A woeful post-Olympic slump has cursed the Carolina Hurricanes to their fifth consecutive spring without an appearance in the NHL playoffs.
For a franchise facing the triple obstacle of a small market, frustrated fanbase and lack of on-ice success, the disheartening fate of this once-promising 2013-14 season only increases a growing unrest brewing beneath the streets of Raleigh.
Since the miracle run of 2009, the 'Canes are among only five other teams without a single postseason berth—and two of those clubs, Columbus and Dallas, may well end their droughts in the next five weeks. They've won just 156 of 362 games over that time span, but they have also never dropped into a top-four draft pick as compensation for such poor play.
Hence, Carolina remains a team defined by some strong key players with little depth and nonexistent consistency.
The additions of now-cornerstones like Alexander Semin, Jordan Staal, Andrej Sekera and Anton Khudobin over the past two years have helped the team avoid the basement, but—despite a few promising months and generally strong adva ...
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Article written by Mark Jones