What Went Wrong: Canes, Devils

Dadoun previews five Atlantic Division teams

The Conference Finals have begun, as we get closer to crowning the next Stanley Cup champion, but we still have plenty of squads to look at that didn't make the playoffs. In this edition of What Went Wrong, we will continue to work our way up from the bottom of the non-playoff teams and take a look at the Carolina Hurricanes and New Jersey Devils.

If you want to look back at Part One and Part Two then feel free to do so.

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Carolina Hurricanes

The Hurricanes entered the 2014-15 season with former Detroit assistant coach Bill Peters as their bench boss. The team got off to a rocky start, with a 0-6-2 record, and it snowballed from there to a 10-23-4 mark before New Year's Day. Carolina displayed some improved play in January and February (14-7-3), but they struggled mightily down the stretch and finished 26th in the overall standings. The Hurricanes have not been in the postseason for the past six years.

The most visible problem that Carolina faced this past season was their inability to produce goals, especially during five-on-five situations. The Canes ended up in 27th place in goals per game (2.23) and in 27th with a five-on-five goals for/against ratio of 0.76. The power play put them in the middle of the pack at 15th and the penalty kill was fourth in the league, so their special teams weren't a hindrance.

The Hurricanes were treated to a solid bounce-back year by Cam Ward, but their offense let them down. Still, there were some bright spots with the play of Justin Faulk, who finished second on the team in scoring with a personal best 49 points. Elias Lindholm and Victor Rask also showed some promise, especially down the stretch. On the other side of that, here are some players who the Canes needed more from in 2014-15:

Eric Staal - He led the team in scoring for a sixth straight season, but he recorded just 54 points in 77 games. Excluding the lockout-shortened campaign, that is his lowest point total since he scored 31 points in his rookie year. Staal had 23 goals in 2014-15 and he was Carolina's only 20-goal scorer. He has one year left on his contract, which should provide plenty of motivation going into next season. There will be plenty of trade rumors surrounding him, but he would prefer to stay with Carolina. Whether he gets moved or not, he has the potential to be a good bounce-back candidate for 2015-16.

Alexander Semin - Semin inked a five-year, $35 million contract with the Hurricanes after the 2013-14 season. If his 2014-15 performance is any indication then that deal has the potential to become an albatross for the organization. He notched just six goals and 19 points in 57 games. Semin spent some stretches as a healthy scratch and he had a hard time escaping coach Peters' doghouse. It would certainly be risky to expect him to bounce back in 2015-16, but if you are feeling adventurous then he could be someone to consider for your last pick at the draft.

Jordan Staal - There were plenty of expectations that Jordan would be able to flourish as a top-six forward in Carolina after being a third liner with the Pittsburgh Penguins. However, that hasn't happened yet and it's a bit startling to see that his offensive contributions were actually better with the Pens. Staal missed the first 35 games of the season after he suffered a fractured fibula during the preseason, which didn't get him off to a good start. He spent most of his playing time at five-on-five alongside Eric Staal, but he still only generated six goals and 24 points in 46 contests. Even though he hasn't made much of an impact since joining the Hurricanes, Staal remains an interesting player to watch especially if he can benefit as a linemate from a resurgent year from hi older brother. Of course, that would require some "ifs" falling into place, which isn't a very ideal situation. Take a wait-and-see approach with Jordan Staal.

Jeff Skinner - Skinner has two 30-goal seasons in his first four years in the NHL, so his sharp decline to 18 markers in 77 outings was very disappointing. He ended the season with an 18-game goal drought and he earned just two assists over that span. Skinner, who posted 31 points, may not have been the same after he suffered another concussion before the start of the season. The 23-year-old forward intends to use the 2014-15 campaign as a learning experience. He amassed 235 shots despite his struggles, so he is bound to get some bounces in his favor if that continues. Look for Skinner to be much better next season.

New Jersey Devils

Just like the Hurricanes, goals were hard to come by for the New Jersey Devils. New Jersey finished 28th in goals per game with 2.15, which was worse than Carolina and better than only Arizona and Buffalo. The Devils also placed 29th in the league with 24.5 shots per game.

Their offensive troubles placed a great deal of pressure on netminder Cory Schneider, who enjoyed a brilliant season despite posting a 26-31-9 record. He was fifth in the NHL in save percentage (.925) and ninth in goals-against average (2.26). He also posted five shutouts while facing the third-most shots in the league (1,982), but his efforts went to waste as the team failed to make the playoffs for a third consecutive season.

New Jersey's power play had a league-low 212 opportunities, but they scored 41 goals for a 19.3 efficiency rating. That placed the Devils eighth in the NHL. However, that won't change the team's priority to add some offense up front and to bring in some defensemen who can contribute points. It still looks like it's going to take some time for the club to recover from losing superstar talents Ilya Kovalchuk and Zach Parise.

The Devils fired coach Peter DeBoer in late December after the team posted a record of 12-17-7. Lou Lamoriello, Adam Oates and Scott Stevens took over behind the bench and the team improved to a mark of 20-19-7. Lamoriello will stay on as the organization's president of hockey operations, but he turned over the general manager duties to Ray Shero, who will probably look to bring in his own head coach. Shero didn't inherit much of an offense in New Jersey, but he'll be looking for more from these players in 2015-16:

Travis Zajac - Zajac flirted with the 50-point mark last season, but he produced a mere 11 goals and 25 points in 74 matches this past campaign. He topped 60 points in his third and fourth years of NHL action. Zajac shouldn't be counted on to hit numbers like that again, but 50 points is reasonable especially if the Devils can procure some offensive help to assist him.

Adam Larsson - Larsson showed some flashes of the potential that made him the fourth overall pick in the 2011 draft. He suited up in just two games in October and five in December, but his play improved after coach Peter DeBoer was let go. He notched 20 points in 43 contests to close out the season and could be primed for a breakout campaign in 2015-16.

Adam Henrique - Henrique led the Devils in scoring with 43 points in 75 games. That is the same total he registered in 2013-14, but he finished with nine less goals. He had some chemistry with Jaromir Jagr before the veteran winger was traded to Florida. Then Henrique concluded the year with Scott Gomez and Steve Bernier as his linemates, but both of them are eligible for unrestricted free agency in July. He was dealing with two torn ligaments in his wrist sometime between Christmas and New Year's, which he had surgery to repair at the end of the season. Henrique is expected to be ready for training camp.

Patrik Elias - The 39-year-old forward has one year remaining on his contract. It's possible the 2015-16 could be his last, especially if he struggles like he did in 2014-15 when he recorded 13 goals and 34 points in 69 games. He may be getting a little long in the tooth, but he should be able to contribute more than he did this past campaign.