Canes 2021 Season Awards and Final Thoughts

The Canes celebrated one of its most successful regular seasons in franchise history. It was a season full of fun and historic moments for a franchise in the midst of a resurgence. It was definitely a season unlike any other with the schedule shortened to 56 games, the divisions re-aligned to make travel easier, no out of division games, meaning you'd see your division foes eight times each, and no fans in the stands to start the season, all thanks to a pandemic we're all getting more than tired of. The Canes overcame adversity early, with the team shutting down operations for ten days early in the season after the team faced an internal COVID outbreak. It didn't slow the team down though as they raced out of the gate in a division boasting the two finalists in last season's Stanley Cup Final. There were also tough injuries to overcome, the biggest of which would be Petr Mrazek in the midst of a historic start for the franchise. After posting shutouts in two of his first three starts, Mrazek would get hurt and miss most of the season, opening the door for rookie Alex Nedeljkovic. He would earn Rookie of the Month honors in March (6-1-1, .934 SV%) and separate himself as the team's best goalie. March was a big month for the franchise for another reason as well. On March 4, the Canes welcomed 2,924 fans for the first time this season, a 5-2 win against the Red Wings. 

The month of April would be especially kind to the team. They went an amazing 10-2-4 in the month. Petr Mrazek would return and post a shutout win over Dallas on April 4. Jordan Staal celebrated his 1000th game in the NHL in an amazing pre-game ceremony on April 12. Sebastian Aho would be named the Central Division Player of the Month, putting up 18 points (6-12-18) in 16 games. The team would clinch a playoff spot on April 26 and clinch the division a few days later in May to win a division title for the first time since 2005-06. The final tally was 80 points in 56 games. 

The postseason run was not exactly what the Canes would hope for. The Canes met with Nashville to open the playoffs and would get the better of the Predators in a true back-and-forth series. The Canes won the first two at home, Nashville won the next two in 2 OT at home, then the Canes closed out the series with back-to-back OT wins to set up a date with the Tampa Bay Lightning in the second round. The story of the Tampa series was the goaltending of Andrei Vasilevskiy and the disappearance of the Canes' offense. The Lightning finished the Canes in five games, though the series was closer than the final numbers would indicate. It was a bitter end to a truly remarkable season.

Awards

Hart (Team MVP)- Sebastian Aho over Dougie Hamilton and Jordan Staal

There is no doubt who the straw that stirs this team's drink is and that is Sebastian Aho. As he goes, so does this team. Aho was a point per game player (57 points in 56 games) and led the team in all three major scoring categories (24-33-57). He recorded the team's only hat trick this season (5/3 v. CHI) and was the Central Division Player of the Month for April (6-12-18 in 16 games). He was easily the team's best forward all season. I think he slightly edges Dougie Hamilton, who had a great season in his own right. This was his best season point production-wise (10-32-42 in 55 games) and his numbers have gone up each of the last three seasons. While he might not be the team's best defensive defenseman, he is the most lethal offensive option at the blueline. Jordan Staal might not be a top-3 scorer on the team, but there is no doubt how important his leadership is for this young team. He finished with 38 points in 53 games, had his highest goal total (16) since 2017-18, and surpassed 1000 NHL games this season. He is also the team's nominee for the Masteron Trophy. 

Norris (Best D-Man)- Dougie Hamilton over Jaccob Slavin and Brett Pesce

Hamilton is definitely more known for his offensive abilities than his defensive when compared to Slavin and Pesce, but there is no overlooking just how many points he put up. He held a 14-game point streak that spanned an entire month (2/27-3/27), scoring 16 points (2-14-16) in 14 games. He's a points machine on the Power Play on the first unit and always seems to be involved. Jaccob Slavin is easily the best defensive d-man on the roster. He always gets the tough assignments, along with Hamilton, and there are rarely lapses in judgment on his part. He missed a couple games due to COVID protocols and his numbers dipped a little, but he was only called for one penalty all season, a delay of game penalty against Florida on March 7. He's disciplined and always steps up. Brett Pesce's injury last year was a big deal for the team. This season, Pesce had his second-highest point total in his career (4-21-25 in 55 games) and would've likely broken it in a normal season. While he was typically on the second pairing with Brady Skjei, he was more of a 1C than a 2A. He also averaged the second-highest ice time on the team (22:48, second to Slavin's 22:59). 

Vezina (Best Goalie)- Alex Nedeljkovic over Petr Mrazek and James Reimer

Ned and Mrazek operated more as 1A/1B when Mrazek was healthy, but he wasn't healthy for most of the season. Petr was good in his limited action this season, but Ned was this season's revelation. He'd played six games in the NHL before this season with the Canes, but this season he finally got more time in the net. In 23 starts, Ned went 15-5-3 with a 1.90 GAA, a .932 SV%, and three shutouts. If not for Kirill Kaprizov in Minnesota or Jason Robertson in Dallas, Ned would definitely be in the Calder Trophy conversation as the league's top rookie and he's likely the future in net for the team. Mrazek had three shutouts in his first five starts, granted one of those starts was only 2:47 long since he was injured, and only lost two starts in regulation. He finished 6-2-3 with a 2.06 GAA and a .923 SV%. Had he not gotten hurt early in the season, it's likely we wouldn't have gotten as much Ned this season. Reimer's numbers may not be as nice as the other two, but each of his 15 wins is just as important to the team's success. He went 15-5-2 with a 2.66 GAA, and a .906 SV%. The running joke was that the team would need four goals to win any of his starts since he allowed three or more goals in 13 of his 21 starts, but the team went 9-3-1 in those starts. He was far and away the third-best goalie.

Calder (Best Rookie/Newcomer)- Alex Nedeljkovic over Steven Lorentz and Jani Hakanpaa

I've already spoken at great lengths to how good I think Ned was this season and should be in the top three rookies for the league. The other two names on this list might be surprises. I picked these two to finish second and third over the likes of Jesper Fast, Jake Bean, Cedric Paquette, and Max McCormick for how big their contributions were. Lorentz broke onto the scene after several players entered the COVID protocol at the beginning of the season and recorded his first point in his second game, an assist against Dallas on January 30. He finally scored in his 12th game after knocking on the door several times, beating Pekka Rinne in Nashville on March 2 and adding one more goal later in the season. He finished with 10 points (2-8-10) in 45 games playing mostly on the fourth line. Hakanpaa did not start the season in Carolina but in Anaheim on the Ducks' blueline. The Canes were quiet at the trade deadline but they made a trade with the Ducks sending Haydn Fleury over to the Ducks for Hakanpaa and a 6th-round pick. He only had one goal, his only point, in 42 games in Anaheim before coming to Carolina. In 15 games with the Canes, he only recorded three points (2-1-3), but those two goals were massive. In just his second game with the team, Hakanpaa scored the game-winning goal against Nashville on a shot from the blue line midway through the third period. Just nine days later, down a goal against Dallas with a chance to clinch a playoff spot, he scored a goal on a deflected shot off a Dallas defender to tie the game and force OT, ensuring the team would be vying for a chance at the Stanley Cup. They were two huge goals, plus he became an instant fan-favorite.

Best Moment- Welcome Back, Petr over Ned's First Shutout and McCormack Steps Up to the Plate

Petr's return was awesome and I'm not just saying that because it was the one game I went to in-person this season. My brother and I were hoping this would be the game he returned, though when I bought the tickets I didn't know that it was going to happen. On paper, the game doesn't appear to be all that exciting, especially for a 1-0 game. But when Petr hit the ice, the building went nuts. When the clock struck all zeros and the shutout against Dallas was final, the building went nuts. When Tripp Tracy interviewed Petr during the post-game, the building was chanting his name. It might stand out for me since I was there, but it was also a great story. Ned's first shutout is here too because of who it was against and who he was facing on the other side. Shutting out the defending champs and beating the likely Vezina winner for this season is no small feat normally, but for it to be your first of your NHL career makes it a little special. 24 saves isn't a huge workload, but that doesn't matter when none of them go in. Max McCormack might have had the best goal of the season for the team when he took an aerial feed and batted it out of mid-air. It was his first goal of the season and first with the team and it was a beautiful goal. It got the team on the board in the game that ultimately clinched a playoff spot and without that goal, we would've likely waited another night. 

Conn Smythe (Postseason MVP)- Sebastian Aho over Alex Nedeljkovic and Jordan Staal

When you're a point per game player the entire postseason, it's hard to overlook just how good you were. That's the case for Sebastian Aho. Aho led the team with 11 points (6-5-11) in 11 games, pacing the team in goals (6) and second to Andrei Svechnikov in assists (5). He also led the forward group in average ice time at just under 22 minutes per game (21:53). Ned finished the postseason below .500 (4-5-0) but his other numbers looked great. In nine starts, he finished with a .920 save percentage and a 2.17 GAA. He was huge in the first round against Nashville and never allowed more than two goals in a game against Tampa Bay. Though he didn't win in the Tampa series, he was far from the reason they lost. Jordan Staal was Captain Clutch for most of the postseason. He scored an OT winner in each series (Game 5 v. Nashville, Game 3 v. Tampa Bay), finished tied for second on the team in points (8), and second in goals (5

Final Thoughts

The Canes had their highest point percentage in Hartford/Carolina history at .714. This number doesn't mean a whole lot to many since it was a shortened regular season, but this is a huge accomplishment for a team as young as this one. It was also the first regular season division title for the team since winning the Southeast in 2005-06. This is also not a minor accomplishment. Obviously, the end goal of a successful regular season is a Stanley Cup, but that wasn't meant to be this season. We've been saying this for several seasons now, but the future of this team is radiant. The core of this team is locked in long-term. Svech is an RFA but says he wants to be in Carolina for the long haul. Ned is an RFA but after his season, there's no doubt in my mind he'll be the starter on Opening Night in October. We'll be spending the next little bit trophy watching to see how our Canes do in their races. Ned is a finalist for the Calder Trophy, though I think it'll likely go to Kirill Kaprizov. Jaccob Slavin is a finalist for and should win the Lady Byng Trophy. Rod Brind'Amour should be the winner of the Jack Adams Award.  This offseason is going to be a huge adventure. Between the expansion draft for Seattle, the NHL Draft a few days later, and then a lot of decisions to make regarding the free agents, mainly Dougie Hamilton. I'm going to do an in-depth look at how I think this offseason should go, or at least what I'd do in a perfect world.