Did the Carolina Hurricanes do enough to address the goaltender situation?
Goaltending is the biggest concern entering the 2019 season for the Hurricanes. Did they do enough to address the position this offseason?
After a wildly successful 2018-19 season, the Hurricanes enter this year trying to build off that momentum and propel themselves just a little bit further to get into Cup contention. After an offseason that saw pretty significant turnover, the biggest question still remaining is whether the Hurricanes can get above-average play from their goaltenders.
The Hurricanes retained Petr Mrazek on a two-year deal that will pay him an average of $3.125 million per year and released last year’s back-up Curtis McElhinney. Mrazek will be leaned on as a no. 1 goaltender for Carolina, something that has been difficult for him to consistently maintain.
The Hurricanes also brought in James Reimer and Anton Forsberg via trade and still have Alex Nedeljkovic in Charlotte.
With all the moves that Carolina made this offseason, did the front office do enough to address the position? Our team takes a look at the question and gives our thoughts.
Did the Hurricanes front office do enough this offseason to address the goaltending situation?
Christian Candeloro: For me, this question completely boils down to whether you trust Mrazek to maintain his insane play from last season. Mrazek had a 2.39 GAA and .914 save percentage last season, which was his best season since 2015-16. There’s been a whole lot of mediocre in the middle. I worry that mediocre Mrazek might rear his head again and if that happens it could tank the Hurricanes’ season.
I was a strong proponent for the Hurricanes to sign Semyon Varlamov or Robin Lehner in the offseason and instead, they traded for Reimer, who will only have to be a serviceable back-up for that trade to be considered a success. I hate that Reimer only signed with Chicago on a one-year, $5 million contract but I’m also super appreciative to be out from the Scott Darling contract.
So in conclusion, no I don’t think they did enough, but that’s only because I don’t trust Mrazek. I wholly support the other moves the team made.
Ryan Henkel: The Hurricanes did more than enough when it comes to goaltending as far as the front office is concerned. Mrazek deserved a contract with how good of a season he had
and with how familiar the defensive core is already with him. It is honestly up to him
whether or not he can repeat the season he had last year.
The biggest question is will Reimer be able to carry a split load. Nedeljkovic is already back in Charlotte and Forsberg cleared waivers so the Hurricanes have two solid options that both
had great camps and pre-seasons if Reimer should falter; however, I feel he will be more
than fine.
The success McElhinney saw behind the Hurricanes blueline was the best of his career and while part can be attested to his calming demeanor and game, a large part of that is made up of how the team in front of him performed. I think the Hurricanes did a good job addressing the goalie situation and have many options available, and now it is whether or not the goalies they have can perform well.
Tyler Young: I honestly don’t believe they have. The success of last year was finding the right chemistry for a successful goalie tandem. Only signing one of them feels like a downgrade, even if it was the obvious choice.
It is also obvious that it was the only way to afford the other moves that now make this team dangerous. Having a below-average fan favorite and a budget-friendly backup is the price you pay for a ridiculous blue line and a vastly improved group of forwards. The goalie situation won’t be what wins games this year, but if Mrazek can find the rhythm he found during the playoff push and postseason, then it could be the icing on the cake for another playoff run.