Canes 2020-21 Update: Re-evaluating 2 Months In

[DaveG-Canes]

Early season struggles have Carolina searching for answers. What's behind the shocking turn of course from a team that was a powerhouse last season? The lack of Bouwmeester in UFA certainly can't be helping, but the pieces are in place for the blue line to at least hold its own. The possibility of moving Tangradi and Foligno in an attempt to recoup assets for players that are likely to leave in UFA in the first place is a route that is currently being evaluated, though the need to upgrade on defense is the likely goal there and the players aren't likely to return a major upgrade at that spot.

The plus side at least for the big club has been the development of Dennis Yan and Nick Suzuki. Given their encouraging development and play, it's likely that a move to a more offense oriented strategy could be in the works for Adam Deadmarsh and co.

Speaking of development, it's been a trying year so far in the AHL as well. Early injuries to Cole Caufield and Ivan Muranov derailed what should have been a solid start. On the plus side, Joel Farabee's development has been encouraging and he finds himself in the mix for the next man up in Carolina if needed. Something he was well on the outside looking in for at the start of the season. If Caufield can get healthy and back on track a solid back half of the season in Charlotte could be something that we see shake out.