The Carolina Hurricanes had a group of young forwards who started making inroads during the final months of the season. Don't expect to see all of them with next season's team.

The Hurricanes are still in the business of shoring up their defense, and so they'll find some of their forwards expendable. That could mean that Ryan Bayda and/or Keith Aucoin will be playing elsewhere next season even though they proved themselves as valuable players during key stretches.

But if several players who missed considerable time with injuries during the past season are back to form as expected—such as Justin Williams and Matt Cullen—the Hurricanes will have a surplus of forwards.

Chad LaRose returned from a broken leg and with it came his energy. ...More