5 Questions Entering The 2023-24 Season

RALEIGH, NC. - The first on-ice session of Carolina Hurricanes training camp is tomorrow.

Another new journey awaits and as much as things have changed from this time last year, some still remain the same.

Here are five major questions entering the new campaign.

1) How do things shake out on the blue line?

Last season Jalen Chatfield took a massive step forward in his career, proving he can be an every night NHL defenseman.

Up until the morning skate of Opening Night it was unclear as to who would get the nod as the last man in on the right side between Chatfield, Ethan Bear, and Dylan Coghlan.  As we know now, the Ypsilanti, Michigan-born defender emerged and went on to play 78 out of the team's 82 regular season games, only coming out due to an upper-body injury in March.

Come seasons end it felt like a given that Chatfield would be cemented behind Brent Burns and Brett Pesce on the right side of Carolina's blue line for the 2023-24 campaign and they were set. The only true need ahead of free agency would be a partner for Chatfield, which was necessitated after Shayne Gostisbehere elected to test the open market.

On the same day that Gostisbehere became a Detroit Red Wing, it appeared that Carolina had also completed their puzzle. Dmitry Orlov, widely regarded as the best available free agent in this summer's class, was inked to a two-year deal, joining an already superb left side of the blue line that touted Jaccob Slavin and Brady Skjei.

But then the rich got richer.

Essentially since season's end there had been rumors that Tony DeAngelo could be making his way back to Raleigh after a falling out in Philadelphia. However, because DeAngelo had been traded from Carolina to Philadelphia less than a year prior, the rumored trade couldn't be executed until the second week in July.

Then July 9 came and nothing transpired.

A few days later DeAngelo was bought out and shortly thereafter he signed a one-year deal with Carolina, returning to the organization where he'd just set the team's record for the most points by a defenseman in a single season a year prior. Burns had eclipsed that mark in his first season with the team and in an incredibly unique turn of events, the Canes now have both men as a part of their defensive stable.

So, how does it shake out?

If Opening Night were tomorrow, who would sit? Would anybody sit? Is there a possibility that Rod Brind'Amour's group rolls 11 forwards and seven defensemen?

The next 20 days, leading up to this season's Opening Night on October 11 against Ottawa, will be very telling.

2) Will the Martinook-Staal-Fast line remain together?

After losing Nino Niederreiter in free agency during the summer of 2022, one of the biggest holes and question marks entering last season was who would slot aside Jordan Staal and Jesper Fast.

It was trial and error at the start of the season, with Paul Stastny getting first dibs at the bid, but in time Jordan Martinook prevailed as the staple. It wound up being the best season of #48's career.

Not only was he able to stay healthy and play in all 82 games for the first time since the 2018-19 season, Martinook also set new career highs in assists and points.

Now, the question is not a reflection of whether the fan favorite has earned the right to stay in that spot, he certainly has. Rather, it's a byproduct of wondering how the other forward lines will come to formation, combined with the knowing that Brind'Amour is comfortable deploying Martinook on anybody's wing.

When examining potential fits in the lineup for newcomer Michael Bunting, where will he play? He experienced success in the top six in Toronto playing alongside Auston Matthews and John Tavares, but it's also not difficult to see comparisons between Bunting's game and what Niederreiter brought to the left and Staal and Fast two seasons ago.

How about Stefan Noesen? Both during the regular season and postseason play we saw the goal-scoring right-handed winger aside Staal and Fast, so could that be revisited in a more permanent capacity?

Above all, it's nice to know that the team has a plethora of interchangeable pieces amongst their forward group. What the team begins with at the opening puck drop on October 11 against the Senators may not be the same when the team touches the ice again that Saturday in Los Angeles. Heck, it may not even be the same come the second period of that night.

3) Can Martin Necas replicate his special 2022-23 season?

Entering last year's training camp, there were concerns about the best hockey of Martin Necas' career already being behind him.

After a wildly underwhelming 2021-22 campaign, #88 bounced back with not only a personal best year, but one that had him in the All-Star conversation. Pacing the team in assists (43) and points (71), Necas was also one of the most clutch players in the NHL. Finishing tied with David Pastrnak, the 2017 first-round pick netted five goals in overtime, earning a share of the league lead.

With lots to like about his previous campaign, the fact that this upcoming season is a contract year adds all the more intrigue for the forward. He admitted at the end of the 2021-22 season that it being the final year of his entry-level contract did get to him from a pressure standpoint, so how will he handle the second go-around?

He'll be a restricted free agent (RFA) again after this season, which is why management has been willing to wait to see which version of Necas appears before taking the next steps forward. As we've seen in the cases of Andrei Svechnikov, Jesperi Kotkaniemi, and Sebastian Aho, the team likes to handle business before players reach the open market, so, could Necas be next in line if he produces the way he did last season?

4) When will Andrei Svechnikov make his season debut?

Carolina's All-Star from last season went down with a significant knee injury on March 11, rendering him inactive for the remainder of the regular season and all of the 2023 playoffs.

Sorely missed, the #2 overall pick in 2018 has become an impact player in the game. He's a power forward with the ability to net electrifying goals, while also being unafraid to lower his shoulder.

Diagnosed with a 6-9 month recovery time after surgery, ironically enough, Opening Night will be seven months to the day of his injury. Svechnikov has said on numerous occasions that he'd like to be back for the first game, and Don Waddell has stated that he expects him to be ready, but, there's a mutual understanding that games in April are more important than the ones in October.

It's hard not to think about Max Pacioretty's situation from last season when thinking of Svechnikov. It's not directly apples to apples, as Pacioretty had an Achilles tendon injury, but Pacioretty returned just over five months after suffering an injury that was scheduled to sideline him for 6-9 months. We're all aware of what unfortunately transpired next for the now-Washington Capital.

With that being said, will Carolina play it ultra-safe when it comes to Svechnikov, or will it be all systems go for #37 to start the campaign?

5) How will the Canes manage not having an AHL affiliate?

By now it's well documented that Carolina's partnership with the Chicago Wolves was not renewed after the three-year deal between the clubs expired.

Several prospects (Alexander Pashin, Ville Koivunen, etc.) that could have seen American Hockey League time this season have instead been placed in their native countries for the upcoming season, but the ones that don't make the big club out of training camp will still need a place to play.

Heading into training camp it feels like Jack Drury and Vasily Ponomarev are the frontrunners for the "4C" spot. Could Ryan Suzuki also be in that mix after an impressive Southeast Rookie Showcase? What if one of the six forwards on tryouts swoops in and forces a tough decision?

It's difficult to envision a scenario in which Drury, Ponomarev, and Suzuki are all in Raleigh on Opening Night, so of those three that aren't, where will they play?

Perhaps even on a more important note, if Frederik Andersen and Antti Raanta stay healthy, where will Pyotr Kochetkov land?

Canes management is likely ten steps ahead on both of these questions, as back on July 1, after the resigning of both netminders, General Manager Don Waddell said that he already had a place for Kochetkov lined up if he has to go back to the AHL. You have to imagine that at minimum management had discussions with organizations about other players as well.

It may be an interesting piecemeal for a season, but again, the plan is for the Canes to have their own AHL affiliate again for the 2024-25 season.

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