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Hurricanes' problems obvious, but not easy to fix
NHL News
Over four years after Paul Maurice was fired as head coach of the Hurricanes he was tapped by general manager Jim Rutherford to return to his old job.
Everything old is seemingly new again behind the Hurricanes bench.
During the press conference announcing the hiring of Maurice and former captain Ron Francis as an assistant coach, Rutherford indicated that their tenure might only last for the remainder of this season unless they show results.
It's obvious what he means by "results." Rutherford expects a much better performance from a team he believes can be a playoff contender but lacks work ethic and consistency thus far.
In other words, Maurice and Francis must get the Hurricanes on a winning track or they won't be back next season, placing them -- especially Maurice -- under considerable pressure.
Maurice tends to favor a more defensive style of hockey, which might not be easy to implement with a Hurricanes club that this season has averaged 30 shots-against per game and ranks 20th overall in goals-against average (2.96).
Their penalty killing, which currently ranks 18th, is another defensive category which needs improvement.
The Hurricanes defense, built more for speed and offensive attack, lacks significant "stay at home" defenders. Maurice could face a daunting task trying to get this finesse defense to adjust styles.
Even if Maurice improves the Hurricanes defensive game they're not going to make the playoffs if they don't improve offensively.
The Hurricanes offense has been anemic, ranking 23rd and averaging only 2.56 goals per game. Their most troubling offensive statistic is their power-play, which at 12.9 percent is the second-worst in the league.
Maurice must also get better performances out of franchise player Eric Staal and starting goaltender Cam Ward.
They were the prime reasons the Hurricanes won the 2006 Stanley Cup, but Staal and Ward have struggled since.
After his 100-point performance in 2005-06, Staal managed 70 and 82 points, respectively the past two years. This season he's on pace for a 50-point performance, which would be his lowest output since his 31-point rookie season in 2003-04.
For a player of Staal's caliber, touted as one of the NHL's young superstars, this simply won't do.
Ward has had two 30-win seasons since the 2006 playoffs but his statistics have not ranked among the league's top netminders.
Inconsistency has been to blame for that. In some games he's played like the playoff MVP he was in 2006, and in others he's looked decidedly ordinary, giving up soft goals and battling the puck.
Injuries to several key players over the past three seasons have taken its toll on the Hurricanes roster. Like Laviolette before him, there'll be little Maurice can do about that if they continue to pile up this season.
It's clear however that Rutherford isn't going to allow this team to use that as an excuse. Maurice will have to hope his roster can get healthier over the remainder of the season and try to squeeze more effort out of those who remain.
Three things could work in Maurice's favor. One, he's no stranger to this organization and while many of the players have changed since he was last behind the Hurricanes bench he does have familiarity with the front office, the Carolina fans and key players like Staal, Justin Williams and team captain Rod Brind'amour.
Second, the Hurricanes despite their struggles, are still in the thick of the Eastern Conference playoff race. With three quarters of a season remaining there's plenty of time to turn things around.
Finally, Maurice can expect to get injured players like Williams, Scott Walker and Tim Gleason back in the near future, which should provide a considerable boost to their roster depth.
The Hurricanes inconsistency since winning the Stanley Cup in 2006 led to Laviolette's downfall and it'll be interesting to see how the roster responds to the return of Maurice.
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