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...stormTRacker Podcast is your home for in-depth analysis of the Carolina Hurricanes, Chicago Wolves & Hurricanes' prospects around the globe. Host, Tom Ray, gives his insightful perspective & is joined by Hurricanes' "Insiders" Erin Manning, Katie Bartlett, Nick Bass (Canes Prospects) & Andrew Rinaldi (Chicago Wolves), as well as special guests, to cover all the top stories for your Carolina Hurricanes. Tom is also active on "X" connecting with Hurricanes' fans on a regular basis. (@stormTRacker24)
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stormTRacker Podcast
Carolina Hurricanes' Bold Moves: Rantanen & Hall Ignite New Era, Tulsky's Strategic Mastery for Playoff Pursuit
This podcast episode explores the recent trades that brought Mikko Rantanen (Colorado Avalanche) and Taylor Hall (Chicago Black Hawks) to the Carolina Hurricanes, analyzing their potential impact on the team’s playoff ambitions. With a focus on the players’ strengths, possible line combinations, and adjustments needed within the coaching system, the discussion highlights how these acquisitions can elevate the Hurricanes’ performance.
We dive deep into the strategic maneuvers of general manager Eric Tulsky, whose innovative approach might just be setting the stage for a Hurricanes renaissance. Get firsthand insights on Tulsky's adept management, from cap space wizardry to fostering a competitive spirit within the team. You'll hear how Rantanen and Hall could bring a new dimension to the Hurricanes' style, aiming for playoff glory while maintaining a balanced and powerful lineup.
• Analysis of Mikko Rantanen's skills and expected contributions
• Excitement around Taylor Hall's addition to bolster the second line
• Expectations for Sebastian Aho and potential chemistry with Rantanen
• Discussion on adjusting gameplay and strategy to integrate new players
• Outlook toward the Stanley Cup playoffs and the need for success
Well, lots of excitement in the Carolina Hurricanes camp. These days the Canes have been on a bit of a roll After an extended period of 500 hockey. The Canes have got hot. They've got 9 of a possible 10 points in their last 5 games and they're playing extremely well. But the big news happened off the ice. Last weekend the Hurricanes made a major move, acquiring superstar Miko Rantanen from the Colorado Avalanche and Taylor Hall from the Chicago Blackhawks.
Speaker 1:And in to talk about the trade, what we think about it, some of the stats around these guys and a deep dive into what it might mean to the Canes. Pleased to be joined by Erin Manning and Katie Berger Ladies.
Speaker 3:Hi, there, hey.
Speaker 1:Okay. So, looking at the Hurricanes, as I mentioned they've been on a bit of a roll and you know we started the season.
Speaker 1:a lot of folks were thinking this was a transition year for the Canes and I think they may be taking a step back now and say maybe not after the big move on the weekend but the Canes have really started to turn it up and they moved into second place in the Eastern Conference and they're sitting quite strong, as you know, and they're trailing only the red-hot Washington Capitals, who've been playing outstanding hockey this year. But as we look at the big move on the weekend which really sent the sports world and the hockey world abuzz a shocking trade that brought the Canes' Nico Rantanen and Taylor Hall and sent out, among other players, the key players from the Canes, marty Nages and, of course, jack Drury. So what do we think of this? Why don't we kick it off, katie? What do you think about the trade? Being an Avs fan, you've got lots to say, I'm sure.
Speaker 2:I was so excited when I saw this went down. Obviously it's a win-win for me, right? The players don't leave my teams, they just happen to swap teams. And so Rantanen is still swap teams, and so ranton is still my player, natchez is still my player, drury's still my player. I couldn't be happier. Um, in fact, the notion of this trade actually had occurred to me back last summer when I was born. I was thinking about well, ranton needs an extension and there's a little bit of contention over natchez and what his rfa deal is going to look like. Well, why don't the Avs and the Canes just swap players? And the Canes have the cap room and what the kind of player that Rantanen is. And Natchez's skill set fits in perfectly with the way that the Avalanche play hockey and wrote a whole big post on X about it, and it's like a dream come true.
Speaker 1:It has been a fun fun weekend for me for sure, without a doubt. Well, I think some of us were a little bit more than surprised. You know, the Canes have been rumored to be in discussions on a number of different opportunities, most significantly, of course, with the Vancouver Canucks, and a lot of folks thought the announcement of anything that was coming would be for JT Miller or possibly even Elias Pedersen, but when we heard it was Mikko Rantanen. That was quite shocking and again one of the top players in the league right now, and he brings a lot to the table. What can you tell us about ranting and as a player?
Speaker 2:well. The most obvious thing, of course, is that he is a big player. He's six foot four and you can tell that when he is on the ice he is noticeable and he uses that size to his advantage. He definitely gets in there and gets positioning and that sort of thing. But for being such a big guy he has amazing skill. That can be quite subtle and his skills are varied. So he is a really really good playmaker and passer. He can sauce the puck into the tightest of spaces and get it to a teammate. But he also has a really good shot. That is a fast shot. He can get it on and off his stick in the blink of an eye and that's part of why he is such a good goal scorer, because with that particular shot speed, a lot of times it just doesn't give defenses and goalies enough time to react before it's in the back of the net. So those pieces are particularly obvious. Rantanen is also good along the boards in the offensive zone. He uses that frame to box out to get pucks, to get it to his line mates and because he takes up space and draws other players to him, it opens up the ice for his line mates and any D that are guarding the blue line. So I definitely think that his particular offensive game will fit very, very well with the Hurricanes on the ice.
Speaker 2:The one thing he is going to have to get used to is, let's just say, rantanen is not typically described as a 200-foot player. Let's just say Rantanen is not typically described as a 200-foot player. His enthusiasm for getting back to the defensive zone and helping out there perhaps is not as developed as you would expect for somebody who plays in a Rod Brindamore system. So he will have to get used to that aspect of the game. But he's a smart player. He is capable of lots of good hard work and I think that he is up to the task for sure.
Speaker 2:And then in the locker room that's also what a lot of people don't know about Rantanen is the fact that the guy is hilarious. He has a really goofy sense of humor. He's outgoing, he brings sunshine with him, he jokes around, he's you know, when we think of our Finnish players on the canes and the kind of personality they have, that is not ranting it at all. He is very bubbly. That come out of there pretty soon, because I think he's going to get in with Jarvie and some of that ilk and really start to yuck it up together off of the ice not just on the ice.
Speaker 1:Well, it's interesting Eric Tolsky was saying as well in some of his pressers that he felt that the Canes players would be a nice match for Mikko.
Speaker 1:And again, virtually anybody that's come to the Canes has fit in quite nicely, has enjoyed the team, has enjoyed the coach. So again, that's part of the discussion that will take place throughout this later in the season and into the early summer as the Canes try to put the deal together to uh, to lock miko up. And that's an interesting part of this deal is that of course miko is going to be a unrestricted free agent this year. So a lot of folks are sitting back and saying is this going to be another situation like jake gensel, or are the canes going to be able to put a deal together and and lock miko ranting and up for long term? And of course we know that the opportunity the Canes have is a unique one because they can sign him for eight years and there isn't another team in the league that could. So that's a real advantage, I think, for the Hurricanes. And the other thing we've seen with Mikko that's interesting is that through his discussions and negotiations with the Avalanche he was willing to take a little bit less in terms of dollars because he wanted to be a part of that team for the longer term and of course, with his very close friend Nathan McKinnon. So I think if he can get hooked up with some of these younger guys, as you mentioned, katie, and certainly with his friend Sebastian Aho, that could be a very good harbinger of what might happen in terms of a contract extension for Mikko.
Speaker 1:I wanted to read a little bit about Mikko in a couple of areas. One of them is the hockey forecaster scouting report on him and they said a few players have his combination of size, skill and speed. So we've seen that for sure he has an excellent hockey iq and make can make plays at high speed and that's something that differentiates, I think, the stars in the game over others. For sure they can make plays at very high speed. His one-time shot makes him a major threat on the power play and he uses his size well to protect the puck. So things that we're looking for right, they're looking for, as you mentioned, katie, that one-time shot, that ability to get it off, and even in his first game the other day I don't know if you saw this, but certainly he was getting some shots off. You know he was getting in position, he was finding those open areas.
Speaker 2:And.
Speaker 1:I mean, we saw some of the same situation, of course, with Martin Natchez playing with the Avalanche. He was wiring the puck, as I'm sure you were excited to see that too, katie. In any case, again, he's an elite skill. He can do a lot of things well. If we take a look at the NHL edge information on Mikko as well top skating speed this year he's in the 84th percentile. So he's again a guy that he's up around 22 miles an hour, so he can move pretty quickly, that's for sure. Speed burst he's at 61, but skating distance he's in the 97th percentile.
Speaker 1:Top shot speed 90th percentile. These are big numbers, like he's near the top. Shots on goal 95th percentile. Okay, so he's a guy that gets a lot of shots on goal, as we know, shooting percentage at 86 in the 86th percentile. So again, these numbers are all outstanding goals.
Speaker 1:He's at 98 because he's among the top goal scorers in the league with 25. So again the other thing that's interesting, he's in the 93rd percentile for offensive zone time, so clearly he's a guy that can get up and they can hold the puck. And that's back to, I think, the discussion on his ability to do good board work. He's very strong on the boards, right, and he's a guy that can bring that Erin. What are you thinking about with Mikko Rantanen?
Speaker 3:Well, just like Katie was saying, it was one of those things that you just you know you really didn't expect it other than you know, this fun little scenario, oh, what if the Canes could get somebody like that? You know, and I mean, I like to look at it this way the Canes have been rumored to be in on a lot of top players that they haven't actually gotten. We have the Timo Mayer discussion. We had the discussion you know, Jack Eichel.
Speaker 3:Yes, Eichel. Yeah, Matthew Kachuk. Okay, that was the one I was trying to think of who?
Speaker 3:was the other one. Matthew Kachuk was the big, and you know the thing about both the discussions of K big, and, and you know the thing about both the discussions of Chuck and and Eichel and all these guys is that and and and Timo Meyer even, in particular, all of those guys would have taken a bigger package and the the at the time. Maybe not now, but at the time the big piece in addition to Natchez that would have been included was Seth Jarvis, and I can't really imagine this team without Seth Jarvis.
Speaker 3:So to me the fact that those deals didn't work out and this is the one that did. It's not just a great fit from the perspective of adding Mikko Rantanen to a team where one of his best friends from Finland actually plays. But you know, we didn't have to lose Seth Jarvis in one of these deals because I think that you know, and everyone says at the time I remember the discussions about Meyer, it was oh well, you know, jarvis was still just a prospect. Then you know we don't really know what we have here. I mean, he had just started playing. I think he was his rookie season. He's only played this many games. You know, I can't even imagine if Jarvis was playing in New Jersey right now. I can't imagine how miserable that would be for Canes fans.
Speaker 3:So to get Rantanen without losing players that are so sewn into the identity of the Canes and I mean as much as I love Martin Natchez I think this is good for him and I think it's good for Jack Drury too.
Speaker 3:It's wonderful for them because Natchez has not been able to be utilized the way he should be in the NHL as long as he's been playing for the Carolina Hurricanes. He's so fast and you saw that when I think Katie and I we were both talking about this a little bit. The game on Sunday, his speed and match with Nathan McKinnon is just breathtaking. It's incredible to watch what they can do, and they're just getting started. So sometimes I think the guys need to go to a system that's going to fit them better, and I'm hoping, with all these stats that you've given us, tom, that this is what we're going to see from Rantanen too, that, as great as he has been, maybe he can get even to a higher level. Maybe we're going to see him in that top three, top four discussion in the NHL in some of these categories, and that would be great too. So that's exciting.
Speaker 2:I'd like to add that this is a real big opportunity for Rantanen because for his entire career in Colorado he has played either second fiddle to McKinnon or then when McCarr came along a couple years later, then he he was the number three superstar and he and if he stayed in Colorado he would have continued to be the number three superstar he would. Mckinnon was the top forward and McCarr is just McCarr special unicorn type of player and Makar is just Makar's special unicorn type of player that he is. And so it's not just from a cap point of view but just from a the Avs wanted to be more balanced and when it was very clear that they weren't going to come to a salary agreement that allowed them to remain competitive from the top of their lineup to the bottom of their lineup, they decided to deal him, and I think they did. A lot of people were like, oh, he was surprised. Yeah, he was surprised. But you know what? They could have traded him to a team that had no playoff perspective whatsoever for some of their young talent and probably gotten a bigger package out of it. Would have gotten more players or more draft picks or something like that. But they said we're competitive. We need to find somebody who matches what we're going to need from Rantanen being gone, and we want Rantanen to have an opportunity to still shine, to still have an impact in the postseason.
Speaker 2:And so him coming to the Hurricanes puts him in a really, really nice spot because, number one, he can be the guy. He is not going to be playing second fiddle or third fiddle or whatever to other stars, it is the guy. He is the guy, he is the superstar. I mean, we love Ajo, we love Jarvi, we love our players, but he is on a different level. But he is on a different level and I'm really excited to see how he embraces that particular role on the ice and in the locker room and helps to push this team hopefully further than they have managed to get in this particular iteration of the franchise and the history of the group. So I'm really really excited to see how that goes, because I think Mikko has it in him, but again he was in a position where he didn't have that opportunity. Now he has that opportunity. He has players that complement his skill set really well. It's go time for him. I really, really hope he seizes this and makes the most out of it.
Speaker 1:Well, you know you mentioned something interesting. This and makes the most out of it. Well, you know you mentioned something interesting Nico Rantan's performance in the playoffs is off the charts. He's got 100 points in 81 games. It's insane and I think again for the Hurricanes. A big body, a guy that can definitely drive. You know the offense and the play and playoffs is going to be a huge asset for them.
Speaker 1:And again, it's back to the same challenge the Canes have had for the last six years getting in the playoffs and then kind of running out of gas. And size is a key element of this, and I think Miko brings that for sure. And the other thing I wanted to ask, as we prior to moving on to the next players how do we think this is going to affect Sebastian Ajo?
Speaker 3:Yeah, Well, we just said in our last meeting together that what we needed to see for Ajo was a true center-winger duo, that he had never had that kind of the close. I mean he's gotten close with Jarvis. But the problem there is that right now Jarvis is being used on Stahls' line to help Jordan Stahls' line get some offense. You can't form a duo if your primary winger is constantly being moved away from you. So it's a little challenging. So if this turns into that kind of connection, that kind of chemistry, where you have two players who are just reading each other so well and feeding off each other so well, that is definitely going to change things for the Canes, both in the regular season and the postseason.
Speaker 3:And I think back to you know, not only were there lots of pundits that were saying that the Canes would miss the playoffs this season which was such a funny thing to think about but also Sarah Sivian, who used to be the Canes reporter for the Athletic. She always said that what the Canes lacked was what, in her terms, oomph per 60, meaning you know that superstar talent. Well, I don't think you can get much more oomph than Nico Rantanen. So this is exciting. This is a new era for the Canes. I think that a lot of us, the words that kept being used Friday night was this is the franchise altering deal, and it's going to take a while for it to settle in and for us to see everything that comes of it, but this is not your typical trade, so it's exciting.
Speaker 1:Well, the other thing, and I think you're hitting something which is really important it's going to take a while for these players to, you know, kind of become accustomed to their teammates, to their new location to you know the style of play their coach.
Speaker 3:I mean, this is all new right.
Speaker 1:And I think that, as fans, we have to. You know, yeah, martin Natchez and Jack Drury off to a quick start with the avalanche, but we just need to be patient, and a lot of folks have talked about this on the Canes broadcast and other folks have talked about look, you have to understand that this is a major major. And other folks have talked about look, you have to understand that this is a major major shift. Here's a player, particularly in the case of Nico, who's been with the same team right from the get-go. He's very close to all of those players, and certainly the key ones, and all of a sudden he's in a different locker room with a bunch of people that are new and he hasn't played with previously. So, yeah, we just need to be patient, let these guys find their way. Rod's got to find the combinations. We'll talk a little bit about that in a few minutes but he's got to find the combinations that are going to work. We are very sure. I think we believe strongly that, of course, miko will team up with Sebastian Ajo and one of the interesting things about that too and I'd like to get your thoughts on this of course, seabass, or Sebastian as he's called sometimes he was most successful with Tewo Taravainen for a long time.
Speaker 1:Okay, so the two cherubs, as they called it, the two Finns missing Tewo this year. I think that's affected at different times. That's affected Sebastian as well. Now he's got a countryman, he's got a friend of his that is again on a different level of play, and so he's in a situation where he can start to, you know, maybe he can move forward from the fact that he lost one of his best friends and a great hockey player in table, and I think that's another part of this story that's going to play out over time.
Speaker 1:I think it's going to work out very well for the Hurricanes. So, again, a lot of positive things, a lot of different side stories here, for sure, with the addition of Mikko and the Canes had to add somebody like that. We've talked a lot about the fact that you see these teams out there with the. You know McDavid and Dreisaitl or you know some of the other combinations of Les, mckinnon and Rantanen, and thankfully that's not there anymore. So, yeah, I think a lot of different side stories are going to play out, so it'll be interesting to see how it goes. What are our expectations for the rest of the year for Mikko. What do we hope he's going to do for us?
Speaker 2:I definitely think that we need to have reasonable expectations. You know, he was used to playing with McKinnon, who was one type of center, and now he's with Ahu, who's another type of center. But I don't see, I think his production will be fine, I think he'll have really good production. I think he will definitely come close to 100 points, if not get it again. Part of it just depends on how quickly that chemistry forms. A lot of that will have to do with Rantanen himself and how he plays their game to playing with Miko.
Speaker 2:They cannot be playing the exact same game with him on the wing as they played with other guys on their wing. This is not Roslevic, this is not Svitch, not Jarvis. He is his own type of player and they need to learn how to read him, and they need to elevate their games too. You know, going back to what we're talking about with Aho, aho needs to find another gear if you're going to center a player like ranton, and you need to be playing yourself in a higher gear, and so not only will I think ranton's production be good, but anything that perhaps he doesn't get because he's not playing with mckinnon anymore will be made up for by the added production that will come from his line mates that they wouldn't have otherwise enjoyed if the trade hadn't happened in the first place. So overall I think it'll be great. I just want to make sure that whoever he ends up playing with, they get as much time and as much runway to create chemistry together so that they are red hot and ready to go once the playoffs roll around.
Speaker 1:Absolutely Okay. So I agree. And again, I think you know he's going to produce, you know he is. He's just that kind of a player and the question is you know who are going to be the other folks with him and how fast can they ramp this up? Now the other player in this deal was an interesting one and apparently it turns out that Eric Tulsky really wanted this player. He had been talking to Chicago for a while. He felt like Taylor Hall would be a great addition to the Hurricanes for the playoff run this year. And you know the magic of Tulsky once again, in putting this deal together, finding a way to get Hall and at the same time put together the deal that would allow him to get Mikko Rantanen and make it work within the cap constraints that Eric has had to struggle with this entire year.
Speaker 1:Taylor Hall is an interesting one. With this entire year, taylor Hall is an interesting one Again. Hall is a big player. He's a guy that comes in, he's a stocky player, he's extremely strong. All of a sudden now you're seeing quite a change to the Hurricanes. I mean, we saw Marty Natchez, who is a tall player, but he's not a bulky player, doesn't play a heavy game Jack Drury, of course, again, a slight player too doesn't play a heavy game Jack Drury, of course, again a slight player too and you're bringing in two guys that are going to bring some real size and going to change the landscape of the Hurricanes in terms of that.
Speaker 1:Here's the scouting report from Hockey Forecaster on Taylor Hall, which I think is interesting. He still has the speed and I'll talk about that in a minute that helped him be the number one overall pick in 2010. So he was a number one overall pick. We know that. That's incredible. An explosive skater and a superb playmaker. So this is interesting and we'll talk about how that's going to work with his new line mates. He makes others around him better an opposing defenseman miserable. Him better an opposing defenseman miserable. I love that.
Speaker 1:He's battled injuries and inconsistency throughout his career, but he's still one of the most dangerous wingers when healthy in the NHL. So this is quite a story for him and we look at just as I'm talking about this, we look at the NHL edge stuff, and one of the things that really jumped out at me and certainly when he was healthy a couple of years ago with the Bruins it was very strong is his skating his top speed, his ability to get speed bursts and so on. So this guy can really motor and you know he can get down low and low and he looks sometimes a little bit like William Carrier. He can really go in and get things done and he's a heavy shooter as well. So what are we thinking about?
Speaker 3:Taylor Hall Well, I think that one of the things that we talked about was that the Canes they definitely still needed another top six winger and I think that, based on how things went in the first game, it looks like there's a good chance that Hall will be used in that role, at least to start.
Speaker 3:We'll see how it goes, but I know that the comment from the JFresh hockey account was that he's an underrated four checker, and I found myself watching that very much in the game against the Islanders because his four checking is really very excellent.
Speaker 3:So that's going to endear him to Rod Brindamore, no question, because we all know that that is, you know, one of the key elements of the Jordan Stahl line, the line that they really want every line to kind of have that, that identity in terms of being able to just get in on the puck and forecheck hard and you know, work, the cycle and all that. So I think that Taylor Hall is going to be a tremendous asset to the team and, you know, if he can stick on that second line, which would be great because you know both Svechnikov and Kokaniemi could use to have somebody that's going to help them elevate their game in those areas, and Svechnikov, in particular, being a power forward type. You know having a playmaker. You said that um hall had a lot of good playmaking ability, that that's going to be a critical element for that line too, so it's going to be interesting to see how it all pans out yeah, I'm really excited to see what can, um, what can happen with hall.
Speaker 2:uh, exactly what aaron said he seems like he's more of a prototypical Rod Brindamore style player and you know, and we need to get Svetch going.
Speaker 2:I think we've talked about it on multiple different occasions that he hasn't quite lived up to the billing and hasn't produced the way that we want him to, and so the combined presence of Hall on his line to help get him the puck and give him those scoring opportunities, as well as having Rantanen on the team who can perhaps tutor him a little bit more in the finer points of being a skilled power forward that you don't have to be either or you can be both, and will be huge for Svets in the coming weeks and I'm really looking forward to seeing how that impacts his game. And Hall also seems like somebody who really wants to be a Hurricane. He's excited for this opportunity. He's mentioned in interviews before that he's kind of hoping that this might be his last stop, with kind of giving that wink and nod towards I want to do well, I want to prove myself so that I can get a contract that I'm happy with to get me to what could potentially be his retirement years. And so he comes in motivated. He comes in with a good skill set and definitely that heaviness.
Speaker 2:Last post-season Brendan Moore played with the lines because he felt like lines were getting pushed over, were too small, getting pushed off the puck too much, losing those battles in the corner. Well, with Rantanen, you're not going to be losing those battles. That gives you size on that first line, but then that second line. They're all big, strong dudes on that second line and really, really have the opportunity to put together something that has the physicality of stall's line but more of a scoring upside, similar to, but not equal to, the first line. And so if they can find that perfect blend of physicality and a scoring touch and be that extra threat, teams are really going to have to consider how they play their Hurricanes. It's not going to be a matter of if you shut down Ajo and Rantanen, then you're good to go. You've taken care of the entire Carolina Hurricanes offense. You have these other big boys you have to worry about as well, and so I really like the scoring threat that he brings to help create a proper two-line attack system on offense.
Speaker 1:Yeah, a couple of comments. I agree and I'm really excited about the potential of this being a heavy line. I mean, historically the Canes have been really relying on Stahl's line to do a lot of that heavy lifting, as we know, and a lot of other smaller players, and this is changing the landscape of the Hurricanes big time. And you think about teams like the Florida Panthers and some of the other teams that they're going to face that are really heavy. They play a heavy game All of a sudden. Now they're not going to just face one line, they're going to face more, and I think that's going to be critical for them. A couple of things on Hall. He's another left shot right winger. He can play both sides, but he seems to do best on the right side, so he's very similar to Mikko Rantanen in that regard. The other thing is, hall has always had pretty darn good power play numbers as well.
Speaker 1:So he's, a guy that and I thought he looked good in his first go on that second power play unit. He seemed to look like he was out there making some things happen. Eric Tulsky really wanted him. You know that means a lot.
Speaker 1:Yes, Because you know, eric has handpicked the guys that have the Canes in second overall in the East. That's an amazing story After losing so many key players in free agency. It's one that we'll keep talking about because I think what's happening and we're seeing it on X for sure a lot of folks have finally realized that Eric Tulsky is an incredible, incredible general manager and he's making a lot of great moves. And the fact that he wanted Taylor Hall this much and he felt Hall was an ideal fit for the Rod Grindamore you know, style of play tells me a lot and that gives me a good feeling that that, uh, taylor, you know he, as you say, he's motivated like crazy.
Speaker 1:Uh, he's going to come in and he's going to want to show. You know, he was kind of again in Chicago he. He started off fine but he kind of lost his way, and you know, with a team that's losing a lot.
Speaker 1:I guess it's not you know it's not unexpected, but Now he comes to a fresh start. And again this guy was MVP one year. He was a Hart Trophy winner. I mean, he's got the pedigree for sure and he's not so old that he can't come in and make a difference. I think he's got a lot of runway left. You know we talked a little bit about the fact that he struggled through a lot of injuries. He's missed a lot of games over the last six or seven years, so his body has not been beat up as badly, I guess, as some of the other players in the league. That's probably a good thing, and if he's healthy Now, last year's injury was a tough one. It was a torn ACL. We know what that's like. So it took him a long time to come back from that, but he's from my eyeballs watching him in some of the highlights of the.
Speaker 1:Hawks, and certainly in the first game with the Canes. He looks like he's skating just fine, so again excited to have Taylor on board. Now we look at this. We've got to think about the lineup and how do we think it's going to come together. Erin, what do you got?
Speaker 3:Well, I did see the practice lines today and we're going to see pretty much similar to what we saw in the third period, I think, against the Islanders it's going to be, at least if the practice lines hold for the game, because you always have to say that because you never know, but if the practice lines are the same as the game lines for tomorrow night's game. They had Rantanen, ajo and Jackson Blake on the top line I don't have them in the right order, I'm sorry and then they had Svetch Kokanemi and Hall on the second, the same stall line, martinuk Stahl and Jarvis, and then now the third line. Today at practice it was Riley Stillman with Yuhayeska, because Jack Roslevic is out sick. So the fourth line may be a little bit in flux because and and you know with Eric Robinson, sorry and Yuhayeska. So the fourth line may be a little bit in flux because we don't know if Roslevic's illness is the kind of thing that he's not going to be able to play through or, you know, if he's going to be all right.
Speaker 3:Now, because it's one game. I don't see them making a call up. If I have a feeling, if they have to, they'll go 11-7. Now, that would be really interesting, given that we have two new players in the lineup and going 11-7 would mean adding a third that hasn't played a game yet with the Canes. So that could be an interesting scenario to keep an eye on, you know for and of course by the time this comes out we'll already know. But for us it's kind of funny.
Speaker 3:I think we talked about this a little bit. I'm not sold and neither is Katie, I think on whether Jackson Blake should remain on that top line. I think eventually you really want to have Seth Jarvis back up there. Jarvis can play on his off wing with no problem. He can play on the left. He has played on the left in games with the Canes. So I don't really see that you're going to want one of your top offensive producers on the team, because he really is, you know, playing on the third line indefinitely. But we all know the situation with Will Carrier's injury and not having an obvious fit to slot back in there. They're going to be juggling some pieces around and trying to decide what the best thing to do is. I'm sure once they get home, you know going forward.
Speaker 2:And.
Speaker 2:I don't know if it's something just because of Blake being currently up there, but the practice lines had Rantanen listed at the left wing and while he is a left shot, his entire career he has played on the right wing.
Speaker 2:He likes to play on his offside because he likes to open up for that shot from the face-off circle into the goal, and so I don't know if putting him on the left wing at the moment is because of Blake or because they just haven't quite figured out how they're going to use somebody who's a left shot on the right wing or what it is. But I would also expect that, whatever the final lineup is that they go with coming out of I'm going to say coming out of the Four Nations, I would like to think that whatever they envision for the playoffs to be, their lines will be what they go with, starting after the Four Nations face off. I hope that they do have Rantanen back over there Now. It could just be that he's listed at left wing at the moment and then when we watch him play he'll be on the right side of the ice most of the time. That's that's to be determined, but that that is where you want to find him yeah, I wouldn't read anything into that.
Speaker 1:He'll be playing the right wing, I don't think there's any question. He's uh, yeah, he's, he's the right winger and that's what he does. Um, and, and blake was fine on the left side, I mean he was fine. But I think the bigger question is, and that's uh, I think that's a good segue into, you know, we think about what this lineup might look like coming out of the Four Nations.
Speaker 1:Okay, so you've got you know thinking that we want to keep Kokaniemi with Sveshnikov and Taylor Hall. I think that would be kind of fun if we could do that. We know we're going to have Aho and Rantanen as a combination. Who should move up there. That's going to be a question we can talk about. And then, of course, if it's Jarvis and that's fine who's going to replace Seth on that line with Martinuk and Jordan Stahl? So kind of interesting questions. If Tyson Jost is healthy, of course he'll come back and take that fourth line center spot, which that's fine for now, and we'll talk a little bit about some thoughts beyond that. But let's say it's Jost and you've got, of course, eric Robinson, who will be just fine on that fourth line. He's a great left winger for that line, and you've got Jack Rostelevich. Now is it possible? Rostelevich moves up.
Speaker 3:Besides Stahl.
Speaker 1:Yeah, or anywhere, is it possible? He moves up off the fourth line.
Speaker 3:I think that is possible because I know we haven't had a lot of sample sizes of seeing him on that fourth line, but he hasn't been terribly effective there and you wouldn't really expect him to be. It's not his role. He doesn't usually. I think in Columbus there were times when he played at 4C, usually for the same kind of reasons that he's taken that kind of spot here occasionally. I think he can handle that. Okay, it's not his again, not his best spot. But as a fourth line winger I really don't think you're getting the best out of Jack Roslevic. So I would think that they could try him next to Jordan Stahl if they wanted to get. If the idea of having Jarvis there is to have a little bit more scoring touch, why not? Roslevic is the leading goal scorer on the team right now. A second only to Rantanen, who has not yet scored for who has not yet scored for the Canes?
Speaker 3:He's the leading goal scorer of the people who have been here from day one. So they could try that. I don't know if Roslevic's defensive lapses would drive that line crazy or if that would just be absorbed in what Jordan Stahl is capable of doing. So you know that would be something that they could try. What do you think?
Speaker 2:Katie, katie, what do you think? That's a possibility, or I could see, and you know you'd have to see how it affects things defensively again. They could try to put him on the second line, and Svetch has played with Stahl before, and so that could work. If you're wanting to jumpstart Svetch, though, and make him into an offensive threat, more so than he has been this season probably not the move the Canes want to make, but you never know. The other possibility would be trying somebody like Hall there and see how he works with them, if you want to move Roslevic up, but right now, roslevic really is kind of an interesting puzzle piece on the where does he fit? Because there's not a clear-cut role for him right now on this team.
Speaker 1:Right. Well, and that takes us into the next part of this, which is the Canes are going to have to make some more moves. We know that as we kind of head out through the four nations and then head towards the trade deadline, the Canes have got a bit of a hole at center ice. Now They've got to resolve that. I don't see them going into the playoffs with Tyson Jost as their fourth line centerman, and I think Jack Roslevic is in a position where we've talked a lot about this. He, at the start of the year, was a revelation I mean incredible but he basically is playing himself off the team. There really isn't a spot for him. He's not a fourth liner and he won't be a fourth liner going into the playoffs.
Speaker 1:I cannot imagine that to be the case. They need a much heavier, more aggressive fourth line if they're going to compete. So he's not the right fit now. He is in a position where they could trade him and get something for him. You know, 18 goals, that's not too shabby. So he definitely is in a position of value and I think, as we take a look at this and pull up some of the cap information, we can see that the Canes could very well have. If they put William Carrier on long-term injured reserve and he joins Jesper Fost, they could end up with around 3.5 million just under 3.5 million in cap space. Now if they decided to trade Jack Roslevic, of course, they move up over 6 million. Now they've got some money to play with and I think they could very clearly shore up. You know some of the positions. What are we thinking about? You know, as the Canes start to head towards the trade deadline, what do you think they should be looking for?
Speaker 3:Well, like you said, I think the 4C position is something they're going to be looking at. I think that there's always, like we talked about before, I think, a depth defenseman is going to be necessary. William Carrier is not somebody you can just replace by bringing somebody in, but they might take a look at some depth forward options that could be between third line and fourth line, just in case they and that would. That would really depend on Carrier's situation. If they believe that Will Carrier will in fact be recovered well enough to return by the playoffs, they probably won't look at that, but if they don't, or if they're unsure, they might bring in somebody in that kind of spot too.
Speaker 2:So we'll just have to see what happens with that yeah, exactly what aaron said depth defenseman for sure, because we saw with ghost out that I, I think, the uh talent level of what they have. And now, now, granted, come playoffs, then you might have your black aces and stuff like that, and I'm sure plenty of Canes fans would be clamoring to see Scott Morrow given a shot in those circumstances. But even then, that's a rookie and you know the types of mistakes that rookies are prone to. That's just natural. I'm not sure Brenda Moore is going to want to risk that.
Speaker 2:So bring in somebody who's a steady seventh defenseman. I know I had postulated that maybe that'd be Tony D'Angelo, but then, right after our podcast came out, he went and signed with the Islanders and that was very entertaining watching him play against the Canes. It figures that his first game in his new sweater was against the Islanders and that was very entertaining, watching him play against the Canes. It figures that his first game in his new sweater was against the Canes. But somebody along those lines, somebody that is going to slot in there for those handful of minutes next to whoever he needs to in order to shore up the defense and make the team be able to function at a good bubble.
Speaker 1:Yeah, and I think the top of the list is center ice for sure, and you know, I want to throw a couple of names out as we start to contemplate who we might see the Canes having interest in. There are some free agents, ufas, coming up that might be of interest. Nick Bukestad, of course, with Utah, he's a guy that last year I thought the Canes would actually look at. He's big, he's 6'6", he's over 200 pounds. Last year he had over 20 goals. He had an excellent year for Arizona, the Coyotes, last year. He's a guy that's on a very friendly deal 2.1 million. So again, the kind of player that could come in with size. He can do it all. He's a guy that could actually move up in the lineup if KK or somebody else struggled. So I think that would be valuable. Another guy that's interesting is Radek Foxa. We know Foxa from his days, mostly in Dallas. He's another big player, 6'3", 220. He's a guy that you know. He's had some good seasons 15, 20, not 20, but you know higher teens. He's on a $3.25 million deal, again, 31 years old. So Fox is another guy they might want to consider, depending on the type of player they want.
Speaker 1:In that fourth line, the other one that I thought on the UFA side that we'll keep an eye on as days go on, is Isaac Lundestrom with the Anaheim Ducks. He's just 25, so he's a young UFA. He's on a $1.5 million deal. He's a guy that a couple of years ago had 16 goals, so he's again. He can move up the lineup a little bit. He's very defensively. Responsible, he kills penalties. He does all the right kind of things. Responsible he kills penalties, he does all the right kind of things.
Speaker 1:So I think there are players out there and I think as the weeks go on we'll start to hear the rumor mill go If the Canes decided they want somebody with term. There are some players too. Of course. They could go back to Vancouver and have conversations with Patrick Albine and Jim Rutherford and they have lots of those for a guy like Dakota Joshua. Now, he's a guy that last last year 18 goals. He's 6'3 and 205. He's a big player. He's on a $3.25 million deal till 28, 29. So a little bit longer deal but he's a guy that could come in and certainly give them some depth at center.
Speaker 1:The guy that I really would love to see them go after is Kevin Stenland, who's again with Utah. Stenland last year was the fourth line center for the Florida Panthers. This guy is an ace in the faceoff circle. He's right now. He's at almost 60%. He's in the top five, I think, in the league. So he's a right-hand shot. He brings everything you need as a center iceman to the game. So there are players out there. I wanted to just throw some names out to let us know that there are some players that will be available that could help the Hurricanes, and I kind of hope they go with size. I hope they go with the right shot as well. They could use a nice another right shot centerman. That's good in the faceoff time. So some of these folks kind of fit the bill and we'll keep an eye on them.
Speaker 1:I guess the question I would ask here as we go through all this. I guess the question I would ask here as we go through all this. Look, at the start of the year a lot of folks were saying guess what? This is a transition year. So you know we'll expect the Canes to make the playoffs. Some folks said they didn't think they would. But okay, that's fine. But we'll expect the Canes to make the playoffs and they'll make a round or two and that's wonderful. And next year they got Nikitian. They're going to have tons of room in the cap.
Speaker 1:You know, don't worry about it. We're coming next year and I felt all along that Tom Dundon, the owner of the Canes, is not that kind of guy. He definitely wants to go for it and I think this past weekend gave us the answer to the question Are the Canes serious about going for the cut.
Speaker 2:Definitely.
Speaker 3:Absolutely. I think that the addition of Rantanen says that they're not content with what they've had in the playoffs in the past and they're ready to take that next step forward. The big question is not just getting Rantanen situated and settled into the Canes system, but will we see the Canes system open up a little bit to maximize the offense, especially at the top line and even of the top two lines? Because the defense first approach has gotten them very far. It's gotten them into the playoffs for six years. It's gotten them into the second round. Most of those times it hasn't been able to get them further because when it comes down to when you're finally facing one of the top, you know those, those last handful of the last man standing teams. You know the final four.
Speaker 3:If you want to call it that, you got to have some punch in your offense. You can't be just hoping to shut them down. You have to be doing your work on the other side and it can't be about opportunistic goals, it can't be about lucky bounces, it has to be about attack. That was the word that we used last time. You have a player now who is more than capable of leading the attack on the offense, the system is going to have to evolve a little bit to allow for that. I think it's going to be interesting to see how that happens.
Speaker 2:I think it starts with ice time as well, Like I'm not saying I'd rant into the ice, but part of the reason his nickname is Moose is not just because he's a big guy, it's because he is sturdy. He likes that ice time. He plays better when he is out there a lot and gets lots of touches, gets those good opportunities and he will make the most of those opportunities. But if you are playing him 80% of the amount of time that he has played in the past, that he's used to, you know you don't expect him to produce at the same rate that he has produced in the past. You need to, you need to give him that cookie. You need to give him those choice moments and really off, emphasize your offensive opportunities when you've got them. There have been times in games where there is an offensive zone, face-off and the fourth line is what Rod sends out there to take the face-off. What it's in the offensive zone? It's in the offensive zone. Send out your scoring line.
Speaker 3:There was a game where he did that four times in a row after icings. He kept sending the fourth line out.
Speaker 2:I was like no no, put Rantanen out there. Put Rantanen and Ajo out there. It is an offensive zone, face off. Put them out there. If they were just out there, then put KK's line out there. Put the scoring lines out there on those opportunities, and it's not. I'm not suggesting a big overhaul. I'm not suggesting that the Carolina hurricanes all of a sudden try to become the Colorado avalanche.
Speaker 2:That would be, a disaster if they tried to do that. That wouldn't work. But just those little tweaks, those few extra shifts, deciding when those shifts come, maximizing those opportunities, giving the, you know, taking the restraints off a little bit as far as the defensive zone is concerned in order to open up the ice. Open up those opportunities will be very, very key and very important. And I would also like to say, because you mentioned the cap and re-signing Rantanen, the dollar signs is not going to be what prevents Rantanen from signing. They will offer him something that he will be more than willing to accept.
Speaker 2:I think the key for Rantanen re-signing is going to be whether or not he feels like his game is a good fit in the Carolina Hurricanes system. If he feels like he's being stifled, that he doesn't have the opportunities that he wants, it's not going to matter that Ajo is his buddy. He's going to go find a team that's willing to give him that ice time and those opportunities and pursue a championship. He's not going to go sign with Buffalo or San Jose, or even someone said he was going to revenge sign with Chicago to play with Conor Bedard because of what the Avs did to him. No, he's not going to do that because they're not in a cup window. But he'll go find somebody else who is in a cup window who's willing to give him the type of game and ice time he wants, and he can find that in Carolina. He can. They just need to tweak things a touch in order to complement his particular game.
Speaker 3:Sorry go ahead. Oh no, I'm sorry.
Speaker 3:I was going to say. One of the things that might help with that is that they are now going to have a true fourth line. They're going to be building one. They're going to build one for the playoffs and up until now, as we know, rod Rindemore has been very solid about balancing the four lines, balancing their ice time, balancing, you know, as much as he can.
Speaker 3:Ajo's line does get the most ice time, but only by a little bit. Stahl's line usually has the second most ice time, you know. And then with both Kokuniemi and Drury, if you look at the ice time of the centers as a sort of shortcut of how much ice time they're getting, they've been about a minute apart in ice time, you know. So what you can't do with someone like Rantanen on the team is do that you have to have a fourth line that comes out there and plays their eight or nine minutes, and that's good, because those minutes have to go to Ajo's line with Rantanen on it. They have to. That's where those minutes come from, because there's only so many minutes on the ice in a 60-minute game for each line to play.
Speaker 3:You're not going to take ice time away from Jordan Stahl because he's doing what is one of the most important jobs on the team when it comes to shutting down the other team's top line. So that ice time has to come from the fourth line. And it goes back to what Tom was just saying about adding a true fourth line center, one of these big burly guys that you're not looking to drive offense but you're looking to. You know, be that, tire out the other team for a little while, give everybody on your team a breather, you get that going and then there's no issue. Then there's plenty of ice time for the Rantanen-Anaho combination to get out there and do some damage.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I mean a couple of things. First of all, we know that the style of play is materially different than the avalanche. We also know that he played with two of the best players in the game regularly in Cale McCarr and Nathan McKinnon. So to have an expectation that he's going to come in and do the same as he did with the Canes is probably unrealistic. Now, having said all that, I think the Canes are going to look at this with a little bit of a different eye. Certainly Rod Brendamore, because he is one of the best players in the game.
Speaker 1:And he has not had that before. So he's relied on you know, Sebastian, and he's relied on kind of a committee the rest of the way, but he's finally got someone that's a true superstar.
Speaker 1:And you know I'm sure that he's going to have some discussions with. You know the powers. That be to say they're going to be encouraging. Use this guy because we want to keep him he's one of the great players in the game and take advantage of him. If he's going to get paid 13, 14, whatever numbers of millions next year, he's got to deliver a big amount to the team. So give him the opportunity to do that.
Speaker 1:And the other thing I'll just say is that in the short time we saw the power play the other night, I was really excited about some of the chemistry that was forming with he and Shane Gossespierre. You know, you remember Shane, of course, had really done a lot of that with Marty Natchez. He was really one of the key guys to get that puck to him for those big shots. I saw him doing the same kind of thing quite nicely with Miko in just the first game. They don't even know each other. So I've got a feeling that this is going to be huge and it actually plays into one of the key discussions that I think we want to be thinking about. What do the Canes have to do to be in a position to go all the way? Okay, what has to happen? What do they have to improve? One of the big things is the power play.
Speaker 2:Especially in the playoffs, absolutely.
Speaker 1:So if you think about where the Canes are right now and we know they're going to be bolstering the team a little bit how do we feel about the Canes going into the playoffs? How do we feel about their chances of winning the Stanley Cup as we sit here today?
Speaker 3:They were already one of Muddy Puck's top forecasted teams before the Rantanen trade. You know, we were just a little bit below, I think, vegas and, if my memory serves, maybe Florida, in terms of their odds. So I'd love to see I haven't been able to get back out there, but I'd love to see where they've got them ranked now, because this is huge, this is a big game changer, you know. I think that, at the very least, my expectation now is that they need to make the Eastern Conference final and they need to win games. I would love to see them make it to the Stanley Cup final. I think that's doable. I don't think that's impossible at this point, but I want to see them. You know, at the very least they have to break that curse of not being able to win games in the Eastern Conference final. That's, that's the minimum at this point. What do you think, katie?
Speaker 2:Yeah, I agree, I think they can go real far. Again, part of it just depends on how everything gels together and the kind of identity that they play with. I think they took that loss to Florida a couple years ago to heart with the physicality in the in the Eastern conference final, and that's part of why they're adding bigger bodies that are harder to to push around and get off the puck. And so if they can, if they can take those players and apply that identity and if they can find that, that chemistry on that top line between Ajo and Rantanen and Winger, wow I mean you can't help but be excited.
Speaker 2:I think that Freddie and Kochekov will be a solid duo in net. They don't have to be spectacular. I don't think anyone is expecting them to come in and be Shostakhin, but if they face a Shostakhin Bobrovsky etc in the playoffs, they need to be able to at least hold the fort well enough to let the that the scoring group, get their opportunities and do their thing and not have to play from behind, and I think they're perfectly capable of of doing that. So I'm excited to see what happens. A lot of pieces have to kind of fall into place, but they don't have to wow. If we get lucky, fall into place, it's a really good likelihood that they will, provided good usage and good planning and good coaching.
Speaker 3:Well, everybody's staying healthy too, and all those things, but yeah.
Speaker 1:Well, I mean, it's interesting. You know the team as it was built this year, again because of the cap challenges that, uh, that eric faced, um, they have, you know they've done well. I mean, the rest of the league has not been nearly as dominant as it has in recent years, so that's been good for them and and even though they have an extended period of 500 hockey you know, 25 games or so uh, they're still sitting in a very strong position and I think that's again the coaching that Bryndamore does. You know the basic assets that he has, the guys like Slavin and, of course, aho and others. He's got some players that he can really build around and I really like your comment about goaltending, katie, because that's something that ultimately, if we have a healthy Freddie Anderson and Piotr has looked good his last three or four games.
Speaker 1:And I think having Freddie, there is a great kind of an incentive for Piotr and he's, you know, if he gets into one of those periods where he can play like he can, uh, and he did this last year we're going to have goaltending. That's as good as anybody and that's going to be key, because one of the things we've seen this year which is kind of unusual is the number of odd man breaks. Uh, the canes have given up a lot, and the other thing they have to do we've talked about this repeatedly they got to start the game on time. Uh, you know, we've seen so much of this getting behind in the first period and then it's one of the best teams in the league, I guess, to come from behind victories. But again, they've got to get that going.
Speaker 1:Again, they've got to start getting to their game more frequently and I think that's been an interesting question why not? And they've got to fix that for sure if they're going to go deep in the playoffs. But anyway, lots to think about. Any closing remarks, erin, what do you got for us?
Speaker 3:Well, I think that this is, you know, one of those things where you look at all of this shaking out over know friday and friday evening and you realize that we are in the eric tulsky hurricanes era. Now this is eric tulsky, in charge, in the driver's seat. This is his first major trade. Um, you know he made this bold move you can. It showcases his intelligence and also the fact that you know he he didn't lose any prospects in this trade. Think about that for a second. No prospects were moved in this trade and, beyond that, he ended up with slightly more cap space than when they started this trade. Because of how they did the Hall salary retention I mean the random salary retention and taking on Hall's salary in full they ended up with more cap space than they had when they started. How do you do that? They ended up with more cap space than they had when they started. How do you do that?
Speaker 3:Well, I mean, this is a man who his world, you know, includes things like, you know, dungeons and Dragons and Six Sided Dice. He knows what he's doing. He knows what he's doing and he does it on a level that I think we all need to kind of sit back and say, okay, this is going to be quite a ride, because even all the names that you mentioned, tom, I wouldn't be surprised if there's somebody he pulls out of left field that we've not even thought about. But he was an absolutely perfect fit. That's the fun part, that's the exciting part, because we have no idea what he's going to do next.
Speaker 2:And that's you know. Welcome to Eric Tulsky's hurricanes. To piggyback off of the Tulsky thing, there was one of the avalanche reports that said that when Chicago agreed to the salary retention, they didn't know whose salary they were going to be retaining. It was so smoothly that even Chicago had no idea that this was going to be Rantanen, and so Tulsky had this arranged ahead of time. Maybe it was going to be Pedersen, maybe it was going to be Rantanen, and so Tulsky had this arranged ahead of time. Maybe it was going to be Pettersson, maybe it was going to be Rantanen, maybe it was going to be like Chicago didn't even know who they were going to be retaining on. So he did a fantastic job.
Speaker 2:And then my own personal final thought is I'd like to highly encourage Canes fans, at least for the rest of this season, to be at least couch Colorado Avalanche fans Go read our marketing and Jack Drury, because I mean, they're still our homegrown guys. They still have a special skill set and we all as fans really enjoyed their time with the team. It's not like they had signed a deal and came in for a year or two before we traded them, like happened last year. These are our guys, and while the fit might not have been perfect especially for Natchez in the system, we still want them to do well, we want them to be successful, we want them to have really great careers.
Speaker 3:And man Natchez next to McKinnon is fun to watch.
Speaker 2:Oh my gosh to McKinnon is fun to watch. I highly recommend you guys, y'all out there in Kane's land, watch some of the Avalanche games coming up, because the two of them, with their speed together and the way that they process and think the game plus if you have Makar jumping in from the backside, it is, and that's just after two games I can't wait to see what kind of chemistry they develop together. And, not to be forgotten, drury is providing something the Avs really really need to, and a face-off guy and someone who can be a third-line center for them. That is how he is being played and how they want to be utilizing him once they figure out who his wingers are going to be on that line. And a lot of the Avs commentators have talked about how he just has a grinders mentality despite his size, and that he goes in, he fights for pucks and he's good at cutting down angles, and how wonderful his defensive game is.
Speaker 2:So, you know our guys. You know I still I'm always going to think of nature's and Drury as our guys, as Canes first, avs second, even though they're on the Avs now. So go watch them, appreciate their game and what they're doing too, and if the stars align and everything goes beautifully, here's to an Avs-Canes Stanley Cup final.
Speaker 3:Wouldn't that be something, wouldn't that?
Speaker 2:be fun. That would be amazing, wouldn't that be something.
Speaker 1:Wouldn't that be fun? That would be amazing. Well, you know, the interesting thing about Drury and you mentioned this is you know Jack did a lot of the five-on-three defensive responsibilities. He was great in the face-off dot on the fourth line or even when he was up on the second line. Those are things they've got to replace and you know that's going to be part of what I'm sure Eric is going to be up on the whiteboard as he likes to do, and having option A, b, c and D as they head towards the trade deadline.
Speaker 2:You guys will be amused, though. One of the things a lot of the ABS commentators have talked about is how impressive Natchez's work is in the defensive zone.
Speaker 3:That's great to hear.
Speaker 1:Nathan McKenna made me this. That is great to hear Nathan McKinnon maybe it is that is great to hear yeah, the other thing I was going to mention, though and you said this rightfully so not just Nathan McKinnon. There's a lot of other great players on the on the Avalanche team, and particularly I saw him teaming up nicely with Kael McCart so yeah, hey, we wish, we wish, marty the best, and he certainly did a great cane and so much fun.
Speaker 1:And and one of the things that we saw instantly was that, on the on the three on three, uh, the canes are going to have to do some, uh, some juggling, because of course he and and Sebastian Ajo were among the best combinations in the circuit.
Speaker 1:So that's something. We're going to have to wait and see how that plays out, because obviously, whoever goes in there is not going to be the same kind of player that Marty was. So, anyway, things are going to change. Change is good and in this particular case, I think change is going to be fantastic. So, lots to look forward to. We've got lots coming up. We're going to be having some fun. Lots to look forward to We've got lots coming up. We're going to be having some fun when the Four Nations Tournament comes up.
Speaker 1:Of course, we now have three players, so we've gone up 50% in representation with the Canes, now that Miko's on board, and during that period, we're going to have a nice round table and we'll talk about a lot of different things and we'll certainly reach out to our all of our viewers and listeners for any questions that they may have. That we can tackle as well and we'll have some fun with that. But but as always, ladies, it's uh. It's been great to talk about this and I can't think of anything that's more fun than talking about picking up a player like miko rem and also, of course, david. So lots of excitement with the Canes. There's never a dull moment and I'm sure that we've got lots coming up in the weeks ahead.
Speaker 1:So again, thanks so much for joining and having some fun talking hockey. For those of you listening and watching, of course, we really appreciate that you're spending time with us. We'd really love to hear from you as well. If you have questions or comments, please leave those down below and we'll jump on them just as quick as we can. If you like this episode, please subscribe, and if you wanna be alerted to future episodes of StormTracker and get a chance to listen to more of these great ladies talking about the hurricanes and sometimes the Colorado avalanche as well, by all means, press the subscribe button and the bell and you'll be alerted of any future episodes when they're available. As always, we thank you so much for joining us and we'll get together real soon right here on StormTracker. Thank you.
