Jake Guentzel and Evgeny KuznetsovJaylynn Nash/Getty Images
There’s a phrase that had become so regurgitated and tiresome in the land of the Carolina Hurricanes, that at some point leading up to this season’s trade deadline, even the memes were getting old.
If you Google “Carolina Hurricanes” and “We like our group,” you’ll find a dozen examples of general manager Don Waddell, owner Tom Dundon and head coach Rod Brind’Amour repeating the phrase since the regime took over in 2018.
Then you’ll find the backlash—folks frustrated with the juxtaposition of the team making the playoffs every season since 2018 but always stopping short of a win in the Eastern Conference Final. You’ll find entire blog posts lamenting this frustration and a CapFriendly Armchair GM team created a month before the trade deadline named “EVIL DON WADDELL BE LIKE WE DONT LIKE OUR GROUP.”
Don WaddellJaylynn Nash/Getty Images
You will find hats and merch, and then you’ll finally find good-humored Waddell using the phrase a bit after the trade deadline.
“Like the last three years, I’ll start off by saying I really like our group,” he said. “But I like it even better today.”
The Canes had just deviated from their usual deadline tendencies, acquiring a rental and the biggest name of the deadline in Jake Guentzel. They’d also picked up familiar Metro Division foe Evgeny Kuznetsov.
It’s not like they were desperate headed into the deadline. It’s just that fans and the players themselves had seen the team finish the regular season with flying colors, hard work and stellar underlying metrics year after year, only to find scoring dried up at some point during the playoffs. Everyone “liked” the group, but resentment was building for those who wanted to “love” the group.
Since the Canes acquired Guentzel, who has 58 points in 58 playoff games, he’s immediately put up almost comically good numbers. He’s got six goals and 22 points in 15 games alongside Sebastian Aho and Seth Jarvis.
According to NaturalStatTrick, the Canes are outscoring opponents 27-5 (an 84.38 percent clip) when he’s on the ice, and 13-3 at five-on-five. The team’s beloved Corsi is 60 percent when he’s on the ice at five-on-five. Ten of his 16 assists are primary, and most of those are going to the building legend who is Seth Jarvis.
“The team (has been) such a good team, obviously really well-coached,” Guentzel told Bleacher Report after Carolina’s 4-1 win over the Bruins at TD Garden. “For me, it’s playing with special players, and our line has been playing really well. It’s been fun for me.”
Bally Sports: Canes @CanesOnBally
“Can’t take the foot off the gas, and we’ve got to make sure we’re ready to go.”
Jake Guentzel on the ramp up to the playoffs.@Canes | #CauseChaos pic.twitter.com/oNTWNNgsRp
Wait. Did Guentzel just give us the “We like our group” response?
It dawned on me as the Canes picked up their 50th win of the season Tuesday—their third consecutive 50-win campaign—that the only way Carolina wins it all is by staying true to the likable group, this time with a couple of upgrades. When you have an established core group and add difference-makers like Guentzel and Kuznetsov, it’s a recipe for a deep postseason run.
The Hurricanes are 50-22-7 in 2023-24, with the fourth-highest points percentage (.677) and the second-most wins of any NHL team. They remained steady all season while others were riding unsustainable hot streaks. While most of the Metropolitan Division has been inconsistent at best, the Canes have only gained more and more steam heading into the playoffs.
Part of this is staying true to what has always found them success: defensive dominance at all ends of the ice. They own the No. 1 penalty kill in the league with an 86.4 percent kill rate. They’ve got the third-most goals from defensemen in the league. They allow the fewest shots per game at 25.7. This is the Carolina Hurricanes at their best, and it always will be.
Exhibit A of how they get it done was Tuesday night’s win in Boston. They held the high-powered Bruins to just 23 shots on goal. Oh, by the way, Andrei Svechnikov is fully healthy and adds another dynamic element to the Canes offensively.
B/R Open Ice @BR_OpenIce
Svech scored a Michigan goal and then pointed at the net when the goal horn didn’t go off 🤣 pic.twitter.com/ieMDgU3prX
What’s been less talked about is the return of Frederik Andersen, who has gone 8-1-0 with a .954 save percentage since returning from a four-month absence due to deep-vein thrombosis.
Word around the team is Andersen has lifted the spirits of the entire organization with his return, and that his own spirits and emotional investment seem higher than ever. Andersen recently became the winningest goalie in 500 games in NHL history upon his return.
And part of this, of course, was the trade deadline. It wasn’t just about the immediate on-ice impact Guentzel and Kuznetsov were having. It’s just as much about the vote of confidence the front office put in the group it likes so much—a signal that this is the year. It’s shades of the Canes’ 2005-06 Stanley Cup team that went out and acquired Mark Recchi and Doug Weight.
“You know that I’ve said for years what a great group this is,” Brind’Amour told me after Tuesday’s game. “But we just keep seeming to find new guys, that just—they fit. We’re pushing for something special here, and we’ll see where it goes.”
Sara Civ @SaraCivian
Can i please get a we like our group going in the group chat pic.twitter.com/n3zQm6uEtc
Perhaps this year the Hurricanes will prove that to love the group, you have to stay true to why you once liked it.
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