Danault vs. Kadri vs. O'Reilly: Breaking Down the Canes' Center Options

A one-point gap at the top of the Metro. A power play finally finding a heartbeat. And a 2C question that just won’t go away. Erin, Katie & I take a clear-eyed look at the Carolina Hurricanes and ask what actually moves them from good to built-for-May in this special Mailbag episode.

We start with the truth on scoring and special teams, highlighting Seth Jarvis’s timely finishing and Shane Gostisbehere’s offense from the back end, plus why Jordan Staal’s net-front work has simplified the power play. Then we tackle the core choice the front office must make: commit to an Aho-led pace identity or fully embrace a Stahl-style, heavy, choke-the-neutral-zone game. That decision drives every roster move, especially at center.

From there, we get specific. If you’re solving 2C for playoff hockey, Philip Danault’s shutdown mastery could free skilled wingers. If you want edge and offense, Nazem Kadri brings snarl and scoring. Ryan O’Reilly’s faceoff dominance and savvy still tilt matchups. We examine wing options and the temptation to add size like an Alex Tuch type, but explain why center is the domino that must fall first. On the blue line, Jacob Slavin’s return would reset pairings—think Slavin–Gostisbehere to greenlight Ghost, and a punishing Walker–Nikishin duo to raise the physical tax for opponents.

Goaltending gets a reality check too. Brandon Bussi’s timely saves are buying belief and buying time; if that holds, the timeline for a crease decision stretches while management focuses assets where they shift series. Finally, we outline the special teams formula—shoot-first power play with traffic, pressure-first penalty kill—and preview a pivotal road stretch against true barometer teams.

Highlights:

• Current form, standings context, and scoring streakiness
• Power play simplification with Staal net front
• Jarvis’s surge and Gostisbehere’s dual impact
• Identity fork: Aho speed model or Stahl grind model
• The 2C problem and why Stankoven is miscast
• Realistic center targets: Danault, Kadri, Ryan O’Reilly
• Wing upgrades versus solving center first
• Tradeable assets and prospect depth on defense
• Goaltending stability with Bussi and timeline to decide
• Ideal D pairs when Slavin returns and minutes allocation
• Special teams priorities for a playoff build
• Road stretch stakes against Metro rivals and barometer teams

If you’re a Canes fan who wants substance over spin, this is your roadmap from “good” to “beats heavy teams in June.” Listen, share with a fellow Caniac, and drop your take: solve 2C with defense-first or go all-in on scoring? And,  don’t forget to subscribe and hit the bell so you never miss stormTRacker.

#canes #hockey #erictulsky #raiseup #stormtracker23 #rodbrindamour #lockedonhurricanes #Canescast #thestormsurge #AlexanderNikishin #carolinahurricanes #JaccobSlavin

Chapters

• 0:00 Setting The Scene: Skid And Standings
• 2:47 Stats Check: Scoring And Special Teams
• 3:58 Bright Spots: Jarvis, Depth, And Ghost
• 8:28 Are They Closer To The Cup
• 12:30 The 2C Debate: Stankoven’s Fit
• 16:59 Identity Choice: Aho Speed Or Stahl Grind
• 22:31 Trade Targets At Center: D Danault, ROR, Kadri
• 29:03 Wing Options, Size Versus Fit
• 33:31 Who’s Tradeable And Prospect Capital
• 36:55 Goaltending Reality Check
• 40:51 Ideal D Pairs When Slavin Returns
• 43:37 Mailbag: Drury, Favorites, And Fun
• 47:11 Road Stretch Stakes And What’s Next

Transcript

SPEAKER_02: 1:03

Well, the Carolina Hurricanes are going through their toughest stretch of the season so far, going 5-4-1 in their past ten, and losing to the Sharks, the Leafs, and the Sabres in the process. Canes are currently sitting in second place in the Metro, one point behind leading Washington Capitals, but just six points ahead of eighth place Columbus Blue Jackets. Is this Canes team good enough to compete for the Cup? Have the Canes solved the nagging two seat problem? What about Golden? I'm Tom Rain. I'm joined today, as always, with our hockey aficionados, Aaron Manning and Katie Burkle. Ladies, lots to talk about.

unknown: 1:51

Okay.

SPEAKER_02: 1:52

Marker. All right, so I thought we spent just a couple of minutes talking about the current situation with the Canes before we hit into the uh the mailbag segment, which I think is going to be a lot of fun. And I want to thank all the folks who sent in questions. We've got lots of great ones, so it's going to be uh a spirited discussion for sure. But let's talk about some stats. Uh Kane's offense right now is struggling a little bit. They seem to uh score a bunch one game and then go some games with very few goals. But here we are with our top scorer, Sebastian Ajo, sitting at 47th, and he's got uh nine goals, 17 assists in 29 games, so way down the list. And then, of course, next up is Seth Jarvis, and he's tied for 62nd with 17 goals and eight assists. The power play, we talked about that a lot, is 27th right now, sitting at 15.7 percent. Now, it's been better the last few games, and of course, we can talk about the reason why, and that's uh the big man who is doing a great job in that story. Strange place for the canes, sitting at 23rd, 78.6%. And then finishing up on the stat line, the canes are 19th with face-off acumen at 49.2 percent, the leader is Trottle at 57.1. So these stats they don't look so good, and yet the canes seem to be doing okay. Aaron, thoughts?

SPEAKER_01: 3:30

Well, um, I'm gonna jump in with uh something I saw from one of our uh frequent viewers uh goes by the Twitter handle, Canes and Dogs. And uh right before we started this, I happened to see a comment that he made, which is that um when you look at where the canes were last year at this time, and you look at, you know, today, um, after 29 games, they're actually one point ahead of where they were last year, at 38 points overall instead of 37. And again, uh shouting out canes and dogs, he um he pointed out that uh we really should be giving more credit to Tim Gleason because for them to be in this position, having had Jacob Slavin for only two games of the 29 games that have been played so far this year, that is a huge testament to what Gleason has been able to do with the rotating cast of defensemen that have come in and out of the lineup to uh compensate for all of the injuries because, of course, not just Slavin, but uh a number of the regulars have been injured. So as as gloom and doom as we can be about some things, and and I think there are some areas of concern and some things we definitely need to talk about, it's encouraging that their regular season success has not um collapsed. You know, they're not they're certainly not in the position of one of these teams that just kind of takes the regular season off. We see that a lot of times, I think, from both of the Florida teams and uh some other teams in the league. Um they're there's certain they're still battling through. Um what's gonna happen um when they get Slavin back and they start being able to coalesce as the team that they need to be, that's that's I think where our areas of concern are what needs to bolster that. Uh one thing I will point out, you know, you were pointing out the the scoring numbers uh just now. Um and even though it's true that that uh Aho and Jarvis are not you know top of the league in terms of total points accumulated, right now Seth Jarvis is the ninth goal scorer in the league. He has he is at ninth in the league for goals. Um so he is, you know, he's actually tied with a number of people, um, Brendan Hagel, Tom Wilson, Leon Dre Seidel. So um he is one of the top goal scorers in the league this season, and he's on pace for a ridiculous number of goals as well, if he can keep it up. That is a huge bright spot, and I think that that's another thing that we can focus on when we look at where the Keynes are right now.

SPEAKER_00: 5:47

Uh to piggyback off of the that um that information from Aaron, they're also very positive that the Keynes are tied for seventh among all teams as far as goals scored, period, across the board. So while our individual stars might not be producing at the pace that we would be hoping for them to produce, or even some of our supporting cast as we get into talking about that second line, the team overall is getting a lot of production from all over. And um, you know, sitting seventh in the league is nothing to sneeze at with where they're at um in the standings and and how they're able to find a lot of contributions from different members. And I mean, just look at the season that Jordan Stahl has been putting together so far. I mean, he he is scoring goals at a pace that I haven't seen him do uh for almost I guess almost as long as I've been a Keynes fan. It's been great to see his um his contributions and his enthusiasm. So there is plenty to like. Um another big bright spot, I would say, is Chang Gostas Fair. Oh, yeah. Um we we all we all knew he was going to be a positive force for good, especially in the offensive zone, and he has lived up to that. Um I think the the last time I checked the stats when it came to points per game or points per 60, he was behind only Kale McCarr as far as that kind of production. So, I mean, phenomenal work from Ghost. But not only that, but he has done a lot better in the defensive zone than his reputation um uh would suggest on a typical season. He's still not the stellar shutdown defenseman. No one would ever accuse him of uh playing like that, but he has been really, really solid in breaking up a lot of plays and keeping the puck away from the goaltender. So between between the depth scoring that the team is enjoying as well as the offensive production from Ghost, where where there are some concerns in some areas, they are being offset by positives in other areas, and we definitely need to appreciate and enjoy those and not overlook them as we move forward in our discussions.

SPEAKER_02: 8:00

For sure. I mean, I think I mean some of the heavy scoring was earlier in the year. Um I think as things have gotten tougher, we've seen that uh the goals have been a little bit tougher as well. And we do have some players that have gone extended periods with uh with not much to show for it. On the positive side, too, I just want to mention that the Hurricanes sit at 38 points right now. They're just one point behind uh the Anaheim Ducks and the Washington Capitals, who are tied for third in the NHL overall, and the Canes have a game in hand. If they won that game, of course, they'd move up uh to third place on their own behind the Colorado Avalanche, of course, and the Dallas Stars, the two top teams in the league right now. You know, so despite all these concerns, the Canes are getting it done. It's amazing. And you think about the fact they're doing it uh without Jacob Slavin, um, and that's a testament to uh to so much. And you know, we have to talk a little bit about the the uh the young players on the blue line. We've mentioned them over and over again, and I think uh certainly Alex Nikish and uh UL Nstrom have uh have done a great job, and uh they just continue to do stuff. And even last night, I thought Niedstrom did a great job uh aiding that uh that goal last night that uh helped the Canes get back into the game. He's a guy that uh I think, again, uh tough decision what they're gonna do with him. Um if we look at the other thing that I want to mention was as you mentioned, uh Jordan Stahl. Uh we talked about the Canes being way down in their power play, but lately it's starting to click. And I think a decision to put the big man uh for the face-off first and foremost, but now he's turning out to be a guy that can get in front of the net and deflect goals. And how long have we been talking about, you know, get someone in front of the net, you know, cause some chaos. And finally the canes end up doing it with a player that's been there all along. So a great story. Uh, and uh, and so that's where we sit today. Um lots of heavy lifting left. So let's uh let's segue this into the uh some of these tough discussions that Kaniacs have sent into us, and we really thank you for that um as we move into the mailbag segment. And uh let's kick it off with our first question from Tucker Blankenship. Tucker says, are the canes closer or further from winning a cup than they were 12 months ago? Now, just to kick this off, some of the players who are no longer here are Jack Roslovic, of course. He's uh he's headed to the Oilers, and the Marty Natchez and Drury move to Colorado. That affects the forward side, and then of course, two big defensemen, Brent Burns and Dmitry Orlock. So these folks are gone. Do we think that the folks who replaced them have made the team better or not?

SPEAKER_01: 10:49

Aaron 12 months ago today exactly, um, the Canes beat the San Jose Sharks, who they just lost to the other night. So we could look at that. Um they were 18-9-1 in their first 28. And um and as of before yesterday's game, they were 17-9-2. And now they're 18-9 and 2. So the the the they like I said in the to start the things off, the the comparison is similar, more similar than we think. We're reacting to, I think, a lot of the structural things we're seeing that are problematic down the road, and I think that that is something that we need to react to and talk about. But um, in terms of how close they are to winning a cup, I think when we started last season, most of us thought it was gonna be kind of a damn season that, you know, they weren't gonna be as competitive, that they probably couldn't get that far. And then, you know, we had all of that wild shakeup with the Rantan and trade and everything else that happened, and you know, they ended up getting all the way to the third round again. So the question is, can they get past that? I think when you look at this season's roster, it's a little bit difficult to see them winning the cup as they are presently constructed for a number of reasons. Um, were they closer to that last year? I think if they had not had some of the injuries they had in going into the um playoffs and having two rookie defensemen, they were probably closer to being able to beat Florida last year than they are right this minute had everyone stayed healthy. And of course, you know, that's one of those things in the playoffs. You you can't, you we could theoretically, hypothetically, we could stack the Keynes roster with all the people we would personally like to see on there, and then half of those guys could be injured. You don't know how the playoffs are going to go in that regard. And it's uh it's always a frustrating thing when teams are you know right on the cusp and they get in there and then they just can't get far enough because they don't have enough healthy bodies by the time you get to the third round. Um it's hard though to look at the roster right now, right this minute though, and say that they're better. I think there's room to make improvements.

SPEAKER_02: 12:59

Andy, do you think uh this team is closer or further from winning the cup?

SPEAKER_00: 13:04

I'm gonna say further, but for one reason only, and that's the because I feel like last year's group was more cohesive. I believe that they had played together for so long and they knew each other's style and the team's style overall, and they just had they had a a foundation on which they had already built so much that they were able to um to they already had an identity, let's put it that way. This team has an identity, but there's still so many people who are getting acclimated to it, plus having a big voice like Slavin Out, which we have mentioned, has um has affected that as well as you know, a lot of people on on X want to say, oh, it's good, you know, good riddance, we don't have Brent Burns anymore. You can make that argument all day long when it comes to the turnovers and that sort of thing that that he committed or the the foot speed that he played with. But when it comes to a cohesive locker room, I think the teams really are missing Burns. And they they are they are finding their voice, they are finding their um their identity, but it's coming at a slower rate. And so the fact that they have achieved the same level of success as last year's team without that cohesion and without those same locker room voices like the ones that they lost with Burns, I think is a real testament to them. And it shows that there is a good opportunity for them to become a better team than last year's. They are just going to need to uh stop playing as individual strong players and become more of a collective unit that are pulling together each in their own way. And once that clicks and that settles in, then we're gonna be talking.

SPEAKER_02: 14:58

Well, I mean, I think you've hit it on the head. For me, uh losing Burns and even Dmitry Orlov, uh, those guys played heavy, heavy, heavy minutes. Uh, they were tremendous on the PK. Uh, our defense is a different look and feel. Yeah, we're missing Slavan, but notwithstanding that, it is a different look and feel. And it's not nearly as heavy to play against. And I think that's something that for sure uh the Canes have found themselves victimized with uh, you know, grade A chances that some of these goalies have had to do circus saves on, more so than we're used to. Uh and I think that's a big loss. And of course, Marty Natchez, I mean, he's uh he's otherworldly now. So I I gotta say that we miss uh Marty for sure. Uh my feeling on all of this, I don't think the Canes are closer. Um I think they're I think they have some work to do uh to do to get there. So um let's move on, and this is actually part of the reason I think that the Canes are a little concerning. Um and this is from Cain's time, and he says, Do you guys think Stancoven is the right to see fit? Now, this is uh one of the hottest discussions these days for sure. Um Katie, why don't you kick this one off?

SPEAKER_00: 16:15

No. How's that work? No, I I honestly I I didn't see it at the beginning of the season, and I was but I was willing to give it a try, you know, see how it works, see how it goes. I just and it has less to do with how effective I think he is as far as creating time and space for his wingers. We've seen Jackson Blake do well on that line, we've seen Ehlers have his shining moments on that line. So he has facilitated, but we need more from Steinkhoven than to just be a facilitator. He has an energy, he has a a passion, a fire with the way that he plays. And it's all really muted right now because of the pressure and the stress and the responsibility of trying to be the Keynes 2C with all of the face-offs and with being the defensively responsible one and all that's that entails in Rod's system, particularly. I think it is suppressing what makes Stan Coven such a special player and such a good fit for the Keynes. So, no, I do not think that the 2C experiment has worked at all, and the Keynes number one priority needs to be figuring out how to move forward with that second scoring line.

SPEAKER_02: 17:30

Aaron, anything else, Chad?

SPEAKER_01: 17:32

Um, I would agree with Katie. I'm actually um, you guys know that back in the beginning of the season when this was all first going on, I was a big cheerleader and enthusiast for the idea of Stenkoven at Twicy because it was so obvious from the get-go, and it still is that this is a player that is a Rod Brindemore type of player. They signed him for that reason. They know he's gonna be a long-term fit on the Keynes. It doesn't, I think to the front office, it doesn't really matter whether his role is as um a center or as a winger. I don't think they are, you know, necessarily committed to this has to work out. Um I I really wanted it to work out. I thought that it could, you know, given the right situation. I think that part of what the right situation would be, though, is if you wanted this to work, you'd have to bring in two very big physical wingers. Um, we saw what was happening last night um when Stank and Jank got flipped. And I think that part of the reason I had a little argument, I had a little argument with somebody on X about this because, you know, I said that the probably the reason for the flip was that Jackson Blake was getting so badly abused out there. And, you know, Stancoven can't be the guy to protect his wingers. He's too small himself. Even though he's physically solid, even though he hits, he's not gonna be the kind of guy who's gonna skate over, get up in somebody's face, and say, hey, cut that out. You know, he can't do that. Now, I don't know that Jankowski can't either. I do agree that he's not the most physical guy in the world for as big as he is. Um, his hit count is ridiculously low for a centerman of his size. But that doesn't matter when you're playing against a team that doesn't see you that often, they don't know anything terribly much about. I mean, I know they do their their homework, but they're not gonna know this, the exact statistics on just how physical Mark Jankowski is. What they're gonna see is a big guy skating over saying, hey, quit pushing my winger around, you know. That's all that it has to be. It doesn't have to be anything more than that. So I I look at that and I think, okay, the if the line was constructed differently, you might be able. Um, and I haven't looked in detail at how Marco Rossi's line is constructed in Minnesota. I do know Rossi, he's a little bit bigger. He's not a ton bigger, he's like an inch taller, which isn't much, but he's 20 pounds heavier. And that makes for a different player when you're talking about somebody who can get pushed off the puck or get pushed out of battles and so on, you know. So I just think that the way the Canes play, they're not gonna be able to have a small winger, I mean a small center playing in that role, and that, especially with not the biggest wingers on either side of him. So I wanted it to work. I I really, really did. And I think that Rod Rindemore has a ton of patience for Sankhovin. He still says, you know, well, he'll get the face-offs, that's gonna happen. You know, he's been endlessly patient with all of that stuff. But the the flip last night may have been in the reality check that says he can't do this against these big physical teams.

SPEAKER_02: 20:17

And I think that's exactly it. And and I think the other reason is that uh, of course, uh Jankowski is a much better face-off guy. And uh, so you know, get him more opportunity to get draws and and get uh control of the buck for the canes. Um, you know, the canes have uh it's kind of interesting because they've been reluctant in the past to uh to put these uh wingers over to center, even though they're centers naturally, bringing them into the league. Even Sebastian Aho started on the wing, and of course we know Marty Nate just never did lead. Um so you know it's kind of interesting they gave Stankow a shot. Um, but I think a lot of folks have said, hey, he was a lot more effective with the dads, you know, with uh Stahl and Martinouke, and that's probably where he should go because of course. They're big and they can they can really handle whatever's necessary on that that heavy lifting side. Um but it opens up some uh some big questions now. And I think the next question up from Canes and Dogs kind of talks to it. And he says, look, do we need more of a physical 2C, or do we think we need a more physical winger for the second slash first line? Um for sure, the canes are small, and you know, they do have obviously on the first line Specs is there, Svechnikov, so he brings some size, but you go from Spechnikov, and it's these guys are all small players. And the question is, we're starting to see, you know, because of the standings and because every game is a must-win for teams playing right now, is so close that we're almost seeing playoff style hockey. And the result is that you know it's tough slugging for these smaller players, tough to get room, tough to get uh able to do what they do best when they can freewheel. So what are we thinking about this? Do we need a physical 2C or do we need a physical winger? Aaron, do you want to kick it off?

SPEAKER_01: 22:14

Um, can we cue the meme that says both is good? Because honestly, the canes could use both. They could use both. We we know that. And that the problem, of course, is that they have a lot of good wingers that they really love. So, you know, where are you gonna put these hypothetical people that you bring in? But um, there's certainly been some conversations about some of the big physical wingers in the league who might be available. And I know that you know, a lot of canes have Alex uh Tuck as a target, and and that would definitely be um that would definitely be the kind of person that you would be looking for, you know, if you were looking out there to try to acquire someone like that. Um I personally think, and I you I think you probably agree with me on this, Tom, that that the the center question has to be addressed first. It's it's not gonna be um they can't continue on the way that they are um for the entire season when the games really start getting tough. You know, I know you're saying we're seeing some some of that playoff style hockey, some of that's just Columbus, I think, but um because they always play that way. How many times have we had a major injury playing against Columbus? It's been more than a few. But um I think that as we get past, you know, especially in the games leading up to the Olympic break, we're gonna probably see an early elevation. Uh, where usually you don't see that kind of real physical elevation of the games till after the All-Star break. But because of the Olympics, because of all of that that's gonna happen, and because the games are being more condensed, the schedule is more condensed, I think we are gonna see a lot of battles. And the Canes have to be in a position where their center, especially on Tuesie, it has to be somebody that can handle the toughness of that while still facilitating goals and points for the team. And the top six has to be scoring more than they are in general. Um because when it dries up, you know, I know that the Kanes pride themselves on being a depth scoring team, and that is great. But in those tight games when you just need one, those are the kind of the most frustrating situations. I think we talked about that a little bit the other day on on uh X, you know, when when there's when they're down a goal and they just need one to get back in. Right now they have Seth Jarvis as the guy who can mainly do that, and that's if the top line is having that kind of game. If they're not, who's doing it?

SPEAKER_03: 24:29

Yeah, that's exactly right.

SPEAKER_01: 24:31

Yeah, it it has to be you you're not gonna be able to fix the wings without fixing center first. That's my take. Katie.

SPEAKER_00: 24:40

Um, one thing I'm gonna I'm gonna say it depends. And I'm gonna I'm gonna put it in this context. Right now I feel like the Canes are playing with one leg in the we are a Jordan Stahl style team and one leg in the we are a Sebastian Ajo style team. And they haven't fully committed one way or the other. And if they are going to have success, they need to pick a direction to go. Are we going to be a Jordan Stahl, big, heavy, physical, wear you down, just give you no space, no time, stand you up at the blue line, have you know, if we get the Brandon Busted style goaltending we've gotten recently, have that, you know, strong goaltending to back us up when you do breakthrough. Is it going to be that type of identity that is less about scoring and more about preventing scoring and then finding the timely goals? The goals from the dump and chase and the strong forecheck and the cycling from low to high and the and the banging and rebounds. Is that the kind of hockey they feel like they are best equipped to win with? If so, that's the direction they're going to go with the 2C, where they do need to find somebody bigger, um, somebody who perhaps isn't the scorer but can win the face-offs and prevent a strong transition game, that sort of thing. If they decide to go more of the AHO route, where they want to play a stronger rush type offense, and they want to push the pace and they want to make teams react to their speed and their playmaking, then you're going a different direction. You then they need to find a 2C that has those skills, that has that foot speed, has the size and reach and playmaking abilities in order to be the play driver on that line and create time and space for his wingers to uh find those soft spots or get open for one-time shots, that sort of thing. So while we're kind of in this indecisive middle, I don't think there is a clear path for the canes to travel. There are a variety of options, but it really depends on which way they're going to commit to, not only for the rest of this season, but for the next one to two seasons, at least as long as Stahl's contract is still on the books.

SPEAKER_02: 27:03

Yeah. Well, I mean, one thing we're seeing is that uh Jordan Stahl, his contribution and and basically his role is as critical as it's ever been for the Kanes. And, you know, even though uh, you know, the clock ticks on for him, he's continuing to be the guy and the go-to guy many times. Um, and you know, again, uh we'll talk a little bit about this whole center discussion, you know, just to preface that uh Sebastian Aho, if he's wondering if he should be a Jordan Stahl or Sebastiana Aho some nights, I'm I'm not sure because he definitely continues to be a player that is not the player we think he should be, or that he has been at different times in his career. We talked a lot about this last year, and it's like a broken record. Um, you know, I watch him and I keep I just keep wanting more uh and expecting more, and it's just not coming. So I'm not sure what that's about.

SPEAKER_00: 27:59

Part of it depends for me on where the messaging is coming from Aho. I'm thinking they're leaning more towards being that Jordan Stahl type, their style team, and they're asking Aho to play more like Stahl, that they're okay giving up some of that offense in order to use that line to shut down other teams' top lines, especially on the road when the teams, when those teams have last um last change, and they're trying to avoid Stahl and Martinook and Carrier or whoever else is that third is that third player on that line. So I that's kind of what makes me think they're going more in that direction. And if that's the case, that's the it's gonna frustrate fans. It's gonna frustrate us all so much because we want the the Jake Gensel style trade or the Miko Rantnon style trade because they they are flashy and they are exciting and they have that pop in scoring. But it could be that the Canes trying to play like a Colorado Avalanche or a Tampa Bay Lightning or an Edmonton Oilers are putting themselves at a disadvantage. If the Canes need to be the Canes, and if that turns out to be more of a Jordan Stahl style team, then even someone like Sebastian Aho is going to be asked to contribute in more of a Jordan Stahl style way rather than a Nathan McKinnon, Jake Gensel, um Connor McDavid style way.

SPEAKER_02: 29:26

Well, you know, if you think about the teams that are ahead of the Keynes right now, and they're probably going to be in the mix as we get close to uh you know playoff time and and whatever happens there. I mean, you look at uh Colorado, and when you've got guys like you know, uh Nathan McKinnon and uh and of course uh you know Marty Neitchis and Kale McCarr, I mean you've got game-breaking players. Uh you look at Dallas, you know, Jason Robertson and and of course uh Rantinen and so on, they've got you know game-breaking players. Um now the team that doesn't so much is the Washington Capitals, and they play a very similar game to the Kings, but the Caps are big, they're a big team. And I think that's the the biggest single difference, and of course they're goaltending as lights out with uh Logan Thompson, but but they are a big team, and they rely on the whole team to get it done, very similar to the Kings. And I think they're the to me, they're the model of the type of team that you have to have, and even though we beat them last year, I think it's gonna be tough slow. And they're so much bigger than the Kynes, and that's my biggest concern. So, as we go to the next question by Kay Very the Kane, he says the Kanes are in desperate need for larger forwards, especially come playoff time. So here we go. Wondering what viable options you have for winger and to see. So, you know, we go out, we scour this, uh scour the rosters and see what players might be available. You know, the the challenge we have is that so many teams are in the playoff hunt that they're not offering up players. So you've got a very small group of teams that you're likely going to be able to, you know, try to make a deal with. And of course, uh, we know that that's a buyer's market because, uh, or at least a seller's market, because of course there's so few players that you know the price is going to be high. So let's talk about center ice for a minute. And uh and Aaron, you've got some thoughts on on the whole decision at center and how it might look. Why don't you kick off uh with that?

SPEAKER_01: 31:37

Well, this dovetails nicely with what Katie was just saying about the Keynes trying to decide are they going to be a Jordan Stahl type of team or are they going to be a Sebastian Aho type of team? Which direction are they going to go? You know, are we what what are we going to do for the future? Um I think if you um if you had Rod Brindamore in a conversation right now and you said, what are your plans for you know maybe another year or two when Jordan Stahl decides, you know, hey, it's it's time to hang him up. And I think that Rod Bridemore would probably challenge you to a steel cage deat match for even suggesting that Jordan Stahl is ever going to retire because it's not happening in his mind. He'll still be playing when he's 45. We know that's not going to happen. We know that Stahl isn't going to be able to play as effectively as he is right now within the next couple of years. Um, when things start to decline, they start, you know, they can hit pretty fast. And we just don't know how long he has to be able to continue to play these, you know, he's still averaging a little over 15 minutes a night. He's taking heavy minutes on the penalty kill. Now he's also on the power play. This is not sustainable for a player who is already 37. He might be able to do it great all of this year. He may be able to do some of it into next year, but really the clock is ticking. If you're going to continue to have a team that plays this style of play, to me, the center that makes most sense for them to go after would be Philippe Deneau. I'm pretty familiar with Deneau from his years in Montreal. Obviously, he's a little bit older now, and the Kings have not been uh as uh successful as they want to be either. Um, but uh and I mean I think that Deneau's biggest um his biggest issue with Montreal. I think he felt like he needed to be in position to try to be a more offensive center, and he was given that opportunity with the Kings, and it turns out that he actually is an incredibly skilled defensive shutdown center who does not produce a lot offensively, and he knows that now it wasn't just his usage in Montreal or anything like that. He's not gonna be a star offensive producer at any point in his career, and certainly not going forward as he you know gets a little bit older. He's 32 now, still plenty young enough to make an impact, but he's not gonna put up big numbers. That's not what he does. But what he can do and what he has done when he's paired with offensive wingers is he creates that ability and that space for them to work because he is so defensively solid. He's handling, he's capable of handling the defense for an entire line. I've seen him do it. He is one of the two players in the league that Connor McDavid said was the most frustrating to play against. We know who the other one was. Um, but yeah, Philippe Deneau at center, it was was when he was in Montreal, was the player that uh Connor McDavid found the most frustrating to try to play against. So that that right there puts him in the conversation for a Jordan Stahl Keynes style player. He's not as physical as Stahl, he's not as big as Stahl, but he could come in as, you know, because we don't number the lines, right? We don't have this, we have a definite two C, right? Right now we don't. Even Logan Stankhoven right now is splitting that role with Stahl. They are basically playing equal minutes. So you could certainly have Philip Deneau come in and do that same thing, and he could have, he could have both Stencoven and Blake as wingers if one of them wanted to play the off-wing. And I think it would be incredibly effective. Deneau spent some of his best offensive years paired with Brendan Gallagher because Gallagher's goal scoring off of Dano's uh chances and opportunities was incredible. You you look at Blake, you look at Stancoven, he would be fine. He, you know, there would be plenty of offense generated. Do the Canes want to go that way? That's the question.

SPEAKER_02: 35:17

Yeah, and I just wanted to add this while you're talking about Dano, and we'll move on in a minute. But Dano's an interesting one. He's had 350 point seasons, so it's not like he always had 27 goal a year, so it's not like he can't bring any offense. He's having a decent year in the face-off dot. He's a 53% guy this year. He's not a small forward. He checks in at 6'1 and 200. Dano's Deneau checks a lot of the boxes, okay, for sure. Uh, and he's not gonna be your game breaker, and he's not the guy that's gonna fix 2C and everything. He is a responsible player that's not gonna hurt you, and he's gonna be a better guy than what you have now, okay? So he is better than you know, Kokanyemi, he is better than you know, Jankowski, and he certainly would be better than Logan Stanko. So I think you're onto something with the no one. And and again, I think the question is do you go with something that's short term or do you try to do a home run? You know, those are the kind of questions. Now, anybody else on your radar at Center Ice under those conditions? Aaron, what else you got?

SPEAKER_01: 36:20

Um, I think that you know, everybody is talking about Ryan O'Reilly. And I think that that is a direction the Keynes could certainly go for that. Again, you're looking for that same kind of, you know, this is a Keynes style player. Um I am I do not really believe seriously that someone like Robert Thomas will be available. That's just, you know, obviously that would be the kind of home run that you'd try to, you know, land if you could, but that's not gonna, you know, probably be the case. Um and I I think there's a couple others on the list. Um Jenner is probably going to be available. I don't know for sure. Um I but I've seen his name on a number of trade lists, so I think that the chatter is out there. Um, but I think you were the one Tom who mentioned he's got quite a bit of injury history lately, and that that might be a good turn.

SPEAKER_03: 37:06

He does.

SPEAKER_01: 37:07

Um But what uh what about you? Uh what would you who would you pick?

SPEAKER_02: 37:13

Maybe I'll hand it off to Katie first and see if she's got some candidates, and then I'll jump in.

SPEAKER_00: 37:17

Well, I I'm I'm not gonna be all that original. I'm gonna say the same person that I have been saying for a month that I honestly think would fit whether they're going a Jordan Stahl style way or a Sebastian Ajo style way, and that's Nasm Kadri. I know that there's the report out that the Canes are on his no-trade list, but that's always negotiable, especially if the the flames say, hey, we like this deal. Let's go to Codre and give the Canes permission to talk to him and try and convince him that this would be a good spot for him because number one, he has that leadership. I think he would be a really good voice in the locker room. Like I said, the canes are missing Brett Byrne's voice. Codry would be a positive addition to that locker room. And he has the goal scoring to kind of go it more in the ajo direction. He also has the toughness to go more in the stall direction. He doesn't have the defense really, but because of the way he plays, especially if you put him with wingers that have a little bit more defensive responsibility. So maybe put Jarvis with him and move Blake up with Aho, something along those lines, then that would offset enough that he would be that he would still be effective as that second scoring line center. And he also just he has a snarl to his game that just makes him an absolute pain to play against. And when you bring up teams like the Washington Capitals, Cadre isn't like a six-foot, six foot one, but he plays like somebody with the attitude of a six foot three, six foot four kind of guy. He gets in your face, he drives you crazy. I think a lot of the reason that the ads were able to beat the St. Louis Blues back in their cup year is because Cadre drove the Blues absolutely batty with his behavior. And uh, you know, he he got injured, he came back, he he just he gets under people's skin, but he doesn't just do that, he follows through with the scoring, with the playmaking, with the other um positive aspects of his play. So until he gets traded somewhere else, and please do not let it be the Dallas Stars, like it's been rumored all over Twitter. That cadre and ranting it on the stars together. I I get no, please don't, please don't. But until he gets traded, that's who I am going to be holding out hope for because I really think that he ticks so many boxes.

SPEAKER_02: 39:49

No, I I don't disagree. I mean, I think when he to me, the guys that would really make a significant add to the Canes would be Nasm Kadri or Ryan O'Reilly. I'm not a huge Ryan O'Reilly fan. Uh he's a guy that uh again, he's 34 years old, sure, but he's a tremendous face-off guy. He's uh sitting at just about 58% in the dot this year. Uh he's had a number of big seasons, of course. Um he can still really make a difference. And I've been watching him really closely with uh some of the Preds action, and and he's playing, he's playing well. So he's a guy that checks in at 6'1 and 207, so he does check the box of being a very substantial center ice. And I think, you know, again, he plays a hard game too. So those two guys I think would be at the top of the list of what I think might be available. Um, and then you go down, and Danol again would be, I think he'd be a solid ad. He's not going to bring the offense that those guys bring for sure, but he's a solid ad. Um, if you're just trying to fill in and get a centerman that can do a little bit for now, maybe a guy like Alex Winberg, uh, who I like a lot, um, currently playing with the Sharks, Winberg. He's a big guy, 6'2. He's just under 200 pounds. He's a guy that plays a solid game. He's good in the face-off dot. He's not going to hurt you defensively. He's a great penalty killer. He does a lot of good things for you. And he'll bring some offense too. He works on the power play with them, and he's a great setup guy. So he's another guy that, again, if you're trying to get someone to fill in while you wait for, you know, is Charlie Serratto going to be the next big center for the Kanes, or you decide you're going to do a blockbuster at some point, that's the way you go. If they're going to do a blockbuster, we have to end up back with EP40. They've got to be looking at Elias Peterson. Because I think, I think there's an opportunity to do a deal with Vancouver. They're in a situation that their situation is going to change dramatically because of a lot of things that are going on there. And I think they would probably be a team that would be looking for a number of prospects and players that could come in and make a difference. And I think you can make a deal with them. So he's a guy that uh, again, uh not the best face-off guy, but boy, he he he can play. And uh he brings size as well. So the center ice situation is a tough one. We've talked about this a lot. Uh, not a lot of options. And I know some folks are talking about Tage Thompson. Uh Tage Thompson, I don't believe, will be available. Uh, and if he was, you'd have to pay a King's ransom. I'd be happy to get Thompson, and okay, if he switches over to the wing, I can live with that. Uh, because he's a guy that's going to score 40 or some odd goals for you. But I don't think Thompson's going to be available. So I think that's uh that's really off the table. Um if we go to the winger side, okay, and folks are asking, you know, what do we see as viable options on the wing? Games are loaded right now with wings. They got a lot of a lot of wingers that are solid players, but they're smaller players for the most part. You know, is there an opportunity to change that up a little bit? Um, who do we see on the wing that we kind of think, hey, if this person could be added to the Games, I think that would be an improvement because that's always the mantra of Eric Tolski. I want to improve this team. So, anybody on that list?

SPEAKER_00: 43:17

Katie, is there anybody on the wing that you like that you'd say, go get him I mean, I'd be hesitant as far as the wing until we know what the center, Pete what the second line center looks like. You I think that domino has to fall first. Everyone likes to talk Alex Tuck out of Buffalo, and the longer he goes without signing an extension, the more possible that is. But as you mentioned, they're full-on wing. So if they bring in Tuck, where does he go? And if he goes on the top line or if he goes on the second line, who gets displaced? Um, you know, we talk about it being more leaning perhaps more towards it being a Jordan Stahl style team. So you're not benching Carrier like we had talked about at the beginning of the season. That line has been so strong together. And Carrier scored a magnificent goal a couple games ago. It was fantastic. And so then who are you sitting? Are you sitting Robinson? Are you sitting Hall? You just committed some term to these guys. Are you demoting Ealers down to the fourth line? I mean, so if you're trading for someone like Tuck, it probably means there's a winger going the other direction. And the winger going the other direction is somebody that Buffalo has to see value into, which is gonna be someone that they have committed to long term because all their wingers have long-term, have had long-term commitments given to them recently, um, or they're in the middle of one. And you're not gonna switch out fetch for Tuck, you're just switching size for size and somebody who knows the Kane system and has a proven track record in the playoffs versus Tuck who doesn't in either direction. Uh, you know, so does that mean you're trading Blake? I don't think any of us agree to that. Stancoven? Doubtful, definitely not. I mean, it it just creates this big conundrum of who goes out in favor for these guys.

SPEAKER_02: 45:18

Joe Katie that's the challenge here, I think, is that the canes do need to get bigger and better. So are you trading Stankhoven? Well, we all love these guys, sure. We love Nikola Eaters, we love Jackson Blake, you know, we love Seth Jarvis, we love all these guys. So which one are you trading, Tom? They're not getting you to the cow.

SPEAKER_00: 45:41

Which small winger are you trading? Which small winger are you trading so the Kings?

SPEAKER_02: 45:45

It depends on who I'm getting a return. It depends on who I'm getting away.

SPEAKER_00: 45:48

You're getting Alex Tuck. Which winger are you sending back to Buffalo or Alex?

SPEAKER_02: 45:52

I'm not necessarily I I would send I would send Stan Coven in that deal. For sure.

SPEAKER_00: 45:59

Yeah. Yeah, that's who I would send. That's who I would send. I would send Stan Coven. For sure.

SPEAKER_01: 46:04

I don't think that they're gonna start dangling Stancoven or Blake in trades unless there's a really big fish that they want to go after.

SPEAKER_03: 46:11

That's what I'm talking about.

SPEAKER_01: 46:12

None of these guys on the current list. They're all guys that I would say would be nice to have if the Canes could fit them in and if they didn't cost the earth, but they're not as necessary to the team as the setters are, as a center is. You know, we we don't have the necessity.

SPEAKER_02: 46:28

Two years ago, Philip Forsberg scored 48 goals. That was two years ago. No, but he had 31 last year. This guy is a tremendous player. I mean, he is an outstanding, outstanding forward.

SPEAKER_00: 46:42

And the other thing, if you if you get someone like Philip Forsberg, it's worth parting ways with one of our current roster players that would because he'd have to have a Forsberg would have to have a roster spot. And you have someone like Bradley Nadeau waiting in the wings. So if Forsberg gets older, it's gonna get to is you're not thinking about the prospects later on, yeah, then you then you can still fill with more young guys because of the way that the Canes have drafted. They have the the Bradley Nadeau or the Felix Hungerstorm or whomever that can come up and be competitive the same way that Stenkoven and Blake have been competitive. So the the issue is right now, if you're bringing in a a winger right now, there has to be a roster spot for him, which means you have to make a roster player decision, not a prospect decision. Someone like Forsberg, I think, has a better chance of becoming more of a Gensel style player with the cage than a Randy style player with the cage. And that's part of what they're gonna have to look at is when they're modeling who they're going to try and get, you know, because Gensel was successful. I mean, every I think most people fancy him as the one that got away because of the the transition between the GMs at the time and the weird cap space. So I I think I think there's an there is a sweet spot out there, but you've they've got to thread that needle because if they miss one way or the other, they're either they're gonna either have an unhappy player or um or an unproductive line.

SPEAKER_02: 48:11

But they could trade the player like they did with Randon and get a bunch of you know draft picks and prospects.

SPEAKER_00: 48:15

If they do it soon enough, they gotta get it done soon enough.

SPEAKER_02: 48:19

No, I mean you're you're onto some good stuff, but but I keep ending up in the same place. We should probably keep going if we want to answer the question. The team has to be better, it has to be a better team. And one of my concerns is we've got a pop gun offense. We really do. Um, and I think it can be shut down. That's my biggest single concern. And I that's why I'm looking to get someone that can put the puck in the net and do some of it on their own, you know, kind of admission. But anyway, that's that's a great discussion. There's definitely going to be a lot more coming up. Okay, so let's let's move on. We've got a number that we've actually touched on through our conversations. Uh, the next one from Cody says, uh, should the Canes move Svechnikov for an actual 2C that could replace some physicality? Uh Jarvis is obviously off the table, and I doubt Front Office will want to move Ealers Blake or Stanko and could have packaged with Coke and Amy get a 2C that could last us. Um, I think the answer is clearly no. Uh, if we're gonna go for a top center for a long time, yes, you may have Svechnikov, you may have some of the other players we talked about. Uh, whoever it is that's doing the deal is gonna want a player that can come in and make a difference for them. So I think that answers that one pretty quickly. Um, Piper, you you were excited about this one, I think, uh Katie. Piper's question was who do you think needs to be traded on the Kings? Um, I don't know if anybody needs to be traded, but who do you think might be the folks who should go in a deal?

SPEAKER_00: 49:47

Okay, so let's frame it this way. Why were Natchez and Jack Drury the ones traded last season for Raymond? Because they were the ones in the past who had expressed discontent with their role in Raleigh. Both of them at one point had asked for trades. I think they both filed for arbitration as RFAs. They they had that kind of lean already out the door. So, who are the Keynes players that you feel like have that? The only one that I feel has that is KK, because he just hasn't been given the leash and the time. And you you can say whatever you want to about whether he's earned it with the time he's been given, yada yada. That's a whole other discussion. The only one for me that feels like he needs to be traded is KK because he and the team are not on the same page as far as who he is as a player and his role and his potential and his contributions. Um what that trade looks like. I think most of us think that he would be included in that 2C package, center in, center out, but it could happen in a variety of ways. As far as on defense, I don't think there's anyone that needs to be traded, but I think, as I mentioned with the Quinn Hughes thing, Nstrom would be somebody who would be a real um a real target for a lot of other teams because he's not established either in play and contractually with the canes. He is a little older and more mature, so he's not, you know, he's got that developed, you know, that kind of man stature already. He's not a kid and can can come in and really be a contributor on a mid-level team. So on the defensive side, I think that not necessarily that he needs to be traded, but he would be the best um asset that the canes would have uh for that.

SPEAKER_02: 51:50

Yeah, I mean, there's a couple of other guys that could be in that that group because we do have a lot of uh defense person prospects. Of course, uh Dominic Pensori is a guy that a lot of teams would be interested in. He can run a power play, he's uh he's getting pretty close to being able to play in the NHL. You've got uh Charles Alexis Legault. Uh a lot of teams would love Charles Alexis Legault, and there's no room for him on the Kings, frankly. There's nowhere for him to go. Um, and that's the problem with all these guys. I mean, I think I if it was me, I'd want to keep uh Nistrom of all those guys because I think he's uh he's a guy that can come in and fill in accordingly, and I think the other guys are gonna want to play. Um, you know, Charles Alexis Legault is almost ready to play full time. So he's a guy that uh would be a nice ad to a trade, and I think would be good for him because he'd get a chance to play as well. So lots of prospects we can push out. Um Kokani. Yeah, I think you're right on it. Um next one up from uh slow down and see clearly, he says strategically from a roster construction perspective, is this a cup winning roster? Well, we've already hit that. I think it's very clear that we don't believe it is. Um and I think basically his question is you know, what do we do with that? And we talked a lot about this, is trying to figure out, you know, where do you try to solve the concerns you have? And the big one, of course, is the second line center position or whatever line you want to call it.

SPEAKER_00: 53:17

I will I I do think that we need to say, though, that no as it stands, but it is in a really good position with just a couple of tweets and a little bit more time to gel together, it could become a really good cup contending team. We are not far away. It might not be there yet, but we are close. And and I think that a lot of Keynes fans are a little a little on the panicky side of things where we don't need to be. This team is really good, a lot of good players. Just need a little time to gel and a tweak or two, and we're gonna be very happy with the team.

SPEAKER_02: 53:57

Well, one thing we haven't talked about, Katie, and it's it's kind of the elephant in the room, and that's goaltending. Um, I mean, the K's are riding it with Brandon Bussey right now. But, you know, Freddie has not had a particularly good year, and Piotr has uh kind of been in and out of the lineup. So, you know, you know, we're trying to address the scoring side and fix that 2C spot. Uh, you know, they'll probably add another veteran D man along the road as well. But you know, we still got to think about the goaltending. And do we think the goaltending is strong enough to get us deep in the playoffs?

SPEAKER_00: 54:35

I think we have time before we have to answer that question. I would I would I wouldn't have said no, except because Bussy keeps surprising me. I keep thinking he had he had, you know, he had a nice flash, he had a nice game here or there. But he's I mean, it hasn't been out of this world, but he has played really well. And Brenda Moore keeps making the comments game after game, especially these last two or three games, about how he's uh he's making the timely saves. Yes. That's keeping the team in games. It's that's the goals that he lets in are not the ones that deflate the entire bench. They believe in him and believe that he has their backs. And so if he can keep doing that, and that's not a ridiculous ask, even for someone who's a 27-year-old rookie like he is, he could very well just seize this moment and have a spectacular season and make it as the Kane's starting goaltender, but we don't know that right now. Now, exactly. So we and Freddie and Piotr can support him in whatever roles that they're given and seize whatever playing time they're given and make the case that they deserve more starts as they're able, but we have time. I think I think the goalie decision is one that the canes can afford to put off for another month or two.

SPEAKER_02: 56:12

Absolutely. And and they clearly want to. I mean, if Bussey's the real deal, man, that solves a big problem for them, uh, for sure. And you know, we talked about this before. We talked a lot about Brandon Bussey. This guy he paid his dues in the American Hockey League and was rated. I said, McKeynes were basically said, this guy is one of the top goaltenders outside the National Hockey League and deserves to play. And it was very clear. So, you know, now he gets a chance. And I don't know about you, but he gives you a lot of confidence back there. Like he he makes saves that are tremendous saves that sometimes our other goalies don't make. And that seems to be the difference. And right now, I'm pleased to see that Rod Brindemore is actually riding this goaltender and letting him play. And he hasn't gone back to Fred, and he's not giving the handle to side the you know the opportunity to somebody else. So I I'm excited about Bossy. I hope he is the real deal because two things. Number one, that solves a problem that we might have in the future. And second of all, the way he's playing, he can win games for you. Absolutely. And boy boy, I love having a huge goaltender, you know, that can uh can do the things he does. So it's good. Um, okay, so let's go to the next one from DMD. He says if you could craft a Keynes team to win a Stanley Cup with Rod Bridemore as the coach, who would be on that team and where would they play? Well, I think we basically said most of this team's okay, right? So do we think there have to be changes or what?

SPEAKER_00: 57:44

Yeah, I reached out to her to make sure that we were answering the because I I could have taken this two different ways. And she said just in that, do you think that the players that we have now are slotted correctly in the positions they're in? And so, like you said, I think we've we've answered that pretty well. That we would I still think that Aho is the team's 1C, that Stankhoven would be more effective elsewhere, but otherwise, you know, and and and the defense, we haven't talked a ton about the defense, but the defense still has to get itself sorted out, and it can't happen until Slavin's back and has been back for a while.

SPEAKER_02: 58:23

And that brings up an interesting question is uh, you know, what does that six-person D Cor look like? Who plays with whom? I mean, this is one of the highest. We still don't even really know. Who's gonna be with who? When Slavin returns. Aaron, what do you got?

SPEAKER_01: 58:40

Oh, I think it should be I think it should be Slavin and Ghost. I think it should be uh Miller and Chatfield, and I think it should be um Niketian and Walker. I think that's how it should go. I think that gives you your best chance. Um and I I mean Rod may have other ideas, but I wouldn't be surprised if we see something very like that. I don't I don't think it's gonna be Sean Walker on top and uh Ghost of Spear played paired with Nikishan. I think that I think that we'll see Ghost get a chance on the top line. He's just been so incredible.

SPEAKER_02: 59:08

So I think that would be huge. And he's playing bigger minutes, so he's definitely capable of doing it. I think that would be phenomenal because I think clearly that uh Alex Nikkeishan plays his best hockey with Sean Walker. So I think you've you've got to it's kind of a win-win because, of course, uh, you know, Ghost would get the green light having uh Jacob Slavin with him, and then you get you know uh Nikishan working with Walker. I I think that's the way to go. I totally agree. And uh Chatfield and and uh Kandry Miller, they play well together. So it's good.

SPEAKER_00: 59:42

A lot of people don't realize that Walker is one of the most physical players the Keynes have as far as playing the body and dishing out hits because he's not the biggest guy, but he is one of the most physical. So you talk about Walker and Nakeishan together on a pair, that is gonna be punishing for teams to play against.

SPEAKER_02: 59:58

No, I think it's a great pair, and and I think the way that Walker's played this year, I mean, for sure. And and I'd love those guys to get lots of minutes as the season goes on because they uh they're fully capable of it. And you know, I've been talking a lot about Alex Nikishian getting a lot more minutes. I think he's I think he's uh a player that and and he's gonna make mistakes. We know that for sure. But he's a guy that I think the more he plays, the better he's gonna play for the Kings. And I think that's uh you know, to accelerate his uh his growth with the with the hockey team, I think he needs to play minutes. Um, okay, Ben has an interesting one. He says, How different does this team look when it finally reaches cup winning form? Well, we kind of talked about that. Uh, you know, it's you kind of end up in the same place on all these questions that you know, what changes need to be made and and where are the weaknesses in this hockey club? Aaron, any thoughts on that?

SPEAKER_01: 1:00:54

Um I think you know, we've we've like you said, we've covered it. They need to be bigger, they need to be a little bit stronger, they need to be more aggressively um off uh in the offensive zone. They need to play more aggressively and with more, you know, purpose when they get the puck and they're in the offensive zone. Um couple of wild things that that I'd all throw out there just for fun, just taking this in a little silly direction. Um I would love for them to experiment a little bit with the kind of more of the hybrid defense system. Um I I know that they are extremely good at man-to-man, and I think that that's been one of their strengths. But again, this gets back to Katie's thing about are we staying with the Jordan Stahl mindset with the team? Are we gonna evolve a little bit differently? I could see them, you know, and this is not necessarily to get them to a Stanley Cup, but this is something that would, as they build a you know, uh frequent contender kind of form, you know, is that something that they would evolve to maybe if they if they end up going more of the Aho direction? Um and then, you know, I think that if if the Canes do not win a Stanley Cup in the immediate future, this year, next year kind of thing, uh we will see them win one for sure by the time Jordan Stahl is playing 4C. And that is kind of not really a joke because if Jordan Stahl is the 4C on this team, then that means that the team has been constructed just absolutely brilliantly, and everybody above is is able to pull that weight and do that job. So you know, watch out to the rest of the league when the day that Jordan Stahl has to step back to a 4C role or an actual 4C shutdown role, um, that is the day that you you are gonna have to watch out for the canes to to start winning cups because they're gonna do it.

SPEAKER_02: 1:02:34

Yeah, I think I think that's true. Um I I think the canes are close. And I again it's to me, it's gonna be the magic of uh general manager Eric Tolski. And uh, you know, he's a guy that's uh we know he's the wizard, he's done some incredible things. Um, and I think he's got some more up his sleeve. I think he's gonna come up with some moves that uh are gonna help the canes and and his mantra, as I said earlier, is he just wants the team to get better. And I think the canes need to get a little bit better. I'd love them to have another forward that can put the puck in the net and and add some real offense to the squad. Um, we got a lot of passers, as we know, um, and we need some folks that can actually shoot the buck and put it in.

SPEAKER_00: 1:03:16

Uh, I I also I I want to include we we've got uh the special teams. We need to come back to that because that you know, you you can talk about different roles and lines and stuff, but they need to they need to really uh drill down into those special teams with the struggles they've had. We like the way the power play is going. A power play needs to be something that continues because I think he helps them simplify the power play. They were trying to do too much, that extra pass, that little bit. I mean, we saw why did his power play goal happen in the first place against the Blue Jackets? It's because Fetch shot the puck. That that simplification of win the face-off, get it to the open guy, puck on net. We've got somebody there to take away the goalies' eyes, tip the puck, get a rebound, whatever. That simplification is beautiful. On the flip side with the penalty kill, I don't want the penalty kill to be simplified. I want them to go full throttle against the other team's power point. I want them to be in their face to create those turnovers to say, we dare you to try and get this puck through us. It might happen once or twice, but it's not going to happen often, and they are going to be an absolute menace to try and deal with on the penalty kill.

SPEAKER_02: 1:04:35

Let's go to the next one. Just quickly, three quick ones uh before we get into closing uh thoughts and remarks. Um, this is from Caleb Herrera. This one's for you, Katie. Uh, just wondering about your thoughts on Jack Rurry's season in Colorado so far. Do you think he's more effective in Carolina or Colorado? Uh is Colorado a better place for him?

SPEAKER_00: 1:04:58

Jerry definitely is a player who was grown in the Carolina Hurricanes lab. He his face-off acumen and his puxty b board battle mentality. I mean, he will always be a Hurricanes player through and through. The problem is that there just wasn't a role for him on the canes, and the Aves have needed that play from him, and he has filled in beautifully with that particular skill set. The uh the big question right now, as far as Dre's concerned on the Aves, is with his uh small production that he's had, he only has 10 points on the in 30 games so far on the season, is is he enough as their three C for their cup host? Or would they be better served to have him be that uh elite level 4C that they know he can be and try and pursue a higher scoring 3C that perhaps might not be as defensively responsible, but would uh compensate more than compensate um when it comes to uh goals and assists and that sort of thing. So that's the big debate. It's not whether he fits in Colorado, he fits great, and Bednar loves him, absolutely adores Jack Hurry. But um, yeah, so we'll see. Is he the three Clay?

SPEAKER_02: 1:06:20

I hope that Colorado doesn't get another Brock Nelson because uh they are that's all they need is another guy in the center ice flat. Uh maybe it'll be uh Nasm Catherine going back. Um okay. Uh Rachel Barkley, uh our good friend Rachel, uh Queen of the Bucks, says, Who are y'all's favorite player no longer active in the NHL? I'll start with mine. That's Bobby Orr. He was incredible. I used to watch Bobby when the Bruins first started. Uh they were a terrible, terrible team. I watched them for years, and then Bobby and some of the other guys came on board, uh, and it was incredible. So, yes, he was mine. Aaron?

SPEAKER_01: 1:06:56

Well, I haven't been watching hockey as long as you, but um I would say uh and he's uh he's not officially retired yet, but it would have to be Kerry Price. Kerry Price was just unbelievable as a goaltender in Montreal. Um he is deeply missed right now, especially because they're going through it a bit with their goaltenders. Um but you know, just the calm presence that he had in the net that dragged that team farther than they probably could have gone for a lot of years and culminating with the 21 Stanley Cup final run that took them all the way to the Stanley Cup final. Um, they would not have had a chance of getting anywhere near that without Carrie Price. And just um I think that he's just been a great person just to be around the team and his presence and everything else as well. So um just that you know, he will be officially retired one of these days soon, and I think that you know his impact on the team was just incredible.

SPEAKER_00: 1:07:45

So when when I became a fan of the Avs back in 1995, my guy was Peter Forsberg. He will always be always my first um hockey player, number one um player that I was a fan of. I just I loved the way that he combined toughness and skill, the the reverse checks he could throw. I mean, he was just the quintessential power forward center. He was so, so good and so skilled. And I loved, loved watching him. And it's also fantastic because anytime that the Aves have one of those alumni games like the Keynes just had to celebrate a milestone or whatever, Forsberg's one of the first ones to sign up and say, I will be there, I will play, or I will participate, or I will do interviews. Um, when they had the games in in Sweden, he was on the sidelines talking to people. He's just been such a great ambassador for the game even since he's retired. And um, yeah, no matter how many players I fall in love with, uh Peter Forsberg will always be my first hockey love.

SPEAKER_02: 1:08:54

Yeah, for sure. And and uh great choices. All good. Okay, so let's wrap up with uh a question from our friend Adam Gold. And Adam said, should Sebastian Aho reprise Elf on the show?

SPEAKER_00: 1:09:10

Yes, yes, like yesterday he needs to do this.

SPEAKER_01: 1:09:14

Absolutely, absolutely I agree. In fact, I I would I would take this a little further. I think as many canes as possible should dress up as elves for social media purposes. I think that we need a buddy the elf. I think we need Herm from Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer. And if somebody, some guys out there have more of the Lord of the Rings vibe and they'd like to go that direction, why not? They're elves too. But you know, we have you know a team full of uh very elvish personalities, I think. And and uh why not capitalize on that and and uh have them have a little bit of fun. So, but definitely Sylvester.

SPEAKER_00: 1:09:47

We even need a Jarvis, dark, mischievous elf.

SPEAKER_01: 1:09:50

Absolutely, absolutely.

SPEAKER_02: 1:09:52

Oh, that's a good one, and uh thanks for that, Adam. That's good fun. Um okay, so uh closing thoughts. We're heading into the rest of December now. We've got uh six rogue games coming up out of ten. Um not you know, we got our hands full as as always. All these games I keep saying the same thing are must-wins because it's so tight. Um why don't you kick it off, Katie? Your thoughts.

SPEAKER_00: 1:10:16

I just think they need to build on what they've done so far. You know, I would have loved for this homestand to have gone differently. Really felt like there was an opportunity to for them to have done better than the four and three that they did, especially considering who the competition was. They have these next three games are huge because they're all metro teams, and this is an opportunity for them to either solidify um being, if not the top one of the top two teams in the metro, or put themselves at risk at sliding down and and letting uh Washington uh expand their lead or letting Philadelphia catch up to them. So um these these next games are gonna be crucial, but they they have a lot to the good, especially with Busy, especially with Stahl on the power play, especially with Jarvis scoring goals. So let's let's just hope this this next little run keeps them where they're at and they don't uh they don't backtrack too much.

SPEAKER_01: 1:11:19

I agree. Um I think that yeah, this is not this is not a stretch where you can look at it and say, well, they should definitely win this many of of the set that's coming up. You know, like you said, there's um what there's really um between uh Thursday and then the 20th of December, um they have five five road games altogether.

SPEAKER_03: 1:11:41

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01: 1:11:41

Yeah, and just one um at home in that stretch. So and the the it's kind of a weird, that weird home and away with the Flyers. So um I just want to see them look like themselves. If there are some close one goal losses that where they were really playing like you know, we want expect the canes to play like we want them to play, it's not gonna feel as bad as some of the losses that we've seen recently where they just couldn't ever seem to get anything going. Um I agree that goaltending is gonna be key to keeping them in these. So it'll be interesting to see how those decisions are made. Um, you know, but uh I I would really like them to hit that mark um right before Christmas and be in a really good place um before all of that, you know, transitions and we start the new year. So um that's what I'm hoping for. And um I mean there's no reason we we shouldn't hope for that. I guess my only other um thing that I'm looking forward to is, you know, when in this group of games or early in January will we see Jacob Slavin again? Because it we are hitting a timeline where he should be coming soon. He took part in today's optional skate, um, regular jersey. So he's been doing that, you know, lately. We've seen him more and more uh on the ice, so I think it's just a matter of time. Um it'll be I think the biggest um boost to the team to have Slavin back out there with them. And it's gonna be I that could change their fortunes a lot going forward.

SPEAKER_02: 1:13:20

So yeah, and and you know, I I totally agree, and I think it's time to bring Jacob back in. Um if you look at that, you know, this next 10 days and the five games on the road, they've got some real barometer games because they're up against the Capitals, they're up against the Panthers, and they're up against Tampa Bay. So they've got three games that I think are, you know, obviously they've got the games with the Flyers, but these are the games that I think are really gonna be barometer games for the Canes. And, you know, they're they're gonna have their hands full, um, for sure. And uh, and I think once they come out of that, we'll have a better idea of you know where are the canes right now. Now, as you mentioned, Jacob Slavon coming back would be huge. And uh, and I think at this stage in time they could certainly use that. So, yeah, lots to look forward to. Boy, a lot of tough questions today. We want to thank all of the folks who sent in questions and uh really, you know, challenged us to uh to do our homework and be prepared and and uh and maybe put some light on some of these uh tough decisions that General Manager Eric Polski is gonna have to deal with. I wanted to mention this too, from all of us here at Storm Tracker, we just wish you'll have a great holiday season. Uh have a wonderful Christmas and and uh hope you can spend time with friends and family and and take advantage of this opportunity to uh to share the love because it's a wonderful time. So, uh for those of you who've been listening or watching, of course, we're delighted you've spent time with us. We'd love to hear from you. You know, if you want to put something in the comment box down below or if you're on X and uh you can reach out to us that way, please do so. If you like this episode, it's great if you can just press the like button. And of course, if you want to be alerted of future episodes of Storm Tracker when the three of us will be back at it again, uh please uh press the subscribe and bell buttons, and you'll be alerted just as soon as those episodes are available. Once again, from all of us here at uh Storm Tracker, we want to thank you so much for spending time with us and looking forward to getting together with you real soon right here on Storm.