When the Carolina Hurricanes' marketing team decided to change their social media hashtag this off-season they didn't know they would be creating the perfect description for the start of Carolina's season.
Depending on when you want to start the clock the Hurricanes have been dealing with chaos since the end of last season. Elliott Freidman was the first to report that Carolina's then-American Hockey League affiliate planned on going independent this season. A plan it appears the Hurricanes did not have full knowledge of before the Chicago Wolves sent an email to agents letting them know they would become the first independent AHL team since Bill Clinton lived in the White House.
In the off-season, the Hurricanes' front office was involved in two of the most chaotic moments of the notoriously slow summer months. In June Carolina agreed on terms to re-acquire defenseman Tony DeAngelo. Eleven months prior the Canes traded the rights to DeAngelo to the Philadelphia Flyers in exchange for a handful of draft picks over the next couple of years. It wasn't until the two organizations called the league office to inform them of the new deal that they learned it wouldn't be approved. - At least not yet.
Because of the short timetable between the two transactions the NHL was worried that this could be a case of the teams working together in an attempt to circumvent the league's salary cap. - This was a random theory for the league to latch on to when you look at the facts... but whatever. - For almost a month the rumor mill pumped out stories about potential deals that could come out of the failure of that original deal. Carolina eventually signed DeAngelo to a one-year deal after the Flyers chose to buy out his contract rather than wait for the Canes to come back to the table.
July saw the Vladimir Tarasenko non-signing. After a media member reported that Tarasenko had agreed to terms with Carolina fans got excited about the addition to their top six forward group. When local radio host Adam Gold reported that there wasn't a deal in place a debate erupted online about who to believe. Once the dust settled Tarasenko had replaced his agent and signed with the Ottawa Senators. Creating a host of haters in Raleigh.
Approaching the season Carolina's coaching staff was knee-deep in the chaos created by the team's log jams at goaltending, defensemen, and centermen. If you had to choose the chaos your organization has to work through to start the season this would have been it. Hurricanes head coach Rod Brind'Amour and his staff had to choose from the embarrassment of riches of NHL veterans and elite prospects to fill out their lineup card.
Six games into the regular season and chaos is basically the only way to describe Carolina's performance. In a change of pace for the Hurricanes their normally defensive-minded play has vanished. Replaced by a scoring touch Canes fans have been dreaming of for years. At the time of writing this story, the Hurricanes rank second in the league in goals scored (28). Only the Detroit Red Wings (30) have lit the lamp more during the infant stages of this season. Again, something Hurricanes fans normally would be over the moon about.
Here's the problem, Carolina's defensive game didn't just recede. Lowering itself to allow more scoring opportunities. It seems to have vanished altogether. Through six games Carolina holds a 3-3-0 record. Still considered a contender for the Stanley Cup, Carolina has allowed more goals against (30) than any other team in the NHL. Their once juggernaut defensive status has been downgraded with each sloppy shift filled with drifting defenders and poorly chosen uses of defensive pressure.
A final pinch of chaos can be attributed to the injury bug that's renting a room inside PNC Arena. Winger Andrei Svechnikov was expected to make his return in the preseason after spending the final months of last season and the playoffs in the press box thanks to a tear in his ACL. Svechnikov appeared in practice for the first time without a yellow no-contact jersey this morning. To celebrate the news he deflected a puck with his face and left practice early. - Talk about chaos. - He'll need stitches but the shot isn't expected to impact his timeline to return.
Joining the injured list was Hurricanes goalie Frederik Andersen who has been taken out of the lineup as a precaution after he took a shot to his face mask and showed clear signs of distress. Sebastion Aho and Brett Pesce have both missed games with undisclosed injuries and are expected to return soon. While fans shouldn't be overly concerned about their absences. - Brind'Amour is known to air on the side of caution with his players. - It can be overwhelming to deal with the large amount of strange, atypical, and unexpected storylines that have followed Carolina early in their season.
I ask, and the organization's marketing team isn't second-guessing the switch. Carolina's old 'Take Warning' tagline was outdated when the team became perennial cup contenders. 'Cause Chaos' more closely resembles the team's current mindset going into games.
At least for now, Carolina Hurricanes fans are sticking with their team. They know it's still terrifically early in the season and drawing conclusions this early is the easiest way to get covered in egg come April.
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