Welcome to the second installment of 32 articles where we will take an in-depth look into Richard Cordell’s Carolina Hurricanes.

Forwards

• Key Players:
• Andrew Mangiapane: A solid top-six forward with scoring potential. He’s one of your best offensive assets.
• Nino Niederreiter: Brings physical play and secondary scoring, but he’s more suited for middle-six.
• Max Domi: Versatile and brings some playmaking ability, but he’s not an elite scorer.
• Adam Klapka and Alexander Texier: Provide depth, but not high-end offensive threats.
• Depth: Players like Chris Tierney, Rasmus Asplund, and Andrew Cogliano offer experience and defensive responsibility but little offensive upside.
• Prospects: No standout forward prospects that suggest future top-line talent.

Grade: C- (Decent depth and some scoring potential, but lacking star power.)

Defense

• Key Players:
• Mikhail Sergachev: Your best defenseman. He’s a strong two-way player and can be a cornerstone for your defense.
• Ivan Provorov: A reliable, physical defender with top-four upside.
• Matt Grzelcyk: Offers puck-moving skills and is valuable for a middle-pairing role.
• Depth: Justin Holl, Declan Chisholm, and Louis Crevier are more defensive-minded but won’t drive offense.
• Prospects: You have some potential in young defensemen like Alex Cotton and Ryan McCleary, but no clear future star defenders.

Grade: B (Sergachev is a standout, but you need more depth and offensive contributors.)

Goalies

• Top Goalie: Elvis Merzlikins is a capable starter but inconsistent. If he plays at his best, he can steal games.
• Backup: Kaapo Kahkonen is serviceable but not an elite backup. Depth is thin beyond him.
• Prospects: Matthew Murray is listed, but he’s not a high-upside prospect. There’s no clear future #1 goalie.

Grade: C+ (Solid but inconsistent starter and weak depth.)

Prospects and Draft Picks

• Draft Capital: You have a healthy amount of draft picks, which is a huge asset for rebuilding or improving. A big red flag when you traded San Jose 2027 first which easily is a lotto pick.
• Prospects: Your prospects are mostly depth players with little high-end talent. Felix Nilsson and Alexander Nikishin offer some potential but aren’t game-changers.

Grade: C (Strong draft pick collection, but the prospect pool needs more top-end talent.)

Trading Habits

Richard is not regularly active when it comes to trading or even contributing to the chat. He will make an appearance here and there. When he does, it may be a headscratcher. He acquired Provorov, who will be on UFA years as of next season in exchange for 2027 SJ 1. Which could be the pick that lands Landon DuPont. He did come out in late November to trade Marchessault which landed him a 2^nd and Klapka. There is a lot of work that needs to be done and who knows if Richard’s sub-par effort will be enough to bring Carolina back to its promise land.

Overall Team Grade: C

If Richard is trying to build from the back end up, he is doing an okay job. Once he finds a goaltender, he is 25% of the way there. Your team has solid defense led by Sergachev and Provorov, decent forward depth, and a serviceable goalie in Merzlikins. However, you lack star power across all positions and need to build for the future through smart drafting or trades. You could also try building through free agency, but we all know how that turns out.