FanPost

Canes' Talent and Needs on D

OK, maybe this is one of those wild flights of optimism that happens in the offseason. This optimism isn't based on the new guys who are closest to playing in the NHL, Sanguinetti, Faulk and Murphy. I'm seriously wondering if, should the Canes re-sign Pitkanen, the Canes' situation on D is as dire as we've been thinking. Last year's statistics say it is, but was last year an accurate barometer of Canes' defensive talent?

Draft position isn't always a reliable barometer of talent either, but talent and draft position are not unrelated. When players perform below the expectations that got them drafted high, it's always interesting to speculate about whether the players were draft mistakes, whether injuries figured in, whether players lack drive, or whether coaches can't bring out talent that's still there. It's not that such questions can be answered with any certainty, but going into a new season, it's interesting to consider the possibilities player by player.

Draft Position of Canes' D

Murphy is really the only thing that's new, and yet it came as a shock to me that the Canes may go into next season with two defensemen taken 4th overall (Pitkanen and Allen), one taken 12th overall (Murphy) and one taken 23rd overall (Gleason). That's to say nothing of Sanguinetti, taken 21st overall, or Faulk, taken 37th overall. McBain is a 2nd rounder taken 63rd overall. Harrison is a 3rd rounder taken 82nd overall, one slot higher than Corvo in his draft year. The Canes won't but actually could go into next season with a defense with 5 1st rounders and a high 2nd rounder. There's a wealth of other young 2nd rounders coming along, but not this year. How many defenses in the NHL could play five 1st rounders, including two taken 4th overall and one taken 12th overall? I'm not saying the Canes' talent on D is at the top of the league, but I think it's a good deal better than 21st in the league, which is where the Canes' ranked in goals against per game. I've thought of the Canes as always trying to get by on 2nd round talent on D at best, but that may not be accurate.

After the jump, a few facts and questions about the Canes' poor performance on D last season.

There's no debating the poor performance of the Canes' D last season. Gleason, Corvo and Pitkanen have all had better seasons as Canes. Gleason played well for the US Olympic team and yet took a step down last season for the Canes. He had 16 pts in 82 games and was - 11. In 2009-2010 Gleason had 19 pts in 61 games and +/- of zero. Gleason was +3 in 2008-2009 and +5 the year before that. Last year, Pitkanen was - 2 with the Canes, not +11 as in 2008-2009. Joe Corvo had by far his worst +/- as a Cane last year at - 14 despite tying his career high for scoring with 40 pts. Jamie McBain also took a step backward, going from +6 in 14 games in 2009-2010 to - 8 last season. On the other hand, Jay Harrison was + 5 on the season last year whereas he was - 8 in 2009-2010. Derek Joslin was a rookie last season, playing 34 games with the Sharks and Canes. He was - 2 in 17 games with the Sharks and + 7 in 17 games with the Canes. Bryan Allen also got better after joining the Canes. He was - 5 with the Panthers in 53 games and +4 with the Canes in just 19 games.

Did Canes' coaching make half the Dmen better and the other half worse? It seems more likely that there were other things going on. Gleason and Pitkanen are the two top Dmen and both had injuries. Gleason never took a game off but looked as though he needed to. Pitkanen finally took some games off and played far better after coming back. Also notably, Gleason and Pitkanen both played on their countries' Olympic teams. It's just possible that the Olympics on top of the regular season and grueling early season travel took a toll.

What to Make of Allen and Joslin

Allen was taken 4th overall in 1998. He made the Canucks' roster as an 18-year-old but went back to junior after failing to agree on a contract. He was an OHL All-Star even though he only played 37 games because of injury. Allen missed almost all of 1999-2000 and a good part of the two seasons before that with knee problems. He got a regular job with the Canucks in 2003. According to the write-up on Wikipedia, he supplied physical play and stood out on the PK. Then came the lock-out and then a good season as a leading defender for the Canucks. Allen went to Florida in the trade for Roberto Luongo and had an excellent year in 2006-2007, then the knee problems struck again and he missed the 2008-2009 season except for two games. With Allen, it's possible that he'll never again be more than a role player and that his original draft position was way too high. On the other hand, he's only 30, so it's also at least remotely possible that he'll get his legs under him this year and return to his strong form of 2006-2007 when he scored 25 points, was + 7 and had 112 penalty minutes. He had a good +/- for four straight years up to 2009-2010.

Joslin was a 5th round draft choice despite scoring 48 and 49 points his last two years in junior. He scored 32 points in 55 games and was +14 in his last year with the AHL's Worcester Sharks. He looked good at the end of last season and in fact the Canes looked better with him in the line-up. Joslin really could be a JR coup, as Bret Hedican suggested.

Do the Canes' Need That Additional Shutdown Defenseman?


I thought so for certain, but I'm not so sure now. Pitkanen is not a shutdown defenseman, but when he's healthy, his skating is a safety net against breakaways. He can drive you crazy, but he can also make great clutch passes that win playoff games. Gleason, Allen and Harrison are shutdown defensemen and they bring plenty of size and toughness to the equation. I don't know what the Canes' medical staff thinks of Allen's knees, but what if he started looking like a second-pairing shutdown defenseman? What if McBain comes to camp in great shape and with 10 more pounds of muscle? Joslin is strong at 6'1" and 210 lbs. He has some shutdown qualities even though he may belong on the offensive D side of the ledger. Is the Canes' defense a disaster than needs fixing immediately, or did most of the Canes' best players have bad years? Was it a mirage that the D got better with Allen and Joslin on the ice? I think it's significant that JR has other options and he wants Pitkanen back.

If Murphy doesn't make the team, the biggest change to the Canes' D may be a return to form. The second biggest may be a solid backup plan because of greater depth in Charlotte. Gleason and Pitkanen won't be playing in the Olympics this year. There won't be a Babchuk experiment to start the season or a trip to Russia and Finland. There may not be multiple Dmen coming and going as with Babchuk, White and Joslin or periods with an undersized lineup.

What do you think we should expect of the Canes' D this coming season, with or without Ryan Murphy?