Great Expectations - What is Realistic for the Canes?
by Bob Wage on Dec 1, 2008 5:39 PM EST
13 comments
Today, there is tremendous unrest within the "force" known as the Caniac Nation. Many fans are clamouring for some type of change regarding coaching or player personnel. While Carolina's year-to-date performance has certainly been inconsistent as well as downright frustrating at times, has the team actually performed below general expectations so far this year?
If you were to ask most experts around the league, they probably would answer "no". The truth of the matter is, the Hurricanes are probably right about where most hockey people, (outside Carolina), expected them to be.
How many pundits predicted that the Hurricanes would finish ahead of Washington in the Southeast Division? Not very many.
According to this report polling seven experts at ESPN, not a single one of them chose Carolina to win the Southeast. (One picked Tampa). NBC Sports predicted that the Canes would come in second. USA Today's six experts unanimously picked Washington to win the Division. The listing can go on and on.
Most experts around the league predicted that Carolina would finish second in their division and would be fighting tooth and nail for the eighth and final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference. Guess where the Canes are today?
Does that mean fans can't expect more? Of course not. Does that mean fans have to be happy with perceived complacency and lack of effort? Absolutely not.
But it could be time for fans to reassess what they expect from this team and re-evaluate how they perceive them. Even though there are a few familiar faces, this team is not the same one that took Stanley Cup. Perhaps the present day Canes should not be looked upon as under-performing champions, they should be looked upon as over-achieving underdogs?
Man to man, they don't match up with Washington, and salary wise, they don't match up with most other teams in the league. According to NHL Numbers.com, the Canes are ranked 21st in the league in salary this season.
Here is a ranking of the top spending teams in the Eastern Conference-
- Philadelphia
- Washington
- Pittsburgh
- NY Rangers
- Boston
- Florida
- Montreal
- New Jersey
- Ottawa
- Tampa Bay
- Carolina
- Buffalo
- NY Islanders
- Atlanta
- Toronto
If you go by the old adage "you get what you pay for", the Canes are actually doing better than they could be. Should Carolina be spending more money? That is a different topic for another day, but keep in mind that this is a small market and ticket prices are among the cheapest in the league. (Tomorrow's subject).
Success or failure is a perception.
There is no doubt that the team is unhappy with their losing record at home and they are as frustrated as anyone with their punchless powerplay. Undoubtedly, some types of improvements and changes are necessary. Team chemistry does not seem quite right. The team leaders have been quiet on and off the ice and that has to change.
Is it time to blow things up? Is it time for a major change at the top, or is Laviolette doing fairly well, considering?
Injuries have certainly played a part in this season's inconsistencies. It would be interesting to see the results if the Hurricanes could ever return a full, healthy lineup. That day might not be far away. Justin Williams is close to returning and the team's other injuries are not long-term.
Perhaps that is what Jim Rutherford is waiting for?
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If Cam stays out more than a week we can count the playoffs GOODBYE! Unless Craps keep losing when we do, but who wants to make it to the playoffs like that. Has anyone else noticed every time we get within one point of the Crapitals we suck in the next game. Maybe the Canes dont want to be in first (at least thats the way they are playing).
by canescup on Dec 1, 2008 6:13 PM EST reply actions
I expected this team to make the playoffs. A division title would be great, but we HAVE to make the playoffs this year. Three straight years of only 82 games would do serious damage to this franchise. We have amazing hockey fans here in Raleigh, but we still need more people to fill up those stands every night. Playoff runs like in ‘05 help keep this team on the forefront of the casual fan’s minds. Bubba has already noted the profitabilty of the team, and without some extra playoff games to help out things aren’t going to get better. Now that the economy is turning, guess what ticket will be given up first by the people in North Carolina? I promise it won’t be ACC basketball or football.
by TrickyD26 on Dec 1, 2008 6:52 PM EST reply actions
Man????!!
THROW THE BABY OUT WITH THE BATH WATER!! THIS TEAMS SUCKS, FIRE THE COACH, WE’LL MISS THE PLAYOFFS FOR SURE!!! Well, one things for sure the fans are sure passionate. Are we passionate enough for our team too?
I know things are rotten right now as we have grown accustomed to some semblance of a standard when it comes to this team being more successful especially on the heels of winning the Stanley Cup. But just as that season went, the rest of the league caught on and has improved their dealings…JR made some of hockey’s best free agent moves that season getting Recchi and Weight which we all know shored this team up and made the difference on that run. Since then the Canes haven’t done as well in the free agent market and frankly even JR has been sitting on his hands when talent was available.. yet nothing. Sometimes it’s possible to keep your cards too close. My thoughts are that this team has hemorraged more talent than recovered. The issue runs deep folks and it may take quite a while before we see any improvement. For the moment we can only expect so much. I’m not confident that we’ll never see solid consistent play from Babchuk, Melichar, Eaves, and Samsinov. Dead weight! We can bash the team, the coach, and even the players but we can only get so much success with what we have. That being a team of the bubble, maybe we make the playoffs this year possibly not but we’ll be that way for awhile until we can get some talented, solid youth in the system and stop trying to piece meal this team together with almost was type players.
by Eman on Dec 1, 2008 7:43 PM EST reply actions
I am still opposed to firing the coach. I think he’s doing his best, and he’s not panicking.
The team lacks swagger and moxie. They are also not communicating with each other, so they can’t set up the plays the way they need to – which would also explain why they’re out of position a good bit of the time.
They also need to not get rattled when the officiating doesn’t go their way. They’re letting bad calls mess with their heads.
by Mer on Dec 1, 2008 8:09 PM EST reply actions
I think that the fact that most of the so-called hockey experts didn’t pick Carolina to do well is all the more reason why they should be doing well….
This is a team that has always played it’s best hockey while playing “off the radar…”
No doubt this is a slightly above average team… but I think that as far as talent goes we are just as good as the team that won the cup… We don’t have the names… but we have the same sort of talent…
The big difference is that in ’06 everyone played together as a team… and in the present they are playing as two different teams… the one that comes out and stinks up the joint for 30 to 40 minutes… and the other that actually plays like they might have a pulse for 20 to 30 minutes….
I’m still waiting for the team that plays hard and wins battles… doesn’t take a shift off… and fights for their life for all 60 minutes to show up…
I can tolerate missing the playoffs IF the guys on this team play hard with heart… Hell… I could even take losing every game for the rest of the season… as long as they go down fighting…. But all this laying down and letting teams roll by has got to stop!!!!
It’s bad enough being a Met’s fan… Geez….
by Mateo on Dec 1, 2008 9:14 PM EST reply actions
And to clarify… when I say “the team that won the stanley cup” I am talking about the ‘06 Hurricane’s team…
by Mateo on Dec 1, 2008 9:15 PM EST reply actions
Last season after Sergi came to the team. I skated with him at the skate with the Canes. No one knew who he was. 2 people came up to him and said “welcome to the show”. He was on a slump at this time last year therefore got dealt off. Maybe the Caniac Nation needs to tell him that again. Don’t get me wrong he has got great hands but needs to find the back of the net. I love the Wizard, but when he is leading your team in points something is wrong. B’A needs to take a rest. I play beer league and tore my ACL. I have definately lost a step. I am not the mad man that B’A is as far as recovery goes, but 2nd or 3rd line for him might gel. Anyways just venting as a STH that comes from ILM to watch every game and is getting old watching them dump home game after home game.
by wmartin146 on Dec 1, 2008 10:09 PM EST reply actions
I don’t think it is unreasonable to expect 60 minutes of hard effort every game. Win or lose, I will at least know the effort was there.
We’re not getting that.
by WStout on Dec 1, 2008 11:39 PM EST reply actions
Amen gang!!!
Hey, Mateo, try rooting for the detroit lions, the Mets ain’t so bad for a home team/liked team as that!!
A
by Paladin6 on Dec 2, 2008 5:52 AM EST reply actions
It seems to me that the former Hartford Whalers are reverting to what I remember the Whalers as being – a team that didn’t want to spend money on high end talent, that would trade away its up and coming talent, and sign average players to fill gaps, and somehow manage to have an incredible fan base. No one wanted to play in Hartford (remember Shanahan? Think Rutuuu will re-sign here?). The city and its fans were also much maligned by other NHL cities, and would have almost as many fans from the opposing teams (especially in the playoffs) invade the arena. Once in a while, the Whalers would overachieve – the only difference that I see between the old Whalers and the ’Canes right now are the team colors and the fact that the ’Canes won a cup. Oh yeah, and players like “Boxcar” Ed Hospadar and Pat “Little Ball of Hate” Verbeek and Stu “Grim Reaper” Grimson would stand up for their teammates. Am I off base with these comparisons? The only thing missing is waking up in the morning and hearing the “Whalers are SO bad” jokes on morning radio.
by marc on Dec 2, 2008 6:44 AM EST reply actions
Ouch, that has the sting of truth…
Verbeek, hmmm? Think Ruutu could do that?
A
by Paladin6 on Dec 2, 2008 7:18 AM EST reply actions
Haha… Paladin6 I’ve been a mets fan since childhood… it’s worse than being in a bad relationship!!! But I can’t abandon my team… I still don’t think that the Detroit Lions need my help on the Jinx… They seem to be doing that for themselves…
That is a decent comparison to the Whalers… I think that if the players on our team would just give an honest 60 minute effort then they could at least have a chance to win 70% of their games…. But they simply don’t seem to give a crap.
I think that the league has less “parody” now than it did coming out of the lockout… They started out w/ the Salary Cap that they wanted… and in three seasons they have screwed around with it to the point where we are basically back where we started in regards to two or three teams being able to afford all of the best players…. But we all know that big names don’t make a team… a team makes a team…
by Mateo on Dec 2, 2008 9:36 AM EST reply actions
This is probably the most insightful comment i have seen yet. It was posted on Lord Stanley’s Blog under Canes’ PP ‘about as low as you can get’ This is a comment by gsmacconnell and I think it pretty well sums up the team.
Some random thoughts on the Canes and JR’s comments:
*JR should look in the mirror for the problem. He created the team.
*As a STH we have not gotten what we paid for in three years. I don’t expect the cup every year but I expect effort. Ten minutes of effort in a hockey game does not add up to wins. How about if we pay 1/6 of the ticket price?
*Give me Ruutu, Walker, Larose, Seidenberg, Wallin, and a bunch of AHLers. We’d win as many games and it would be fun to watch.
*Lance Armstrong has more Kahunies than most of the Canes.
*I vote for the Lady Bing award to be awarded to the Canes. They can’t score and they don’t fight except for Brookbank and Walker.
*The only thing Kristi Yamagochi and Brett Hedican left behind was memories of Dancing with the Stars, and we are reminded of it every time the Canes play.
*How many nights did Bobby Orr, Wayne Gretzky, or Gordie Howe take off?
*How about the long promised All Star Game…JR. It would be nice to watch some players that care.
*The reason other teams take our players out, is because they can. Most of our players don’t have enough respect for their own team mates to stick up for them when there is a cheap shot. (not you Scottie Walker). Also relates to the Kahunie problem. Howe and Orr never shied away from mixing it up.
*Give the players a PMS (attitude) pill and maybe we would see some hockey.
*Again we are on track to not make the playoffs.
*I’d be ok with one of the Canes dating one of my daughters…..they can’t score, even on a power play.
*I vote for the Canes led by JR to go on strike. We can all save our money until the economy improves.
by canesrdabest1 on Dec 2, 2008 2:58 PM EST reply actions
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