When it comes to the strengths of this Carolina Hurricanes team, the defensive unit looked to be where this team would excel. However, having good defensemen on the team is only half the battle. Those strong players will not be able to maximize their impact properly unless they are deployed and grouped in the most optimal ways.
Knowing how to pair a team’s defensemen can make or break that team’s season. After a disappointing 2014-2015 season in which the Los Angeles Kings missed the playoffs, head coach Darryl Sutter decided to balance out his defensive pairings more than they typically had in the past.