stormTRacker Podcast
...stormTRacker Podcast is your home for in-depth analysis of the Carolina Hurricanes, Chicago Wolves & Canes' prospects around the globe. Host Tom Ray is joined by regular contributors, "hockey savants" Erin Manning & Katie Bartlett, as well as "Insiders", Nick Bass (Canes Prospects) & Andrew Rinaldi (Chicago Wolves), to cover all the top stories of your Carolina Hurricanes. In addition, from time-to-time, Tom welcomes special guests to the podcast.
Tom has also launched stormTRacker Website (www.stormtracker23.com), your home for all things stormTRacker including all video & audio Podcasts, a bloggers section (featuring Nick Bass, Erin Manning, Katie Bartlett & Anna) & stormTRacker Shoppe, your home for a variety of stormTRacker branded merchandise.
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stormTRacker Podcast
Young Hurricanes Shine Bright in Preseason Action!
Erin, Katie & I are joined by Matt Somma as we break down a lively Hurricanes preseason: who popped at the prospect showcase, what the camp cuts mean, and how the top nine might actually score. Depth looks real, the blue line gets younger, and the door stays open for a deadline swing.
• Prospect Showcase takeaways and who advanced roles
• Nadeau’s NHL-ready shot vs development minutes in Chicago
• Lego, Badinka, Nystrom steadying the pipeline
• Kazheyev's calmer game and Primeau’s value as a third goalie
• Ehlers with Aho and Jarvis needing more first-touch shots
• Svechnikov on his off-wing and Stankoven down the middle
• Blake’s hockey IQ and finishing gap, usage to unlock the line
• Kotkaniemi’s two-way bump and the “third” fourth line with Hall
• Nikishin’s adjustment curve, partner fit, and power play timing
• Cap space as a lever for a true finisher later in the year
If you like this episode, please press the like button. If you have comments or questions, please leave those in the comment section. And of course, if you'd like to be alerted of future episodes of stormTRacker, please subscribe.
Well, the preseason is well underway for the Carolina Hurricanes, and as expected, the Canes are keeping things interesting. At the prospect showcase, we saw some great hockey with stellar performances from some Canes kids and work in progress with some of the other young hurricanes. Now we're well into training camp, and returning NHL players, as well as NHL regulars, young prospects, and PTO signings have been working hard. What have the preseason games been like so far? Have there been any major surprises, disappointments? And what new storylines have we observed as training camp has progressed? Joining Aaron, Katie, and I to talk about this some more, I'm delighted to welcome in Hurricanes podcaster and blogger, Matt Soma. Howdy, y'all. Hi there. Hello.
SPEAKER_02:Hey Tom, how's it going?
SPEAKER_03:Okay, so Prospect Showcase done. Moving into the Canes camp, of course. A number of exhibition games under their belt, and uh and lots to talk about. Let's start with the prospect showcase. Now, Matt, you were there. You watched them up close and personal. What were some of your thoughts from the prospect showcase?
SPEAKER_02:It was frustrating, I think, for the team. You know, they would have liked to have won all three games, and at least even one, you know, I think towards the end. But um the way these games are is it's a benchmark, right? It's it's a chance for you to see, okay, this is where they were at Death Camp in July. Here's where they are in September after two months of training with uh feedback from the NHL coaching staff, right? So you know, who took their lessons to heart, who needs a little bit more to go, who you know, we've seen players in the past kind of take the performances from this tournament and run with it. Like I remember four years ago, back when the tournament was at Tampa, Seth Jarvis was unreal. And that was before he was guaranteed to make the roster. So, you know, like obviously this year we didn't have a Seth Jarvis, but you know a lot of guys stood out. I mean, I think I think we saw mostly just the AHL guys, the guys that had had a season under their belt, kind of take the reins there, and you know that's what you want. You know, I'd be a little concerned, especially with the Canes not drafting until I think it was what 42, where like if if any of their picks kind of outperformed the AHL guys, I'd be a little concerned, you know, just but like Charles Legal was I think really good, and we've seen that kind of carried into camp. And then same with Bradley Nadeau, and then even Dominic Bedenka, I think, had a really impressive showing. Just giving he wasn't, I mean, he he was good last year, I think, in spurts, but I think consistently we saw a lot more from him.
unknown:Yeah.
SPEAKER_03:Well, I mean, Nadeau, um, he scored in his first two games, so we know what Bradley can do, and and uh, and he was uh he was firing the puck and he had lots of room out there because of course uh you know players were lesser players in some cases, so it gave him the room to get and do what he does. Charles Alexis Lego, um, Cam Abbott was so impressed with uh with Charles Alexis Lego. Um he said he's just so committed to the process of getting better. Uh he's a great young man to work with. He's just looking to do everything he can to keep getting better. I think uh again, solid words for Lego. Uh obviously, Nadeau can score. Ladies, thoughts? Aaron?
SPEAKER_00:Sorry, I didn't know which one of us you wanted there first. I I think that the thing about Nadeau that is so impressive to me is just that release. It's just incredible how quickly he can get that puck off his stick and then, you know, towards the net, if not in the net, you know. And that's the kind of thing that I feel like the Keynes don't have an elite shooter on the team. They have some very good shooters on the team, but they don't have somebody, you know, um, being that I'm also a Habs fan, I get to watch uh Cole Caulfield fairly frequently. And there's just you you can tell when it's gonna happen, you know. It doesn't even, I mean, as he's entering the zone, you know that this one's gonna go, you know. So it's it's having somebody like that that is that kind of a threat, I think, is critical for the Keynes, not only um in you know, by five-on-five play, but certainly on the power play. And that was really cool to see when he was playing in the prospect, showcase how often he would get those chances and get those shots off. And again, even if the goalie made a good save, even if somebody blocked it out front because they knew it was coming, it's just the fact that he can do that that I think is going to be such a game changer for the Keynes going forward.
SPEAKER_03:Yeah, and with Nidou, as you mentioned rightfully, they were setting him up. That was really the play.
SPEAKER_05:It was, it was the dough and let him run.
SPEAKER_03:Yeah, for sure. Now, Katie, you like Charles Alexis Lego. What did you see with Charles?
SPEAKER_01:I just like as Matt said, I like to see that they were take that he took that step forward as far as his game and his development was concerned, and that he's playing inside his frame. Um, in a lot of ways, because you know, we we're very familiar with Brent Burns. You know, Brent Burns isn't a super physical defenseman, but he uses his size to take up space, to be in passing lanes, and that sort of thing. And that's what I'm starting to see in Charles Alexis Lego is he's starting to figure out how to use his frame, not to be a brute, but to take away time and space from players. Um, you know, there's still work to do, but he's getting better at not giving other um players as much opportunity to dangle or do whatever they want. He's making them having to think fast on their toes and pressuring them into mistakes. And he he still has has room to go, but I think there's um, you know, with the dings and stuff that are currently plaguing the Av's defensemen or the Cain's defensemen. Um sorry, I said Burns and I got a whole other train of thought. Um but that but that is what what Lego is showing. And I think that with so many other puck moving defensemen that the team has, that they really can use somebody like Lego, who is perhaps more what we would call a stay-at-home defenseman, and be that support system in order to free up the other puck moving defenders, whether it be someone like a Gosses Bear or whomever, to do their thing and be able to be more aggressive on offense. So we'll we'll see how it goes. Um I I hope that the Keynes D is healthy and ready to go for the beginning of the season so that Lego can get another AHL season under his belt and really um uh I guess grow into himself a little bit more. But it's encouraging that if they were to meet him the way that they needed to rely on Morrow some last year, that I think he could do a passable job if needed uh in a pinch.
SPEAKER_03:Well, and the interesting thing about Lego, of course, he was drafted well down. Uh and he was a player that was uh kind of older in the draft, he had passed through a draft, and and the canes uh you know thought you know he had been a quneppiac, so of course they had seen him with uh Skylar Vendamore, but he's a guy that's really seen his stock rise in a hurry. There's no question. Uh he's come in kind of out of nowhere in the last couple of seasons, and I know we all like Lagos, so he's a great one. Now, two other guys I wanted to talk about, and I thought certainly showed lots in the in the prospect showcase, one of them, Ruslan Kazev. Now, this guy, I love this guy. I thought he was fantastic uh coming into Chicago last year. He had certainly his challenges. He played more than expected, but he's a six foot-six bull tender, and this guy has great lateral movement, he's quick, and I thought he played well. Matt, thoughts on Kazeev?
SPEAKER_02:Yeah, it's kind of funny when you look at him and you're and you realize, you know, he was six four last year, and now he is all of six foot six. And he's making Nikita Kwaff, who is six foot four, by the way, what time like the six foot six might be misleading. I I don't know. But he he was last year, I think he was very raw. Like oh yeah, he made the jump from the Russian U-20 league right to the AHL. He had to be a good one.
SPEAKER_03:The MHL came out of the NHL, I think, didn't he?
SPEAKER_02:Yeah, yeah. So he had a lot of just kind of just young player tendencies, right? Like he's playing against you know junior players, and now he's playing against arguably some of the best competition in the world. That's outside of the NHL. And so, you know, he was erratic, rebound control was bad, he wasn't tracking Pucks well, and now you take him to this tournament, he still has that like Pyotr Kochakov tendency of let's just see what happens. He was a lot more controlled. He rebound control was, I think, passable. I I would say even I wouldn't even dare to say good. Um I think that the best chance I would have had him though was his recovery between making the save and getting set to the next play. Because so many times last year I'd see him make the save and then oh no, the puck's behind me. And so this time he's making the play, he's reacting, and then moving and making the follow-up save, which he wasn't doing before. So I think that's a really big change.
SPEAKER_03:Yeah, and you know, exactly what you're saying is what uh Kane's goaltending development coach Jason Mazzati said. Um he said last year he was just so raw, he was just a 19-year-old and needed time to learn his big body. It's gotten bigger. So we spent a lot of time on his body control and having more refined movements. He still has that athletic ability and he's definitely playing more efficiently. And we all, you know, we'll hear them talk about playing quiet in goal and calm in goal, and and uh, and I think as you say with uh Piotr, he's sometimes the opposite of that. And uh and I guess they've been working on the same thing with uh with Kazim. But I think he's a guy that has a future with the Keynes, and you're right. He came over as a 19-year-old gosh, he hadn't even played in the KHL. So this is a guy that uh rightfully said uh he moved up from uh uh Chelyabinsk in the MHL, which is like junior hockey year. So good move for him. I think he's uh I think he's definitely poised to get lots of action with the Wolves this year. I certainly hope so, because I like him a lot. Now, what did we think about Ryabkin? Boy, this guy he likes to lay the body on and uh he makes some moves.
SPEAKER_01:Katie, what are your thoughts on Ryabkin? I just loved his energy. I think that was the most impressive thing. I can't believe he's only 18. Like there are certain things that he does. It's like, yeah, this is a young kid, but um he's he's just very strong. Unlike a lot of the Keynes prospects, he already goes to the center of the ice a lot. He's not afraid to get in there and and go to those tough areas. And if that's not a Rod Brindamore quality in a prospect, I don't know what is. Um so I I I'm just I'm excited to see how he develops. I'm glad it looks like they are sending him to Chicago and not back to one of the other leagues, that that'll hopefully fast track him to being able to contribute first, of course, to the Wolves and then eventually someday to the Canes. So I just I I like I like his edge, I like his his energy, as long as they can keep it channeled. I know that's part of why he fell to where he did in the draft, is because there were some questions on his discipline both on and off the ice. But uh I think that the between the wolves and the canes, they have a good system in place that I will help I think will help to polish off uh some of those edges. And I I was glad to see that he was reassigned to Chicago also because it means that he's not hurt after that hook quite a bit the other night because since you can't reassign our uh players that are injured, that means that he's okay. Because I think we were we were all kind of holding our collections for for a while, hoping that you know there wasn't some sort of major injury because he looked so good. You just hate you'd hate for someone like that to be sideline for a significant amount of time due to injury. So I'm I'm excited to see what he's able to do in the um in the AHL because you kind of already know what a lot of the other guys in a Suzuki and company are going to be there, but he's gonna be one of the fun storylines to follow this season.
SPEAKER_03:Well, you know, the the one thing about uh they do have Nadoa now, but if you look up and down the lineup in Chicago, scoring is a bit of a a challenge for them still. Um now Justin Robodaugh, who I think is again continues to look interesting when he uh when we see him uh is going to be a contributor. But you know, you wonder about guys like Noel Gundler, and we talked a little bit about Gleb Trikazov. Uh we wanted to see more from Gleb. Uh last year, of course, he tore it up. He had a hat trick in one game, he had four goals in the prospect showcase after just coming over from Russia. So it looked like, wow, this guy could be the real deal. Uh second round pick. Cains love him. He's a big player. Um he's got elite offensive talent, but he just hasn't been able to put it together. What did you see with him, Matt, when you were watching uh the prospect showcase with Gleb?
SPEAKER_02:Gleb.
SPEAKER_01:Uh that's okay.
SPEAKER_02:People think I hate him, and I don't. I don't. I truly don't hate any of our prospects, and I want to say that on record. I don't hate any of them. Gleb frustrates me because I can tell that it's there. The talent's there. It's a lot like a Dominic Bach type, where like, you've got all this talent, but I don't think you know how to use it. You know? And with Gleb, I I wanted to give him the benefit of the doubt because he missed most of last year. Um I believe he was coming back from a really bad leg injury. And that's that's hard to come back from, especially, you know, living overseas in general, whether it's Russia or whether it's, you know, another European country, like you have less access to the canes, probably, than some of the North American guys do. And so, you know, training-wise, he did look a little slow at the start. I felt like gradually he got back to his game, he was forechecking better. Um Riyadh can set him up with a great scoring chance that uh unfortunately I think he either got blocked or saved. Um it was a little while ago, so I don't remember now. But he also started getting to the middle a little bit. You know, he's a winger, so he won't have to, but I think Carolina really wants him to kind of use the big frame that he has. I mean, you know, he's definitely over six feet tall, and I think that, you know, if he can kind of get back to being the skill, slightly powerful winger that he is, you know, I think he'll have a good year.
SPEAKER_03:Yeah, I think so. Um Aaron, thoughts on some of these players at the uh prospect showcase. Any other folks jump out at you?
SPEAKER_00:Is it uh Nystrom or Nystrom? Oh, Noel Nestrom, yes. But I was interested because you had piloted him beforehand, so you know I thought he had a pretty solid uh group of games there too, you know. Not flashy, not he's he doesn't strike me as a flashy player, but of course I haven't watched a lot of the prospects, so I don't know that that's accurate or not. But uh but I liked his game. I thought he was his quietly good.
SPEAKER_03:Yeah, and I I think that's true. I mean, that's exactly the the way that I looked at Nistrom. Not a big player, but very smart, sees the ice well, doesn't make a lot of mistakes. You almost don't notice him at times. Um but it's in a good way. Yeah, and and he's he's a little older too, kind of like Nikishan. He's 23 years old, he's a right-hand defenseman, that's great. Uh, he's played lots in with Far Jestav in the SHL in in Sweden. So he's he's had lots of pro time. And uh, and I think he's gonna be a solid player for uh for the uh for the Wolves. And you know, we saw a little bit of what he could do in in training camp as well. And and I think that was, you know, again, the the team being very comfortable with him, uh, giving him lots of ice time. Gosh, he played, I think, 22 minutes one game. So he was he was among the top ice guys for them. And I think again, just a solid player, quietly goes about his business and gets it done. So I like I like Nistrom a lot. The other guy, and you mentioned him too, I think, uh, a lot as well. Uh, Matt, was uh, and we'll finish up with Dominic Badinka. What can we say about Badinka?
SPEAKER_02:Other than the fact that he looks like he's from Stranger Things.
unknown:Yeah.
SPEAKER_02:Um so Badinka had a tough year last year. Um, you know, he was playing in his draft year, he was playing a little bit in the Swedish league, and he didn't really see much of an increased role um last year with his team. So he's getting kind of low pairing or low minutes, you know, and that's hard to develop in, right? You know, you're not getting favorable matchups, you're really not getting any power play or penalty kill time, you're just kind of there. And so, you know, he understandably didn't have that great of a year. And so looking at him, the skating stood out immediately. Like he's one of the smoothest skating defensemen that the Kanes have right now. Um offensively, I thought there was a lot more uh that he showed. Um he crashed the net, should have scored in the first game. I maintain that. That was a very bad call uh to not uh allow that goal, and then um did score on the exact same play the next game, so he he redeemed himself there. Um and then defensively, I think you know he's he's fairly physical, I would say like pretty like but you know, compete and physicality are different. So he can have average physicality and still above average compete. He'll always go win a board battle, you know, his positioning's really solid. Like he's going to need to learn how to, you know, gap up a little better. I thought that sometimes, you know, he was a little hesitant. Do I go for the hit or do I, you know, um try and make a play with my stick and you know get some separation between myself and the puck because there's another guy crashing down, right? Yeah, and I think that sort of defensive IQ is is there. He just needs to continue. And the way he's gonna do that is getting grabs. So really encouraging stuff, though.
SPEAKER_03:And again, he's in Chicago. So I think with these younger guys, and they're bringing them over young, like uh they did last year with Gleb and with uh Kaziv, and and they're doing the same thing again, bringing a guy like Badink over uh as he's very young as well. Um Katie, what was your thoughts on uh Felix Ungersorm? We talked a lot about him getting ready for this and saying, is he is he for real or is he where is he gonna go?
SPEAKER_01:Well, I definitely think he he needs to be back in the AHO. He's not ready for the NHO, but it's good to see him on wing. I think that the the center experiment is over. It's obvious that that's not gonna be his cup of tea, and he needs to go back to focusing on being the best winger that he can. Uh, you know, he's just he's blocked in so many different ways to getting to the canes this year for sure, and we'll have to see from here on out. But I do hope that I think that he looked better because of being on the wing. He made some nice passes and some good reads and that sort of thing, but he he's still he's just he's not quite there yet. But I think it could be a different story after another season with the Wolves where he's able to just breathe and be able to be a winger and focus on being the best version of himself that he possibly can. And I think that's all we can ask of him at this point. Aaron?
SPEAKER_00:I would agree with that. Yeah. Um, I I think uh I think that to me he's just he's one of those players that people forget just how young he still is for his draft year. You know, he was the youngest player in his draft year, and he almost was too young to be drafted in that year. So by one day or something, you know. So people people people get this sense of, well, he's been around for a while. How come he hasn't stepped forward? How come, you know, and it's really more a case of just, I mean, in literally needing to grow, literally needing to add weight and muscle. You can't do that, you know, until you reach a certain point in terms of you know how old you are and everything else. So, I mean, people were talking about some of our regular roster guys, like uh Jackson Blake, needing to add some muscle. They were kind of exaggerating a little bit. I mean, think how much they've he could reasonably add in a summer, you know. But um, for these guys, you know, they need to go through the whole year bulking up and and getting bigger and just getting stronger. And and you know, you it's hard to do that while you're also playing, but you know, they will put that effort in. And especially in Chicago, there's a little bit more time between games to work on some of that training. So I'm sure that that's gonna be a huge focus for guys like uh Felix this year.
SPEAKER_02:With Felix, it's gonna look weird until it doesn't. Like the way he plays. I mean, I think Keynes fans will remember Tavo Terravin, right? You know, he's that type of player where you know he's not the best skater. I wouldn't say he's got elite offensive traits, but he's super smart and he's a really good passer. And so I think those traits, once he figures out how to do all of that at a consistent pace and level, then it'll start to click and he'll be like, oh, whoa, like this kid's all of a sudden phenomenal.
SPEAKER_03:Well, I mean, he's he's one of those classics with a very high hockey IQ, and he sees the ice extremely well. And that's back to what you're saying, too, Matt, on his passing and and making plays happen. You know, he's a guy that can make some really interesting plays happen out of nothing, and that's uh skilled. So I think he's definitely someone we're still rooting for. Um, you know, it's been a bit of an up and down go for him. And I I agree with you, Katie, that I think I think when they were testing with center, the idea was a good one. It didn't do anything to help him develop last year. I think it slowed him down, actually. And I I'm glad he's back on the wing where he can uh he can do what he he kind of does best. Okay, so that's a wrap for the prospect showcase. Um, certainly some players that distinguish themselves, some others that uh we didn't see much from. But uh it's always fun to watch these young players and see how they're developing, and we'll we'll continue to do so, particularly with the ones that are in Chicago this year. This is going to be a great uh fun year with the with the Wolves. So, what's been happening in the Keynes training camp? Uh big news today. Uh a number of players uh were dispatched to different locations. Uh, we had several that were uh sent back to Chicago, and I think the key names there, of course, Bradley Nadeau heading to Chicago. We'll talk a little bit about Bradley. Um, certainly all the guys we talked about that uh you know showed a little bit, but certainly should get more time in Chicago. And then there were some folks on waivers, and I guess they've all cleared. So uh finally the PTOs that were moved out were Oliver Shillington and Kevin LeBanc. So a lot of movement on the on the roster, but let's talk a little bit about what we've seen with different players. And I thought we'd kick it off with Nikolai Ehlers. So the big question, we didn't see much of Ealers. I think we saw one game of Nikolai, uh, but it was nice to see him uh kind of parading in a in a cane's uniform. Um, hey Katie, what were your thoughts on Nikolai Ehlers in the uh in the game you saw and what you think about the top line?
SPEAKER_01:Oh, he definitely looks like a cane. Lots of passing in those story. Um I just that there's somebody's gotta get a hold of of that top line and say, every time you touch, every like third time you touch the puck, you've got to put it on net because otherwise that top line's not gonna score. Now, granted, they were together for a game, and yeah, I'd be surprised if they were even going 50, 60 percent in that game. It will be much more telling once we get them in a proper uh game. But there there were some really good signs there, some creative plays and some opportunities that even though that line didn't score, they were really dangerous uh when on the time that they were on the ice. So I'm excited to see what he can do, but I'm gonna temper my expectations until I see that perhaps there's a little bit more of an elevated game plan for that line than there has been in the past, because otherwise my cynical side is gonna come forward and say, new base, same system, same result. But I'm I'm gonna try and maintain that hopeful can-do attitude and stress that maybe maybe this will be the year now that Jarvis is supposedly actually going to get top line minutes from the start. But yeah, pl plenty more hockey still to to play to shake that one out.
SPEAKER_03:Matt, how do you feel about that line as a top line on your hockey club?
SPEAKER_01:You put them on the spot there. I'm not the only one.
SPEAKER_02:It's certainly, I think, one of the better top lines the Canes have had. Yes. Yes. Be that as it may, you still lack the superstars.
SPEAKER_04:Yeah, yeah.
SPEAKER_02:Like, don't get me wrong, Ealers was the top free agent available. Any way you look at it, once Marner got signed by Vegas.
SPEAKER_00:What a surprise.
SPEAKER_02:Yeah, like yeah, yeah, once once Marner um definitely not tampering signed with uh with Vegas. Um I think Ealers became the top dog. And you know, credit to the hurricanes they got. And chances are he's gonna be a top-line player for the Hurricanes. I mean, he should get the minutes that he didn't get in Winnipeg, and he was great. Um Seth Jarvis is great. He's probably a 1A or a 1B on a really good team. Um, and then Sebastianaho is mostly a first-line center. I don't know if if skill-wise he he gets up there, but he makes up for it in a lot of other ways. But as a top line, I think it's great. Carolina still has the depth, but they're still missing that one wow factor guy, right? And I think Katie mentioned it earlier, a lot of all passing, no scoring. They don't have that, you know, guy that we can rely on for 30, 40 goals consistent.
SPEAKER_03:Well, that has been the the beck and call of our group for months. For sure. We have uh we've certainly not been happy with that. And I know Katie and Aaron have have had lots to say about that. You know, the the challenge the canes have, and they're gonna have it repeatedly, and it's gonna be part of our another discussion we get into, has been this whole center ice discussion. You know, we feel like Aho is he's kind of a 1B or 1C. He's not he's not kind of a purist top centerman. And and he, you know, he's asked to do a lot. And of course, he does a lot defensive, very heavy defensive work, penalty killing, and so on, which you know also kind of affects his overall offensive game. But, you know, it I feel like it's a solid line, uh, but they're gonna need a lot of help elsewhere. And I think as we get into the second line, it gets kind of interesting because as it sits right now, we see a line that looks like uh Andreas Vetchnikov, Logan Stakhovern, and of course Jackson Blake. Now, Blake is interesting. I thought he looked particularly strong. Uh, Aaron, what are your thoughts on Jackson Blake so far in Camp?
SPEAKER_00:You know, I'm surprised they haven't played him. More to be honest, because he's had games, but he hasn't been, you know, like some of the sometimes the younger guys are there like pretty much every game, you know, and and you know, so we have seen him, but we haven't seen him as much as I think I expected to see him, given you know the new contract and his age and everything else. I thought that they would have him out there more. Um I like Jackson Blake. The only thing that frustrates me a little bit with him is that you know, he is the guy who's willing to drive the medal. He is the guy who's willing to put the puck on net, but he doesn't have a very good shot, and there's a lot of lack of finishing. So I feel like he needs to improve some of that to be that real threat on that second line, you know. Um, but given that he's there, if they start using him as a decoy a little bit more too to set Svechnikov up, because we know what Svech can do with the puck. So I feel like, and I really like the to the one game, and I know Katie did too, where they played Svetch on his right wing. I think that that would be a great thing to do. Play both of those guys on, you know, on their off-wing, put Blake on the left and Spech on the right. And then I think you'll have a lot more of a possibility of turning the line into a real threat offensively, because right now I feel like just like with the first line, I look at that line and I say, well, where's the threat coming from? You know, and certainly Stenkoven's gonna be a big part of that, but as he adjusts to the defensive responsibilities, I think it's it's realistic to tone down our, you know, maybe when we were putting out line, you know, projections of how much they were all gonna get point-wise. I don't know that you can keep Stancoven's point projection as high if he's playing the whole year at center and it's his first year playing at center. Now, certainly he'll pick it up on the power play. That's not that's not a problem. But I don't know that he's gonna get as much at five on five if he's the guy in the middle trying to fall back and help the defense whenever they need it, which is a really big part of how they do things in Carolina. So we'll see. I mean, it's gonna be an interesting thing to see how that line comes together and what they do with it, but I want them to be like Katie has talked about with uh, you know, and comparing them to the abs and things like that. We need one line that's a consistent offensive threat. We've ideally you need two. And I want them to make that line a threat. So the my my conclusion on Jackson Blake is just I want them to do whatever it takes to get him to the areas where he can score because he can. He's certainly smart enough that he sees the ice well, he's got the high hockey IQ, he's um he's disruptive in terms of how he plays, how he gets beyond you know other players and and the way he can you know deek around guys and so on. You know, he's he's not a player you can keep your eye off of, and that opens up all kinds of time and space for the other two. But they need to they need to figure out how to make that all come together because I felt like when we we did see that line, I think, in in one of the games, or not maybe not Specznikov, I don't think he was with them, but we saw Blake, um we saw Blake with Stencoven, and I wanted to see more, I wanted to see more between the two of them to get you know both of them scoring, really.
unknown:Yeah.
SPEAKER_02:Somebody, and I I do not remember who this was, um they once said that the hurricanes play a system that's like getting sworn by bees. And that is what I envisioned that line being. Where you know, maybe they don't have to come consistently get to the like maybe they don't have to consistently get to the middle. All it takes is one turnover. Jackson Blake was one of the best players the Kanes had at creating turnovers last year. And Logan Sankovin, despite being a generous five foot-9, is one of the best players at getting to the middle of the ice consistently. Yeah, his first goal with the Kanes was a deflection on like a 6'4 defenseman. And he just out-muscled the dude for position, and that that's what he does. And so, you know, if it gives Svechnikov the option to get a little bit more space because Stankovin's gonna draw a little bit of pressure, or Blake's gonna draw another guy, and if Svechnikov has room to work, then Gossene can do with the puck. So it's not like the best version of the Hurricane second line for sure. I mean, I a second line or even first line center would probably be preferred, but you know, for right now, I think it's the King's best second line.
unknown:Yeah.
SPEAKER_03:So I I think it it sounds to me like we're kind of zeroing in on Stankhoven taking that spot uh and and pushing uh Kokanyami down to the fourth line. You know, Kokaniami, I think, has looked very good in in the preseason. I think he's uh he looks sharp. He looks a little bit different to me this year. I don't know what it is. I said this in the last podcast, that he's he seems to have this kind of air about him that uh you know he's he looks like a more of a veteran player that kind of knows what he's supposed to do out there, um, and is and is looking uh a lot a lot crisper, and of course, he scored some goals as well. Now, Andrey Speznikov, uh, he's always the enigma. He made a couple of tremendous plays with uh Bradley Nadeau. Those guys seem to have it on chemistry, and and I thought, boy, I'd love to see those guys on the line, and and we'll figure out Jackson Blake later, but I guess that's not going to be the case. But in any case, uh I thought I thought Speznikov, and you said rightfully, Katie, that he was he seemed comfortable on that right side and uh and he made some nice plays. What were your thoughts on on Andre so far?
SPEAKER_01:Yeah, I really like him on the right. Um, you know, part of the reason that Miko Rantnon is such a dangerous power forward is because he is a left shot who plays on the right side, and I've always thought that Svetch had that similar potential. I mean, not to the level of Rantnon, but he has so many skill sets that would suit him. And his but his shot is stronger from that offside area, especially around the face-off dot. And it just doesn't get utilized enough. And I think some of that is Andre's fault because he sees himself first and foremost as a playmaker, not a sniper. And but then some of that is also the system and the coaching fault, and that for some reason they seem bound and determined that you have to have the left shot guy playing left wing and the right shot guy playing right wing, and there's no imagination or creativity in using your your players and and putting them in positions to best take advantage of their skill set. And that also comes with coaching, too. It's just Andre, go out there, don't make a defensive mistake, and you know, and don't take any penalties. Yeah, we'll take the back. But um but he needs to be more of a shooter. He's got a good shot, and I do not understand for the life of me why that's not being coached into him. Because if Stenkoven and Blake are his linemates, he has to be the shooter. It's like the top line. Ajo needs to shoot more. If Ealers and Jarvis are your wingers, you need to shoot more. Svetch, you need to shoot more. We need to shoot to score, not just shoot for low coursey percentages that makes it look like the Canes are producing a lot when in in fact they're just stat patting the other goaltenders' numbers.
SPEAKER_02:Yeah. Making you know, uh career backup look like Mart Hember there. Yeah, yeah. So to your point, Svetch played right wing in junior.
SPEAKER_03:Oh, he did. Okay. He was drafted. And that's common in Russia, as you know. That's uh very common. That would have been in Barry. Was that in Barry with Barry Coult? I guess he would have played right wing.
SPEAKER_02:Yeah, and um the year before in Muskegon as well.
SPEAKER_03:Yeah, yeah, he played in USHL as well. Yeah, yeah. Well, I think, you know, I think that line, a lot of this is gonna depend on Stank Hogan. And, you know, we're we're early days on this. Um he's a he's an interesting player at center. He he seems to be solid in the face-off dot. He's obviously very elusive, which is great for a small player. You know, I was thinking, I wish we had Brent Burns back because uh Stank Hogan is one of the best deflectors in the game. You know, well, you know, Brent just fired like crazy, right? And and Snakey could be in front pulling those uh pulling those deflections. I'm I'm just kind of kidding. But but he's a guy that, according to um uh certainly Trip Tracy has some very positive things about uh about his ability as a you know kind of a Joe Pavelski uh you know clone in some ways in terms of his ability to deflect bucks. And he's shown that very quickly with the Kings. And I think that's something we have struggled. We've not had that. Um, you know, we've had at different times our defensive corps has been firing like crazy. Uh and you know, they the goalie would save them or whatever, nobody could get their stick on it. Get their stick on it, and so on. He might he might add a new dimension, and that that could be great if if he can do so.
SPEAKER_02:Um you know who was really good at that.
SPEAKER_03:Sorry, Matt, you got something on that?
SPEAKER_02:I said, you know who was really good at that was Vincent Trochek.
SPEAKER_03:Oh, Vincent Trocek, Vinny. Yeah, I've lamented the loss of Vinny for years, so that's okay. Yeah, anyway. Um, and you know, Jackson Blake again, I think he he's showing that uh he's much more confident, of course, this year. Last year he had to fight his way onto the team against a lot of odds, and and he's showing some offensive capability with his year last year. He was he finished the year very strong, as we know. And um, and I expect he'll do well again this year. Trip Tracy said uh he was thinking he was gonna get 50 points this year. So um that's uh that's a stretch. But we'll see. Um, so lots of fun there. Uh the other person I wanted to talk to that's kind of lost in all of this is Taylor Hall. Um he's moving to the fourth line. Uh not much to say about Taylor.
SPEAKER_00:Well, Adam Gold keeps calling that line the third scoring line. Okay. And I think it's because of Hall's presence on that line that that they don't want to label it a fourth line because Taylor Hall, you know, most people would say, why on earth would you put Taylor Hall on your fourth line? You know? So they're they're avoid- I mean, we all we have the we don't number the lines, and now we're morphing into the our lines just have this esoteric reality. They don't believe you don't compare them to other teams, you know. But really and truly, that that's not wrong if they use the line that way. I'm I'm gonna wait and see because I'm not, I'm always skeptical about, you know, there's the perception and then there's the reality. If that line is getting nine or ten minutes at five on five and and that's basically it, except for Taylor Hall, who isn't gonna be on one of the power play units, then it's a fourth line. You can call it whatever you want to, but it's still a fourth line. Now, is it the typical grinding heavy guys Giovanni Smith fourth line? No. Sorry, Katie had to do that. Um it's it's not it's not that it's never gonna be that kind of fourth line with those players on it. You've got one guy in Eric Robinson who's really maybe could be that kind of player, but the other two really aren't. So it'll be interesting to see because the the joke for the Canes fans all this time has been that the Canes don't have um anything. They have a first line and then they have three third lines. You know, that's that's what that's what we've always said. So I think that they're trying to get a second line going with the Stancoven, etc. And we'll see if that that sticks or not. Um it probably will, but you know, it's early days to be 100% certain. But um but the question is gonna be are we gonna now have two third lines, you know, where we actually do have one that's job is to go out there and score, and one that's job is to go out there and defend. And then how do you split the ice between them? Because we know left to his own devices, Rod would be playing um Jordan Stahl 20 minutes a night, but if that could still happen, which we know, you know, even Jordan doesn't want that anymore. So but uh but yeah, it's it's gonna be it's just gonna become down to will they use that line like an auxiliary scoring line for Taylor Hall's sake, because he's obviously gonna be more suited to that kind of thing. So I guess we'll see.
SPEAKER_03:Yeah, and I mean Kokanami and and Robinson played very well together last year with uh Arnie Natchez. So they've got chemistry, and I think Robinson has looked sharp. He's he's ready to go, and he's got that four-year deal under his belt, so he's a happy camper. Uh, and I think he's a guy that uh has more to give as well. Boy, if he ever if he ever got a touch, he'd be he'd be dangerous because he gets so many great chances. It's hard to believe how many he gets. Um, but yeah, I think it's a great whatever line number you want to call it. And and I'd like to see that stall line, I'd like to see their minutes come down. And I think this line allows them to do that. And we talked a lot about the potential of a guy like uh uh Yasperi Kokanami actually being the error parent to Jordan. And I think that's something that he's killing penalties now, he's getting more ice time and in defensive situations, and he's being I mean, he's his face-off work is excellent, and he's being trusted in a lot of those cases. So I think that's a real potential. And and I think uh, you know, assuming the Stankelin uh opportunity continues as it has at center, I think it would be great for uh Burias Perry Kokanemi as well. And they're gonna get great matchups. Goodness gracious, they're gonna be up against uh you know the fourth line and third pairings. So it's uh they should have a they should feast on that. So that could be an opportunity for the Kings. Um hey, wrapping up the forward side, two things I wanted to touch on. Uh Bradley Nadeau, we talked about him in the prospect showcase. I think he he he did everything but make the team.
SPEAKER_02:Matt? Yeah, he's I said today he's a victim of the numbers game. Like, if Carolina wasn't as deep as they were, 100% he's making the team. If this were the 2013 hurricanes, he would already have a$7 million extension and he would be crowned the savior of the franchise. But this is the 2025 Carolina Hurricanes where we have to put Taylor Hall on our fourth block.
SPEAKER_04:Yeah.
SPEAKER_02:So, you know, if and I think Rod said it perfectly today, like if we had a spot where he could be getting that top six ice time, then he'd be up here. But the way the Canes want their bottom six to roll, and because I mean the Kokanyami line to an extent is going to be a two-way line. It's not gonna just drive offense, it's not going to just be defensive, right? So he's much better suited getting top six minutes until the log jam clears up, hopefully by a trade for a bona fide top line forward.
SPEAKER_00:Um, I think that that that's pretty, you know, pretty much covering it. It's just I was thinking about it myself. I kept, you know, Katie had actually posted something interesting on uh X about, you know, how how would you stuff how how would you arrange lines if we if you brought in Nadeau? Who sits and what happens? And people got kind of creative with it, but it was frustrating because you really couldn't make a good case for putting him anywhere else. I've had on my side, I've had some comments from people that are saying things like, you know, someone said uh that Carrier is trash and they should just, you know, get get rid of him and put Nadeau there. Like, like that would be a good thing for Nadeau. You don't want to put Bradley Nadeau next to Jordan Stalin.
unknown:Yeah.
SPEAKER_00:That would be, I mean, we don't want that, right? You want him to play 16, 17, 18 minutes a game. You want him to get to continue to grow that offensive confidence, and you also want him to round out his defensive game without the spotlight of the national team on you. He's he's in a better position where he's is in the with the Wolves right now. And even though you might say, well, you know, Jackson Blake proved that he belonged on the team and they made room for him, so why can't they? Well, it's a different team this year than last year, too. People are forgetting just how in flux things were right up to the last minute with the signings and things last year, as they were bringing players in to replace the people they did not re-sign. So there were openings, there were spots that they were that the there were players that had never played a single game. Well, now those players all have a year under their belt with the canes, and the canes like what they have from them. So they're not gonna sit them on the bench and you know put them in the press box just so that Bradley Nadeau can come and then play like maybe 12 minutes, because that doesn't help anybody.
SPEAKER_01:But there's still a part of me he had such good chemistry with Spech Nikov. Oh, I mean, it was phenomenal. And if Spet if Svetch isn't gonna be the shooter, he needs someone who will be his shooter, and Nadeau profiles perfectly in that position. So absolutely that is a little bit of the frustration. And another thing that I posted today is and it was kind of tongue in cheek, but I had reason to do it is is Bradley Nadeau the next Martin Natches? In the sense that does he have just not quite enough of the defensive game that Rod demands from his players, that he doesn't completely get the ice opened up for him and the opportunities that, say, Jackson Blake, who has a more well-rounded 200-foot game, but not the scoring talent that Nadeau has. Is that part of what might at least slow Nadeau down in making progress through the canes system? If not, I I just I don't want to see him get frustrated and end up with a similar outcome that Natchez did where he moved he had to move on from the team because he didn't get those uh those opportunities to be a scorer first and then work on the defensive game as it goes along. So you know, we'll see. There's a little I understand, I understand why he's in Chicago, better for him to get the 19 minutes there, but there really is a potential for something special, and I hope it doesn't go by the wayside because they opted to go with the more experienced hands first over his um unique skill set that nobody else on the Keynes has.
SPEAKER_03:Well, and I think um the reality is that I don't know how much more he can, you know, I guess hone his craft in Chicago. Yes, he he he has a little bit of work to do defensively, but he plays a heavy game now. I I've really been impressed with the way he's used his body now. He's getting in there, he's hitting people, he's doing a lot, and he's just so darn dangerous, and he he usually gets the puck moving offensively for them so much that you know he's just he's an exceptional offensive talent. There's no question about it. And they have they're gonna have to find a place for him. I just and and maybe this is the unfortunate thing, is probably gonna come when injury happens. You know, one of those top six guys is going down and he's gonna come up. And and boy, oh boy, he you know, he's gonna stay because he's just too darn good. And uh I think he's he's demonstrated that in the showcase, and he's demonstrated it with the Keynes. You know, he's been one of their better players almost every night. So I don't think there's any question about Nadoa. And I'm I'm disappointed because, like you, KD, I was just thinking, man, having a guy on that right side that can wail away and shoot the puck the way he does. He scored the other night a goal. It was just it was just in and out so fast that it was ridiculous. And and that's just the shot he's gotten and his offensive kind of acumen. It's just it's almost so lots of fun there. Um wild card that I talk a lot about. We'll finish with this on the forward side very quickly, is uh is Skylar Brindemore. Gosh, you know, he he um he had three solid gains for them. He was uh, gosh, one game 64.7 and in the face-off dot, he was over 54 on the other two nights. He was solid on the PK, he was defensively responsible and made some offensive plays. This guy to me is is becoming uh uh kind of a relevant player, and I think he may get a call-up to the canes at some point if they need that type of player, a defensive center that uh can chip in a little filling in for other players. I think he'd be a good call-up. Thoughts? Matt.
SPEAKER_02:Yeah, if he kind of fits the like, we need a guy that can come in and not be expected to put up a ton of points, right? I mean, that's not his game. I think he his game is very similar to that of his dad's where he's really good in the face-off circle, you know, he'll provide some solid defensive work and then he'll crash the middle of the ice and be a general pest in the offensive zone. And I think that's you know, for for a guy that you're calling up at a pinch, absolutely, you know. Um I think again, if there's an injury in like the bottom six, Carolina explores calling up like a Skylar Brindamore as opposed to a guy like Bradley Nadeau.
SPEAKER_03:Yeah, for sure. Oh, Aaron's got something. Okay.
SPEAKER_00:Well, I was gonna say that, you know, we we were you know we have to remember that Tyson Joseph Jost exists. And I think that of the call-ups, you know, if you're gonna have a call-up for a center that goes down, I think Joast, because he has played with the team and he's been, you know, pretty impactful in his way, you know, he's again, he's not a guy you're gonna look at to, you know, swoop in and save the day, but to to come in and play in either of the bottom six center positions, you know, he can certainly handle that role. We've seen him do it. So I would say if there's an injury call-up for that kind of a situation, you're probably looking at Joe's before Skylar Brunamore. It would depend, of course, on if both of them are healthy, because that's also a a consideration. But um, but the other thing with the with the Skylar, this has just made me laugh a little bit because you know, people talk about being disappointed or whatever about the some of how the NHL players do in the showcase. I mean, in the sorry, in the training kit, the preseason games. Um, we all know that the NHLers are not going 100%. We all know that the primary reason they're in the games is to shake off some rust and get going. And that is why um in the game uh the other night when uh um Jordan Stahl's line came in and played, um, Jordan Stahl's line played a little less than I think 14 minutes uh total ice time, and that was including um on the PK. And Skylar Rindemore played 19 minutes and 40 seconds, he led all forwards. So that was a fun thing for him to get to be the ice time leader for a preseason game. But it's just a reminder too, I think that people get a little bit um ahead of themselves and trying to think, well, we should be seeing more from this guy. We should have seen more from Aho and Ealers, you know, we should have seen more. They're not going 100%, they're shaking off Russ and getting ready for the real deal. And that's that's the kind of thing you look at. But it's also a great opportunity for somebody like Skylar to come in and get those minutes in a big game setting, you know, because he's not gonna get those all the time. So and he did well. He he handled himself well in that game.
SPEAKER_03:I think he did. And and again, he's there, he gives them more depth. I don't think he hurts the team, I don't think he would hurt the team at all. Um, you know, he continues to grow his game, and of course, under the tutelage of his dad, he's you know, defensively uh he's he's right there. Um let's round out the forwards and somebody that I know Katie doesn't want to talk about, but I'll have to mention him, and that would be Giovanni Smith. Let me tell you what it uh Rod Brindamore said today about Giovanni Smith. He said he's a guy trying to make a squad and showing what he can do in the four games that he's played. He's done a pretty good job. There's no reason not to keep him around and give him another look. So uh Giovanni Smith, uh hockey forecaster said this about Smith. The big winger will stand up for his teammates. We knew that, but he is also improving his skating and ability to make plays. And then that was something I said on X the other day. I said I was really surprised because he's he's actually making some things happen out there. Uh he has not been a liability. Um, gosh, he's led the team in hits, I think, three games. He had seven hits twice, so he's all over the ice. So, Katie, are you a Giovanni Smith leaver?
SPEAKER_01:No, no, he has done nothing to change my opinion because he is a good AHL caliber player, and that's who he's been going against in this preseason, his other mostly AHL caliber lineup. He is just a touch too slow and it and just has a touch of not enough skill that he gets caught. I watched this guy play for the ads for seven games. He was part of the trade that um brought them Mackenzie Blackwood from San Jose and the seven games that he was given, like the ads were desperate for bodies at that point. They were so injured. They put Giovanni Smith in, and every time he was on the ice, he was like, oh no, what's he doing? Why is he there? What's going on? It was just it was a mess. Every single time he was on the ice, it was a mess. And he was either taking an ill-advised penalty or getting caught behind the rush, not being able to get back on odd man uh rushes the other way, just out of position, not right. He's just he is not what the Kings need, especially for the type of defensive demands that Rod Brindamore has for his team. There's no place we have so many wingers. And I know people talk about Wilfre facing off against the Capitals and Wilson or the Rangers and Rempe, and it's not worth everything else that he gives up on a line to have him in there to punch somebody. He seems like a perfectly nice guy, but I I just had such a problem with him on the abs, and it's gonna be even bigger at the canes because of the way that the canes play. So I just I know he if you want to put him in Chicago, fine. If you want to put him on a two-way, fine, but the canes are just so replete in talent on wing, I don't see where Smith makes them any better. I just don't.
SPEAKER_03:Okay, I think we've got the message. Okay, so that's the forward crowd. Um, I wanted to spend a cut just a couple of minutes on the D, and I wanted to start with Alex Nikeshin. Matt, I know you've got some thoughts about Alex. Why don't you kick it off?
SPEAKER_02:All right. Um I I I want to say again, people have to remember this is the first time he's played against NHL competition.
SPEAKER_05:Right.
SPEAKER_02:Like he has not this was his first NHL training camp, too. Like, I I could tell him some of the practices, I'd see his face, and I'd be like, he'd be like, whoa, like this is this is a different beast. And I was like, Yeah, you you kind of uh lost the coaching lottery for like easy training camps. Like this is probably the hardest training camp around the week. Um now that John Tortarella's not really doing his thing. Um with Nikishan, the foot speed's always been a bit of an issue, like it hasn't been a liability. I think he's I think right now there's a lot going on in his head because he's trying to learn the language, he's trying to understand what's being asked of him, and he's trying to do all of that at an NHL pace. So the skating's gonna be a little wonky for a little while. But as we saw last night against Florida, sometimes he just does this thing where as a 6-4 defenseman, he makes a forward look foolish and dances around him and wires a perfectly placed shot. And that's gonna kind of be the Alexander Nikitian experience this year. He'll lay a huge hit, he'll give you, I'd say for now, average defensive play, and then occasionally he'll pop off offensively. But Rod put it perfectly like it's gonna be a year or two before we really see him take off. I think this year's gonna be a big adjustment for him. His English, from what people have said that have reported around the team, they say it's gotten a lot better. But you know, a lot better compared to maybe a handful of words. You know, like where does that really lie, you know?
SPEAKER_00:Keishin, because of the injuries to the blue, have not has not been playing primarily with an NHL level partner in these preseason games. And that I think has a lot to do with this hesitation and this, you know, little tentativeness here and there because he doesn't want on the one hand, there's the communication and the understanding, and then on the other hand, he doesn't want to drag a partner who is, you know, a young prospect or an uh, you know, guy on a PTO into a situation that that plays. Player doesn't have the skill to complement. So it's a lot different when you're playing with a partner who's 100% qualified to be there. And I think that we're going to see a different Alexander Nikishan, maybe not the first 10 games, maybe not the first 20 games, but you know, probably around the 30 game mark when he's really comfortable settled in with a partner that he knows even if they're not always on the same page, he kind of knows at least where the book is, you know. And uh and that I think that's gonna look really different.
SPEAKER_01:Katie. Yeah, I pretty much um agree. I'm excited to see what he brings. I hope that it is a strong start so that he is given more opportunities as he is able to settle in to open up his game because there has been a lot of chatter, not just from Kane's fans, about him being at least in the conversation as far as the Calder is concerned. And I would while while I don't know that he's likely to win it because of taking it easy to begin with, I I would love to be able to see him be successful enough to at least remain in that conversation as the season progresses. So for him to be able to do that, he needs to be getting more minutes um than just third pair eventually as he gets more comfortable with the system. Even even the pros that come into the canes defensive system say it takes about 20 games to to truly acclimate to the demands. Um, and then eventually as well see him get more power play time because that was one area I was really hoping he would be more impactful was the power play opportunities that he had um in these preseason games so far. And it doesn't look like he he's he's there yet as far as that timing is concerned. So again, once once the other pieces fall into place, maybe that is something that then will grow a little bit more naturally into his role on the team.
SPEAKER_03:Yeah, I mean uh I was incredibly impressed with the way he handles himself on the power play, though. He moves the puck smartly, he can go cross ice, he's uh he's very smart getting the puck in play, like a some, you know, stopping shots going out of the blue line and keeping the the puck in play and so on. Uh here's where I am. I mean, there there have been all kinds of things that folks are talking about and saying, hey, did we overestimate uh you know what this guy's gonna be and you know, all kind of you know, falling on our sword type stuff. Here's where I am with Nikisha. The guy's coming over to a new country, he's got all new players who don't speak his language, virtually all. There's a couple that do. But you know, he's played, you know, his hockey in Russia, he's played in the KHL for the last four or five years. Here's a guy that, you know, he was comfortable with that, and he was a star. Uh and I think he, you know, it's gonna take him a short period of time to get kind of used to living in Raleigh, you know, going to that rank, being with these players. Uh, and you said it rightfully so. I think too K he hasn't been playing with, you know, the the folks that he'll normally play with. Uh he's been playing with, you know, oh, Charles Alexis Lego, uh, Oliver Shillington. I can go up and down the line. And these aren't the guys that he's going to be with. And I think he's I think he's going to come along faster than a lot of folks think. Uh, you know, everybody's sitting back and Rod, you know, he says things, you know, tongue in cheek sometimes. It's gonna take him two years. Forget it. This guy's gonna be a factor midseason or or earlier in my book, uh, because that's who he is. That's the that's the individual he is. And and I know I was on many discussions with uh with Nick Bass, and we looked at you know the things he was doing in Russia and how he plays. And and you know, we watched a 33 minutes or something in a playoff game, averaging 25 minutes a game over there. And yeah, it's the KHL, but he just is a player that I think is gonna make a difference. So yeah, give him a little bit of time, put him with some players that can play. I'd love to see him with Slavin. We talked about that a lot. Um, and listen, as we've seen, but I think he's gonna be good.
SPEAKER_02:Okay, as we've seen, like Rod Brindemore's concept of time is very different because you know, with injuries, like you know, day to day to Rod either means like the player's legally dead or he'll be back tonight. So, you know, I think when when he says Nikisha will take a year or two, I really think he's trying to protect the player. Yeah, and not many coaches would do that. Not many, so you know, I think that's a real luxury, right?
SPEAKER_03:Because their defense is deep. So they can actually put him on the third pair, which is kind of insane. But yes, he's gonna go on the third pair, likely with uh with Shane Goss to Spirit appears right now. And it looks like your man, Sean Walker, is gonna move up with uh with Jacob Slavin. So that could be a lot of fun, too. Um, finishing up the lineup, just before we have closing remarks today, um Caden Primo, uh Aaron came from the Montreal guys. You know, I like Primo a lot. Uh Trip Tracy had some really positive things to say about Primo. He thinks he's mechanically as sound as it gets, and and uh and he's shown it in the exhibition games. He looked sharp. He looked really sharp. Um and again, uh Jason Mazzatti, interesting story from Trip the other day saying that Jason Mazzatti, three or four years ago watching uh uh uh Caden in the Montreal chain, just said this guy can play. And I suspect that's one of the reasons why the Kings have him now. But I think he's looked good. Um, Aaron?
SPEAKER_00:Oh, I would agree. I think I think that he's uh um he has a I think we're gonna need the call-up if if he ends up being the call-up to be another calm goaltender. I think that this is where you want Primo to be the call-up. You don't, you know, it's it's too soon for Kaziv and it's too soon for some of these others, but we don't want to go from one um to use the phrase that gets uh put around on on Twitter, the goalie with a knife, to another, you know. I know that's a big joke. But uh yeah, that that is one of the nicknames that gets used for um Piotr Kachekov from time to time, um, just from his uh aggressive nature and and the fact that he will go on these strolls and leave the net, you know, far behind and all the rest of it. So um I liked his calmness. I thought Promo is gonna be that kind of guy. He's gonna come in, he's not gonna wow you, he's not gonna, I mean, he does make some really nice saves, but he's not he's not gonna be a star caliber goaltender, nobody expects that. But he's also not gonna be um the rotation of Spencer Martin and Dustin Tekarski, who really should be praised for doing as much as they could. But that was not the greatest thing for the Kanes when they needed both of those guys in the lineup. So it's nice to have someone like that. And I think he'll be good for the wolves. I'm interested to hear what you think about that, Matt. What do you if you think he how he's gonna be for the wolves?
SPEAKER_02:Yeah, I mean, I think he'll be good. I mean, his AHL numbers are solid. I mean, you also have to remember, like, with with Primo, like he's never gotten consistent NHL ice. There was one season where he got 23 starts, and that was the 23-24 season, and he had a 9-10. That's a fashionable backup. Like, especially, you know, given I don't believe Montreal made the playoffs that year. Um so, you know, that's a decent backup, you know, performance. A 304, or no, sorry, 299. So, but slightly under three goals against two. Like, with him, you know, he's going to be like an actual true AHL stud goalie to, you know, carry the bulk of the starts. Um, you know, because obviously Amir Miftikov is a giant question mark. Did not like him in the preseason, and uh, you know, we didn't see his I have, but you know, um it's really Primo's show down there. But like, you know, just with having Frederick Anderson as your goalie, you are going to need a third goalie at some point. And given how Primo has looked, you know, in the preseason, again, it's against mostly AHL competition, he's been good. And I think it just gives Carolina somebody who they can rely upon to give them at least average goaltending, and we've seen the Canes can win a game even when the goaltending is average effects.
SPEAKER_03:Yep. As we look at at the the roster as we see it now, closing thoughts. How do we feel about uh you know generally what we've seen and what we might expect as the season kicks off, Katie?
SPEAKER_01:I think they have a very strong roster. All of it, of course, depends on how the lines gel and the chemistry goes and the patience of Rod Brindemore to not become Rod Blendemore too quickly. And uh just that you know, they need they need time to work together, they need time to develop chemistry, and if they can do that, it shouldn't be a problem for the Canes to win the Metro, and then we'll see uh how that all shakes down in in the playoffs. But if they do come out of the gate slow, and that's very, very possible as if things happen, they they might create a bit of an uphill battle for themselves and make things more interesting than it needs to be. But I mean sound sounds like the canes of the past few seasons anyway, so uh we're we're used to it at this point. But I'm I'm I am cautiously optimistic for for this team and what they'll be able to do. Um and yeah, just see how see how the big experiments go moving forward. Aaron?
SPEAKER_00:I think there's two storylines that we may that we that we're gonna be paying attention to this season. The first one is that as much time and attention as we play pay to the forwards, you know, I still can't get that remark of Rod's out of my head that he could put 13-year-olds up in front, you know, as long as his defensive core is good enough in his goaltending. Um, you know, and and and that comes back to I think the defense is really gonna be the key to how the Kanes do this year. Last year it wasn't there. And, you know, I know we we've put pointed some fingers here and there. Um, but yeah, I'm not gonna do that now. But they need this defensive core to come together. And the most disappointing thing, I think, about the preseason has been that they haven't been able to do that because of the injuries. But we want them to be healthy coming in. It's more important for that. So we're I'm excited to see how they actually look when they get to play. I'm hoping it'll be Saturday, you know, in the final preseason game. I really do. But um we'll see. The other storyline, and this is something that people are going to talk about, regardless of whether we want them to or not, really. Um, the Kanes have a huge opportunity if they position themselves well enough to go deeper in the playoffs because of the injury, the very unfortunate injury to Alexander Barkov. This is a big thing for the for the Florida Panthers. And I know that that the Panthers are still an incredibly solid team. They're not going to just melt away to nothing without Barkov. But there's also the potential that a couple of these other guys are very seriously overplayed over these last few years with the number of games they've played, you know, and the Olympics on top of that adds another wrinkle to the whole new picture. Depending on how the Panthers are doing, um, the Canes, I think, may have their best chance to come out of the Eastern Conference final and compete for a Stanley Cup this year. It's gonna be a big fight all the way. We'll just have to see how it goes. But that is gonna be a narrative, I think, all season that we're gonna be watching.
SPEAKER_03:Yeah, and to just to add to that, the um the Canes have over$10 million in cast face right now, which you know, we've never been in this situation going towards uh, you know, a trade deadline this year unless something happens before then, which is going to allow them to shore up in whatever areas that the Canes think they need to do. Matt, I want to thank you so much for coming. What do you got uh as closing comments?
SPEAKER_02:Yeah, it's definitely a better roster than last year. Um, you know, any way you look at it when you replace Jack Roslovik with uh Nikolai Gieers, I think that's definitely an upgrade how you looked at it. Um you know, and then and then you made you made the upgrades that you wanted to make. You got younger on the blue line, which I think is really important just given I think we saw the blue line's age, especially in the playoffs. Um and you got quicker, you got tougher, and you have I mean, I'm looking at Pacpedia right now, and it's almost 11 and a half million dollars. I don't know if that's fully accurate, but that is a chunk of change to spend on a good player or two, you know, if they see fit. So, you know, they're in a really good spot to not only be a good team now, but potentially be an even better team later on this year.
SPEAKER_03:For sure. Um, hey Matt, where where can people find you?
SPEAKER_02:Uh well they can find me. Uh, you know, best place to find me, I am on Twitter, X, whatever you want to call it. It's at Matt Soma12. I have a Substack. Uh I it's for now called Matt's Substack because you know I write about hockey, not creativity. Um uh you can also check out Developing Hurricanes. Uh Nick uh Kane's Prospects, obviously friend of this show. Uh he and I do a little thing together just for fun. Um where you know, definitely, you know, it's not the best production. We we like to ramble and have our own stories, but it's a lot of fun. And um hopefully soon you can check out some of my work with the Green Bay Gamblers as well in the USHL. Uh you know, haven't gotten a player there yet because I just started there, but uh, you know, I've been working hard.
SPEAKER_03:Yeah, and I I was gonna mention that, of course, you've been uh scouting junior hockey uh on and off for years. You did the Coquitland squad, and of course, now Green Bay. So good on you. And again, thanks so much for joining us, Matt. It's been great fun. Um for those of you who've been watching or listening, we're delighted to spend time with us today. We we uh always enjoy the fact that uh you spend your time with uh Stormcracker. Um if you like this episode, please press the like button. If you have comments or questions, those in the comment section down below. And of course, if you'd like to be alerted of future episodes of Stormcrackers, please press the subscribe button and the bell, and you'll uh be alerted of future episodes of Storm Storm. Once again, thanks so much for joining us, and we'll catch you up real soon right here on Star Trek.
