assists in 73 games, convincing the Hurricanes to make a deal for him.

Tverdovsky was last seen at an NHL rink as a member of the New Jersey Devils' 2003 Stanley Cup championship team. He returned to Russia to play after that season. With Omsk Avangard in 2004-05, Tverdovsky scored five goals and 15 assists.

"Oleg is a highly skilled defenseman who entered the NHL at a very young age and is just reaching his prime," Rutherford says. "His speed and ability to run a power play will put him in an important role for our defense. Oleg has played well over the last two seasons in Russia and is excited to return to North America."

Carolina also added Andrew Hutchinson in a deal with Nashville. Hutchinson, 25, played all of 2004-05 with the AHL's Milwaukee Admirals. In 76 games, he scored 10 goals and 35 assists.

The Canes added Frantisek Kaberle after the 2003-04 season. In 67 games with Atlanta in 2003-04, Kaberle scored three goals and added 26 assists.

Among the returning defensemen is veteran Glen Wesley, 36, who completed his 17th NHL season and 10th with the Hurricanes franchise in 2003-04, tallying six assists in 74 games. He led all Hurricanes in plus/minus at plus-18, ranking 15th among NHL defenseman. Also back are Bret Hedican, who scored seven goals and 17 assists in 81 games in 2003-04, Niclas Wallin, who had three goals and seven assists in 57 games, Aaron Ward, who had three goals and eight assists in 49 games and Bruno St. Jacques, who played in Lowell last season, scoring two goals and 12 assists in 68 games.

Goaltending

With Kevin Weekes' departure to the New York Rangers as a free agent and the decisions to move away from Arturs Irbe and Jamie Storr, the Canes will have a much younger look in goal this season.

Martin Gerber, acquired from the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim, is in line to be the No. 1 goalie. In 32 appearances for the Mighty Ducks in 2003-04, Gerber posted an 11-12-4 record with a 2.26 goals-against average.

Slated for backup duty is Cam Ward, the 25th overall pick in the 2002 Entry Draft. A junior standout with Red Deer of the Western Hockey League, Ward played with Lowell last season and was 27-17 with three shootout losses. He had a 1.99 GAA in 50 appearances.

Outlook

The goaltending situation bears watching, because neither Gerber nor Ward has a lot of NHL experience. Both have the potential to be quality NHL goalies, but this is the most difficult position in sports, and if one of both struggle, then the Hurricanes are going to have to make a move for a veteran sooner rather than later.

The Hurricanes figure to be a team that is overlooked in the early going. A lot of NHL teams made a lot of sexy moves with big-time stars involved this season. The Hurricanes made a significant number of moves, but didn't bring in a lot of big names. But make no mistake about it, the moves should have a positive impact on this team.

Adding Stillman and Whitney will make up for the loss of Jeff O'Neill, who was traded to Toronto, and will add some veteran presence and perspective. Tverdovsky is a good addition as well, and this may well be the season that Commodore steps up and becomes a regular NHL defenseman.

But the key to success this season is for the younger Hurricanes to step up. Cole, Williams, Staal, Vasicek, Vrbata, and Brendl have more than enough talent to help Carolina be a very competitive team. The onus will be on them to produce.