Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images
The Carolina Hurricanes and New York Rangers have crossed paths in the second round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs as top contenders in the Metropolitan Division two of the last three seasons, with the Broadway Blueshirts emerging victorious both times on their way to the Eastern Conference Final.
This season, Canes GM Eric Tulsky made the biggest splash of the season, swapping out forwards Martin Necas and Jack Drury for star winger Mikko Rantanen and former Hart Trophy winner Taylor Hall. Carolina is trailing Washington by nine points and likely will be battling New Jersey for home-ice advantage in the first round.
Related: Official: Hurricanes Trade For Mikko Rantanen, Taylor Hall From Avalanche, Blackhawks
The Rangers have been a disaster zone this season and GM Chris Drury has been attempting to remake his team on the fly, moving out former team captain Jacob Trouba, former second-overall pick Kaapo Kakko, young blueline prospect Victor Mancini and forward Filip Chytil, and bringing in center J.T. Miller and defenseman Will Borgen. New York is currently three points out of the final wild-card spot, but it does not appear that Drury is ready to give up on making the postseason with less than 30 games remaining in the regular season.
Here are the main areas and secondary areas of need that each club is likely to address before the March 7 trade deadline:
Carolina Hurricanes
Main Need: Starting goaltender
The health of their goaltending, specifically with Frederik Andersen, has undercut the Hurricanes the last few seasons, especially when the playoffs roll around. The 35-year-old played just 16 games last season but was the go-to guy in the playoffs over understudy Pyotr Kochetkov. This season Kochetkov has made the bulk of the starts with Andersen recovering from knee surgery, but the veteran has been splitting duty with the young Russian.
It is not a stretch to say that head coach Rod Brind’Amour does not have enough confidence in Kochetkov when the time comes and his continuous habit of falling back on the likes of Antti Raanta or Andersen in April has been a contributing factor in their playoff struggles. While Tulsky has made it clear that he is going to ride with his current tandem, that could be the recipe for another early exit. Depending on the strength of the goalie market, the Canes should be on the lookout for an upgrade between the pipes.
Secondary Need: Defensive depth
The additions of Shayne Gostisbehere and Sean Walker to replace the departed Brady Skjei and Brett Pesce have not been adequate and one of the areas of Carolina’s strength has now become an area of concern. Both Dmitri Orlov and the aging Brent Burns are pending unrestricted free agents and it could be a necessity for Tulsky to add another blueliner to provide some depth and insurance in case of injury.
New York Rangers
Main Need: Top-four defenseman
It has to be prefaced that if the Rangers fall any further behind, Drury’s shopping list will likely be filled over the summer. Trouba’s exodus was inevitable based on the decline in his play, but New York has a sizable hole on the left side of their blueline. The right side is solid with Adam Fox, Braden Schneider and Borgen, but K’Andre Miller has struggled and Ryan Lindgren could be the next big name to be moved out. If the Rangers stay in the race, they will need to find someone to replace Lindgren to play with Fox or Schneider, since Zac Jones or Urho Vaakanainen have not been the answer to this point.
Related: NHL Rumor Roundup: Latest Trade Buzz On The Calgary Flames And New York Rangers
Secondary Need: Third-line center
This move again could be pushed to the summer if the Rangers fall further behind, but the defensive struggles of Mika Zibanejad have forced head coach Peter Laviolette to move the former top-line center to the right wing. The acquisition of J.T. Miller along with Vincent Trocheck provides New York with a solid one-two punch up the middle, but there is now a gaping hole on the third line created by the departure of Chytil that cannot be addressed internally.
Get the latest news and trending stories by following The Hockey News on Google News and by subscribing to The Hockey News newsletter here. And share your thoughts by commenting below the article on THN.com or by visiting our forum.