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stormTRacker Podcast
Injury Woes and Trade Rumors Stir Up the Hurricanes' Season
Ever wondered why a team with such promise can suddenly stumble mid-season? Join Erin Manning and Katie Bartlett as we examine the perplexing tale of the Carolina Hurricanes, who have gone from a stellar 16-5-1 start to a shaky 10-10-2 stretch. Injuries, a demanding schedule, and the crucial role of goaltending with Pyotr Kochetkov at the helm come under the spotlight. With hopes pinned on Frederik Andersen's return, discover how the Hurricanes might just replicate last season’s strong finish.
Our deep dive into the offensive dynamics reveals the resurgence of key players like Svechnikov and Martin Necas, whose performances have sparked unexpected line combinations. Erin and Katie highlight Svechnikov’s five-game point streak and Necas' effective power-play contributions, while confronting power-play struggles amidst Shane Gostisbehere’s absence. Witness how these developments could alter the team's trajectory as they seek to elevate their standing in the Metro division.
As the trade deadline looms, speculation is rife about potential strategic moves. From acquiring a second center like Elias Pettersson, J.T. Miller or Brock Nelson to winger upgrades with names like Andre Burakovsky & Oliver Bjorkstrand on the radar, we explore the Hurricanes' options. Prospects and draft picks could become pivotal bargaining chips, and with ample cap space, the Hurricanes are poised for a significant push. Tune in to understand the strategic maneuvers that might just redefine the Hurricanes' season.
Well, as we've hit the midway point of this NHL season, kind of interesting what's going on with the Carolina Hurricanes. You know a lot of folks are wondering which team is the Canes? Is it the Canes we saw for the first 22 games of the year? Or is it the Canes we've seen for the last 22? They started fast, 16-5-1, but they've gone 10-10-2 in their last 22. Kind of perplexing.
Speaker 1:I thought we'd talk about that, what we see with the Canes and what we're thinking might happen in the second half, and maybe talk a little bit about some of the rumors that are floating with the Canes these days. And, of course, to join me, as always in in this situation, are insiders Erin Manning and Katie Bartlett. Ladies, this is going to be fun, absolutely Well. First of all, I do want to welcome you back, erin. We we missed you and we're delighted you're back and, of course, we're looking forward to your awesome contribution, as always. So the Canes kind of per perplexing, right they're. You know they've been struggling. It seems like they win one, they lose one. They just can't get any momentum. Erin, what are you seeing with the Canes?
Speaker 2:Well, one of the things I thought was interesting is that, you know, there is a lot of doom and gloom out there there naturally would be during a stretch like this, but in reality they have 26 wins so far on the season and, as you pointed out, the first 16 came and then the next 10 after that have been slow, but they didn't hit 26 wins until January 24th last year. So we don't have a situation where, results-wise, they're doing a lot worse than they were last year. It's just how it's happened. That's been different.
Speaker 2:As we remember, last season got off to a very bad start. They were losing a lot of games, they had some long losing streaks and everything came to a head in December when they had that players only meeting and then it seemed like a switch was flipped. Everybody got back on track and they started building the season. Really, from that point, I don't think that we're seeing anything like that this year, though it's not like they've suddenly started playing extremely badly. I think that it's been a ripple effect of injuries piling up. I think it's had to do with Fyodor Kachetkov maybe needing to be leaned on more than they anticipated when they were bringing back both Anderson and Kachetkov at the beginning of the year and just you know some, some little things. And then the schedule hasn't been very kind to them lately either. They had I forget how many games in the last, over the last stretch. It's been a tough stretch of games. So do we just wait and see? What do you think, katie?
Speaker 3:Well, I don't know that. There's a whole lot more choice we have, but to wait and see. But you're right, it is. It is kind of a guessing game at this point. I think, with as well as Tokarski has done backing up Kochakov, that they probably are going to stick with that tandem until Anderson gets back.
Speaker 3:And then, if Anderson gets back and they're able to have a stretch at the end of the season, like they had last season after Anderson returned from his blood clotting injury, where Anderson gets his feet and his skates back under him and is able to hopefully do something similar to last season and he's not leaned on as heavily, I think the Canes are more than happy to ride with that the rest of the season and not use any resources on something else which you know that's a big debate If you're out on Canes Twitter X, facebook, reddit, all the different social media platforms the calls have been very, very loud.
Speaker 3:So you know I'm sure that's something we'll talk about shortly, but um, I I expect the uh, the front office to say, unless something drastic happens between now and the trade deadline, what worked last season, at least for the end of the regular season, is what we're going to bank on for this season. And then the other thing is I think there's just something that's a little off about the offensive game for the Canes, the third and fourth lines are still really solid and playing to a true typical Canes identity.
Speaker 3:But I'm not sure the first and second lines have quite got it figured out. They'll have flashes of brilliance, they'll look good for a game or two and then they'll disappear for another game or two. It's just part of that inconsistency problem that has been plaguing the entire team and just get just a little improvement here. Somebody gets hot there. Hopefully we'll be back towards winning more games rather than a 500 record like they've had for the past month and a half two months.
Speaker 1:Well, you know, yeah, excellent points from both of you. The interesting thing with the Canes they're still sitting in excellent situations. I mean they're at 55 points. They're six points out of first place in the Metro. You know they've got a game in hand on Jersey, so they're close to those guys, they can pass them.
Speaker 1:And you know, I think a lot of it goes back to the goaltending. You know, last year we saw Freddie and Piotr just go crazy in the second half. They were amazing, what a combination. And Freddie in particular was lights out. You remember his numbers were just incredible. And you've looked at Piotr and he's had to carry this load. And kudos to Tukarski.
Speaker 1:I think Dustin's come in and done a real nice job, you know for what he's had to do, but the bulk of the work has fallen on, of course, piotr and Piotr. You know his numbers are not incredible this year. I mean he's sitting at a 901 save percentage. He's at 2.54. He's well down. His save percentage is number 22 for goalies with that number of games or more. So he's well down. And the frustrating thing with Piotr we've talked a little bit about this before is he'll come in and make incredible 10-bell saves and then he'll get soft on other goals, like last night the game against Anaheim. I thought there were a couple he should have had back and if he had made those saves the Canes could very well have won the game. So again, you have to hope that.
Speaker 1:You know, with Freddie coming back, it's going to take quite a bit of the load off of Piotr. He can kind of find his game. He'll have some time between starts to make sure that he's focused and understands what he has to get done. He's a great goalie, no question. He's got the talent, he's got the physical ability to be an outstanding goaltender, but he's just not quite there yet, timber. But he's just not quite there yet. And again, with Freddie coming back soon, there's no need to make a move. They want to hold those dollars, they want to hold those assets as they head towards the deadline and fix some other areas that I think definitely need more attention.
Speaker 1:So again, I think you're both right Right now is not a good time for them. I mean, last year they did pick it up in the second half, For sure, after January I think they were one or two in terms of performance in the league right, so they were outstanding. Their numbers were just incredible. They've done well on the home side.
Speaker 1:They've not done well on the road. That's the other thing we haven't really talked about. But the Canes are sitting 9, 10, and 2 on the road right now. So that's not really what we normally see from them, because their hardworking style usually works both at home or on the road. So I think that's definitely a part of what we're facing.
Speaker 1:One final comment on this one and one final comment on this one. The top two lines continue to struggle, although we're seeing some good work from Andrei Sveshnikov lately, but those lines have really not come through Again. Watching last night and I've been watching closely lately what Ajo has been up to he will show spurts where it's the Ajo of old, as I like to call it, but he'll play a good part of the game where he's not a factor, and this is a little bit unusual, and we've tried to figure out what that's about. Is it the fact that he has maybe not the best wingers with him? Certainly, jarvis has been picking it up lately, which is helping, but he definitely is not firing in all cylinders, in my view, at this stage.
Speaker 2:So that's another, so that's another challenge, okay, okay.
Speaker 1:So some of the things that we want to talk about, then, as they struggle with some of these games is the first 10 minutes of a game so we've seen that repeatedly where they'll come out and guess what there's. There's a goal, and then they're sitting there and they're chasing it the whole game. Again, what do we think about that? Erin, you got some thoughts on that one.
Speaker 2:So it's hard to know what's going on with the first 10. It's unusual for a team coach by Rod Brindamore and with Captain Jordan Stahl to come out flat, and they have, and we've seen it happen a lot of times, and I don't really want to blame goaltending for everything. I don't think that's fair to Peter Kachetkov. He didn't ask to be put in a position where he's having to start so many games in a row. We don't think about this.
Speaker 2:We've talked about Tokarski being a good fit for this team and doing really well, above expected, but he's coming in on the second half of back-to-backs. He's not being asked to take every third game, for instance, and so I don't know if that leads to a certain amount of hesitation on the part of the offense to get aggressive and to forecheck as hard as they usually do, because maybe they're afraid that the puck is going to go back the other way. You don't really know what the mindset is when they're coming out there like that, but there again, you can also just look at the schedule and the fact that we know that many locker rooms have been battling the flu and other things that we don't really talk about. So it doesn't look like the Canes, though, when they come out and they're hesitant and they're hanging back and they don't have any energy. That's not the team that we're used to watching, so there is obviously something up.
Speaker 3:I also think at the beginning they just look a little less crisp than what we're used to, and so it's causing the other teams to be able to take advantage of those breakdowns.
Speaker 3:Whether it's a pass slightly behind somebody that's picked off, or a failed clearing attempt in the defensive zone, that's leading for an extended opportunity for the other team. Stuff like that that is, mental and and executional breakdowns as far as the team is concerned, is leading to opportunities, and when they start scrambling and the puck's turned over, it just makes it all the harder on the goaltenders as well to stop it. And then that goal gets scored and everybody's kind of like, oh no, here we go again and, just like Tom said, they start having to chase and they start having to force and press and it gets them out of their rhythm, gets them out of their good habits. So if they can just tighten things up a little bit when it comes to their crispness, when it comes to their execution of basic fundamentals, hopefully that will get resolved relatively soon and you're not going to have three William Nylander breakaways on Chekhov in the first.
Speaker 1:Oh, that was really unbelievable. You know two things regarding what you're saying. Katie is one of them that this whole concept of starting on time so we heard about this for so long that the Canes would start on time, and it was almost a rarity when you get on the broadcast and they said, gee, they're not starting on time. What's going on? And then the second thing and I did want to mention this and you hit it right on the head these breakaways are just shocking the head. These breakaways are just shocking the number of breakaways that they've been giving up, these odd man rushes which is so uncharacteristic for the Canes.
Speaker 1:You know, on a recent broadcast, a couple of the folks and they weren't the Canes guys were saying you know, is the loss of Shea and Pesci really affecting the Canes more than people really are expecting here? Because, again, they were rock solid defensively and you've now got a pair. You know the third pair is not as strong defensively and you're still asking, you know, orlov and Chatfield to do Yolanda's service. So you know, there might be something in that too. I mean, they've lost some great players in the offseason. They've picked up some good ones, but maybe not the same, and it's affected the team profoundly. So we'll have to keep an eye on that one as the second half takes shape.
Speaker 1:Now, looking at, you know, these challenges that they're facing. I think we've talked a lot about two of the guys that, if they don't get their game in gear, this Hurricanes team, the second half, is going to be another half like the first half, and that, of course, is Martin Natchez and Andrei Sveshnikov. Now, natchez, in his first 22 games, had 12 goals and 25 assists for 37 points. You remember he was right near the top of the league in scoring at that time, which was amazing. He was up with your friend, nathan McKinnon and some others right.
Speaker 1:So he was definitely right there. But in the last 22 games, three goals, 10 assists, and a lot of the assists were not primaries, they were kind of extra assists. He has started to show a little bit of length, but what are you seeing with Natchez and Sveshnikov? Katie?
Speaker 3:Like you said, the past five games or so they've been producing a lot more, they've been showing a lot more, but it's really hard to say as far as what's going on. I definitely think, when it comes to Sveshnikov, we need him to really be the power forward that we all know is inside of him with that frame and the strength that he has. He showed it off with that one goal that he did, where he powered to the front of the net and score. It's like where have you been all season?
Speaker 3:This is the Svetch that we know and love and want to see more of game in and game out, and he also showed a lot of heart in that overtime loss to Anaheim last night with the power play, and we definitely want to see him and Ajo and Natchez connecting there. So that would probably be where I would start as far as really getting them going is to get them going. We need to get the power play going because the power play has been struggling a lot and if they can be connecting there, then more goals on the power play should translate to more opportunities and, hopefully, a higher level of play five on five and I would.
Speaker 2:I would agree with that absolutely, and one of the things that I think that, with Svechnikov, that you have to look at is you know he is currently on a five game point streak. But another thing that you have to stop and say, though, is that go back a little bit. Before those five games, we were starting to see, maybe, game you know, eight games back, or nine games back, you were starting to see him finding his game. He was on some different lines during that time frame. It didn't always click as well, but it didn't matter, because we were starting to see him take a little bit more of those risks, push a little bit harder to get things done. I think that that is, you know, one thing that a lot of people don't really think about is the fact that you know when you're coming back from an injury like the one he had to deal with, you know it can take a lot, it can take longer than you expect to get back to really your full form, and I know some people would say, well, he had all last season. He had some injuries last season too, and I think that there's just that mindset that you know you're you don't want to risk hurting yourself in that particular way. Again, you know, it makes everything just a little bit more careful, but we saw it starting to come back and then, after three or four games of really you know, you would hear Tripp Tracy saying wow, that looks like. You know, that's the spetch we need. That's, you know, getting more physical battling harder in the corners, throwing some more hits. You know, physical battling harder in the corners, throwing some more hits, you know. And then, after doing all of those things, then the scoring kicked in and came back online and now he's on this five-game point streak. I think we're starting to see the same thing with Martin Natchez, but I think that it's taking a little bit of a different route.
Speaker 2:Obviously, natchez is not a power forward, he's a skilled forward, he's a speedy forward, you know. So we're seeing those things with him too. He's starting to impact the game in those ways, using his speed to get into the zone quicker and, you know, setting up plays for his line mates. He does have four points in his last five games, two of them last night. It was a very quiet two-point accumulation, but they came. But that's the whole thing, just like it's Svec's bread and butter to be a power forward. It's Natchez's bread and butter to pick up points in these situations where there's a man advantage. He got one of those assists on the power play and the other one at 6-on-5 at the end of the game when he got the assist on Jarvis' game-tying goal. Those are the things that will feed Natchez and get him back up to speed at five-on-five, just like being more physical was feeding Spetsnikov and getting him back up to speed. So I think I'm hopeful that both of them are coming out of it.
Speaker 1:Well and I think we're seeing good signs. And you know, the interesting thing was that Spch finds his way with Stahl and Martinuk and that's kind of an unlikely situation. We've talked a little bit about that in the past and wondered why would he be placed on that line, or some of the other guys like Jarvis. They have been lights out. Of course. We saw Jordan Stahl with a game of a lifetime the other night, but certainly with the Canes with his hat trick and he's been on a bit of a tear and those guys have worked extremely well together and it seems like this is encouraging, in my view, sveshnikov to play a heavy game Like he's going in with those guys. They're working hard. For whatever reason, he hasn't been able to find the magic on the other lines. That's fine, leave him there, let him continue to drive the play, because the Canes need another line scoring and it doesn't matter whether it's Jordan's line or whatever.
Speaker 1:They've got to have a second line scoring and the number two line supposedly, which is Kokaniemi and Natchez, and, of course, robinson. I think Robinson has done everything you could ask for. Kokanieemi's okay, he doesn't hurt you, but he doesn't help you a lot with offensive side. We've talked about that many times and Natchez is really the guy that's the driver on that line, so he really has to have his confidence. I think that's one of the biggest challenges he's been caught up in.
Speaker 1:At the start of the year he could touch anything and it turned to gold and then all of a sudden it became a little bit more hard work. And the other challenge and we've talked about this is the teams know him now. They know that they've got to put some people on him. They've got to watch him closely. If you watch the way they hound him now, it's quite different than the start of the year when he was just racking up points like crazy. So he needs help. And we're going to talk a little bit about that again as we talk about rumors, of course, because definitely, center ice is at the top of the list. But again, those two guys yeah, we're seeing some signs. I think they're going to be critical If the Canes are going to get a record. That's going to be more what we would expect from them in the second half and get them away from this 500 hockey we're seeing right now.
Speaker 1:The Canes have slipped substantially down to 10th overall at 22% of the power play and again we remember at one point they were in the top two or three, like they were right there. And of course, the magic being driven by Shane Goss' despair, and without him, I think the power play has been quite sad and it's definitely lacking confidence, that's for sure. Now they scored last night, which is great and they need that. But he's a guy and I thought he was rushed back a little bit. I watched him closely last night. He hasn't had a practice with the team and I thought it was interesting that they dropped him in there and he certainly did the best he could. But when he gets back onto his game, and after a few you know, a couple of games to get his mojo back, I think you're going to see the power play start to take off. What are your thoughts on the power play and where do you see it going in the second half?
Speaker 2:Well, one thing that I thought was interesting is that you know we talked about scoring from the defense and how it was doing. When I took a look at the numbers I'm not going to get into all of those, but really they're not doing that badly. Compared to last year, they're really down just a couple of points. Both at even strength and on the power play. The scoring from the defense has been pretty good. The difference is how it's coming and I think that's one of those things where, looking at Shane Gostaspierre, you have to say, OK, my goodness, he's been the power play scorer when it comes to the defense. And you know, granted that they don't have a lot of defensemen who've had had time on the power play, they have had, you know, a few here and there.
Speaker 2:Ty Smith came in, Sean Walker's had a couple opportunities here and there when other people have been out, but the truth is that last year the scoring was split between Burns and Brady Shea on the power play and this year the person who's making up for all of that is Gossespierre by himself, Because right now Shane Gossespierre has 18 power play points.
Speaker 2:Last year Brent Burns had 20 by the end of the season and this year he has one. He has a single power play point. So I know that that's partly because he's not playing on the top unit most of the time, but even while uh ghost was absent and burns was taking some shifts on the top unit, it just isn't working anymore. So, and that's I mean goodness you know, given how much he's been able to continue to do at the age of 39, nobody is criticizing him for not being able to produce goals on the power play. But it does make one thing a little different for the Canes in that Ghost is just so critical to their power play success. So I can imagine that what the coaching staff would probably like to do is get some more threats going so that you're not a one-player threat. It shouldn't be that the teams can come along and their penalty killers can just shut down Shane Gossespierre and then your power play doesn't work, because that's the danger that the Canes are in right now.
Speaker 1:Well, they also and we've talked about this they also have decided that the number one power play is going to get the bulk of the time. We see that repeatedly. They get a minute and a half or a minute and 20, and it really leaves little time for the second group at all, and that's affecting, obviously, burns and others. But yeah, that's just one thought, katie. Any other thoughts on the power play?
Speaker 3:Just to piggyback off of what Aaron said Gossespierre is definitely racking up the majority of the defensive points on the power play, but a lot of that has to do with the fact that he is not a static player on the power play. He moves, he dances the blue line He'll cut in, he'll swing back out. He makes the defense react to him and have to constantly account for where he's at, because he's never in the same spot for long. That was the problem while he was out with injury is that all of a sudden the Canes power play became very static. You, you knew exactly where Natchez was going to be within a few feet. You knew exactly where natius was going to be within a few feet. You knew exactly where ajo was going to be within a few feet.
Speaker 3:Definitely, burns doesn't move a whole lot around power play. He's out there and neither did smith while they tried to use him for so many of the games that ghost was at. It's just, and when you're static, you're predictable. There's not a whole lot of dynamic movement going on. Things are kept at the perimeter. There's nothing dangerous right in front of the net. It just has that domino effect on the entire system, the entire group that's out there and you could see just that one game with ghost back all of a sudden. It wasn't just ghost moving, they were all moving and the reason that aha was able to get the goal that was disallowed but then they were able to come back and get this fetch power play goal is because they were snapping the puck, they were moving around, they were moving their feet and even though he didn't get an assist on that power play goal, it is directly related to Ghost being back with that group, helping them create those opportunities together, absolutely helping them create those opportunities together, absolutely yeah.
Speaker 1:And the other thing with that, as you watched, with Ghost coming back, of course, the confidence that the rest of the players have in Ghost, kind of running the bar play, I mean you can see it they're looking for him.
Speaker 1:They know he's going to be the quarterback, he's going to make it happen and we can see that. And particularly I'm always interested to watch how Natchez seems to connect with Gossespierre. They seem to have a real magic that they can get going and I really feel like that's going to help Marty as well as he kind of works through some of these challenges he's been facing. So as we look at, you know, the first half is done, it's in the books. The Canes are still in solid shape. You know, some folks, as we remember, thought they might be a little further down, so they're hanging in there. What do we think we're going to see as this coming period, now before the break? What do we think we're going to see with the Canes?
Speaker 2:I think that I know that. To me it seems like the break for the Four Nations tournament is going to be critical to getting this team back in shape and back on track for everything. It doesn't mean I think they're going to just barely get through the next four weeks. I think they're going to be seeing some improvement over the course of the next four weeks because of course, we've got about four weeks left until that happens. That's right. But I think that because of the way the Canes are composed this year, with some of the older players that they have and also with some of the players that have come in and they're newer and they haven't had as much time and everything else, I think that there are probably a number of players playing below 100% right now. It's just I feel like that. I didn't bring that up during the whole when we were talking about their first 10 minutes, but it is a constant suspicion that I've had that there are a number of players who are maybe not playing they're not necessarily playing injured, but they're playing hurt. They're playing less than at full capacity and that could be illness too. But I think you know, I just there's just a few people that you see them do something and you talk about Ajo, for instance. I'm not saying that he's necessarily one of the people I've thought about, but doing something that you just don't see them do, or missing something that you just don't see them miss. The lack of crispness on the passes, like Katie was talking about. The lack of the puck handling in general, management in general, a lot of that you know physical and mental fatigue, and I think that when they have that break they're going to come back. After that, you know, for the rest of the little end of February and then into March, I think we're going to see them looking like they did at the beginning of the season, if all goes well, because I think that they're going to have enough time to really get themselves back on track and back in shape For the next four weeks. I think that we're probably going to see a little bit of this 500 record kind of continue, but I think it's going to start improving. I think it's going to start being, you know, the what I'm really looking for.
Speaker 2:The bellwether for me is when can they win a three game win streak? They have not won one since November 20th. That was the last time they had a three game win streak this season. It was really hopeful they'd pull it out this weekend. But I kind of went into this one thinking now they're probably going to lose to the Ducks. Start it, because they've lost their last 20 of their last 25 to the Ducks for some reason. But somebody threw that out on X this morning. I haven't had time to double check, but it wouldn't surprise me.
Speaker 1:It's probably correct, and you know what the challenge is with the Hurricanes, and it's something that we've seen as well. They just have trouble with teams well down in the standards. For some reason, they don't seem to take them seriously. I don't know the number of times we've seen them go up against a team that they should beat easily and they come back and they lose. I mean, if you watched any of the highlights of Anaheim on Saturday night, they were just destroyed by Philadelphia and I thought, oh well, okay, we should be able to beat these guys, but again didn't come out on time, didn't come out and throw everything at them as the Canes should do, and ultimately lost the game.
Speaker 2:I wonder sometimes if that isn't a case of teams that know they are contenders, that know they're going to be there in the playoffs, not wanting to risk having an injury caused by Radko Gudis or Jacob Struba in a meaningless game against Anaheim in January. And you know, you don't. We think, oh, they're professional athletes, they shouldn't think like that. But I don't know that they don't think like that. I would be thinking like that. You know, most of us would try to avoid risks that we can mitigate. So, you know, nobody wants to go out for, you know, a month or six weeks because Trouba decided to make a point. You know, I don't know if that's it, but I wouldn't be surprised if there's a little of that thinking.
Speaker 1:Well, we do remember Radko Gudis well. In some of his previous incarnations he was a beast against the hurricanes, so I can understand if they're cowering to see Radko Gudis. In any case, that's a funny thing, katie. Any thoughts from you? Do you think it will be similar?
Speaker 3:I'm along the same lines as far as Aaron's concerned. I think as long as the Canes can get to the Four Nations a little above 500, I would like to see them trending upward in that direction, like she said, finding some place where they can get a three-game win streak, that sort of thing. That would be good. And then after that I think the guesstimate as far as freddie returning is shortly after the four nations tournament is over and and yeah, there, that's what I mean he looked like he was ready.
Speaker 1:He's doing some good work already.
Speaker 3:I thought he'd be here sooner well, hey, if he's able to come back beforehand, that's fine. Otherwise it's two more, two more weeks of rest and practice and skating and stuff like that, because I'm sure with his issue, he's not going to be going to mexico during those two weeks I think he'll be probably um.
Speaker 3:They'll be working with him and continuing that rehab and getting him up to to speed, that sort of thing. So then, if we can be in a good position maybe not, you know, I'm not aiming for first in the Metro but if we can be in good position very, very solidly, at least in third and possibly even in second, because we're neck and neck still with the devils going into into the tournament and coming out, if right after we come out, if we have Freddie back, or shortly thereafter we get Freddiereddie back and we're able to establish that every other game. Because I think that that worked perfectly, because, kochakov, you can't overwork him, but you can't underwork him either, if you leave him cold, and that was part of the problem with the playoffs last year is, by the time they brought kochakov in, he'd been sitting there as the backup for two weeks.
Speaker 3:Yeah, he was cold, he was, he was not, he was not ready for playoff hockey. And so, um, finding that balance, getting freddie in the groove but not letting uh kochekov get too icy over there on the on the bench. Playing them both not overworking either should really help the canes ramp up through the end of the season.
Speaker 1:No, I agree. I think that's true. I think you're both right. I fully expect the Canes to continue. You know, win a game, win two games, lose one type of thing. I think they are going to start to see some momentum form, and I think part of it is going to be because the power play is going to pick back up. I have every expectation they will. They're just too strong. And then, once it already comes back, you've got a huge benefit. And then, of course, just shortly after the four nations of course, is the trade deadline. So it's time for us to talk a little bit about the rumor now and what's happening with the hurricanes, because of course, they're popping up.
Speaker 1:We hear elliot friedman and others talking about the hurricanes in some situations. What are we hearing about the hurricanes these days? Erin, what do you got?
Speaker 2:well, I think that, um, one of the the big questions that people have had is are the Canes going to make a move either on you know, goaltending or a 2C? So I'll start with 2C and I'll leave goaltending for Katie. The thing about the 2C conversations have been kind of fun and interesting for me out there on X, I'll be honest, because there are people that you know throw names out that you're just saying, okay, how is that going to fix things, though, and I think that that is something that people have gotten used to the Canes doing this at the trade deadline over the last few years. Think of the times that they brought in people like Evgeny Kuznetsov, you know. Or they've had some other veterans that they brought in even back at the beginning of the season, like they did with Paul Stasny, you know.
Speaker 2:People are looking at those kinds of players and saying just bring one of those guys in. Well, there aren't that many of those guys this year. First of all, and I think secondly, though, when you look at what the Canes are going to be doing in the summer, the amount of cap space they're going to have over the summer, they're not looking to make short term fixes right now that's not the mindset at all. So the most interesting rumor that has been out there has been the ones involving the Vancouver Canucks players, particularly Pettersson.
Speaker 1:Yes.
Speaker 2:But also JT Miller, because both of them have been supposedly shopped. We know the Canes were in on Pettersson over the summer, at the very least that they had put in an offer and that it was a very solid offer. It was rumored to involve Natchez, cote Kniemi, scott Morrow or a similar prospect. And you know, first and maybe some other little you know, balance the draft picks here and there. If the Canes still have that offer on the table, are the Canucks going to take it seriously? Are they going to want to get that?
Speaker 2:My gut instinct says no. My gut instinct says that when you have a player who played his second game back from injury the other night, did extremely well and had his own teammates yelling Selke, selke, selke at the bench from him, that they are not going to trade that player, I just don't see it happening. He's young, he's still, you know, developing in some ways not developing necessarily along, but just the solidity of his game, the rounding out, all that defense with his incredibly good wrist shot and everything else that he has to offer. I don't think the Canucks are seriously going to make Pettersson available. I think they wouldn't mind moving Miller and I did hear an interesting thing from I think it came from Friedman that they're willing to move one of these players to a Western Conference team. I heard that today.
Speaker 1:I did hear that today.
Speaker 2:If that is true, then I'm almost certain it's Miller, because they would not want to move Pedersen within their own conference, for sure, for sure. So and the Canes? I don't see the Canes going for Miller. I know you had some different thoughts on that, tom.
Speaker 1:Well, you know, again, I think the question comes down to are the Canes looking for someone to help them the next three or four years or are they looking for someone that's going to be longer? I mean, we've talked about Ryan O'Reilly, who is another one that you know. I've heard a little bit about him that he's not under team control, he doesn't have an O-trade clause so he could be moved, but apparently he's happy where he is. But again, you know, he's the kind of player that Canes could decide that hey, for two or three years we just want someone that can come in and make a difference. So maybe that gives some of the prospects like Ungersorum and others time to kind of get their game in gear. I don't know Miller. He's a heck of a player. I mean, don't forget he had 103 points last year. This guy can play and he's a guy that can make a difference. But there's some things about Miller that you've got to be aware of and there's some concerns about the room and so on.
Speaker 1:Pedersen if they could get Pedersen, I'd give King's ransom for him. Quite simply, he was the Calder winner in 2019. He had 100 points two years ago, 90 points close to 90 last year.
Speaker 1:This guy he's elite and watching him the other night, as you said, back against the Canes, he's impressive. He's an impressive player. He's making things happen. So you know for sure, you know the Canes will be in on anyone. That's significant. We know that that's their MO, as we found out in the past, and we know they're going to be trying to do something they have to solve center. We've talked about this repeatedly. Now other teams may get in the mix.
Speaker 1:So we're hearing some things about the Seattle Kraken. These days, the Kraken, of course, in a world of hurt. Their president traveled to see them on an away game on the East Coast a couple of days ago. That's not usually done, so there's definitely some unrest with the Kraken. You know, maybe they've got some folks. Are they going to move a guy like Chandler Stevenson? I mean, he's a guy that they signed in the offseason, but would he be available? Who knows what they're going to do? But these are good players that could come in and help the Hurricanes for sure what they're going to do. But these are good players that could come in and help the Hurricanes for sure. And again, we're just going to keep an eye on it and see how it plays out. I don't know if there's anybody else in the center spot. I think Brock Nelson's name might have come up as well. Erin, did you say something about Brock?
Speaker 2:I mentioned Brock Nelson because he's, of course, I believe, heading for UFA is he not?
Speaker 1:Yes, he's heading to.
Speaker 2:UFA, so that is someone that you know the Islanders might be looking to make some kind of a trade around. I don't know what they would be looking for, given that this would be another situation where you're looking at a deadline rental player. If you make that move before the deadline, you can't guarantee that he's going to sign after that, and you don't necessarily know if you would want or if he'd be a good fit or anything like that either. If Nelson is going to get moved, I'm sure the Kings will consider that. I don't think that they're going to throw a King's ransom, as you said, at Nelson either. That's not the kind of player you do that for. I was having a little bit of a fun time talking to some people on X Today, though, because someone was insisting that they ought to go after Granlund in San Jose.
Speaker 2:And you know I like Mikael Granlund, but he's 5'10" and he's going to be 33 years old. These are not the kind of moves. One of the biggest problems for the Canes at Center is that, with Sebastian Ajo as your franchise center, whether he is number one or whether they actually get someone that would be a number one ahead of him, like Pedersen might be, but he is on the smaller side for a top six centerman.
Speaker 1:We know that.
Speaker 2:And he doesn't have that, even though, with all the feistiness in his nature, he doesn't have the physical ability to impose his will the way that you know someone like Jordan Stahl does. I don't see them going for someone smaller than Ajo. They could play Seth Jarvis at GC if they wanted someone Grendlin size, and I don't think Seth Jarvis would do a bad job of it. It's just that he would be easily run over, and that's what you don't want.
Speaker 1:So I mean Kyle Granlin. I like Granlin, but I I'm totally on board with you on this. And the other thing about Granlin of course he plays big minutes, he's a first line guy so his numbers reflect that with the Canes he wouldn't certainly be doing that, so he's not the right fit. But look, Pedersen, 6'2".
Speaker 2:But that doesn't mean there's not.
Speaker 1:I mean Pedersen, 6'2". I mean Brock Nelson, he's 6'4". He's huge. These are the kind of guys that I think can make a difference. Nelson, don't forget, he's had over 30 goals his last three years. This guy gets better with age. I mean, he's really something, and yeah, he's 33. He's coming off a UFA deal but he'd be a good guy to pick up for two or three years.
Speaker 1:I mean, I can see Brock Nelson, jordan Stahl, sebastian Ajo as your top three guys. I think that's a pretty strong group of guys and I think you could get a guy like Brock Nelson, as you say, for certainly a lot less than what you're going to pay for a guy like Pedersen or even JT Miller. So let's keep an eye on that one. I've been thinking a lot about Brock Nelson lately because I really like him as a player. He's been a Canes killer, of course. I don't know how many times we've watched him come in and score. He's a heck of a player. He's a two-way guy. He's just the right kind of player for the Hurricanes and I believe if they did do a deal for him, they'd want to make sure they could sign him for two or three years and that would be his deal.
Speaker 1:Probably, yeah, so yeah, so let's keep an eye open on Brock Nelson. Now we did talk about the Kraken. I know there's some thoughts about maybe a forward somewhere in here. Forward somewhere in here. Maybe the Canes also would be interested to get a winger that could help put some goals in the net, like we did last year with Gensel. Are there any thoughts about possible moves to get a winger?
Speaker 3:Well, there are some rumors on X today that the Kraken are looking to move someone like Burakovsky or Bjork Strand. I know Berkey has played center before, but he's also been out on the wing Very familiar with him because of his time on the abs during their cup run, and the main issue with him is just availability. He is really good, he has a great shot. You can play him up and down on the lineup. He knows how to do third line, but he can also play up with your skill guys and match with them, so he's a very interesting option. Again, though, he does get hurt pretty easily, so you have to weigh that along.
Speaker 3:Bjork Strand is kind of a plug-and-play, guaranteed 20-goal season type guy. Has a really great shot, really good finisher, and so that would be somebody you're really looking at being a contributor on the top two lines, because whether it's for center or whether it's for a scoring type winner, the Canes have made it very clear they're not interested in a mild upgrade or a somewhat lateral move. They want someone who is going to make their team significantly better and at the right price. There was a game um a few, a few games back, when tolsky came on the broadcast with the canes and he was talking about the extortionist right on goaltenders yes, dm's were asking for goaltenders.
Speaker 3:so whether it's whether it's a forward or a goaltender or whatever, obviously the front office has no interest in just throwing a money bag at a team in order to get somebody. But so, bjorkstrand, burakovsky, they could be very interesting options as far as scoring wingers, or even, like I said, if someone got hurt, burakovsky can slide to center and play that very well. They are interesting options that could be really good upgrades on the scoring side of things for the Canes. Just have to see how that would play out in a trade. What would have to go back? Because you look on X and everybody's proposing okay, we get this one guy and we send four of our guys over there. That's great, we get this one guy. But then you have three more roster spots you have to fill in. Who are we filling them with? Oh, we'll call up Nadeau and Ungerstad.
Speaker 1:Well. I think the chances of anybody leaving the Canes lineup are slim, other than potentially Kokaniemi and a deal for a big center. I just don't see it. I don't see other players going. We've talked a little bit about Rostovic. Maybe he's possible. I don't see the core in any way shape or form going and really all the deals that we kind of contemplated, they're really best suited for the Canes to give their prospects and draft picks. That's really what they want to do.
Speaker 3:Yes, people don't like to hear that, though, because they love Morrow and Nadeau and Ungersorum and Gundler and Robodon all these guys. There's no room for them on the Hurricanes, not just this year, but very few spots are going to be available in the next two to three years, when these guys need to be getting into the NHL, so the likelihood is you are not going to see more than one or two of these guys for an entire season in a Canes sweater. They will be used for their value and sent to other teams, which is good for those prospects too. They should not have to spend five years sitting in Chicago waiting for an opportunity that's not going to come. They deserve a chance to be on a team that has a spot for them to play in now.
Speaker 1:Well, there's two things about that I mean. One of them is that until a prospect comes in and delivers, there's still a prospect.
Speaker 1:That I mean one of them is that until a prospect comes in and delivers, there's still a prospect and I think a lot of folks get caught up in you know the hype and so on, but until they really do something, their you know their value is not there. And the other challenge they're going to have and I think you're exactly right about you know the very few spots that are going to be open the Kings are going to have a lot of cap space.
Speaker 2:They're going to spend that on players that they think can make a difference Over the summer.
Speaker 1:Yes, absolutely. I mean they're going to bring in some big players and they're going to try to. You know they want to go for it. You know they're going to have Nikitian coming in on a low-price contract and they're going to be in a pretty good situation. So yeah, I definitely think that Seattle is a team to look at.
Speaker 1:I mentioned Jared McCann before. I think he's a guy that I really appreciate. Mccann, if he was available, why not go after him? But I love Oliver Bjorkstrand. I liked him with Columbus. I don't think John Forslund would be happy because he calls him the mitre Every time he scores. He'd miss that, I'm sure. But I think Bjorkstrand is a solid player. He definitely can shoot the puck and score and he'd be a nice add. So I think if an opportunity presented itself with the Seattle Kraken boy, I'd be happy to see who we would possibly be able to pick up there and I think prospects would fit the bill for those guys. They're not going to be pushing for, you know, serious contention for a period of time and they've got some young players who want to go around. So I think we're well suited to hook up with the Kraken. The final area that sorry. Go ahead, erin.
Speaker 2:Oh, I was just going to piggyback off your comments about the prospect thing. And one thing that I think that we should all bear in mind is that when Jack Drury was injured and Tyson Jost was called up to take his place in the lineup, there was a question asked One of the Canes. Reporters asked you know why? Jost specifically, and Rod said he watches the Wolves very closely. Yes, and they don't have very many players that he considers NHL ready. So we've had Jost, we've had Smith and we've had Juha Jaska, who has been a lot of fun. He's just fun to watch, but we have not seen the young guys.
Speaker 2:We have not, I mean Jaska's 26, you know so. People don't realize that because he hasn't played in the NHL before, but he's 26 years old. So none of these, these 21, 22 year old guys, none of these 19 year old guys, are people that Rod is looking at in games and saying, oh, he's ready, he's not doing that, and you know so. When you look at that and you say, okay, why aren't they being called up? And um gosh, you know they. They had Seth Jarvis. Seth Jarvis is on a completely different level than these prospects are, and they have to.
Speaker 2:people need to realize that that even Bradley Nadeau is not someone who is on the level of a Seth Jarvis when it comes to NHL readiness. His shot may be just incredible, but there's a lot more to it than that. Like we know, prospects are people that you know. Maybe not all of them, but I think there's a solid group that the Canes would be willing to trade and, like Katie said, it's for their good too. It's to get them the opportunity to crack a lineup and maybe play in the NHL. They only have so much time to get there.
Speaker 1:Well, you know some of these guys and you talked about. You know Nadeau and some of the other players that are out there in Chicago. The great thing is they can continue to learn their craft. We don't need to rush them in, and I think clearly you look at a guy like Seth Jarvis and you say, wow, he's on Team Canada in the Four Nations Tournament. That's just how highly he is respected as a complete hockey player, which he is. So you're not talking about the same kind of situation. Now, the other area that certainly was getting a lot of press and I think we pretty well settled on this situation but was goaltending, and you know there's a lot of discussion about the Canes. You know being interested in John Gibson and potentially others. And, of course, eric Toski had mentioned, as you said, katie, that he was offering up some goalies, but the prices were a little bit rich.
Speaker 3:I just at this point. I think that the Canes would rather devote their, their resources and their energy and their time into bulking up the forward core. I think they've decided that there must be good news on the Freddie front as far as they're concerned, in his comeback and his timeline, because I think they are like we talked about at the top of the program. They are content to go with Kochekov, bumps and all, and Tokarski with his unconventional playing style and all. I love watching Tokarski play because he's not like any other Angel Coley I've ever watched. He has a very unique approach to the position but it's effective. For what you need in a backup, it's effective.
Speaker 3:I don't understand these people who are calling for him to take starts away from Kochakov. That's not what his game is, but for what he's being called to do to take the second of a back-to-back and to make it palatable to play Kochakov the way that they're playing him. Get to the Four Nations, get Freddie back and get on a roll. Like I said, in case something really, really crazy happens. Knock on wood, that doesn't happen. I think they're finding goalie. They're going to stick with what they have for now and then go into the offseason and explore options from there.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I mean Tokarski kind of reminds you of Curtis McAleenan, I mean in the regard that he's just a solid citizen back there. He's kind of quiet in the game. He's a good, solid citizen back there. He's kind of quiet in the game, he's a good you know, he's got his head on his shoulders. It's a nice foil for Piotr. So I think when the team plays with Tokarski they just they have a nice confidence in him. He's been making the saves, he's been getting it done. So, yeah, kudos to him and the crew.
Speaker 1:There was one situation that kind of has got me thinking a little bit. The Canes will need to make a move, likely in the summer, if they don't re-up Freddie. So and I kind of wonder if they will I mean his injury concerns are major and I'm not sure that they want to continue with Fred, but we'll have to see. But if they decided not to, they're going to have to make a move for a goaltender. And the type of goaltender I believe that they're going to be interested in is someone like a John Gibson whose name has popped up, and maybe somebody else we've been throwing around Connor Ingram.
Speaker 1:They're going to need someone that they can sign for a period of time or has a contract in place. So that's the one caveat that I put into the situation now, depending on how Freddie bounces back, how you know, because sometimes they come back and they get injured again and, who knows, we may be talking more as we head towards the trade deadline on a possible goaltender move, Because clearly, if Freddie can't come in and do it and carry his load, they're going to have to make a move.
Speaker 3:They'll have to decide quick, though, because when they come back from the end of the Four Nations and the trade deadline, it's like two weeks. It's two weeks, I think two weeks after Very quick, very, very quick, so they'll need to get that figured out immediately. I think you're right.
Speaker 1:So yeah. So I think right now I totally agree Don't see anything happening anytime soon on the goaltending front and I don't see any moves happening with the Canes until it gets closer to the deadline. But we'll, you know, we'll continue to track the rumors and have some fun with what's happening in the rumor mill and definitely come up with some of our own thoughts about possible ads that Canes could be looking at. In any case, any other thoughts before we wrap it up today?
Speaker 2:I just hope that I will see that three-game win streak sometime between now and the Four Nations Tournament. I am looking forward to seeing them win at least three games in a row, because I think that's going to be the signal that okay, we're the. The worst is behind us, they've pulled through and they're ready to just get back on track and get back to being the team that they need to be, and so we'll. We'll see what happens with that. That sounds good.
Speaker 3:Exactly what Aaron said. Yeah, exactly what aaron said. Yeah, exactly what aaron said just just just a little bit of improvement. All we need is just a touch of improvement on all facets of the game and it will.
Speaker 1:It will translate very well into their success agreed well, and I've said many times that, uh, you know we really enjoyed the hurricanes when they were playing great hockey and winning more than three games in a row and we got kind of used to that. And the team that we're seeing right now isn't what we're expecting and what we hope for with the Canes, and I think we're going to see that change as time goes on, for sure, and hopefully it's sooner than later, for sure, hopefully it's sooner than later. In any case, ladies, great fun, as always, always lots to talk about with the hurricanes, and I know we'll be probably back together very, very soon to continue our discussions. For those of you who've been watching or listening, we really appreciate that you've joined us today.
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