Carolina Hurricanes Season Preview

The Hurricanes currently have the longest playoff drought in the NHL at nine years but with lots of young talent and veteran arrivals they could end the streak. The Hurricanes have plenty of young forwards and a great up-and-coming defensive core so even if this is not their year they could have a bright future in front of them. Bringing in four Stanley Cup champions this off season will help the young players reach their full potential for a playoff push.

Arrivals/Departures

Arrivals: Justin Williams, Scott Darling, Marcus Kruger, Trevor Van Riemsdyk, Josh Jooris, Jeremy Smith
Departures: Eddie Lack, Jay McClement, Bryan Bickell, Ryan Murphy, Matt Tennyson, Ty Rattie, Jakub Nakladal, Michael Leighton, Connor Brickley



Forwards:

Jeff Skinner was the Hurricanes' best forward last season returning to his Calder-winning rookie season form after suffering from concussions. Jordan Staal will center the top line as a solid two-way player but he does not score at the pace first-line centers need too to help their teams win. To cap off a veteran first line, Mr. Game 7 Justin Williams returns to the place where he won his first cup to help show the young guys what it takes to win. Victor Rask will center a young second line with players all out of Scandinavia with Sebastian Aho and Elias Lindholm on the wings. Rask has quietly became one of the NHL most underrated players putting up back-to-back campaigns with 40-plus points. Aho was one of last season's best rookies netting 49 points. Lindholm has been a solid player since being drafted fifth overall in 2013 but will need to take the next step this upcoming season. Derek Ryan has been quite the story not playing a full NHL season until the age of 30 but he finally cracked the league and is a good third liner. Another future star, Teuvo Teravainen, will be on the third line but he has the talents of a top-six forward; if one of the other top-six forwards do not produce he will get a promotion. Journeyman Lee Stempniak, who can still score goals, will be the other third-line winger. Stanley Cup champion Marcus Kruger was brought in to play the same role he did in Chicago as a fourth-line center. The two fourth-line wingers will likely be Phil Di Giuseppe and Joakim Nordstrom who are both still young and should take a jump. Brock McGinn and Josh Jooris will likely be the two depth forwards on the roster. The Hurricanes' number one prospect Julien Gauthier, who excels at scoring in front of the net, could make the leap this season too.



Defenceman:

The Hurricanes defence may be the most underrated defensive core in the NHL as it is stacked with young talent that should make it a great defence for years to come. Justin Faulk is still the team's best player and at only 25 years old he should continue his solid two-way play for another decade. Jaccob Slavin is the other top-pair defenceman and he is probably the most underrated defenceman in the NHL as he received a Norris Trophy vote last season. Noah Hanifin is one of the future stud defenceman in the NHL, making his NHL debut at 18 years old; at only 20, he still has half a decade to grow into a star. Brett Pesce is the other good young defenceman on the roster as he just got a nice six-year deal. Two former Blackhawks in Trevor Van Riemsdyk and Klas Dahlbeck will probably make up the bottom pair. Van Riemsdyk was a solid shutdown defenceman in the Windy City the past couple of years while Klas Dahlbeck has struggled to make a full-time NHL career. Two good first-round draft choices could also both make their NHL debuts this October as Haydn Fleury and Jake Bean are both close to making the jump. There is only room for one of them so Fleury is more likely to get that spot as he is older and has more experience.



Goaltending:

Cam Ward and Eddie Lack struggled in net last year so the Hurricanes made a move to bring in Scott Darling to be the starter after a successful year as Corey Crawford's backup. Darling's numbers suggest he can be a solid starter but he will need to prove he can take the starter's workload before the Hurricanes can feel comfortable with him. Longtime Hurricane Cam Ward remains a good backup as he enters the twilight of his career.

Projected Lineup:

Jeff Skinner	Jordan Staal	Justin Williams
Sebastian Aho	Victor Rask	Elias Lindholm
Lee Stempniak	Derek Ryan	Teuvo Teravainen
Phil Di Giuseppe	Marcus Kruger	Joakim Nordstrom
Brock McGinn	Josh Jooris	Julien Gauthier

Jaccob Slavin	Justin Faulk
Noah Hanifin	Brett Pesce
Trevor Van Riemsdyk	Klas Dahlbeck
Haydn Fleury	Jake Bean

Scott Darling

Cam Ward

Jeremy Smith

Top 10 Players:

10. Brett Pesce

9. Noah Hanifin

8. Elias Lindholm

7. Victor Rask

6. Jaccob Slavin

5. Sebastian Aho



4. Justin Williams

3. Jordan Staal

2. Jeff Skinner

1. Justin Faulk

Projected Finish: 95 Points (5th in Metropolitan)
Last Year: 87 Points (7th in Metropolitan)

Photo credit for Justin Williams goes to http://www.foxsports.com/. Jeff Skinner and Justin Faulk goes to http://www.tsn.ca/. Sebastian Aho goes to https://www.nhl.com/.

Carolina Panthers Season Preview

The Panthers dominated the NFL in 2015 going 15-1 and making it to their second Super Bowl in franchise history before falling to Denver. With lots of excitement going into last season, the Panthers disappointed as they lost a number of close games and injuries took over. The Panthers added help where they needed it via the draft and free agency to make them contenders again. Rivera struggled last season but he has two coach-of-the-year awards to his name so watch for him to take control of the team again.

Arrivals/Departures

Arrivals: Mike Adams, Charles Johnson, Matt Kalil, Captain Munnerlyn, Julius Peppers, Russell Shepard, Amini Silatolu
Departures: Tre Boston, Kony Ealy, Ted Ginn, AJ Klein, Mike Tolbert, Paul Soliai



Offence:

Newton was the NFL's best player in 2015 but the tide turned last season as he struggled to complete passes and get wins. A concussion and injured shoulder could be the reason why but with last season behind him, he is still is among the game's best quarterbacks bringing his dual-threat ability to the offence. Stanford standout Christian McCaffrey was drafted eighth overall to take pressure off Newton and bring his dynamic style to one of the league's best ground games. Jonathan Stewart is one of the best backups as the veteran will help McCaffrey in his rookie season while Fozzy Whittaker and Camron Artis-Payne line up behind them. Curtis Samuel was drafted from the Buckeyes in the second round as a dynamic receiver or versatile running back to change the offence with McCaffrey.



Underachieving Kelvin Benjamin and Devin Funchess will be the lead receivers again with free agent additions Charles Johnson and Russell Shepard alongside Curtis Samuel behind them. Greg Olsen was the first tight end ever with three straight 1,000-yard seasons as Gronk may be the only better at his position. Olsen keeps getting better with age and will once again be the top target in the passing game with Ed Dickson backing him up. Ryan Kalil will once again be the anchor of the line with future elite guard Trai Turner teaming up alongside him. Andrew Norwell is a solid guard while Ryan's brother Matt Kalil was brought in to protect Newton's blindside. The last spot on the offensive line could either go to Michael Oher if he clears concussion protocol, Darryl Williams or rookie Taylor Moton. The offensive line is a huge question going into the season but if it can perform well enough this offence could regain its number one rank from two seasons ago.

Defence:

The Panthers have one of the best front sevens in the NFL with stud defensive tackle Kawann Short anchoring the line playing on the franchise tag this season. Playing in the interior of the line alongside Short is Star Lotulelei who will sniff out any run but struggles to put pressure on the quarterback. Longtime Panther Charles Johnson will retain his starting position with Mario Addison lining up opposite him coming off his breakout campaign. Dave Gettleman brought future hall-of-famer Julius Peppers back to the place where his career started for another go at the Super Bowl. Peppers will be a valuable third-down rusher with Wes Horton, Daeshon Hall and Vernon Butler also serving as good depth players.



Luke Kuechly and Thomas Davis make up the best line-backing tandem in the NFL and with Luke Kuechly healthy again they will control the defence. Kuechly is the game's best linebacker as he can do everything. After his injury, the Panthers defence played terrible showing how valuable he truly is. Thomas Davis is the only player ever to come back from three ACL tears and he not only returned, he came back as one of the best at his position. Shaq Thompson will play alongside them as he has steadily improved over his first two seasons in the league. After the departure of all-pro cornerback Josh Norman, the secondary struggled giving up big plays every game. Rookie James Bradberry led all rookie cornerbacks in Pro Football Focus' rankings last year as he will look to improve on his successful first year. Former Panther Captain Munnerlyn returns to Carolina to play alongside him with sophomore Daryl Worley contributing behind them. Ball-hawking Kurt Coleman will patrol the secondary again this year as he continues to pick every ball that comes his way. Fourteen-year veteran safety Mike Adams was brought in to play with Coleman this year.

Special Teams:

Graham Gano missed the game-winning field goal in week one setting the standards for his terrible season. Since he struggled, the Panthers drafted Harrison Butker to give him competition during training camp. Andy Lee will once again be the punter even after a season-ending injury midway through the season. With dynamic punt returner Ted Ginn gone, the Panthers will give rookies Christian McCafrey and Curtis Samuel a chance to play on special teams next year.

Starters:

Offence	Defence
Kelvin Benjamin	Charles Johnson
Devin Funchess	Star Lotulelei
Curtis Samuel	Kawann Short
Matt Kalil	Mario Addison
Andrew Norwell	Shaq Thompson
Ryan Kalil	Luke Kuechly
Trai Turner	Thomas Davis
Daryl Williams	James Bradberry
Greg Olsen	Kurt Coleman
Cam Newton	Mike Adams
Christian McCafrey	Captain Munnerlyn

2017 Draft:

8. Christian McCafrey
40. Curtis Samuel
64. Taylor Moton
77. Daeshon Hall
152. Corn Elder
192. Alex Armah
233. Harrison Butker

Top 10 Players:

10. Christian McCaffrey

9. Star Lotulelei

8. Kurt Coleman

7. Trai Turner

6. Ryan Kalil

5. Kawann Short

4. Thomas Davis

3. Greg Olsen



2. Cam Newton

1. Luke Kuechly

Season Prediction: 11-5 (2nd in NFC South)
Last Year: 6-10

Photo credit for Julius Peppers goes to http://www.cbssports.com/. Cam Newton and Luke Kuechly/Thomas Davis goes to https://www.usatoday.com/. Greg Olsen goes to http://www.panthers.com/.