A lot of things have changed since the year 2009.
It is hard to believe that nine years ago Barrack Obama became the first African-American President of the United States, the world lost the King of Pop, Michael Jackson, and the great recession of 2008 finally came to an end.
Yes, 2009 had many noteworthy headlines, but there was one event that would fly under the radar and be cast-off as insignificant until now. This was the last time the Carolina Hurricanes made the NHL playoffs.
It has been nine long years since the Raleigh faithful were graced with the buzz and excitement of playoff hockey and that drought has felt as long as it seems. The Hurricanes are on their third head coach since that fateful year and now, after another brutal season culminating to yet another boring summer, Bill Peters’ job is in question.
The Canadian coach has certainly seen his fair share of criticism in his four-year tenure at Carolina and I think it is fair to say that he is on the hot seat going into the offseason. As of now, his all-time record with the Canes is an underwhelming 101-103-42 for an overall winning percentage of .496.
The Hurricanes only have two games left on the schedule in 2018 and Peters will have the chance to win 37 games in a season if the team wins out, which would be his best yet.
In what was supposed to be a resurgent year for a young team, the Hurricanes fell flat in the middle of the season before completely blowing it in the last stretch. They actually held a playoff spot for a few weeks in January but failed to back it up with a consistent level of high play. Questionable roster decisions and lackluster play from a majority of the depth chart were part of this recipe for disaster but many fans are pointing fingers at the front office.
Former general manager Ron Francis was relieved of his duties earlier in the season, prompting speculation about the security of Peters’ job as well. He has one year remaining on his contract and is slated to make $1.6 million next season.
Peters is a pretty straight-faced guy and doesn’t get too emotional in interviews or on the bench. I wouldn’t go as far to say he isn’t passionate about the team, but it is hard to gauge at times. He has definitely built something in Carolina and my initial feeling is that he wouldn’t just abandon it, but it might be time to move onto greener pastures.
What many people don’t know is that Peters has an option on his current contract to opt-out of his last year, if he so desires. This decision must reportedly be made within a week after the regular season ends, so we will all see his commitment to this team after the season is over. He has made progress every year as head coach (by an average of about two wins per season) but has failed to make the postseason once, which is inexcusable.
I say, Peters, unless forced to leave, is going to stay. Sure, I am a biased fan that always thinks we have the tools to make the playoffs, but the Hurricanes have truly been a team “on-the-cusp” for the last two seasons. They have proven talent, they have solid depth, and they have youth.
It is also still very realistic for the Hurricanes to cut ties with Peters as well, so we could see a situation where he quits before he is forced to quit. Either way, until Carolina can bring in somebody that can get this team over the seemingly unreachable hump, I am going to keep writing this article every season.
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