Washington Capitals: July Metropolitan Division Power Rankings

7. Carolina Hurricanes

Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports

The Hurricanes are coming off a last place finish in the Metropolitan Division. The Washington Capitals southern foe finished with a 30-41-11 record that saw them get the number five overall pick in the 2015 NHL Draft. The Canes are still very much in a rebuild, but they have talent on their roster for sure. Their main issue is that their most talented players can’t seem to stay healthy. Eric Staal, Jordan Staal and Jeff Skinner can’t seem to stay healthy. Neither can aging and declining goaltender Cam Ward.

However, they have made two solid acquisitions this summer. They traded for Vancouver Canucks goaltender Eddie Lack, who should be at worst a cost-effective league average goalie for them. They also didn’t give up that much for him. They only gave up a 2015 third rounder and a 2016 late round pick for him. Considering what other teams paid for fairly similar goalies, I think that’s a pretty nice bargain for Canes.

The Canes also traded their backup goaltender for a legitimate, albeit expensive, defenseman in James Wisniewski. Quietly, he’s average slight under a point every two games in his career. Makes you wonder why the Columbus Blue Jackets traded him in the first place.

It should be a pretty long season for Hurricanes fans, but the rebuild is going as planned. They are slowly but surely stockpiling talent, especially on their blue line.

Next: #6: The City Of Brotherly Love