Canes Country: FanPosts

Eric Staal injured in IIHF World Championships

2013-05-16T18:59:08Z

Moments ago, Eric Staal was injured in the IIHF World Championships game against Sweden. It was a knee-on-knee with Alexander Edler and looked bad, I am sure that video of this will be on Youtube soon. Eric was in obvious pain on the ice and had to be helped off the ice and into the dressing room. Hope this will not be a long-term injury, but knee injuries tend to be long term. As this just happened, there is no official word on this yet.

Draft

2013-04-28T04:40:27Z

So the Canes finished 5th from the bottom, which gives them an 8.1 % chance at the first overall pick, and no worse than the 6th pick overall. I am going to guess that one of the bottom 3, with the high percentages in the lottery, wins the first overall, leaving us to pick at five. Who do we choose?

For my money, we need defense. Were I JR, I'd make a serious run at securing the first pick through trade and getting Jones. Beyond Jones, Darnell Nurse looks to be the next best D-man, and is consistently ranked 4-6.

My Offseason Plan for the Hurricanes - Part 2

2013-04-25T14:47:32Z

Here is the continuation FanPost of My Offseason Plan for the Hurricanes. Again, sorry for the length, but I hope you enjoy.

Step # 4 – Trades & Free Agent Signings (on or after July 1, 2013)

Changing the Guard Trade – trade D Tim Gleason ($4.0M) and F Victor Rask ($894K) to Chicago for D Niklas Hjalmarsson ($3.5M), F Rostislav Olesz ($3.125M) and F Jimmy Hayes ($875K).
- Chicago – While the Blackhawks have been one of the league’s top teams, they have finished two years in a row with the least number of hits in the league. They have also finished in the bottom 3rd in the NHL in blocked shots. Acquiring Gleason should allow them to improve those numbers and allow Gleason to get back to playing his style of hockey. Gleason would probably be a 2nd pairing defenseman for the Hawks and the physical force that Hjalmarsson is not. Hjalmarsson is a solid defenseman, but Chicago already has two of those guys in Brent Seabrook and Duncan Keith. Gleason allows for some additional toughness on the blue line. Another key to this deal would be Rask. Chicago has been trying to find a 2nd line center to play between Patrick Kane and Patrick Sharp for a while. Rask might not be an immediate help, but it doesn’t appear he is too far away. Rask could prove to be the piece that line needs to be even better. And the last big benefit of this trade for Chicago would be ridding them of Olesz. He is currently eating up over $3 million of cap space. They could always use an amnesty buyout on him, but this would allow them to avoid that. This could save the Blackhawks $2.625 million in cap space for the 13/14 season.
- Carolina – With this deal, the Canes acquire a 25 year old defensive defenseman that isn’t a bad puck-mover either. He isn’t an offensive force and doesn’t hit a ton, but he is solid defensively, blocks shots and can play a shutdown role. I think his abilities would match well with Justin Faulk, creating a pairing that plays a lot and can play in both zones. Hjalmarsson only has one year left on his contract and that can be considered good or bad. Either he works out and the Canes must resign him (probably to a raise) or he doesn’t work out and the Canes have some flexibility. (One additional thought I had was another trade where Carolina sends Hjalmarsson goes to the Rangers in exchange for Marc Staal at the trade deadline. That might be something New York would consider.) Another acquisition in this trade would be Hayes. Hayes is a big boy that has a little bit of skill. At 6’6", 220 lbs, he is an intimidating creature, but still needs to round his game out more. Since he is on a two-way contract, he can be moved between the NHL & AHL. The final piece of this trade is acquiring Olesz, not a player the Canes need. This would be the difficult part, but this probably would have to happen to get the deal done. I would use one of my amnesty buyouts on him, using it as a resource. It’s a lot of money, but he will be in the last year of his contract, so at least it isn’t multiple years.
The Tough Decision Trade – trade F Jeff Skinner ($5.75M) to Dallas for F Loui Eriksson ($4.25M) and D Patrik Nemeth ($870K).
- Dallas – The Stars have somewhat started a rebuilding phase, trading away some veteran players and acquiring some younger defensemen. Their starting LW is 40 years old and will be entering the last year of his contract. Skinner is a young, dynamic forward that could be part of the core for Dallas for years to come. Imagine a line of Skinner/Benn/Chiasson for the Stars, that should be entertaining and productive. Skinner isn’t great defensively and does need some protection and these two line mates should help him out with those things. Skinner is also a fan favorite, so he should help put butts in seats.
- Carolina – It’s tough trading away a young player with Skinner’s talent, but because of the cap situation, it really appears that Skinner or Ruutu will have to be moved to fill other holes and give the Canes the ability to sign some other key personnel. But with the trade, the Canes at least get good value in return for Skinner and save a little money in doing so. Eriksson is probably one of the more underrated players in the league. The guy has put up 70 points in three straight seasons, but his pace has dropped off some this season (only projected to be at 51 points on an 82 game schedule). But he has decent size, goes to the traffic areas, has good hands and can really do it all. I think he would be a really good line mate for Jordan Staal and has been effective on the PP. The Canes would also get a big, young defenseman in Nemeth who compares to Nicklas Grossman. Nemeth is 6’3", 212 lbs and is a decent skater and decent puck-mover. He’s not the Stars top defensive prospect, but should become a solid NHL blue liner in the near future. He was a +11 in his first AHL season and will probably play another year in the AHL, but he could be a call up next season or a full-timer in 14/15.
Extra Pieces Trade – trade D Jamie McBain ($1.8M) and Marc-Andre Gragnani ($840K) to New York for F Brian Boyle ($1.7M) and F Michael St. Croix ($900K).
- New York – The Rangers are a pretty deep team, so much it might present a small problem. They have 10 forwards under one-way contracts next season plus they have three pretty important forwards that are RFA this offseason (Derek Stepan, Carl Hagelin, Mats Zuccarello) plus they have three or four forwards on entry-level deals that could be ready or close-to-ready for NHL duty. The only one-way deal that can be sent to the minors without a salary cap hit is Stu Bickel, so it seems the Rangers could afford to move someone. One area that the Rangers system isn’t exactly deep in is offensive defenseman. While adding McBain isn’t a guarantee, he has shown some offensive ability at the NHL level and maybe a change of scenery would do him some good. The New York defense focuses a little more in their own zone, so they should be able to cover up some of McBain’s shortcomings a little better than Carolina can. Gragnani would be included because he too has some offensive ability, but can start the season in the AHL. Losing Boyle shouldn’t be a huge hurdle for the Rangers. They have three better than average centers and multiple other players that can fill in if necessary. The cap hit exchange is pretty even as Boyle’s cap number is $1.7 million and McBain’s is $1.8 million, McBain will also be a RFA after the 13/14 season.
- Carolina – In Boyle, Carolina would get a big checking line center that delivers a lot of hits and has more offense than he has shown this season. Boyle is also a really good faceoff man at over 56% this season, but he can play multiple positions. His contract expires at the end of the season and I would use him as a bridge to Barkov. But because of his versatility and size, he could be resigned for a bottom 6 role. Trading McBain signals an end to what was supposed to be a very good player for Carolina. But the Canes need to move toward more responsibility in their own zone and McBain didn’t fit in the system. Gragnani was an interesting add, but only saw limited action with Carolina. St. Croix is a young, smaller center that will make the transition to the AHL next season. With Charlotte not exactly deep in talented forwards, St. Croix could be an asset. He might or might not every make it to the NHL, but you could say that about many prospects.
Depth Swap Trade – trade F Andreas Nodl ($888K) and D Michal Jordan ($665K) to St. Louis for D Ian Cole (RFA).
- St. Louis – St. Louis is in a somewhat difficult situation. They have four important RFA’s that need to be signed this summer and all should be getting a nice bump in salary (Chris Stewart, Patrik Berglund, Alex Pietrangelo and Kevin Shattenkirk). They also have two additional RFA defensemen that would not be waiver-exempt in Kris Russell and Ian Cole. Add to that, three veteran defensemen on one-way contracts, a veteran UFA that could be resigned and a couple of prospects that could be close-to-ready. The Blues have plenty of cap space to get all of these guys under contract, but they have generally been a budget team and might not be willing to carry eight defensemen all season, so I believe Cole could be had. St. Louis is pretty deep, but could probably use some NHL ready call up players. Nodl is a guy with experience that can contribute on the 4th line and PK. Plus he could be waived back to the minors without any cap penalty. Jordan is still a developing defenseman that would probably be in the AHL, but he did get some NHL experience in Carolina this season and could be called up if needed. Both players are more defensive than offensive and both are hard-working guys. These are traits that fit Coach Ken Hitchcock’s style.
- Carolina – The Canes gain a young defensive defenseman that hasn’t quite put it all together yet. Cole is somewhat a project, but has the ability to be a solid shutdown defenseman. I would pick him up to use as a 6th or 7th defenseman and see if he can develop into more. Giving up Nodl doesn’t hurt a lot because the Canes have a number of players/prospects that can handle his role. Jordan is probably a little tougher to move because he has been within the organization (both Plymouth & Charlotte) for six years. But the Canes have a number of new, talented defensemen needing time in the AHL and Cole projects as a much more able NHL defenseman. If St. Louis hasn’t already qualified Cole, I would at $919K.
Sign UFA D Toni Lydman to a 1 year, $2.25 million 35+ contract ($2.25M cap hit) – Lydman would be signed to be a veteran presence and he is still pretty good at what he does. With the Canes defense getting much younger, Lydman would provide some leadership and experience. He isn’t going to provide much offensively, but he is good in his own zone, skates well and is decent at moving the puck. He would basically be signed to transition to one of the younger defensemen in the 14/15 season.
Sign RFA D Justin Faulk to a 3 year, $11 million one-way contract ($3.67M cap hit) – Faulk is who I would build this defense around. But with him being a RFA, I would see if I could maintain a reasonable cap number for the next three years until some big contracts come off the books. I would escalate the amount from $3M the 1st year to $3.5M the 2nd year to $4.5M the 3rd year. This would also give the Canes one more year of RFA status after the contract expires. And since I have traded Gleason, I would give an ‘A’ to Faulk because comments I have heard from him make me think he is a leader in the room despite his young age.

Summary

So I realize these are some very bold moves and ones you might not agree with, but these are things I would attempt to do. The defense has been completely reorganized with the focus on getting bigger and more defensive. This would also reduce the average age of the top 7 defensemen by almost two years. This would also reduce the cap number of the defense by $700K. While looking at the number averages over the past season and a half, the goal totals from the defense would take a step back with this new group. The assist totals would be pretty close with the new group being slightly lower. The number of hits and blocks would take a nice jump up. But some of these players are relatively young and still developing, so the offensive numbers could improve slightly.

The forward ranks would only have two brand new faces in Eriksson and Boyle, but two Canes prospects (Dalpe & Welsh) would assume roles in the NHL. The cap number as compared to this season would increase, but would be about $500K less than the project cap number for next season. The average size of the forwards would increase in both height and weight. The number averages over the past year and a half would indicate a slight increase in goal scoring and a bit more of an increase in assist totals. The hit and block totals would also see an increase. A lot of next season would depend on the kids developing as expected and increasing the production of the bottom 6.

There would definitely be some difficult and unpopular moves, but I think this would improve the overall team and should have them competing for a Playoff spot. If the younger players develop quickly, then the team could be even better. But this plan not only is for next season, but gives the Canes a little more flexibility going forward. As long as players develop and the salary cap increases by some over the next few seasons, existing players could be resigned or replaced with other players/prospects. Here is what I think this plan’s line combinations would look like with the player’s salary cap numbers for the 13/14 season.

Jiri Tlusty ($1.6M) / Eric Staal ($8.25M) / Alexander Semin ($7M)

Loui Eriksson ($4.25M) / Jordan Staal ($6M) / Tuomo Ruutu ($4.75M)

Jeremy Welsh ($850K) / Brian Boyle ($1.7M) / Zac Dalpe ($830K)

Drayson Bowman ($600K) / Riley Nash ($700K) / Patrick Dwyer ($900K)

Kevin Westgarth ($725K)

Niklas Hjalmarrson ($3.5M) / Justin Faulk ($900K)

Toni Lydman ($2.25M) / Erik Johnson ($3.75M)

Shane O’Brien ($2M) / Brett Bellemore ($550K)

Ian Cole ($919K)

Cam Ward ($6.3M) / Dan Ellis ($825K)

Retained Salary – Jussi Jokinen ($900K), Buyouts – Derek Joslin ($125K)

Salary Cap Total – 22 Players at $60,174,000 ($4.126 million in cap space)

This leaves one open roster spot and enough cap space to allow Ryan Murphy to be called up without having to send anybody through waivers. And the size and defensive focus of the blue line should help shelter Murphy more if he is called up. The Olesz amnesty buyout is a tough pill to swallow, but gives the team the ability to make some moves. It something that goes against the organization’s status quo, but as we all know, the organization’s status quo is not getting this team where it needs to be.

And if injuries do occur, which is something that will happen; there are some prospects in Charlotte that can be called up. The scoring forward that could fill in the top 6 is somewhat lacking, but the other positions should have ample options for the Canes.

Almost Ready or Call-Up Duty Forward – Tim Wallace, Brett Sutter, Aleksander Barkov, Jimmy Hayes, Chris Terry, Jarome Samson

Almost Ready or Call-Up Duty Defensemen – Ryan Murphy, Patrik Nemeth, Rasmus Rissanen, Justin Krueger

Almost Ready or Call-Up Duty Goalies – Justin Peters, Magnus Hellberg

I know this was lengthy, but I was trying to be detailed. I hope it was at least an interesting read. Be sure to share your thoughts and ideas, I would love to hear them (even if you think I’m crazy).

Here is the continuation FanPost of My Offseason Plan for the Hurricanes. Again, sorry for the length, but I hope you enjoy.

Step # 4 – Trades & Free Agent Signings (on or after July 1, 2013)

Changing the Guard Trade – trade D Tim Gleason ($4.0M) and F Victor Rask ($894K) to Chicago for D Niklas Hjalmarsson ($3.5M), F Rostislav Olesz ($3.125M) and F Jimmy Hayes ($875K).
- Chicago – While the Blackhawks have been one of the league’s top teams, they have finished two years in a row with the least number of hits in the league. They have also finished in the bottom 3rd in the NHL in blocked shots. Acquiring Gleason should allow them to improve those numbers and allow Gleason to get back to playing his style of hockey. Gleason would probably be a 2nd pairing defenseman for the Hawks and the physical force that Hjalmarsson is not. Hjalmarsson is a solid defenseman, but Chicago already has two of those guys in Brent Seabrook and Duncan Keith. Gleason allows for some additional toughness on the blue line. Another key to this deal would be Rask. Chicago has been trying to find a 2nd line center to play between Patrick Kane and Patrick Sharp for a while. Rask might not be an immediate help, but it doesn’t appear he is too far away. Rask could prove to be the piece that line needs to be even better. And the last big benefit of this trade for Chicago would be ridding them of Olesz. He is currently eating up over $3 million of cap space. They could always use an amnesty buyout on him, but this would allow them to avoid that. This could save the Blackhawks $2.625 million in cap space for the 13/14 season.
- Carolina – With this deal, the Canes acquire a 25 year old defensive defenseman that isn’t a bad puck-mover either. He isn’t an offensive force and doesn’t hit a ton, but he is solid defensively, blocks shots and can play a shutdown role. I think his abilities would match well with Justin Faulk, creating a pairing that plays a lot and can play in both zones. Hjalmarsson only has one year left on his contract and that can be considered good or bad. Either he works out and the Canes must resign him (probably to a raise) or he doesn’t work out and the Canes have some flexibility. (One additional thought I had was another trade where Carolina sends Hjalmarsson goes to the Rangers in exchange for Marc Staal at the trade deadline. That might be something New York would consider.) Another acquisition in this trade would be Hayes. Hayes is a big boy that has a little bit of skill. At 6’6", 220 lbs, he is an intimidating creature, but still needs to round his game out more. Since he is on a two-way contract, he can be moved between the NHL & AHL. The final piece of this trade is acquiring Olesz, not a player the Canes need. This would be the difficult part, but this probably would have to happen to get the deal done. I would use one of my amnesty buyouts on him, using it as a resource. It’s a lot of money, but he will be in the last year of his contract, so at least it isn’t multiple years.
The Tough Decision Trade – trade F Jeff Skinner ($5.75M) to Dallas for F Loui Eriksson ($4.25M) and D Patrik Nemeth ($870K).
- Dallas – The Stars have somewhat started a rebuilding phase, trading away some veteran players and acquiring some younger defensemen. Their starting LW is 40 years old and will be entering the last year of his contract. Skinner is a young, dynamic forward that could be part of the core for Dallas for years to come. Imagine a line of Skinner/Benn/Chiasson for the Stars, that should be entertaining and productive. Skinner isn’t great defensively and does need some protection and these two line mates should help him out with those things. Skinner is also a fan favorite, so he should help put butts in seats.
- Carolina – It’s tough trading away a young player with Skinner’s talent, but because of the cap situation, it really appears that Skinner or Ruutu will have to be moved to fill other holes and give the Canes the ability to sign some other key personnel. But with the trade, the Canes at least get good value in return for Skinner and save a little money in doing so. Eriksson is probably one of the more underrated players in the league. The guy has put up 70 points in three straight seasons, but his pace has dropped off some this season (only projected to be at 51 points on an 82 game schedule). But he has decent size, goes to the traffic areas, has good hands and can really do it all. I think he would be a really good line mate for Jordan Staal and has been effective on the PP. The Canes would also get a big, young defenseman in Nemeth who compares to Nicklas Grossman. Nemeth is 6’3", 212 lbs and is a decent skater and decent puck-mover. He’s not the Stars top defensive prospect, but should become a solid NHL blue liner in the near future. He was a +11 in his first AHL season and will probably play another year in the AHL, but he could be a call up next season or a full-timer in 14/15.
Extra Pieces Trade – trade D Jamie McBain ($1.8M) and Marc-Andre Gragnani ($840K) to New York for F Brian Boyle ($1.7M) and F Michael St. Croix ($900K).
- New York – The Rangers are a pretty deep team, so much it might present a small problem. They have 10 forwards under one-way contracts next season plus they have three pretty important forwards that are RFA this offseason (Derek Stepan, Carl Hagelin, Mats Zuccarello) plus they have three or four forwards on entry-level deals that could be ready or close-to-ready for NHL duty. The only one-way deal that can be sent to the minors without a salary cap hit is Stu Bickel, so it seems the Rangers could afford to move someone. One area that the Rangers system isn’t exactly deep in is offensive defenseman. While adding McBain isn’t a guarantee, he has shown some offensive ability at the NHL level and maybe a change of scenery would do him some good. The New York defense focuses a little more in their own zone, so they should be able to cover up some of McBain’s shortcomings a little better than Carolina can. Gragnani would be included because he too has some offensive ability, but can start the season in the AHL. Losing Boyle shouldn’t be a huge hurdle for the Rangers. They have three better than average centers and multiple other players that can fill in if necessary. The cap hit exchange is pretty even as Boyle’s cap number is $1.7 million and McBain’s is $1.8 million, McBain will also be a RFA after the 13/14 season.
- Carolina – In Boyle, Carolina would get a big checking line center that delivers a lot of hits and has more offense than he has shown this season. Boyle is also a really good faceoff man at over 56% this season, but he can play multiple positions. His contract expires at the end of the season and I would use him as a bridge to Barkov. But because of his versatility and size, he could be resigned for a bottom 6 role. Trading McBain signals an end to what was supposed to be a very good player for Carolina. But the Canes need to move toward more responsibility in their own zone and McBain didn’t fit in the system. Gragnani was an interesting add, but only saw limited action with Carolina. St. Croix is a young, smaller center that will make the transition to the AHL next season. With Charlotte not exactly deep in talented forwards, St. Croix could be an asset. He might or might not every make it to the NHL, but you could say that about many prospects.
Depth Swap Trade – trade F Andreas Nodl ($888K) and D Michal Jordan ($665K) to St. Louis for D Ian Cole (RFA).
- St. Louis – St. Louis is in a somewhat difficult situation. They have four important RFA’s that need to be signed this summer and all should be getting a nice bump in salary (Chris Stewart, Patrik Berglund, Alex Pietrangelo and Kevin Shattenkirk). They also have two additional RFA defensemen that would not be waiver-exempt in Kris Russell and Ian Cole. Add to that, three veteran defensemen on one-way contracts, a veteran UFA that could be resigned and a couple of prospects that could be close-to-ready. The Blues have plenty of cap space to get all of these guys under contract, but they have generally been a budget team and might not be willing to carry eight defensemen all season, so I believe Cole could be had. St. Louis is pretty deep, but could probably use some NHL ready call up players. Nodl is a guy with experience that can contribute on the 4th line and PK. Plus he could be waived back to the minors without any cap penalty. Jordan is still a developing defenseman that would probably be in the AHL, but he did get some NHL experience in Carolina this season and could be called up if needed. Both players are more defensive than offensive and both are hard-working guys. These are traits that fit Coach Ken Hitchcock’s style.
- Carolina – The Canes gain a young defensive defenseman that hasn’t quite put it all together yet. Cole is somewhat a project, but has the ability to be a solid shutdown defenseman. I would pick him up to use as a 6th or 7th defenseman and see if he can develop into more. Giving up Nodl doesn’t hurt a lot because the Canes have a number of players/prospects that can handle his role. Jordan is probably a little tougher to move because he has been within the organization (both Plymouth & Charlotte) for six years. But the Canes have a number of new, talented defensemen needing time in the AHL and Cole projects as a much more able NHL defenseman. If St. Louis hasn’t already qualified Cole, I would at $919K.
Sign UFA D Toni Lydman to a 1 year, $2.25 million 35+ contract ($2.25M cap hit) – Lydman would be signed to be a veteran presence and he is still pretty good at what he does. With the Canes defense getting much younger, Lydman would provide some leadership and experience. He isn’t going to provide much offensively, but he is good in his own zone, skates well and is decent at moving the puck. He would basically be signed to transition to one of the younger defensemen in the 14/15 season.
Sign RFA D Justin Faulk to a 3 year, $11 million one-way contract ($3.67M cap hit) – Faulk is who I would build this defense around. But with him being a RFA, I would see if I could maintain a reasonable cap number for the next three years until some big contracts come off the books. I would escalate the amount from $3M the 1st year to $3.5M the 2nd year to $4.5M the 3rd year. This would also give the Canes one more year of RFA status after the contract expires. And since I have traded Gleason, I would give an ‘A’ to Faulk because comments I have heard from him make me think he is a leader in the room despite his young age.

Summary

Jiri Tlusty ($1.6M) / Eric Staal ($8.25M) / Alexander Semin ($7M)

Loui Eriksson ($4.25M) / Jordan Staal ($6M) / Tuomo Ruutu ($4.75M)

Jeremy Welsh ($850K) / Brian Boyle ($1.7M) / Zac Dalpe ($830K)

Drayson Bowman ($600K) / Riley Nash ($700K) / Patrick Dwyer ($900K)

Kevin Westgarth ($725K)

Niklas Hjalmarrson ($3.5M) / Justin Faulk ($900K)

Toni Lydman ($2.25M) / Erik Johnson ($3.75M)

Shane O’Brien ($2M) / Brett Bellemore ($550K)

Ian Cole ($919K)

Cam Ward ($6.3M) / Dan Ellis ($825K)

Retained Salary – Jussi Jokinen ($900K), Buyouts – Derek Joslin ($125K)

Salary Cap Total – 22 Players at $60,174,000 ($4.126 million in cap space)

Almost Ready or Call-Up Duty Forward – Tim Wallace, Brett Sutter, Aleksander Barkov, Jimmy Hayes, Chris Terry, Jarome Samson

Almost Ready or Call-Up Duty Defensemen – Ryan Murphy, Patrik Nemeth, Rasmus Rissanen, Justin Krueger

Almost Ready or Call-Up Duty Goalies – Justin Peters, Magnus Hellberg

My Offseason Plan for the Hurricanes - Part 1

2013-04-25T14:46:48Z

As the season draws to a close, yet again the Carolina Hurricanes find themselves on the outside of the Stanley Cup Playoff picture and knocking the cobwebs off the golf clubs. The season started out so promising, but injuries and poor play down the stretch took the Canes Playoff hopes and flushed them. So as the offseason approaches, I thought I would pretend I was the Canes General Manager and set an offseason plan for improving the team. My goals are to improve the team's blue line and bottom 6 while trying to manage the Salary Cap situation for not only next season, but the following season. I am also looking to increase the team’s size and find a few prospects for Charlotte that are close to NHL-ready, in case injuries occur and players are needing to be called up.

My plan is obviously my opinion and is most likely not shared by everyone, but this team needs a plan and I thought it would be at least a decent talking point. I have tried to study the Canes and other teams’ needs for this FanPost, but I am not pretending that I know what is in the heads of the players, players’ agents and other General Managers. I think the proposals I will put forth are fair, but again, I don’t know for certain if these people would find them fair. So here we go with my offseason plan for the Hurricanes, if I were the General Manager. And sorry for the long nature of this post, but I was trying to be thorough. It got so big, I had to make it two different FanPosts.

Step # 1 – Resign certain players (between now and the 2013 NHL Draft)

Sign RFA F Riley Nash to a 2 year, $1.4 million one-way contract ($700K cap hit) – Nash has proven to be one of the more capable prospects in the Canes system. While he isn’t an ideal 3rd line center at this point, he is capable of playing either the 3rd or 4th line center position. I would sign him to a one-way deal to reduce his cap number, with the idea of him being the team’s 4th line center next season and a fallback plan for the 3rd line center position.
Qualify RFA F Zac Dalpe to a 1 year, $830 thousand two-way contract ($830K cap hit) – Dalpe is currently the Canes most ready offensive prospect and I would give him a shot at a NHL roster spot next season. He would probably play 3rd line RW, but could potentially play the 2nd line RW. The two-way contract would most likely be mute, because I believe Dalpe would not be waiver exempt next season. But I believe his time is now or never with the Hurricanes.
Sign UFA D Brett Bellemore to a 1 year, $550 thousand one-way contract ($550K cap hit) – Bellemore looked solid in his games with the Canes this season and deserves a spot on the roster. At $550K, he could be a 6th or 7th defenseman and add a little size to the blue line. There are still plenty of questions surrounding him, but signing him is a low risk proposition.
Sign UFA F Tim Wallace to a 1 year, $700 thousand two-way contract ($700K cap hit, $105K salary at the AHL level) – Wallace is limited in what he brings, but he gives it everything he’s got. I would sign him with the plan that he plays in Charlotte and is an emergency call-up when injuries occur. He should also be a nice veteran presence for the younger players on the Checkers.
Sign UFA G Dan Ellis to a 1 year, $825 thousand one-way contract ($825K cap hit) – Ellis appears to be a decent backup goaltender, but not able to handle the starters role. The Canes must find a backup that fits in their budget and can hopefully bridge the gap until a younger backup is found. If Ellis wants more than $850K, I would let him walk.
Sign UFA F Brett Sutter to a 1 year, $575 thousand two-way contract ($575K cap hit, $105K salary at the AHL level) – Sutter is another limited player that can be useful at times for the Hurricanes. The plan would be for him to continue in Charlotte, but he could be an emergency call-up if needed. He is the captain of the Checkers and his work ethic should be a good influence on the young players.
I would also extend qualifying offers to Andreas Nodl, Marc-Andre Gragnani, Zach Boychuk, Michal Jordan, Jerome Samson, Luke Pither, Justin Krueger and Jared Staal. I would not qualify A.J. Jenks or Joe Sova.

Step # 2 – The 2013 NHL Draft (on June 30, 2013)

I believe the Canes will end up 26th in the league, ahead of only Florida, Colorado, Nashville and Edmonton. I also have a funny feeling that Colorado will win the Draft Lottery, getting the 1st overall pick. So I’m assuming the Canes pick will be at # 5, if so I would choose F Aleksander Barkov (if available) with the 5th overall selection – Barkov appears to be a type of player the Canes need and he is also a very skilled player. He has nice size at 6’2" and 209 lbs, but he is more than just size. He is a sound two-way player that has good puck handling ability, good hands and can really do it all. From what I have read, his skating is only average to above average, so that is something he would have to work on. I would select him and talk him into coming over to play in Charlotte next season, getting accustom to the North American game with the plan for him to take over the 3rd line center position when he is ready. The Canes could also select F Valeri Nichushkin or possibly even trade back with a team like Calgary or Buffalo, maybe getting two 1st Round Picks
With the rest of the selections, I would focus on adding some skill that has size, both forwards and defensemen. And somewhere between Rounds 2 & 4, I would look to select a goalie.
Draft Day Trade – trade D Joni Pitkanen, F Zach Boychuk and a conditional 2014 2nd Round Pick to Colorado for D Erik Johnson and D Shane O’Brien.
- Colorado – If you include Tyson Barrie & Stefan Elliott, the Avs have 8 NHL defensemen under contract heading into next season. They also have Duncan Siemens in the minors and he might be NHL ready in a year. So they have some defensemen that could possibly be moved. I have read that they are interested in a mobile, puck-moving defenseman and that describes Pitkanen well. Pitkanen could eat a lot of minutes for them and be a good playmaker from the blue line. He only has a year remaining on his deal, so the 2014 conditional pick would go to Colorado if he doesn’t resign with them. They would move Johnson, whom they expected to be their franchise defenseman. But he hasn’t fulfilled expectations as of yet. A lot was traded for him and the pressure might have some effect on his performance. Maybe a new start with less pressure would help him live up to his potential. The Avs would also gain Boychuk to add to their farm team. The Avs are pretty deep at the center position, but not so much on the wings. Boychuk hasn’t lived up to his expectations either, but could be a skilled injury call up if needed. Maybe another chance will awaken him and he will final becoming a NHL player. This trade also saves the Avs $1.25 million in cap space.
- Carolina – While Johnson hasn’t lived up to expectations, he has still been a solid defenseman. He is big, skates well and has all the abilities; he just has to put it together. In Carolina, he could be a 2nd pairing defenseman without all the pressures and hopeful pick up his game to a new level. He could really be a great acquisition if he figures everything out. Also acquired would be O’Brien, a big defenseman that can play a physical bottom pairing role. He plays with an edge and that will probably be needed against new division rivals. He isn’t impressive offensively, but that’s not what he is here to do. He will deliver some hits, contribute on the PK and add some toughness to the Canes blue line.
A Contingency Trade – if the trade with Colorado happened, I would have a contingency trade already in place. I would trade D Jay Harrison to Nashville for G Magnus Hellberg and a 2013 5th Round Pick.
- Nashville – Nashville’s defense has a significantly different look to it since Ryan Suter departed. They still have Shea Weber and Kevin Klein anchoring the blue line, but the rest is made up of promising offensive-minded young guys and old man Hal Gill. Acquiring Harrison should be a stabilizing component of a bottom pairing. Harrison is younger and has more mobility than Gill and could help the younger offensive defensemen transition to the NHL game. Harrison also comes pretty inexpensive, which could be nice for the budget conscious Predators. And the Preds would only give up a goaltending prospect and late round pick. Pekka Rinne is signed for a million years and Nashville has a couple of good goalie prospects that can back him up.
- Carolina – Hellberg is a big goaltending prospect that is getting his first taste of the North American game this season in the AHL. He appears to have performed quite well, but probably needs a little more seasoning. I would acquire him and have him take over in Charlotte next season. Hopefully he continues to develop and could become a solid backup for Cam in a year or two. And there is always the possibility he turns out even better and maybe takes over or splits time when Cam’s contract expires.

Step # 3 – Let certain players walk (on July 1, 2013)

I would say goodbye to Chad LaRose, Tim Brent and Marc-Andre Bergeron – They have been nice players at times, but it’s time to move on and in a different direction. Bergeron is too small and not defensive enough to remain on this team. Brent’s position will likely be filled by Nash or someone else. LaRose is the organization’s son, but it’s time to let him go and replace him with someone more capable and cheaper.
I would hold off on resigning Joe Corvo and Bobby Sanguinetti until other moves are made. There is always the possibility of them signing with another team, but in my mind, these two are backup plans if improvements can’t be found. They can work, but neither really helps this defense take the next step.

The second part of this post will go into some additional moves I would make this offseason and summarize how the team will be restructured going into next season.

Step # 1 – Resign certain players (between now and the 2013 NHL Draft)

Sign RFA F Riley Nash to a 2 year, $1.4 million one-way contract ($700K cap hit) – Nash has proven to be one of the more capable prospects in the Canes system. While he isn’t an ideal 3rd line center at this point, he is capable of playing either the 3rd or 4th line center position. I would sign him to a one-way deal to reduce his cap number, with the idea of him being the team’s 4th line center next season and a fallback plan for the 3rd line center position.
Qualify RFA F Zac Dalpe to a 1 year, $830 thousand two-way contract ($830K cap hit) – Dalpe is currently the Canes most ready offensive prospect and I would give him a shot at a NHL roster spot next season. He would probably play 3rd line RW, but could potentially play the 2nd line RW. The two-way contract would most likely be mute, because I believe Dalpe would not be waiver exempt next season. But I believe his time is now or never with the Hurricanes.
Sign UFA D Brett Bellemore to a 1 year, $550 thousand one-way contract ($550K cap hit) – Bellemore looked solid in his games with the Canes this season and deserves a spot on the roster. At $550K, he could be a 6th or 7th defenseman and add a little size to the blue line. There are still plenty of questions surrounding him, but signing him is a low risk proposition.
Sign UFA F Tim Wallace to a 1 year, $700 thousand two-way contract ($700K cap hit, $105K salary at the AHL level) – Wallace is limited in what he brings, but he gives it everything he’s got. I would sign him with the plan that he plays in Charlotte and is an emergency call-up when injuries occur. He should also be a nice veteran presence for the younger players on the Checkers.
Sign UFA G Dan Ellis to a 1 year, $825 thousand one-way contract ($825K cap hit) – Ellis appears to be a decent backup goaltender, but not able to handle the starters role. The Canes must find a backup that fits in their budget and can hopefully bridge the gap until a younger backup is found. If Ellis wants more than $850K, I would let him walk.
Sign UFA F Brett Sutter to a 1 year, $575 thousand two-way contract ($575K cap hit, $105K salary at the AHL level) – Sutter is another limited player that can be useful at times for the Hurricanes. The plan would be for him to continue in Charlotte, but he could be an emergency call-up if needed. He is the captain of the Checkers and his work ethic should be a good influence on the young players.
I would also extend qualifying offers to Andreas Nodl, Marc-Andre Gragnani, Zach Boychuk, Michal Jordan, Jerome Samson, Luke Pither, Justin Krueger and Jared Staal. I would not qualify A.J. Jenks or Joe Sova.

Step # 2 – The 2013 NHL Draft (on June 30, 2013)

I believe the Canes will end up 26th in the league, ahead of only Florida, Colorado, Nashville and Edmonton. I also have a funny feeling that Colorado will win the Draft Lottery, getting the 1st overall pick. So I’m assuming the Canes pick will be at # 5, if so I would choose F Aleksander Barkov (if available) with the 5th overall selection – Barkov appears to be a type of player the Canes need and he is also a very skilled player. He has nice size at 6’2" and 209 lbs, but he is more than just size. He is a sound two-way player that has good puck handling ability, good hands and can really do it all. From what I have read, his skating is only average to above average, so that is something he would have to work on. I would select him and talk him into coming over to play in Charlotte next season, getting accustom to the North American game with the plan for him to take over the 3rd line center position when he is ready. The Canes could also select F Valeri Nichushkin or possibly even trade back with a team like Calgary or Buffalo, maybe getting two 1st Round Picks
With the rest of the selections, I would focus on adding some skill that has size, both forwards and defensemen. And somewhere between Rounds 2 & 4, I would look to select a goalie.
Draft Day Trade – trade D Joni Pitkanen, F Zach Boychuk and a conditional 2014 2nd Round Pick to Colorado for D Erik Johnson and D Shane O’Brien.
- Colorado – If you include Tyson Barrie & Stefan Elliott, the Avs have 8 NHL defensemen under contract heading into next season. They also have Duncan Siemens in the minors and he might be NHL ready in a year. So they have some defensemen that could possibly be moved. I have read that they are interested in a mobile, puck-moving defenseman and that describes Pitkanen well. Pitkanen could eat a lot of minutes for them and be a good playmaker from the blue line. He only has a year remaining on his deal, so the 2014 conditional pick would go to Colorado if he doesn’t resign with them. They would move Johnson, whom they expected to be their franchise defenseman. But he hasn’t fulfilled expectations as of yet. A lot was traded for him and the pressure might have some effect on his performance. Maybe a new start with less pressure would help him live up to his potential. The Avs would also gain Boychuk to add to their farm team. The Avs are pretty deep at the center position, but not so much on the wings. Boychuk hasn’t lived up to his expectations either, but could be a skilled injury call up if needed. Maybe another chance will awaken him and he will final becoming a NHL player. This trade also saves the Avs $1.25 million in cap space.
- Carolina – While Johnson hasn’t lived up to expectations, he has still been a solid defenseman. He is big, skates well and has all the abilities; he just has to put it together. In Carolina, he could be a 2nd pairing defenseman without all the pressures and hopeful pick up his game to a new level. He could really be a great acquisition if he figures everything out. Also acquired would be O’Brien, a big defenseman that can play a physical bottom pairing role. He plays with an edge and that will probably be needed against new division rivals. He isn’t impressive offensively, but that’s not what he is here to do. He will deliver some hits, contribute on the PK and add some toughness to the Canes blue line.
A Contingency Trade – if the trade with Colorado happened, I would have a contingency trade already in place. I would trade D Jay Harrison to Nashville for G Magnus Hellberg and a 2013 5th Round Pick.
- Nashville – Nashville’s defense has a significantly different look to it since Ryan Suter departed. They still have Shea Weber and Kevin Klein anchoring the blue line, but the rest is made up of promising offensive-minded young guys and old man Hal Gill. Acquiring Harrison should be a stabilizing component of a bottom pairing. Harrison is younger and has more mobility than Gill and could help the younger offensive defensemen transition to the NHL game. Harrison also comes pretty inexpensive, which could be nice for the budget conscious Predators. And the Preds would only give up a goaltending prospect and late round pick. Pekka Rinne is signed for a million years and Nashville has a couple of good goalie prospects that can back him up.
- Carolina – Hellberg is a big goaltending prospect that is getting his first taste of the North American game this season in the AHL. He appears to have performed quite well, but probably needs a little more seasoning. I would acquire him and have him take over in Charlotte next season. Hopefully he continues to develop and could become a solid backup for Cam in a year or two. And there is always the possibility he turns out even better and maybe takes over or splits time when Cam’s contract expires.

Step # 3 – Let certain players walk (on July 1, 2013)

I would say goodbye to Chad LaRose, Tim Brent and Marc-Andre Bergeron – They have been nice players at times, but it’s time to move on and in a different direction. Bergeron is too small and not defensive enough to remain on this team. Brent’s position will likely be filled by Nash or someone else. LaRose is the organization’s son, but it’s time to let him go and replace him with someone more capable and cheaper.
I would hold off on resigning Joe Corvo and Bobby Sanguinetti until other moves are made. There is always the possibility of them signing with another team, but in my mind, these two are backup plans if improvements can’t be found. They can work, but neither really helps this defense take the next step.

The second part of this post will go into some additional moves I would make this offseason and summarize how the team will be restructured going into next season.

Canesrewards.com?

2013-04-23T02:56:38Z

Anybody else using the rewards site yet?

I've been using it for a few weeks now, and I finally have enough points to redeem for a puck.

I was just curious if anybody else had redeemed for the puck and what kind of puck it was.

I tried to tweet to the Hurricanes twitter account and the canesrewards accounts earlier tonight, but didn't get any sort of answer and they didn't have anything in their FAQ.

I would assume for 25,000 points it'd at least be signed by somebody...

Anybody else using the rewards site yet?

I've been using it for a few weeks now, and I finally have enough points to redeem for a puck.

I was just curious if anybody else had redeemed for the puck and what kind of puck it was.

I tried to tweet to the Hurricanes twitter account and the canesrewards accounts earlier tonight, but didn't get any sort of answer and they didn't have anything in their FAQ.

I would assume for 25,000 points it'd at least be signed by somebody...

Please don't re-sign Chad Larose

2013-04-18T15:16:43Z

Hi Mr. Rutherford. I know what you're thinking. You see Rosie stand up to fight for Skinner the other night, he comes off the ice bloodied in battle standing up for his teammate. You hear the cheers of 'Canes fans. You know how open Rosie is to doing team functions. You think of him as a team leader.

But here's the facts.

The dude led Skinner into that hit needlessly. It was just another blind, ill-advised pass coming from a bottom-six forward playing in the top-six. He is always overslotted due to his enthusiasm and hard work, but he never seems to be successful, and often drags his linemates down with his lack of size and skill.

His stats over the last five years:

GP / G / A / P / +-

12-13: 29 / 2 / 2 / 4 / -2
11-12: 67 / 19 / 13 / 32 / -15
10-11: 82 / 16 / 15 / 31 / -21
09-10: 56 / 11 / 17 / 28 / -2
08-09: 81 / 19 / 12 / 31 / +6

He cannot effectively forecheck. He's easily pushed off the puck. He's too slow to back check. He shoots wide or into the goalie's chest with alarming regularity. He is often out of position. He takes untimely penalties.

Looking for a hustle guy? Pat Dwyer's your man. Looking for a heart and soul guy? #15 is pretty solid.

Please, don't be blinded by allegiance to a longtime footsoldier. We are in a beat-em-up division next year, we need to get bigger and stronger.

Please don't re-sign Chad Larose.

But here's the facts.

Looking for a hustle guy? Pat Dwyer's your man. Looking for a heart and soul guy? #15 is pretty solid.

Please, don't be blinded by allegiance to a longtime footsoldier. We are in a beat-em-up division next year, we need to get bigger and stronger.

Please don't re-sign Chad Larose.

More on Root Cause Analysis: The Source of the 2012-2013 Failure

2013-04-13T14:12:18Z

More on Root Cause Analysis: The Source of the 2012-2013 Failure

Doug Abrams

If there is one overriding issue with the Hurricanes organization that I would change, it is what appears to me to be a need for more detachment and more pure analysis. Intangibles in hockey are by their very nature difficult, if not impossible, to define. The inter-relationship between success on the ice and relationships on the ice has no specific scientific or statistical analysis to examine.

If it were simple to build championship teams, dynasties would be the rule and not the exception. On the other hand, there are recurrent themes with the Hurricanes organization that ultimately led to the lack of playoff participation. In my view, one overriding issue for the Hurricanes is a propensity for overvaluing some players for their perceived off ice role.

Why the Hurricanes Failed This Season and How to Fix It

Above all else, the Hurricanes failed this season because they suffered injuries to key players, and the players inserted into the lineup were unable to carry their burden in their expanded roles. It was simple to see on the ice. It was simple to analyze with statistics. This season tested the depth of the Hurricanes organization, but the injuries also tested the resolve the Hurricanes organization to see what could be seen and to respond accordingly.

Putting Grinders on Scoring Lines is a Recipe for Failure

Players such as Pat Dwyer and Chad LaRose are grinders. Grinders have an important place on teams, in proper usage and in proper context. Out of their comfort zone and their skill set, they are flat times on a Porsche during a race. It was a mistake throughout the coaching staff and the organization to attempt yet again to overslot Dwyer and LaRose. That experiment failed in past seasons, and it failed in this season. Jokinen had the potential to be helpful as a second line RW; and it was logical to give try him in that role. As it turned out, under Muller's uptempo game, Jokinen's lack of speed and lack of physicality made him a very poor fit for Skinner and Jordan Staal.

The failure of the coaches and Jim Rutherford to stick with Dalpe was a significant contributing cause, although not the sole cause by any means, for this season's poor performance. Skinner and Jordan Staal need either a player like Ruutu who brings skilled, physicality and scoring touch, or a high-end offensive skill set such as Dalpe. Dalpe in his first six games was producing scoring chances for the second line, and was also creating space for Skinner and Jordan Staal. The idea that Dalpe needed to be perfect each shift to remain on the second line was flawed. There were no perfect replacements for Dalpe. The second line has floundered compared to the skill sets available; and it put far too much pressure on the Tlusty/EStaal/Semin line to score.

This problem is readily fixed. Next season both Dalpe and Ruutu need to spend time on the second line, depending on which one is playing the best. Rutherford and Muller need to write on a blackboard 1,000 times: "I will not put grinders on the second line." I do think there is a system wide cultural change that is needed. Even in the language of how players are discussed, far too much emphasis is given to a player such as LaRose for his hustle, when in fact much of the energy he expends is counterproductive, especially on the second line. Failure is failure. It isn't less of a failure because a great person with great intentions fails. The puck goes where it goes and the delightful personality of the person holding the hockey stick is irrelevant. All the players on the Hurricanes are men of character and integrity or they wouldn't be on the team. For Muller's system of accountability to work, the coaches and the organization also has to hold tight to the principle of accountability. The best players need to be playing even if they are less charismatic in the locker room than some other players.

Hope is Not a Plan of Action

Bryan Allen was far from a perfect hockey player. He was however the best the Hurricanes have had in a long time at clearing the crease and making the Hurricanes hard to play against in the battle zones. It was a mistake not to replace Allen with somebody with similar skill sets and attitude. Corvo was the wrong person for the right reasons. Corvo on some teams would have been a great help. As it turned out in the shortened season, he has struggled. Under Muller's system he is a detriment because he does not bring composure and ease in breakouts. His tendency toward miscues in his own end is not what the Hurricanes needed. Objectively, the addition of Corvo was unlikely to bring anything but disappointment given the mismatch between his strengths as a player and the needs of the Hurricanes. Quarterbacking the power play was supposed to be one of Corvo's strengths. The power play floundered and Corvo was not able to bring veteran presence to bear.

Depending on Non-NHL Quality Goalies Never Works

NHL Teams with terrible goalies don't make the playoffs. An NHL team can be playoff quality, but if the goalie is abysmal the team will be participating in early golfing. Peters has been given every opportunity to succeed as a backup goalie. For many reasons, he has continued to demonstrate he is not yet, and increasingly it looks less and less likely he will become, a legitimate NHL goalie. Peters has moments of brilliance. He is big, fast, determined, highly competitive. He, however, suffers from the inability to provide consistent NHL level goalie performance. He doesn't need to be great. He only needs to be adequate on a steady, reliable basis. To date, he has not been able to do so. Ellis has had a previous history of periods of stellar play, followed by bewildering periods of ineptitude. Injuries certainly played a role; but his mental makeup also plays a role. It was the combination of injuries and erratic play that left him an unemployed NHL goalie. The demand for competent, reliable NHL backup goalies is so great that the fact he was available was at least a caution sign. Now it is unclear if the laceration was the cause of Ellis' decline or whether it was his state of mind. It could all be explained by trying to come back too soon for the good of the team. The problem is how can anybody, including Jim Rutherford, know for certain? As such, the Hurricanes need to turn the page on Dan Ellis.

The McBain Regression

Other than exceptional athletes like Faulk, virtually all young defensemen will have a regression at some point. It's an impossible position to play perfectly; or so nearly impossible that only a few of the most outstanding athletes can replicate success year after year. McBain's regression, however, seems to be as much a matter of not having bought in to Muller's style as it was the natural pattern of things. McBain became a menace by the standards of bringing composed, elegant breakouts. His lack of physicality around his own crease left the Hurricanes vulnerable numerous times. His turnovers were legend.

McBain on some teams will be a great asset. Unless McBain changes his over all approach he has no future with the Hurricanes. Muller is not going to revamp his system to accommodate McBain's preferred style of play.

Mighty Mites Don't Work on the Fourth Line of a Physicality First Team

Muller's system rises or falls on his team bringing solid effort each shift by each line. It depends on wearing down opposing teams and being smart, but aggressive. I suspect one could count the 50/50 puck wins and losses and predict the outcome of the game. In another area in which hope is not a plan of action, the Hurricanes fielded bottom six players who individually were fine, but as a group were too small to play their combined roles well. It was entirely predictable that having three bottom six roster spots taken by LaRose, Dwyer, and Brent would yield disappointment. Any one of the three would do fine. Two of the three is probably overly optimistic. Having all three on one team could not work, did not work, and will not work in the future. It isn't a condemnation of any of the three guys. All three are NHL quality players. All give full effort. Dwyer is the most complete hockey player of the three, I think; but Brent and LaRose are fully proven NHL players. Even so, one could look at all three and know there was heartache ahead. Muller and Rutherford must revamp the bottom six.

The good news is that with Nash and Bowman two of the bottom six are solid. Dalpe should also be on the team, either on the second line, with Ruutu on the third line, or vice versa. Dwyer would be the most logical fourth player of the six. Accordingly, there are only two slots to fill; and the Hurricanes have numerous good choices. In an ideal world, Rask or Barkov would take over as the third line center and Nash would move to the fourth line. Muller would have an ideal setup if the fourth line were not paperweights, but instead were far more productive. For example, Bowman/Nash/Welsh or Bowman/Nash/Dwyer could be an impactful fourth line that could play 10 to 12 minutes of good hockey a night.

The Solutions are Easy to See and Articulate

The problems are easy to see, easy to articulate, and most are easy to remedy if the organization's will is there. The Hurricanes need another high quality shutdown defenseman. Seth Jones is choice #1 for improving the defense. In the absence of Seth Jones, it is much harder to make a hockey deal that helps. Top four defensemen are rare and expensive. Essentially, the Nashville Predator approach of drafting defensemen is one way; but then they wind up developing and leaving for more money. One can hope that Gleason and Faulk are the first pairing; that somebody can play with Pitkanen (assuming he fully recovers), and that Harrison or Bellemore can play with Ryan Murphy. Sanguinetti has the skating ability to play with Pitkanen. If Sanguinetti wants to stick with the Hurricanes, he is going to have to muscle up and bulk up more.

The Hurricanes need to keep Dalpe. The Hurricanes need to draft Barkov if he's available and perhaps even so if Seth Jones is available. Statistically, it's a long shot that the Hurricanes get a chance to draft Seth Jones, and it is much more likely Barkov is available.

The Hurricanes need to try another back up goalkeeper and waive Peters back to the AHL and not re-sign Ellis. The Hurricanes need to trade McBain, and not re-sign Corvo and Bergeron. The Hurricanes need to assess whether Barkov and/or Rask are NHL ready and if not work on obtaining a fourth line center with some bulk and sandpaper.

The Hurricanes have a great future; and with a strong draft in 2013, the talent level will rise yet again. In some ways, the frustrating thing about the Hurricanes is not the lack of talent. The frustrating thing is that the Hurricanes tend to overvalue some layers and undervalue other players so that the organization does not get the best usage of the talent it has.

More on Root Cause Analysis: The Source of the 2012-2013 Failure

Doug Abrams

Why the Hurricanes Failed This Season and How to Fix It

Putting Grinders on Scoring Lines is a Recipe for Failure

Hope is Not a Plan of Action

Depending on Non-NHL Quality Goalies Never Works

The McBain Regression

Mighty Mites Don't Work on the Fourth Line of a Physicality First Team

The Solutions are Easy to See and Articulate

And What Does JR Do in the Next Few Months?

2013-04-12T15:33:44Z

It is clear that the Canes will not make the playoffs this season. It is also clear that the Canes will have at least a top 10 draft pick and very likely a top 5 pick or better with a reasonable chance of a lottery win for the #1 pick.

If seems to be the general feeling on this blog that the Canes need to re-tool the defense and re-tool the bottom six slots. There also seems to be some sense that a backup goalie is needed because neither Ellis or Peters have really "stepped up and grabbed the #1 slot" in Cam's absence as Muller said he wanted. This list will be full plate for JR to accomplish in just one summer.

So what does JR do?

Here are some alternatives:

Trade as many players as he can for veteran help in defense between now and the start of next season. Who should be traded and who should be targeted? Is a good question.

Trade the high 1st round pick in the up-coming draft and maybe current prospects and roster players to another team for veteran help on defense. Some of you might not be too keen on this alternative.

Acquire one or several free agents for all these needs after July 1. Since with the significant reduction in the cap there will be teams shedding salary and there seems to be a feeling among the mainstream media that more free agents will be available and of good quality. The competition might be tough but then again a number of teams may be forced to sit on the sidelines because of the cap. Again who should be targeted.

Obviously he might be able to obtain new talent by using all of the above alternatives.

Are there other alternatives?

Just for fun, what do you think? What do you want the Canes to look like at the start of next season. A poll below and comments are welcomed.

So what does JR do?

Here are some alternatives:

Trade as many players as he can for veteran help in defense between now and the start of next season. Who should be traded and who should be targeted? Is a good question.

Trade the high 1st round pick in the up-coming draft and maybe current prospects and roster players to another team for veteran help on defense. Some of you might not be too keen on this alternative.

Obviously he might be able to obtain new talent by using all of the above alternatives.

Are there other alternatives?

Just for fun, what do you think? What do you want the Canes to look like at the start of next season. A poll below and comments are welcomed.

Poll

Which alternative would you think JR will have to use to retool the team for next season?

1. Trade players

27 votes

2. Trade Canes 1st Round pick and perhaps other assets

0 votes

3. Aquire new free agent talent after July 1

16 votes

4. All of the above

10 votes

5. None of the above

4 votes

57 votes | Poll has closed

Adam Gold

2013-04-11T13:54:38Z

Was listening to the Adam Gold show on 99.9 yesterday, and he starts a rant against 'Canes prospects, especially Zac Dalpe, basically saying that his being sent back down PROVES he is a bust. He then proceeds to talk about how the 'Canes have traditionally been a budget team and need to stop spending money on free agents and just basically accept mediocrity. This pissed me off for many reasons.

First, with regard to Dalpe, had Gold actually been paying attention he would've seen how Dalpe actually played well in his latest call up BUT needed to get sent back down not for his performance in Raleigh but for other reasons, first and foremost to help the Checkers make the playoffs which is important to the development of young players as the level of play intensifies in the playoffs and they need to experience that. Slamming the franchise's development system as he then did in this particular case is way off base, and if you look harder at the multiple levels of minor league talent you might agree with me that the 'Canes are by no means awful, they are simply not hitting continual home runs all the time.

The budget team analogy is one I hear often from casual fans who really don't give a crap if the 'Canes go far in the playoffs or threaten for another Cup. They simply like going to games and want to have someone to root for locally without paying a lot for tickets, which is how management makes up the difference for spending money on free agents. If you look at the payoff for the Semin investment, I believe you will agree with me that it is paying off now and has potential to really pay off big time sooner than later. The Jordan Staal project seems as if it will take more time, but finding a second line center was a priority that JR tried to take care of.

The bigger picture here is Adam Gold himself; he has never been a hockey guy, and has served more as a talk radio host who seems to read a headline in the N&O and then talk about it. Chip Alexander, on the other hand, at least tries to engage with the team, attending practices, games, traveling from time to time with the team, and has articles of merit. Luke DeCock...well, let's just not get me started on Luke DeCock.

I am actually happy we don't have an overwhelming hockey media here like Toronto, they are over the top. At the same time, guys like Adam Gold need to stop spouting their ignorance about the 'Canes as gospel. Like my momma always said, if you don't know what you're talking about don't talk about it.

Rant over, thanks for listening. Interested to hear if everyone thinks I'm off-base on this or not.

Looking Ahead to 13/14

2013-04-08T13:55:25Z

We all are looking to next season and putting in our 2 cents. Here I will break down our contract situation for next season, so we may have a realistic idea of what product we will be able to put on the ice next season.

Expiring Contracts:

According to capgeek the Canes have a few guys with expiring contracts next year. IMO we don't have enough. Here is a look at who's contract is expiring:

NHL:

Chad Larose UFA 1.7m
Zac Dalpe RFA 875k
Riley Nash RFA 875k
Tim Brent UFA 750k
Joe Corvo UFA 2m
MA Bergeron UFA 1m
B Sanguinetti UFA 700k
Brett Bellemore UFA 525k
Dan Ellis UFA 800k
Tim Wallace UFA 700k

Prospects:

Jenks
Nodl
Gragnani
Boychuk
Jordan
Samson
Pither
Krueger
Jared Staal
Sova
Brett Sutter
Muse

These prospects all have expiring RFA contracts, so they should be renewed easily if that is what the Canes front office wishes.

Outlook:

If we assume nobody is resigned next year our lines will look like this:

FWD: () = expiring contract slot to fill.

E. Staal - Tlusty - Semin
J. Staal - Skinner - Ruutu
Bowman - () - Dwyer
() - () - Westgarth

DEF:

Gleason - Faulk
McBain - Pitkanen
Harrison - Murphy

Capgeek says that the Canes have $8,197,500 in cap space next season. With Murphy called up and his salary counting against the cap it will only leave the Canes with $6,853,333 in cap to fill the remaining spots.
Now we know that even though we are only showing 3 open spots, this will not be sufficient since hockey is a sport that requires depth. People will get hurt.
If the Canes go the easy route and re-sign their expiring RFA's Dalpe and Nash (they should IMO) to contracts of the same value they will be left with $5,103,333 in cap space. The lines would look like this:
FWD:

E. Staal - Tlusty - Semin
J. Staal - Skinner - Ruutu
Bowman - Nash - Dwyer
Dalpe - () - Westgarth

DEF:

Gleason - Faulk
McBain - Pitkanen
Harrison - Murphy

The Hurricanes would need to fill a few more spots in order to have a reasonable roster next season. They need a 4th line center, depth winger, and depth defenseman. All can be had easily for 5 million that is left over. Another option the Canes have to improve is a good draft pick.

Draft:

If the season ended today the canes would have the 5th overall pick (assuming the lottery goes accordingly). According to Hockey's Future the Canes are the 25th ranked team prospect wise. This is pretty bad considering we haven't been a playoff team in several years. One of the main problems IMO is because we have had 9th place finishes a few times, you could call us the Calgary Flames of the Eastern Conference. This year's draft is supposed to be a deep draft, and Hockey's Future says that we are lacking in winger depth and Goalie depth. I tend to agree. One area I disagree with is I believe that you cannot really judge prospects due to position in the CHL or wherever they previously played. Not all the time do young centers make the jump to center in the NHL (see Jeff Skinner). Here is a look at the upcoming prospects in the top 10 according to TSN that the Canes should be looking at:

Craig's List: (March 4)

ISS Ranking: (March 15)

Seth Jones - D
Valeri Nichushkin - LW
Nate MacKinnon - C
Jonathan Drouin - LW
Darnell Nurse - D
Aleksander Barkov - C
Nikita Zadorov - D
Elias Lindholm - C
Sean Monahan - C
Rasmus Ristolainen - D

I personally think that the Canes should look at drafting forwards. The Canes desperately need to improve their defense, but I think they need to do that with veterans through trade or free agency. The player that I really like in this draft that I think the Canes have a good shot at getting is Aleksander Barkov. Although he is listed as a center, I believe that he would fit well with a players like Skinner and Dalpe. He is a playmaker.
Another place the Hurricanes need to look at to improve their roster is in free agency this coming off season. The only problem here is the obvious, the cap room. Here is a look at some notable free agents according to Cap Geek:

Depth Centers / 4th liners:

1. Boyd Gordon - 1.3 mil - good defensive fwd, good at face-offs - somewhat injury-prone, not very good offensively

2. David Steckel - 1.1 mil - great at face-offs, big defensive fwd, can score - not very fast

3. Chris Mueller - 550k - affordable, versatile fwd, has worked with Muller before - not very strong, only 5'11

There are not a lot of options at the center position that will be affordable. I think Steckel would be a good fit, and I was hoping we would land him last year. Muller did say that we would need to get bigger if we entered a into a division with the Atlantic teams. Steckel would be a guy that could help.
To look at how the Canes can improve their defense check out PackPride's take here.
Let me know what you guys think!

Expiring Contracts:

According to capgeek the Canes have a few guys with expiring contracts next year. IMO we don't have enough. Here is a look at who's contract is expiring:

NHL:

Chad Larose UFA 1.7m
Zac Dalpe RFA 875k
Riley Nash RFA 875k
Tim Brent UFA 750k
Joe Corvo UFA 2m
MA Bergeron UFA 1m
B Sanguinetti UFA 700k
Brett Bellemore UFA 525k
Dan Ellis UFA 800k
Tim Wallace UFA 700k

Prospects:

Jenks
Nodl
Gragnani
Boychuk
Jordan
Samson
Pither
Krueger
Jared Staal
Sova
Brett Sutter
Muse

These prospects all have expiring RFA contracts, so they should be renewed easily if that is what the Canes front office wishes.

Outlook:

If we assume nobody is resigned next year our lines will look like this:

FWD: () = expiring contract slot to fill.

E. Staal - Tlusty - Semin
J. Staal - Skinner - Ruutu
Bowman - () - Dwyer
() - () - Westgarth

DEF:

Gleason - Faulk
McBain - Pitkanen
Harrison - Murphy

E. Staal - Tlusty - Semin
J. Staal - Skinner - Ruutu
Bowman - Nash - Dwyer
Dalpe - () - Westgarth

DEF:

Gleason - Faulk
McBain - Pitkanen
Harrison - Murphy

Draft:

Craig's List: (March 4)

ISS Ranking: (March 15)

Seth Jones - D
Valeri Nichushkin - LW
Nate MacKinnon - C
Jonathan Drouin - LW
Darnell Nurse - D
Aleksander Barkov - C
Nikita Zadorov - D
Elias Lindholm - C
Sean Monahan - C
Rasmus Ristolainen - D

Depth Centers / 4th liners:

1. Boyd Gordon - 1.3 mil - good defensive fwd, good at face-offs - somewhat injury-prone, not very good offensively

2. David Steckel - 1.1 mil - great at face-offs, big defensive fwd, can score - not very fast

3. Chris Mueller - 550k - affordable, versatile fwd, has worked with Muller before - not very strong, only 5'11

We HAVE to sign physical forwards this off season!!!

2013-04-05T12:46:00Z

I have been going to the since Greensboro. I have seen the best and the worst. The moments of triumph and the heart breaks. I was there for all of it. At each and every game. This season I had very high hopes for the team.

The good is that we locked up Semin long-term. The guy is amazing. All of the time I am hearing everyone says defense this and defense that. While I do think letting Allen walk was the biggest mistake of the off-season I do not feel that our defense is the problem.

I've watched every game. It's our fore check that is the problem people. Our first line is amazing and should remain untouched. But after that, the skill is there but the physicality is not. We have one guy out of all our forwards that brings that physical dyanmic to the ice and he only played 2 games this season before getting injured again. We all know who I am talking about.

I truly feel that in the off season if we add more grit we will be much much better. I don't think we need a legitimate 60-70 point/ season power forward here. But 2 maybe 3 guys who are of decent size, can put up at the very least 30 points, and hit and hit often will do wonders for our team.

It's the lack of physicallity that is costing us these games. Washington man handled us. They did so because they hit us and hit us often. Our physical play is non-existent. We need guys who are bangers. They won't cost much. But we really need them in order to establish a fore check and ware teams down from a physical aspect and allow our finesse to play its game.

It took me a while to realize this and by no means am I a hockey expert. But we all know there is a problem when once in a blue men we see a check into the boards. This off season I have high hopes that we will bring 1-2 guys on board that can do these things a long with a very healthy Ruutu. Our AHL guys just are not cutting it from the forward department. The only guys who might be decent are Nash and Terry and maybe Welsh(big maybe) once he develops. What are your thoughts on this? Am I being a homer here or does anyone else think it's our lack of a physical forecheck that is the problem?

If you have 1 guy on each line or almost every line that hits. The other guys on that line will feed off of his energy and hit as well. Where is the physicality? It's going to be a snow flake in hells chance that we are making it to the post season this year. We are going to be the laughing stock of the league next year. Especially in the new division. Discuss!

Next Year's Team

2013-04-02T14:51:15Z

So at the risk of getting flamed, I am putting on my big boy pants, leaving emotions behind, and logically looking forward to next year's team regardless if we make the playoffs this year or not. Currently, I can see a lineup like this:

Staal-Semin-Tlusty

Staal-Skinner-Ruutu

Nash-Bowman-Dwyer

Brent-Westgarth-Larose

Does that float your boat? Nah, it doesn't make me excited, either. What about, using our current assets in Charlotte, something like this:

Staal-Semin-Tlusty

Staal-Ruutu-Terry

Nash-Bowman-Dalpe

Welsh-Samson-Sutter

Notice who's missing? Yep, Jeff Skinner, who I think we should trade for a top-tier defenseman. I also think we should send other chunks of our defense packing (like Gleason and McBain) so a retooled defense could look like this:

New Stud - Pitkanen

New Stud - Faulk

Bellemore - Harrison

Anyways, just thinking out loud about how to get some mojo going next season. This one has sucked big time.

Staal-Semin-Tlusty

Staal-Skinner-Ruutu

Nash-Bowman-Dwyer

Brent-Westgarth-Larose

Does that float your boat? Nah, it doesn't make me excited, either. What about, using our current assets in Charlotte, something like this:

Staal-Semin-Tlusty

Staal-Ruutu-Terry

Nash-Bowman-Dalpe

Welsh-Samson-Sutter

New Stud - Pitkanen

New Stud - Faulk

Bellemore - Harrison

Anyways, just thinking out loud about how to get some mojo going next season. This one has sucked big time.

It's not a D man that we need. It's a solid 2-way forward!

2013-04-02T13:28:40Z

Hello,

Eric Staall

Semin

Jiri

Jordan Staall

Ruutu

-----------------------------------------------------------------

This is it. These are the only guys who can actually do things for us and score on a consistent basis. The rest of the team has dropped a big one and has not done anything for weeks. I am beginning to feel that we need a solid two-way forward. If I was to name one guy that we need that guy would be Justin Williams. Now I know that's not going to happen. But getting a player like him would be a good idea.

Bellemore is starting to bring a very physical dynamic to the team and is getting better with each game. We have a very serious forward problem. We cannot rely on our top line night in and night out to produce. Jussi and Skinner have pretty much gone dark. Jussi is trying but Skinner is not trying at all. I have no idea what is going on with the kid.

Now I'm not saying to trade the guy. But our lack of offensive firepower is very concerning. We do not have a finisher right now for Jordan. I thought we did. But we don't. A consistent 40-50 point kind of guy would do wonders for this team. I'm not sure who is all available but there has got to be someone that is. Thoughts?

Hello,

Eric Staall

Semin

Jiri

Jordan Staall

Ruutu

-----------------------------------------------------------------

Jeff Skinner Call out thread

2013-03-29T21:53:45Z

You sir are not showing up. You do nothing but just go through the motions. You just got a huge contract and so far it appears that management has made a very very very big mistake. Are you afraid? Are you injured? What is going on?! Step your game up!!! I have no idea what to say. I am just so upset right now with this guys level of play.

We have one good line and because of you Skinner, our top line is always getting shut down. What is going on?!!!

Thoughts on NHL GMs

2013-03-29T18:49:09Z

Over the last couple of days I have read and thought a lot about the Jarome Iginla trade. How cheaply Pitts got him. Usually, players like him cost arm-and-leg around the trade deadline, yet he moves a for a 1st round pick that will almost surely be around #30 and a couple of not-so-good prospects. And what drives me crazy is that the most articles say that it was not possible to get more given that Iggy wanted to go to Pittsburgh so CGY had to take whatever was offered. I call BS on that and on GMs in general who have their cushy jobs and make bone-headed deals. It is not just Calgary, there have been plenty of WTF deals lately. Just look at Dallas: Trade Mike Ribeiro for Cody Eakon? Trade for Erik Cole (look at his age and salary)? Give up Neal AND Niskanen for Goligolski? My point is that GMs are lucky that they are not hockey players, many of them would be run of town long ago.

Now back to the Iggy trade: What is Calgary supposed to do? Even if Pittsburgh is the only option there was still about a week left. DO NOT TAKE BAD TRADE! Tell Pittsburgh that you want more or you rather keep Iggy. Put on your poker face on. Iggy reportedly OKed Bruins and Kings as well, get them to up the ante and use it as a leverage. The bottom line is if you have time left do not take a bad deal! I am fed up with these guys being paid millions when 1st year business student would do better. That is why smart GMs such as Sherro run circles around those guys, can build great teams and still have cap space to spare to add players at the trade deadline.

Turning back home, JR has not done obvious mistakes, but contracts he is giving out raise some concern. For the next year, we have committed $47.2 mill in just 8 players. Our current active roster is over $57 mill. This team is becoming top heavy, top players getting what may be hard to get elsewhere. I have noticed that JR has been willing to play hard ball with low end players so that he can sign them at the minimum, but top players get what seems like an overpayment: EStaal will be #3 paid center in the league next year, while Cam Ward will be #4 as a goalie. I understand that you need to keep your core players, but for a team on a budget this means that the rest of the team will not be good. We are getting a glimpse of that now: When top line does not score, there is nobody to pick up the slack and the defense cannot hold the fort.