A season ago, one thing that Carolina Hurricanes general manager Ron Francis identified as one of the places where his team went wrong was on the third defensive pairing.
Over the course of the season, that group consisted of Noah Hanifin, Klas Dahlbeck, Matt Tennyson, and Ryan Murphy. Hanifin wound up thriving in a top four role following the departure of Ron Hainsey. With Tennyson signing in Buffalo as a free agent and Murphy being dealt to Calgary before ultimately winding up with Minnesota, Dahlbeck was the only one of the group who remained in the mix for a roster spot on defense this year.