2013-14 record: 36-35-11 (83 points)
Missed the playoffs
Captain: Eric Staal
The Carolina Hurricanes have taken the title of "Most Delusional Team" from the Calgary Flames, as every year, they believe they can make the playoffs and yet, they fall short. And yes, they spend a pretty penny on players that underachieve. Little was done to the team itself, but they will be operating under a new General Manager in Ron Francis and a new head coach in Bill Peters. Exactly how the new unit will fare with largely the same cast of players remains to be seen. The problems begin up front, with Eric and Jordan Staal playing below expectations, and while Jeff Skinner has proven to be a 30-goal scorer when healthy, he accounted for a third of the scoring amongst the group of the Staals and Alex Semin. That is unacceptable, and it would certainly help if Semin can be 100 percent on the health front again, as he missed a few games and was never right when he played. Secondary scoring is also an issue, as there wasn't a player that truly stepped up when the big four weren't scoring. Defensively, this is a passable bunch, with Justin Faulk and Andrej Sekera proving to be a top duo. Goaltending is where things get interesting, as Anton Khudobin proved that he can be a starter, supplanting Cam Ward and his $6.3 million contract. Both suffered injuries during the season, and while Khudobin did well to overcome his injury, he also has never been the full time starter for a whole season. Ward, meanwhile, has regressed to the point of being shopped around, to no success.
Prediction: 8th in the Metropolitan Division
This is the first year that the expectations for the Hurricanes are likely to match the end result, as the Hurricanes were in disarray last year, and are likely going to take a while to recover. If the Staals and Semin, as well as some secondary scorers, flick on the switch, then they could surprise. Given their history, however, don't count on it.
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