The Carolina Hurricanes are starting to emerge as a popular sleeper pick in the Metropolitan division. Our own Scott Burnside picked them to finish third in his division preview. In his fantastic data-driven season preview, analytics expert Micah Blake McCurdy projected the Hurricanes at 90.4 points with a standard deviation of 8.4. The 90-point projection wouldn’t get them into the playoffs, but with improved goaltending it becomes a real possibility.

In Raleigh, coach Bill Peters doesn’t want to hear about mere possibilities. He’s very clear about what he expects.

“We expect to be a playoff team for sure,” Peters said. “We expect to take a step from last year.”

Every year, we identify hinge players whose performance could alter the success of a borderline playoff team. Goaltending may be the biggest hinge in Carolina, but you can say that anywhere, so no goalies allowed.