The Canes say their goal in the final 32 games of the season is to reach the playoffs by winning the Southeast Division. They believe that's likely their best path.
Question: is that a realistic goal or just wishful thinking?
The Florida Panthers, who lead the division with 54 points, are 11 points ahead of the Canes, with three games in hand. The Washington Capitals are eighth in the East with 53. Can the Canes do it?
The floor is open.
A Raleigh native, Chip has worked at the N&O since 1979 and is the Canes beat writer. He can be reached at 
Comments
Playoffs & Beyond
Tue, 01/24/2012 - 18:03 — bobriedI don't think the Canes will make the playoffs either, but I am cautiously optimistic about the future. One asset I think they would be well advised to keep is Ruutu. Instead of trading him, or waiting to resign him in the off season, I would look to get a 2-3 year deal done now. I think that would send a strong message to the fans that this team is committed to building on what it already has.
A few strong off season UFA moves and I think we would be well positioned to advance to playoff contenders next season.
Neither the...
Tue, 01/24/2012 - 00:37 — AllenH...players nor the coach nor the GM is going to do anything to tank the season just to get a better shot in the draft.
Jimmy probably made the best deals he could within the budget allotted him. I wasn't unpleased with Poni, Stewart, Brent and we were all tickled at signing Tomas Kaberle, who was the only bust of the bunch and JR took Gautier to the woodshed in getting rid of him, when he was worse than Frankie 'Dammit" Kaberle, in correcting that mistake. His really bad goof-up was in not bringing in Muller or Dineen or ... last summer. My understanding was that he tried to move Mo to another position but then letting Mo talk his way into giving him another chance.
Think what this team would have looked like with one of those other guys leading from training camp on...
One fans opinion
Mon, 01/23/2012 - 15:59 — Hockeydad92Here's to hope that the Canes don't come close to making the playoffs. We need to play 500 or worse the rest of the way. This will accomplish three things in my opinion.
1). It will illustrate that the JR method of team building via waiver wire prayers and bargain bin accusations are a thing of the past. Projects, unskilled fan favorites, and recycled alumni are not getting the job done. JR is a smart crafty GM that is better than this.
2). Continue to make Karmanos understand that this is a business that can't survive without the financial wherewithal to compete. The balance sheet will look dismal this summer with no playoffs and no ASG. While local ownership and past performance will assure the team stays put, the loss of cash again may better cement the understanding that this team has to be a playoff contender to stay financially viable.
3). Talent upgrade via lottery draft spot and free agency. That talent is more important in this business than old friends and family ties. Out with Paul and out with the scouting department spending 75% of their time watching only Plymouth Whaler games. We need a roster sprinkled with elite talent i.e. what Skinner brings to the table with Ward and Staal and a high draft slot helps with this. We have some real keystones in the pipeline right now but we need to augment that with a few proven veteran pickups (read open the checkbook) and more studied draft picks.
While a fully stacked roster does not always guarantee success (Tampa Bay) it makes it a heck of lot easier to compete year in and year out. Season tickets take care of themselves, put a winning product on the ice and folks in Carolina and the revenue stream will come.
No playoffs this year
Mon, 01/23/2012 - 12:35 — DavidMeyerHowever, I would expect nothing other than for the players and coaches to be still aiming for that, at least publically. The Canes should never stop trying to win a hockey game; they should never quit, never give up, never try to suck to get a higher draft spot. Play it out all the way to the end like a professional, and let the chips fall where they may.
JR, however, must contemplate player personnel moves with the thought of improving for the future, not of trying to make the playoffs this year. (BTW, JR, only trade Tuomo if you get an outrageous offer for him. He is the kind of player we need going forward.)
Playoffs.
Mon, 01/23/2012 - 11:53 — louis12580Cue the Jim Mora voice, "playoffs?" Highly unlikely due to a number of reasons. First, and most important is number of games played by the 'Canes as opposed to those ahead in the standings. With most of the teams that are within reach, we've played 3 and 4 more games. Those teams would all have to lose (and lose in regulation) all those games in hand and we'd have to win allo of our games to even catch up. Is this team, as presently constituted, capable of that? Jury's still out on that one. If this team had a better overtime/shootout (O-for in that department) record it would be easier to believe. The last several of those (Pittsburgh and twice to the Islanders) have been particularly painful ones. This team beats the better teams, but struggles against the teams that are good, but not great. Tampa Bay, Islanders, New Jersey, and the like all give this team trouble.Beat them and there's a chance. Maybe management is working on a big trade now or assessing what trade/signings they'll make in the off season.
IN THE LONG RUN:
Mon, 01/23/2012 - 11:49 — smhockeyIn the long run - a high draft pick will do more to move the team toward being a consistent contender. Sneaking into the playoffs is not just unlikely -- it runs against the "rebuilding" process. A process we all wanted to read as a 1-2 year program. Think 4-5 years. JR just can't say that.
The Charlotte gruop simply aren't the answer and the long list of players cited elsewhere are not a clear solution to obvious deficiencies. Draft & trades are key. (Think Chicago and Pittsburgh). Maybe 1 or 2 of the Checkers will crack and improve the top 9 -- sometime. Murphy/Demoulin will need time to develop. Faulk is the exception for a young D-man. (McBain is showing signs of having been over rated or moved up too soon -- as an example).
JR needs a good draft/trade year and we need patience. Maybe PK knows when to spend money -- and when not. It will fun to watch the moves made the rest of 2012.
I never give up hoping they will make the playoffs
Mon, 01/23/2012 - 10:13 — gmwannabeeHow you come out of the gate in hockey sets the tone for the season alot of times. How they are playing now sure is a good thing for the long term. I wish they would at least go on a 10 game unbeaten streak, if for no other reason so the players know they can do it. Amazing how teams they used to beat most of the time give them fits now. Any team can win any night. They need a few more scorers to win the close ones.
Nothing Ventured
Mon, 01/23/2012 - 08:03 — gso_canes_fanNothing Gained. Toronto would not have a direct impact on the SE
.05% chance of Playoffs
Mon, 01/23/2012 - 07:58 — abramsdougAccording to www. sportsclubstats.com/NHL/Eastern/Southeast/Carolina.html the Hurricanes presently are 99.5% likely to miss the playoffs in 2011-2012. In sports anything is possible, which is why the games are played; but in terms of likelihood, it's likely the Checkers will keep alive Carolina playoff hockey.
It's good that the Hurricanes coaches and players are keeping hope alive. Sports miracles do happen. For me, it's sufficient to see Muller, MacLean and the other coaches instilling an uptempo approach and rewarding good play with more ice time. It's good to see the young players honing their craft. I'm happy to be watching NHL hockey at the RBC, and to hear the RBC crowd again energetic.
I have tremendous respect for Jim Rutherford and think is one of the NHL's best general managers. The 2011-2012 preseason by one of Jim Rutherford's least successful in terms of crafting the team. Peter Karmanos, Jr. cut the salary budget to the point of diminishing returns; and unless the Hurricanes commit to spending significantly more on salary, the playoffs will be quite a number of years away.
On the other hand, with Muller, MacLean and the other coaches, the tools are in place to be able to have coaching a strength of the team. With Ward, Staal, Skinner, Sutter, and Faulk, the Hurricanes have quality leaders no matter how radical the changes are. The Hurricanes have a depth of talent in the system, including Dalpe, Bowman, Samson, Bowman, Rask, Boychuk, Dadonov, Murphy and Dumoulin, only to name a few of the younger players coming up.
So will the Hurricanes make the playoffs in 2011-2012? Not without a true hockey miracle. Will the Hurricane mature into a playoff contending team? Ask Peter Karmanos, Jr. and Jim Rutherford. Money doesn't spell success, but the lack of money does spell an uphill battle.
It isn't impossible but it's
Mon, 01/23/2012 - 07:36 — ctillIt isn't impossible but it's highly improbable, on the order of 1 in 100. Toronto and Winnipeg would have to remain mediocre as well.
Highly unlikely
Mon, 01/23/2012 - 11:56 — sittler27If we assume that it will take 92 points to make the playoffs then the Canes would have to go 24-7-1 over their remaining 32 games. Let's assume its the Capitals we are chasing since they currently occupy the last spot. They could go 19-15-1 and still reach 92 points. If we believe the path is by winning the division then Florida is a point ahead of Washington with the same number of games played as the Caps. They could go 19-16-0. So bottom line we need to play at a pace that is better than any current first place team in the entire league and hope that those two play near .500 to make it interesting. So the division win is our best option and it is remote at best..... not because Florida and Washington couldn't both falter, but because we need to play at an incredible pace over the rest of the season. In my opnion we simply aren't that good.
Assuming we concede the division to either Florida or Washington and have to get to 8th in the Conference, we have to leap frog 7 teams and assume that none of them get even somewhat hot. And we have head to head games and we are at the stage we can almost lose none of them or give them a tie in regulation in those games. These 3 point games make it all that much harder to make up ground once you have fallen as far back as we have.
I'm at the stage where I am enjoying the style of hockey we are playing, hoping we are spoilers at the end, and keeping an eye on our draft position and trades.