5 Questions Ahead Of Canes' Training Camp

RALEIGH, N.C. - The Carolina Hurricanes announced their training camp schedule on Thursday, with on-ice sessions set to begin next week.

Excitement grows with each day, and at the same time, the curiosity and questions compound.

Here are a few things that we're keeping an eye on as the Canes get set to start their new journey:

How will Jackson Blake follow up his excellent rookie campaign?

The young forward's emergence had a huge role in last year's season. Leading all NHL first-year skaters with seven game-winners, his 17-goal and 17-assist year set a nice foundation for what looks like it will be a promising career.

Rewarded with an eight-year contract extension this summer, the natural question is, how does he one-up that?

Blake spent the first half of the season a little further down in the lineup, before spending almost all of the second half, and postseason in the team's "top six."

Prior to January 17, his first game on the team's "top line", he averaged 11:44 time on ice per night, producing nine of his goals, four assists, and 13 points in 45 games. In the final 35 games of the season, he averaged 16:34, while contributing eight goals and 13 assists for a total of 21 points.

While his spot in the lineup for this fall remains to be seen, it was clear that he ran with the opportunity when playing alongside some of the team's brightest stars.

Sophomore slumps are a real thing, but would it surprise anyone to see the now 22-year-old take a step forward this year?

Where will Nikolaj Ehlers and K'Andre Miller fit in the team's lineup?

Speaking of lineup spots, it will be interesting to see who is skating where on the first day of training camp. What have Rod Brind'Amour and staff crafted for their newcomers?

Ehlers is quite the talent, so it's a real possibility that he'll be slotted alongside Sebastian Aho. Who goes to the other wing if that's the case? Seth Jarvis? Andrei Svechnikov? Jackson Blake? There's an endless list of further questioning that goes hand-in-hand with that. Should Ehlers and Aho be paired together, that would be two left-handed shots working in sync. What does the trickle-down look like following that?

As for K'Andre Miller, could we see him alongside Jaccob Slavin? Of course, that would require Miller on his off-side, but if there's one place to have freedom and potentially try and tap into more offensive abilities, doing so alongside the best defensive defenseman in hockey feels like a good place for it.

If not, does he work in tandem with fellow smooth-skater in Jalen Chatfield for a more natural lefty-righty pair?

How the six on the blue line get puzzle-pieced together will be fascinating.

What will Alexander Nikishin's first NHL season look like?

Elsewhere on the blue line, Carolina finally has their long-awaited prized prospect in their hands. Regarded by many as one of the best hockey players not in the NHL last season, Nikishin finally arrived during the playoffs and made his debut in Round 2 against the Washington Capitals.

Thrust into a high-pressure situation due to injuries, the 23-year-old settled in and looked more and more comfortable each night.

Adjustments come with learning the Canes' system, but now that he's had some game reps and a summer to dip his toes into the water, what will the team get from "Niki"?

Can Mark Jankowski continue his goal-scoring ways?

When the Canes acquired "Janko" from the Nashville Predators ahead of the trade deadline in March for the low price of a fifth-round pick, they expected to get a multi-season veteran as an insurance policy. What they got was the team's co-leader in goals (8) in their final 19 regular-season games.

The production was incredibly helpful, but is it sustainable?

Eight goals in 19 games would put him at a 34-tally regular-season pace, which is probably a little lofty, but the 6-foot-4 forward, did have 17 and 14 in his first two seasons in the league. We've seen Carolina become a place of career resurgence for other players in recent years (Jalen Chatfield, Stefan Noesen, etc.). Could Jankowski add himself to that list?

What impact will Taylor Hall and Logan Stankoven have in their first full seasons with the team?

In addition to Jankowski, two other important players for the team down the stretch were Hall and Stankoven. Hall (8) co-led the team in goals after the trade deadline, with "Janko", and Stankoven led all NHL rookies in the postseason with eight points.

Hall got in 31 games with the team after being acquired from the Chicago Blackhawks on Jan. 24, and was later signed to a three-year contract extension. Possessing the ability to play up and down the lineup, Hall doesn't need to be "the guy" here in Raleigh, which may lift pressure off his shoulders and allow him to reach heights he has not in recent years.

Stankoven, also entering camp after securing an extension, his of the eight-year variety, comes back to 1400 Edwards Mill Rd following a summer where he was able to mentally reset. A young and promising player, he didn't expect to be moved from the Dallas Stars in March, but he was, and this is his home now, for a long time.