from Luke DeCock of the News & Observer,

It has been a mostly successful offseason for the Hurricanes, who have avoided pitfalls -- Aho’s contract and the goalie situation -- while addressing weaknesses with Haula and Dzingel.

But only mostly.

Their summer won’t be an unqualified success until they get an answer from Justin Williams, with the captain still deliberating whether to come back for another season or retire.

The expectation within the team is that Williams will return, but no one but Williams really knows what he’ll do, and even he apparently doesn’t know yet. (He declined to comment via text message Friday.)

The Hurricanes need Williams back, perhaps less for what he does on the ice than what he does in the dressing room. The culture and atmosphere Williams and Rod Brind’Amour constructed from scratch last season is a fragile thing that needs tending and nurturing. Even in a reduced on-ice role at age 37, no one is better equipped to finish the job than Williams.

His presence is absolutely vital for the Hurricanes to have a chance to continue their ascent, and Williams is more than capable of doing that in a reduced role.

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