Even With Elite Defense, Carolina Still Has One Ugly Question

Carolina’s blue line keeps doing its job like a group that knows the assignment and then some. But the Hurricanes know that dominant defense only gets you so far when the rest of the machine does not hum at the same level. The gap between being a very good team and a true problem in the spring usually shows up in places the highlight reels ignore. That is where Carolina is staring this offseason, and the answer will tell you a lot about how serious this group really is.