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.
There is also stormTRacker Website (www.stormtracker23.com), which features a blogger section, highlighting the latest blogs from Nick Bass, Erin Manning, Katie Bartlett & Rachel Barkley as well as stormTRacker Shoppe, your home for all stormTRacker merchandise.
Tom is also active on "X" connecting with other Hurricanes' fans on a regular basis (@stormTRacker24) as well as Facebook.
stormTRacker Podcast
Hurricanes Defense Leaks High Danger Chances | System Failure
Pressure can sharpen or shatter a team. Erin, Katie & I unpack why the Hurricanes can look dominant for 50 minutes and then suddenly leak high danger chances, how injuries forced constant blue line shuffles, and why Slavin’s return could reset the entire defensive ecosystem. The conversation starts with the “fragile” label and quickly gets specific: third period collapses, the PK slide to the middle of the pack, and a goalie room judged too often without system context.
On the bright side, the spark is real up front. Moving Andrei Svechnikov to the right side next to Sebastian Aho and Nikolaj Ehlers unlocked a true top line: heavy on puck wins, fast on entries, ruthless on high danger finishes. That trio not only drives offense; it can take hard matchups and ease Jordan Staal’s burden. We dive into what makes the chemistry work, how it boosts the power play, and what it means for a second line built around Logan Stankhoven’s motor and touch.
Defense and goaltending demand nuance here. Carolina’s scheme suppresses volume but exposes goalies to sudden A-plus looks after long quiet stretches. Brandon Bussi’s rise is legit, and Frederik Andersen’s path back likely runs through confidence, cleaner PK details, and Slavin’s stabilizing presence. We examine pairings, Nikishin’s adjustment to demanding man-to-man reads, and why the front office should value goalie performance in tough defensive environments over raw save percentage. Depth notes include Noah Philp’s right-shot draws and physicality and Juuso Valimaki’s two-way insurance as he ramps.
Trade season looms: a 2C safety net versus trusting Stankhoven, plus the growing expectation that Kotkaniemi finds a better fit elsewhere. The goal is simple and hard—lock the top line, set the first pair, and give the goalies rhythm. Do that, and late-game fray turns back into late-game control. Enjoy the full breakdown, and if it hits your hockey brain just right, subscribe, share it with a Canes fan, and drop your take on who should ride shotgun with Slavin.
Highlights:
• Metro standings pressure and fragile label
• Offense creating enough but finishing lags
• Top line Aho–Ehlers–Svechnikov ignites
• Defense leaks high danger chances
• Nikishin’s learning curve and usage
• Rebuilding D-pairs until Slavin returns
• Goaltending confidence and system impact
• Power play surge, PK faceoff issues
• Depth adds: Noah Philp and Juuso Valimaki
• Trade chatter on 2C help and Kotkaniemi
• Next five games outlook and targets
#canes #hockey #erictulsky #raiseup #stormtracker23 #rodbrindamour #lockedonhurricanes #Canescast #thestormsurge #AlexanderNikishin #carolinahurricanes #JaccobSlavin #causechaos #sebastianaho #andreisvechnikov #nikolajehlers
Well, the Carolina Hurricanes have hit a rough patch of the season with just four wins in their last 10 games. Injuries have struck again, with both Jacob Sclavin and Seth Jarvis out after being injured versus the Florida Panthers on December 19th. In addition, on December 29th, the Canes announced that netminder Piotr Kochetkov would likely miss the rest of the season following hip surgery to repair an ongoing situation. The Canes struggles have featured third-party collapses, a splattering penalty kill, and some uncanes-like hockey. Has all this adversity made the Kanes a fragile team? Are they tuning out the messages about playing the right way from Coach Rod Brindamore and Captain Jordan Stall? Is there any help on the way? Or will the Canes have to figure this out on their own? Joining me as always to break it down are hockey devants, Aaron Manning and Katie Burba. Ladies. Okay. So it's been kind of an interesting patch for the Canes. They definitely have their challenges, but they still sit atop the Metro Division, and they're in pretty good shape in the East. Tied with uh Tampa right now for first place with 55 points. But we've seen some interesting things go on, some challenges, some concerns. Hey Aaron, why don't you kick it off?
SPEAKER_00:Well, I think that it's good that they are where they are in terms of the standings that's going to help them going forward. They don't want to slip right now because uh the the point that we have to make here is that the East is incredibly close. And so, and and that, you know, applies doubly perhaps to the Metro. There, the these teams are all right on each other's heels. Um, the Canes have flipped back and forth with, I think, the Red Wings, you know, for uh first and second and third place, all there with and now now Tampa Bay has moved up into the ranks as well. So they can't afford to be a fragile team, and yet the word fragile was used by some of the broadcasters who've talked about what's going on with the Canes. Um, and particularly as you mentioned, uh, with those third period collapses, you know, they would be going along, they would have a lead. You know, it we we who have watched them all these years, you know, they go up by a couple of goals and we're thinking, oh, they've got this because the canes have such a hard time scoring sometimes that if they've got a couple already and it's only the second period, you know, you're just kind of sitting back thinking this is time to just enjoy the ride. But that's not been the case. They've been falling apart in late in games and giving away leads that they held, you know, for two periods. So you you kind of wonder um what exactly is going on. There's been references to, you know, is the message getting through? Um both the Jordan Stahl and Rod Brindemore talked about that, you know, that they're giving the messages, they're talking about how they need to play, they're talking about playing the right way and what they need to do to stay on top of things. And it just hasn't been happening consistently enough. Now, the last two games have been a very good sign of progress, but I think anyone who watched those games, um, as we we all did, can say there was also a sense that those teams that they played were certainly not playing their A game. So it's encouraging for them to win games they should win based on how the other team is playing. But we need to see them win games that are a close, tight contest. And that's where I think then we'll all be able to kind of sit back and take that deep breath and say, okay, they've figured this out.
SPEAKER_01:So well, one of the things that we saw, I mean, they they blew five leads in the ten games that they played and lost them. One of the things we've seen though with the Kanes is that uh they're giving up a lot of goals. Um and this is something that you know, we take a look at Canes teams, uh, you know, they're they're not the highest scoring team, and it seems like when they give up uh a large number of goals, it's very difficult for them to come back and win with that. Uh Katie, what are you seeing with this?
SPEAKER_02:Well, I think it's part offense, part defense. I went ahead and looked back at this last 10 games, 10 10 game segment that started with that first shootout loss to the Panthers. So 10 games. The Canes were four, five, and one in that 10-game segment, that one being that first game that kind of started this snowball rolling. Um offense, the canes have been middle of the pack pedestrian. Now you have to take these numbers by a per sixty basis because the canes have played more games than other people over this time um or other teams over this time. So you can't go on pure numbers, you have to go on rates. And so by a per 60 rate, the canes, as far as creating offense, have been middle of the pack, around 15th for shot attempts, shots, and scoring chances for, right in the middle of the pack. The good thing is, is then when it comes to actual goals for, they've been a little better than their creation, and they're 12th, they were 12th in the league over that span. When it comes to high danger, they were even better than that by having the eighth best rate when creating high danger chances, which is something I'd been kind of concerned about before, but but they've been creating a lot. The problem is they drop back down to 13th on actually cashing in on those high danger attempts. And so that means over this 10-game segment, they were cashing in about 12% of the high danger chances that they were creating for themselves. Whereas um other teams around about the average was cashing in around 15 to 18 percent of the high danger chances that they created. And so that was a little that is a little bit concerning that when they have those chances, they have those looks, they need to be better about finishing, they need to be better about burying them. The uh the concern really is on defense because and and goaltending. What finishing is to the offensive chances they've create created, goaltending is to the defensive chances that they are allowing. When it comes to what they are allowing, they are a little above average in the league in these last 10 game segments on a per 60 basis. They're eighth on shot attempts and twelfth on both shots and scoring uh attempts allowed. So we're used to the canes being a little bit tighter. And you talked about the defense, the numbers are showing over this last 10-game segment that they are definitely weaker than what they have been. And we can chalk that up to a lot of different things. Slavin being out definitely is part of that, but he's been out a lot of the season. It's not just this past 10 game segment. But the ki the inconsistency in the D-pairs, if you go back and you look at the lineup game after game, it seems like there's a a new combination of who's playing with whom, and some of that has to do with injury. Ghost was out some, Miller was out some, brought up Nietrum and put him in. Um, who's Riley playing with, trying to mix and match lefty righty. It's just been a lot of trying to put guys together and see what works and see if you get any kind of magic. And I think that's been affecting them being able to play their system because it is such a demanding system being man on man on with defense. The problem then becomes when it comes to the defense itself, they are above average in what they've allowed until you get to the high danger chances allowed. When you get to high danger chances allowed, they're not eight, they're not twelve, they are twenty-sixth over the end of December 19th in allowing high danger chances per 60. And other teams don't have the problems cashing in on those high danger chances that the game have. They tend to be much more efficient in putting the puck in the back of the net when they do have those high danger looks. So when it comes to the defense, when it when teams do get through them, they are creating some really good opportunities to score for sure. You get a little bit into the goaltending, and I know we're going to talk about the specific goaltenders in a minute, but when you look at the finishing though, when you look at goals allowed, the Kanes are 27th over this last 10 game span in the league in goals allowed. And in high danger goals allowed, they are 30th in the league per 60. So we'll get into we'll crunch some of those specific goaltending numbers and talk about those, I know, in a minute. But since it is directly connected to the defense, the defense is doing okay, except those high danger chances. The goaltending has been a struggle.
SPEAKER_01:Well, for sure. And one of the things that you know, you talk about the you know, these high danger chances, and you know, a lot of controversy around uh uh an item that came up on X recently that suggested that uh Alexander Nikishin may sit out a game uh because they have the practice lineups, uh he was not included. Um you know, I think Alex, uh when I watch him, I see him, he goes into the offensive zone readily. He likes to jump in, he likes to get up around the net. Uh and and you sometimes wonder if the folks are actually you know taking care of uh you know his position when he's in there. And I think some of that's happening. We see oftentimes he's racing back to try to get into the play, and something happens. And and so, Aaron, what are you thinking about about Nikkeishan's play? I mean, how do you feel about the how he's developed this year? A lot of concerns at different points. You know, we heard something about uh coach uh Tim Gleason was not happy with some things he was doing in a recent game. What are you thinking?
SPEAKER_00:Well, I think there's been a little bit of visible targeting of Nikkei, and I don't particularly like that with a player who's new to a team. I think that that's the kind of thing that, you know, yes, they're walking an interesting line with Nikitian because we have here a player who is a rookie, but he's an older rookie, and he's had a very responsible role prior to this on his team in the KHL. So this is not your typical 18, 19-year-old coming in. Um, this is not even poor Luke Hughes, who had a terrible game the other night. Oh my goodness. But he's still very young, and I think that Devil's fans should step back and, you know, stop calling for, you know, dire things and remember that this kid is what, 22? He's gonna defensemen take a while to develop, especially when they are in their, you know, first couple of pro seasons. It's not an easy thing to do. Even for an occasion, it's not an easy thing to adjust to North American hockey and specifically to Rod Brindamore hockey. The way that the defensemen are used and are deployed is very um specific. The man-to-man, heav heavy man-to-man system is very taxing on the defense. So he's learning those things. And I think that he's been doing a decent job of learning those things. I think that he's trying to be the player they want him to be. Um, he's certainly um very physical. Um, I I I think we all want to see plenty of that. We don't want him to dial that back. Um, I don't know what the coaching staff is telling him on that, but um, because it seems like he will get some good hits in and impact the game that way and then go a while without doing that. And I don't know if if that is that inconsistency on his part or is he being told, look, dial that back. We don't do that here, you know, we don't we're not trying to injure people. I don't know. I mean, because you know, when you look at the canes as a whole, they really don't. And the reason they don't is because they have the puck more than the other teams, typically speaking. So they're not when when the other team has the puck, you can throw those big hits, but when the other team does not have the puck, you really aren't supposed to be running around and chasing them. So that's kind of one of those fine-line things that Nikishian is sorting out. So overall, I think his play is as good or better than I would have expected under the circumstances, given that he has not had, you know, a typical role on the third, you know, pairing to learn the system. He hasn't had a, you know, an established veteran by his side to help him learn the ropes, and he's still learning to speak English. So I really don't get the negative focusing on him. I don't think that he's the only problem they've had defensively. And I hope that what we're seeing, kind of that visible agitation on the bench and so on. I'm hoping that that is not um, you know, really reflective of how he's you know being handled because uh, you know, you just don't want to see that for a player's first year.
SPEAKER_01:Yeah, and I and I think uh you're spot on in in what you said, Aaron, that look, he's a guy that's uh played in the KHL for five years. I think the Keynes were expecting him to come in and and you know be a real factor. And some games he has, for sure. And I think you know it's it's uh it's the the challenge for these uh you know these defensemen that come into the league to try to get consistency because it's it's every night. You know, you're working hard, and of course, uh you know, we've got the constricted schedule, which is also weighing heavily on these guys. You know, the crazy thing about Alex, of course, he makes some incredible plays, and then he'll you know he'll get caught and something happens. And as Katie said rightfully, the high danger chances are being converted. And so all of a sudden now you can make a mistake and you're dead. You know, like I mean, that's the kind of situation he's been running into a lot. And you know, his partner. Sorry, go ahead, Aaron.
SPEAKER_00:I was gonna say, unlike other teams, you know, there are other teams in the league. Uh I would even, you know, say, because this is probably true from from what I've seen of the abs. You know, you have players that do that kind of thing. They're they're jumping into plays, they're making an impact offensively, and every now and again they get burned. But no one, you know, shrieks in horror and grabs their head and says this is terrible because you know that they're gonna make up for it by getting another goal. And and this is where I feel like the Kanes have to relax a little bit and understand that if Alexander Nikishin has a bad play and gives up a goal, he's gonna be working very, very hard to erase that mistake, either by facilitating another goal or by having one of these physical impacts. So, you know, they they need to have the patience to let him do that and and not just, you know, okay, that's it, you're on the bench for the rest of the game or whatever the case might be. So I'm hoping they're not gonna go that route with him. I I really would not want to see that happen.
SPEAKER_01:Well, I I don't think so. And I think part of it is being accentuated because of the struggles the Keynes have had. I mean, let's be honest. Absolutely. He's just one of a bunch, and and you know, there's uh some discussion about gap control and other things. Katie, what do you think about the defense overall?
SPEAKER_02:Um, kind of like what I was saying earlier, I think there are a lot of good signs, but the problem is that having your number one defenseman injured in Slavin means that from the top down, all of a sudden you're getting guys moved around and they're not getting used to playing with a single D partner. Part of the reason that the Canes defense has been so solid in the past, what, four, five, six seasons is the fact that you had the established D partners. The previous three seasons it was Slavin and Burns. And very Burns never was off the ice. He played every single game because he's still got the Iron Man Streak.
SPEAKER_01:Literally.
SPEAKER_02:He just he just jumped up. I think the the game against the Canes was retied or exceeded by one third all-time Iron Man streak. So he was there every single game, and Slavin was healthy the almost all of the games and played almost all the games. So you had that top pairing nailed down, no question. And then it followed after that, whether it was Shea and Pesci or Orlov and Chatfield or whichever duo, they stayed consistent, stayed together. And then if you have to mix and match who your third pair D is, they're not getting as much ice time as um as the other two, so it's no big deal. You work with what you got and move forward. Well, they haven't had any of that because of Slavin's injury. And so, you know, has it been Miller and Walker? Has it been Nikishan and Chatfield?
SPEAKER_03:Exactly.
SPEAKER_02:They have been mixing up these pairings all season long. There's been no consistency at all. And even some of the more consistent pairings you have, Nikkeishan and Nystrom have played together a lot, but they're both rookies. Neither of them has played for the Kanes for an entire season before. So they're both learning the system. And when they're both on, they're great. I love that pairing 90% of the time. The pair for the other 10%, it's like when one makes an oops, the other one isn't quite capable of backing him up and helping to offset that oops and get the puck back to safety. That causes them to create an oops, and then we have an issue. So I I'm not particularly worried because I think the longer this happens, the more they're going to be playing with somebody they've already played with before, so that familiarity will start to grow even if there's a lot of shuffling. And of course, when Slavin comes back, then we can start to create that here's our top pairing, here's our second pairing, here's our third pairing, and get into a groove defensively.
SPEAKER_01:Okay, and that brings up a good question. Um, how would you like those pairings to look?
SPEAKER_02:Gosh, I have I I think Walker has been such a steady force eating so many minutes. I'm torn between do I want him and Slavin together because I think Walker has been up for the task, or do I want to give him a little bit of a break and not put quite keep putting so much wear and tear on him? But I think at least initially, I would say either Slavin and Walker, or because he's played on his offside and would have somebody more responsible with him, Slavin and Nikithan would be my top pair. I think Slavin Nikishan has a lot of real exciting potential, but then you have to ask Brenda Moore to play it a little a little loose, perhaps, and he I'm not known for that, he's not known for that. So I I guess those would be my two top choices, and then you have to you have to go from there. Keandre Miller would be on your second pair, and um and then work your way down from from there. So but probably probably Slavin, Walker, Miller, Chatfield, and um Nikesian ghost. Yeah. But that those two bot, I just I feel like those pairings would you could play pretty evenly time-wise. Yeah.
SPEAKER_01:I yeah, I mean, I I think I hate to say this because it's kind of what you were talking about, but I think Rod's gonna keep blending the decor for a while. I I'm not sure it's gonna come really clear as soon as you know Slavin comes back. I think there's lots of options. They could put Miller up with Slavin for that matter. Um, Ghost could go back with Walker. I mean, there's any number of things that could happen, you know, and and uh Nikishan with Chapfield. So anything's possible. Ghost could go up with you know with Slavin. I mean, anything's possible, right? Um I want to hear Aaron.
SPEAKER_02:What do you what would you do, Aaron?
SPEAKER_00:I was actually gonna uh the the the question I was gonna ask you was would you do a Slavin Ghost pairing simply from this perspective that Ghost has had just an incredible offensive run? And we've seen Slavin paired many times with someone who's not that solid defensively but is putting up the numbers, or do you think that would be more of a risk because of the potential of high danger chances going against if ghosts, you know, can't handle a defensive uh the defensive pressure of a top line? I mean, I I'm just curious what you'd think.
SPEAKER_02:I think he'd want to shut down pair with Slavin.
SPEAKER_00:Really?
unknown:Mm-hmm.
SPEAKER_00:Interesting.
SPEAKER_01:He probably would. Um I mean, uh you know, the thing about Ghost. He's been playing big minutes, so he could handle the minutes. And he's been playing much better defensively. So I mean, the other night he looked he he just looked really strong. Uh with the puck, without the puck. I mean, I just thought, man, that's that guy looks like a real player. Um, and you know, again, you've got you've got uh Kandry Miller, who certainly could quite nicely go on that top pairing with Slavin. Uh, but we'll have to see how it goes. Um it could be anything. I think Nikeshan will be on the third pair. I'm almost positive of that.
SPEAKER_00:I think so too.
SPEAKER_01:He wants to take the pressure off Nikishan for sure. And reduce.
SPEAKER_00:He's still getting second power play minutes, yeah.
SPEAKER_02:It's not where I would put him, but it's exactly where I expect Brenda Moore to put him.
SPEAKER_01:I mean, one of the things you talk about, one of my concerns with putting Walker with Slavin is that you know, we look at the offensive contribution of the blue, and it's really it's being driven mostly by um, of course, uh Gosta Sparer, who's almost a point a game, which is insane. That's fantastic. But after that, it drops quite a bit. And you're down to you know 19, 18, 15 points, you know, with a lot of these guys at the halfway mark. So they're not driving big numbers. And they're getting big ice time. Uh so you know, I think particularly Walker, like Walker to me, Walker's got 11 points. He's been on power plays numerous times. He gets more shots than anybody, uh, but he can't seem to plot much. Um, he's not going to be the offensive dynamo in that top pairing. Um, so you know, I think my concern is I'd like to see more offense on that pairing because you've got Slavin who can kind of back up an offensive guy and let him go. Um, so we'll have to see how that plays out. Um and again with Nikitian, we know he can bring offense and he's very good on the power play. He did a great job sitting in for Ghost on the number one power play unit. Uh he had three points in a couple of games there, so it's pretty good.
SPEAKER_02:Um hopefully, hopefully we'll find out soon because Slavin was put practicing in a regular jersey today. So his return, if not this next game, should be around the corner.
SPEAKER_01:He's coming soon. He's coming very, very soon. I fully expect he, if not this next game, it'll be the one after that. He's ready to go. He basically said that. I heard the the uh the post-practice discussion with him, and he said he's he's good to go. Okay, so lots of discussion on the blue. And again, it's been a work in progress, and boy, they've toughed it out. Now, give them a lot of credit, as you said. I mean, these guys, uh Nistrom and and uh and Nikishan were jumped into some big things and bigger minutes than they ever dreamt they would be playing for sure. Uh and uh and getting it done for the most part. Um, goaltending. So you talked a little bit about that before, Katie, and we you know we started to get into a discussion on you know what's happening with the goaltending. Something I thought I'd bring up is that uh right now Brandon Bussey is number four in the league in goals against. Okay, so he's right there. Uh and he's he's uh got 15 wins on the season, so he's very, very close to the top on that as well. So, you know, that's just in I think 18 or 19 games. So it's kind of that's kind of crazy, right? His numbers are off the chart. He's been sensational. He had the one tough game, uh, of course, uh the other night, which you know he's gonna have. And we talked about that, that he's gonna have some off nights, and and of course the team didn't help him much either. But uh but it wasn't his best night. But he came back very, very strong in in this game against the stars, I thought, and played a very nice game there. So he's uh he's the real deal. Um but what are we seeing with the goaltending? Aaron, do you want to kick it off on goaltending?
SPEAKER_00:Well, first of all, I'm gonna piggyback off your comments about uh Busy because you know he really has been fun to watch, and it's been it's been great to see, you know, he's growing more and more comfortable, I think, you know, in the system and playing, you know, backstopping McCain's. Um I think that I saw uh isn't he like one of the I think he's the fastest goalie in the franchise to 15 wins. Yes, I'm thinking, you know, for for the number of games played. Is it NHL history, not just the Keynes? NHL history, yeah. Okay, well, well, you know, I it was a brief thing floated by on Twitter, so I didn't see the whole thing. But yeah, um it's he's just been putting up incredible, you know, numbers and having some incredible results. And I think that that's why, as you know, crazy as that poor um PowerPlay Goal Against was last night, the first Powerplay Goal Against for the Stars. Um one of the commentators uh I was watching the Stars broadcast um because um it's blacked out for me here um in uh Texas. I can't watch the Canes broadcast when they're when they're actually playing the stars, whether they're here or in uh North Carolina. But um they said that they they looking back on the replay, they had a feeling what they thought seemed to have happened was that the puck was in maybe in his sleeve. And I thought that was that would make sense because of as he, you know, you usually if you're just if it's under you and you roll over, it's not gonna go in the nest.
SPEAKER_01:It went freaking in the street.
SPEAKER_00:I haven't had a chance to look back at the replay, but I I would not be surprised if that was what happened. But you know, you looking at how well he's done, you look at that kind of moment as you know, it's almost like the hockey gods are evening things out a little bit because he's been a little too good. So that made me laugh. But um in reality, um, I think that the team plays more confidently in front of him too. And I think that that everyone talks about, oh, that's not really that's not a factor, that's not this. I think that there's been some uh some pushback on that from people like Adam Gold, you know, who say that's not a thing, you know. Well, I think it is, because I think you can see how much less afraid they are, the Keynes are to be a little bit more aggressive in the offensive zone, not worrying so much about turnovers and things going back the other way when Busy's in net compared to when Freddie's in net. And the more they lock down and try to, you know, or or else they do the other thing where they try to score a bunch early. So because Freddie's in net, so that they'll have a little cushion, you know, either way, that doesn't work for the Keynes style of play. It does not. So I think that that's been an interesting part of the conversation. And just like last year when the Canes went on their little bit of a skid and they had, you know, the Martin and Tekarski pairing in net. I think that the goaltending, losing Kochakov, having to figure out what you're gonna do, Freddie having been a little less than Stellar, and I know you've got some numbers on that. Um, you know, that that's been a factor in all of this. It's probably as much a part of the team fragility, if we want to use that phrase again, um, because they haven't known night to night what kind of goaltending they're gonna be getting.
SPEAKER_01:Yeah, I mean with Anderson, you mentioned Anderson and and uh you know Katie rightfully said, you know, some of these chances and and these situations these goalies are facing their high danger and they don't get a lot of shots, so they're sitting around, and then the next thing you know, they've got someone coming in alone on them. Um but Freddie has has also given in some softies, and his numbers, he's 07 and 2 in the last nine, um, 840 save percentage and the 385 goals against average. You can't win games, you know, with those numbers. Now, we did see something the other night, I thought, which was encouraging, and Katie, I know you were kind of pleased about uh Anderson's play the other night. What did what did you see with Freddie?
SPEAKER_02:Well, Freddie just seemed to be very calm and collected when uh he was up against the Aves, which was his most recent start. He was very strong through two periods when the play was was even. But unfortunately, when the um the play broke down in front of him with the um with the defense specifically the pick the penalty kill, um he kind of followed along. And I think that's been the problem is that when there have been breakdowns in front of him, it's caused him to break down as well instead of him having their back and standing tall and letting them get back to their game by making a couple of timely saves, big saves, that sort of thing. So I you know it's it's easy to to pick on the goaltender and to to bag on him in that way. But the reality is that I don't think he's more than one or two games away that if he gets one strong start under his belt, that he could rebound very well and put a lot of these issues behind him. You know, a lot of the hand wringing on Twitter X has been, you know, oh no, Freddy's washed, Freddie's done, Freddie can't come back from this. And I think it's just as likely as Freddie bounces back, Freddy finds that one good game, Freddie builds confidence and can move forward. And in practice, again, today it's the indication seems to be that he was in the starter's crease to be. Um so we'll probably see him in the next game or two. I don't know that they're gonna give Bussey four starts in a row. So I definitely think we'll see him either against the Ducks or the Kraken. And those either of those teams would be a good opportunity for him to build his confidence and give himself a stronger footing so the team doesn't have to rely exclusively on Busy to get wins.
SPEAKER_01:Yeah, and I mean I think the Ducks would be a good choice because they've lost seven in a row, so they're definitely falling in their sword these days. Um, you know, Freddie, it you mentioned something which uh we hear a lot of folks talking about right now, and it's confidence in sport. Um, you know, we don't think about that, but they're just like you and I. I mean, if we're on our game, we're on our game. Some nights we're not so sharp. But uh, but I think with Freddie that's the case. And I think if he gets his confidence, we know he can play. He's he's you know he's physically fine. Uh and if he gets his confidence back, I think he's a guy that can make some key saves for the Canes. And of course, he's gonna be a happy camper because uh we know that Jacob Slaven will be back soon to help him, and that's gonna be a huge, huge, huge uh you know advantage for the goaltenders going forward. So yeah, um, hopefully it's a good one.
SPEAKER_02:Um one thing I I can't highly recommend enough is if you like just general hockey podcasts to go listen to the hockey PDO cast by Dmitry Filipovich. He had one a couple weeks ago um that was on goaltending specifically. And they uh he and his guest broke down different goaltenders and that sort of thing. But there's this one, it's about a 15-minute segment on systems and how sims systems affect goaltending and why you can't just take one goaltender out of one system and expect them to produce similar results in another system. You really have to take that into concern or into consideration. And it's really particularly important with the hurricanes, and they highlighted the hurricanes as being a system in which you can't take just any goaltender and put them in the system. They even went so far as to say you could take some hockey hall of fame goaltenders and put them into the cane system, and they would be struggling just like Freddie Anderson is struggling right now. And it has nothing to do or very not nearly as much to do with the goaltender as it does the system in front of them. And the problem is the hurricane system, because they limit the the fluff chances, it makes it really hard on the goaltenders to find a rhythm in the game to get those easy touches that build confidence, that allow them to uh Trip Tracy calls it feeling the puck. Feeling the game and kind of being able to have that intuition of tracking where things are gonna go, where shots are coming from, what um you know, where shooters are going with the puck, how to see around screens. And because the canes limit those types of shots so much, a lot of times the the goaltenders have to face high danger chances in cold. They haven't faced anything easy for a long stretch of time. We've we've heard, even in the Dallas game, it was something like there was one time seven, eight minutes went by without the stars getting a shot, and then all of a sudden it's a flurry from the top line. Ranton and hits a post, and there's another guy charging the net and getting a deflection, and Busy just all of a sudden goes from zero to 60 in an instant. Yeah, they they broke it down to a stat that I call that was interesting, which they call expected save percentage. So the types of shots that are on goal, what would the expected save percentage be of an average goalie in an average system on an average night? And Anderson had the worst expected save percentage. That's not on him. That's on what the canes are allowing to get to him. How can we expect Anderson to be a good effective goalie if the canes are putting him in a circumstance where he's already majorly disadvantaged by the shots and opportunities that are coming at him? And it's not just Anderson, Bussy, which makes his performance all the more impressive, fourth, the fourth hardest environment of 80 goalies that have played so far this season. The fourth hardest. And even Kojakov was at 10th. So out of the 10 most difficult situations goalies have had to endure this season so far, three of them are the Keynes goalies. The Keynes are making their system is extremely hard for goalies to plan, and you have to find the right guy. So just suggesting a trade for this guy or that guy or get Freddie out of here isn't enough. That you almost have to add points to their save percentage. And it's part of why we're great. Busy's goals against average, you're right, he's what, fourth or fifth in the league. But his actual save percentage is 21st. And that's because the system is so taxing. But they said if you took Busy and adjusted for league average, you add 20 points to his save percentage. That would take him from a 906 to a 926.
SPEAKER_01:He would be pretty close for the best. Yeah.
SPEAKER_02:So it's the this sort of stuff is important context to you know for the canes moving forward.
SPEAKER_01:Yeah, and and and exactly. And and I think you come back to the confidence thing is if Freddie can get his confidence, those numbers will even get better. I mean, it's for sure. And and that's one of the reasons I think that uh that Brandon Bustey has been able to make so many of these incredible saves. He's just feeling really good. Like he's confident in the net. He feels like he can save anything, and the pucks are like beach balls to him most nights. So I think this is a an example of, you know, for sure, uh, the situation that Freddie and Brandon are playing in is as bad as it can get almost, you know, for a goaltender. And you know, I I know they also were talking about in general that uh, you know, teams aren't flooding with shots as they used to. They're trying to get good shots, good opportunities. And we saw that that's the Dallas approach, right? They don't they don't fire a lot of shots, but boy, when they shoot, they've got a great eight chance, or they've got something that's pretty close to it. So um, so again, uh with the goaltenders, and a lot of them are struggling with this, they don't get as many of those easy saves to kind of feel good about being in the game and so on. Uh, and it's it's changing the the landscape a little bit. But that's a great analysis, Katie. Thanks for that. And and I know that was uh that was a super podcast and uh and wonderful information, and it certainly helped us understand a lot better some of the challenges that both Brandon and and of course mostly Freddie are facing these days in the net. So I'm with you. I hope Fred gets back in. I hope he you know starts a little bit of a run. And by the way, we know um, gosh, before too long he's gonna be over in uh in uh in uh Italy playing uh at the Olympics, and of course, uh he's gonna get a chance to play some big minutes over there. So this will maybe give him a chance also to kind of you know feel good about his game and come back and be ready to go. Now, the one thing, the other thing I'll just mention as we wrap up the goaltending, of course, is always this looming concern of injury for either of our goaltenders. And we can't necessarily say they're both uh not going to be part of that because injuries have hit our goalies numerous times, as we know. Um, and we have to start thinking about as we head into the Olympic break and then, of course, trade deadline, what do the Canes do? Are they gonna go for a top goaltender? Are they gonna go for someone to just be there in case of uh of uh injury, or are they gonna go with Caden Primo, Amir Miftikov? What's the situation with that? Anybody have thoughts on that?
SPEAKER_00:I think that they're just gonna try to pick up an extra backup when if they get that opportunity. They liked having the luxury of having three guys. So and they can certainly carry three guys. That's not a problem with the roster or the cap space. So I think that that would be their preferred option, would be to go ahead and add someone if they get the chance, but I don't see them making a major trade for uh, you know, a uh like uh you know one of these big top goaltenders. Um, there aren't very many that are gonna be available, first of all. And I mean, you know, New York is tearing things down. Maybe Shisterkin will be coming on the market, but I highly doubt. He's injured right. He's injured anyway, right? So so um no, but but as as far as these other ones, we've talked about various people before, you know, I think that the Keynes are gonna be looking at, I mean, you know that any any data and information about goaltending that like the stuff that Katie just shared is, you know, part of what uh Eric Tolski's analytics team is looking at very, very closely all the time, and probably with numbers that that the public models don't even um have. So they're gonna be looking at those things when if and when the canes make a move to acquire a permanent addition, either as a second uh you know, tandem goalie or even a one uh one uh goaltender. If they do that, though, I see that happening over the summer. I don't see that happening now.
SPEAKER_01:Well, and also, I mean, the the the question about Brandon Bussey and all this mix, uh, you've got Piotr Kochakov, you know what he's gonna bring, and he'll be back next season for sure, if not at the end of this year. Um, Brandon Bussey might be the real deal, which means your goaltenders are set. You know, you're pretty much.
SPEAKER_00:That could be, and that could that's another question. When are they gonna sign him? And I know people are already talking about that.
SPEAKER_01:So I'm sure that uh they're working on it right now. I've got every expectation Eric likes to sign people quick and long-term deals. So it's good. Um, okay, let's move to the forward lines for a minute. Now, Katie, you were you were putting together your posturing of forward lines before the Dallas game because, of course, uh Seth Jarvis was returning, and and you had uh the Ealers Aho Svetnikov line, of course, staying together, and then you put Jarvis with uh Stahl and Martinuk, which is interesting. That's where he actually ended up, which is kind of cool. And Blake Stankoven and Hall, they had been uh strong uh the previous couple of games, so that made a lot of sense. And then you had Robinson, Jankowski, and Carrier, but of course uh Noah Phillip jumped in, but they're interchangeable, so that's fine. I think probably for all of us, the magic of the top line is like nothing we've seen. Katie, you were the one that kept saying, Smash Nikop on the right wing.
SPEAKER_02:Yes, yes, yes. Well, and part of it, I mean, I know we we all had fun with the booing of Miko Rantnon in the stars game and that you know, giving it to him because of the way he mailed it in with his short stint with the canes. But the reason I have wanted to see Svetch on the right side is because that's how Rantnon plays. He's a left shot who plays right wing. And as a power forward, it's effective for him and his game to both be a goal scorer as well as a goal creator with his passing and creativity. And as soon as Svetch, I mean, he was already showing signs of life, but as soon as he got moved to the right side because of the Jarvis injury with Aho and Eler. Um complimenting him on that line. That line has gotten so much balance and it has just opened up Svetch's game, both for him to score and for him to create, as well as to show some power moves. He had that beautiful goal against the Aves, which I was so thrilled to see in person. It was gorgeous the way that he powered around Devon Taves. And for the Keynes fans out there that don't know Devon Taves, Devon Taves is a slaven type defender. He is excellent with his dick. And it is very hard to gain position and get advantage on Taves the way that Svetch did. And Svetch just took Taves' lunch, took it to the net, and scored that goal. And it was a masterpiece. And that's what we want to see is that kind of open game with all tools, a sort of value from Svetch. And because he's got Aho and Ealers to keep up with him, to match with him, to finish with the chances that he's creating, it has been beautiful. But that line has been together for four games. They have a horsey four percentage over 60%, but their shots for, their scoring chances for, their high danger chances for have all been over 70%. Which is incredibly good. And even better than that, they have when they have been on the ice, the canes have scored 10 goals and only had three scored against them. That is fantastic work. Even better, when I was high when I was fixating on the high danger chances and them not finishing their high danger chances, that trio has finished, or the canes, when that trio is on the ice, have finished and scored five goals to allowing only one in high danger situations. That is exactly what you want from a top line, from an elite top line. From a top line, you can take into the playoffs and count on being your big guns. I love this line, and I want to see them stay together for the rest of the season. Do not mess with them, Rod. Please do not mess with them.
SPEAKER_01:Message received. You know, the other thing I want to mention because we have railed on this guy a lot, and I've been one of them, is Sebastian O. His play has been inspiring. I mean, he he's really been, he's been, I mean, I had a five-point game, which is incredible, but he's been playing tremendous hockey. And he's in there, he's hitting people, he's he's in the game, like he's really a part of it. You know, we used to watch him, he was like, you know, he was floating around and doing some other things and wasn't really getting it done. And I think he's really starting to fly. And talking about fly, of course, uh Nikolai Ehlers is the real deal. I mean, I said it today on X, he's the real deal. There's no question. This guy is something else. And you understand why Eric Tulski wanted desperately to get Nikolai Ehlers. I mean, he he's a difference maker, he makes plays that are just really incredible. And you put those three together, and Svechnikov as a setup man, and we've talked about this a lot, he is he can be one of the best. I mean, he's making incredible plays where he he holds the puck and just puts it on the stick and it's in the net, you know, like like beautiful stuff. So now you've got three players who are they're top players, they're playing at the top of their game. That's beautiful. And also it's it's gonna have its effect on the power play, which we'll talk about in a minute. So those guys really making a difference. Now we have another, we have some tweaking on that second line when Eelers went back up to the top line. There's, you know, Logan Stankhoven still trying at center, and you've got Jackson Blake, and of course, Taylor Hall moved up from the fourth line. That line's been effective. Aaron, what are your thoughts about that line? Is it a keeper line or is it just temporary?
SPEAKER_00:Well, I know a lot of Cadence fans want to think that it's temporary because they want to think that Logan Stankhoven will eventually be moved back to wing. I don't think that's going to happen. I think Rod Brindemore loves Stancoven at center, and I think that he wants to keep him there. I think that we have here a situation where we have a player who has all the motor of a Jordan Martinook, but all of the responsible centerman qualities of a Jack Drury, but with a lot more scoring. If Jack Drury had scored like Logan Stenkoven, Jack Drury would be the 2C on the Kanes. So I mean, I I am certain of this. So I think that because Rod really loves this kid and loves what he can do and wants him to be this player, that he's going to put a lot of eggs into that basket. Now, I'm not saying that there couldn't be a change if the Kanes were to make it a serious acquisition for somebody to come in and play the 2C role in the playoffs. That could change. But um Katie and I have a little bet writing on that. Sure, our little bet here. Okay. So I'm I'm barring injury or some other awkward situation where Stancoven can't play or something like that. I'm saying that on the first day of the playoffs, Logan Stankhoven will be listed as the Canes 2C on the roster sheet. Now, we all know that Jordan Stahl is still really the 2C, but that's another topic. Um, so I think that that Stancoven will be listed at 2C, and Katie says that he will not be. So if Stancoven is not playing 2C on the first day of the playoffs, I will sing O Canada on this uh Stormtracker.
SPEAKER_01:Well that's great for me being a Canadian. I can't wait.
SPEAKER_00:And if Logan Stancoven is the 2C, Katie said she would wear her hair in pigtails for a month.
SPEAKER_01:That would be that would be worth the price of admission for sure. And I'm sure a lot of folks would come just to check that out. That's great.
SPEAKER_00:So so as far my only concern with this line right now, though. Um I actually have two concerns. First of all, I still think that uh Jackson Blake is struggling a bit more than we're seeing on a nightly basis. He's just having a hard time. Um he's not being able to cut to the net the way that he did last season, as much people have figured that out and they're kind of blocking that. Um he's just he's he's he's having an impact, but he's not he's not the player that we saw last season. There was a being in his rookie year, he was able to surprise some goaltenders and they've you know got the tape on him now, so they're not gonna get surprised. So I'd like to see a little more chemistry with him with the other two. My other concern, of course, is that um Taylor Hall has been hot and cold in the top six.
SPEAKER_03:Yes, yes.
SPEAKER_00:When he is on, he is fantastic, like he has been these last two games. He's been a real difference maker. And everyone says, Oh, it's wonderful, you know, he's this is exactly how they're gonna, you know, go forward. Um when he is not on, he becomes a defensive liability. And that is something that I think would be a very difficult situation for the two young kids with him to try to, you know, step up and take care of. So we'll see what happens with that, but that's pretty much right now. I'm loving it.
SPEAKER_01:Yeah, I mean, I think um, gosh, they've been scoring, they've been making plays happen, uh, for sure. And and Blake, who was, you know, he had some very, very, very, very strong games earlier in the season. Uh, and he went through a stretch where he was on fire, and he's kind of, as you say, he's chilled out. It's a long season, and for these guys, that you know, it's it's he's still you know young in his career, so uh, you know, it's gonna it's gonna be tough for him at different points. So that's fine. I think my biggest concern with with your side of the bet, I think uh Aaron, is is uh going into the playoffs. Uh Stank Oakman is a small, slight player, as we know, and that's tough. Uh that's really tough. Now he's getting a little bit of room now, and boy, he plays a heavy game. He's going in and hitting people whenever he can. I hope he doesn't hurt himself. But uh, but he's definitely playing a heavy game. And and and I love his his tenacity, and of course, he's he's the hardest worker out there when he's on the ice and and he's getting a few breaks now. He had a lot of chances previously, couldn't score. But I think he's gonna be a key part of whatever happens with the canes. Um, whether he ends up moving back to the wing or whatever, I think Stan Copen can can certainly contribute. But I'm still very anxious about a small, very smallish centerman. Um, and the other thing that that we you know we talked a little bit about in the past, and through some of this struggle period, uh the last couple of gains have been fine, but previously I was really concerned about uh Jordan Stahl. Um I really felt like he was struggling on the ice. He wasn't contributing in the usual way he was, he was not as defensively responsible. He was having some nights uh in the face-off dot that were very uncharacteristic for him. Terrible, terrible nights. Um and so, you know, I think the the opportunity to rely on Jordan for the big, big, big minutes as the season goes on and into the playoffs, that's a concern for me. And that's again, if you're sitting there saying, okay, he's our number two guy, he's gonna be playing, you know, 18 minutes, 20 minutes with PK or whatever. I just don't think that's a good situation for the Keynes. Now, last night I was delighted because uh I think the last five or seven minutes they didn't put him on the ice until there was a penalty. Uh they had uh they had Martin who could center ice on that, you know, that heavy lifting line, and and they were sitting uh uh Jordan out, which is a good idea. They've got to they've got to reduce his playing time somehow. And I think maybe that's where they also thought a guy like Noah Phillip could help um as well with a PK and so on. But when we look at the forward crew, that's my other concern is you know, is Jordan gonna be able to tough this out? We know he's getting close to that point.
SPEAKER_02:If I can point one thing out that is a is a good sign for the Canes, is the fact that since that Aho line has been put together, uh Brendan Moore deployed them against the other team's top lines. And at five-on-five, they did a really good job shutting down McKinnon's line. The one goal five on five goal that McKinnon's line scored was when Stahl's line was out there, not when Aho's line was out there. And Aho's line also shut down Rantnon and his line and were very effective against them five on five. So if that's an option to Brindamore to where not only is Aho's line scoring, but because of their effective play, they're shutting down the opportunities for the other team's top line. That means that he can use Stahl a little more sparingly or use Stall against the second line of other teams instead of for those really heavy minute matchups against the other teams best. So that is that is a good uh a good thing that has also come out from that Aho line is that it could help to balance things out for Stahl and make him more effective going forward.
SPEAKER_01:Yeah, and and with that line, if they're playing a good part of their time in the offensive zone, of course, uh, you know, their defensive liabilities or concerns are reduced dramatically. So that's great. Um let's let's uh you know we talked a lot about the success of that top line. I think they've had a lot to do with the power play. The numbers are have been sensational. Uh they've gone 10 for 29 in the last 10 games. This is insane. After going months with nothing, and they started December uh 1st, they were 30th, and we were talking about that uh saying, boy, this is not a good situation. How are they how are they gonna fix this? And of course, they had struggled through periods where Shane Gossespare was out and he was having a sensational year, of course, offensively. And when you watch the power play, it's clicking on all cylinders. Those guys are really making it happen. They're dangerous virtually every time they're on the ice. And uh and it was great. And even when uh uh Alex Nikishan jumped in for uh Gosta Spare, he was he was making things happen as well. So it's great. Now, on the other hand, and this is what I really wanted to talk about was the PK. The Kings right now sit in 16th place, they're at 78.5%. This is way down, way, way, way, way down from where they normally are. What is going on with the penalty kill? Katie?
SPEAKER_02:Um, I think this goes back to what we were talking about before is just the mixing and matching on the defensive pairs, and it's uh kind of flowing over into the penalty kill as well. You just don't have that established rhythm. I mean, last the last three seasons, I'll go back to it. You knew the first duo over the board defensively was going to be Slavin and Burns. Burns isn't with the team anymore, and Slavin's injured. And so they're trying to figure out who who that shutdown pair is gonna be, who's gonna be effective. And I'm sorry, as good as a bunch of the canes defenders are, none of them are going to be Slavin and Burns. None of them, none of those duos is gonna be able to replicate their level of effectiveness. Um then you add on to that um some of the other injuries. You know, Jarvis has been out for a while, and he's one of the big PKs. I mean, props to Robinson for for jumping in there alongside Aho when Aho's taking his PK shift. Been solid, but he's again, he's not Jarvis. So I I think now that Jarvis is back, that should help. Once Slavin's back, whether it's the next game or so, that should definitely help. And the more that Brandon Bussey plays, the better the goaltending will be on the penalty kill as well. Because they have given up a ton of chances on the penalty kill, but it would be a whole lot worse for them right now if it weren't for the games that Busy has played, because he has had some major, major big time saves uh on the penalty kill, especially in the past handful of games.
SPEAKER_01:Well, you know that your top penalty killer is your goaltender, so um it kind of stops with that. And you're right, uh Brandon's been in lights out for a lot of that PK work.
SPEAKER_00:If I can add one little thing on the PK, and this is something that occurred to me, I I haven't had a chance to go and look at it. It's it's a hard stat to track down anyway. But one of the reasons we know that the um power play has been improving is that uh having Jordan Stall out on the power play to take the opening face-off. I think that face-offs have been a factor um on the penalty kill, and that's where not having a right-handed centerman has been kind of probably more of a factor than we may realize, you know. Especially I I know that Jarvis has sometimes taken some of those right-handed draws when he's out there, you know, because he's ready. So uh not having him again. So I haven't looked at the penalty kill face-offs, but I wouldn't be surprised if apart from and and even I would I would say apart from Stahl, but even Stahl's been struggling a bit in the face-offs lately. So um I think perhaps um that's been a factor too, because if they've got guys out there, usually got you've got a guy out there on the power play, is gonna be one of your better centermen who's gonna take draws, you know, on the on the other side. So um, if the if the person doing the matchup isn't somebody who's gonna be able to beat, you know, those guys for the for the puck, then it it they don't have they don't start with possession. And whenever the power play starts with possession, they have a much better chance of scoring. So um it's just just a another thing that we've talked about with them, you know, some of these struggles. So hopefully they can improve that too.
SPEAKER_01:Well, and and you know, again, I think the eyeball test, uh, you know, basically we've been seeing that. They've been losing a lot of draws in their own zone and getting themselves into a world of hurts. So now, interestingly enough, that's a good segue into the NHL rumor mill because I wanted to talk about a couple of new additions to the games as part of that. And one of them is Noah Philp. We saw Philp he had played uh his first game was okay. His second game, he started to look like uh he could really add something. In fact, uh he had four hits. He was really, man, I every time I watched him, he seemed like he was putting something in someone into the boards, and and um he was four to five in his face-offs, and uh, you know, he was out there making things happen, and then he got injured, I think probably halfway through the game or whatever. But I thought he was really bringing something to the table. And again, that's back to that discussion of a right shot centerman. Um any thoughts on Noah Phelps?
SPEAKER_00:Um, I liked what I saw last night. Um, I don't know. Um I was uh I was away for the devil's game, so I only caught bits and pieces, and then I kind of tried to see the highlights, so he wasn't in a lot of those, obviously. Um but uh but I liked I liked what I saw last night. Um I was really actually um I think the first period he caught my attention. I was like you said, you're seeing he was out there really really hitting people and making things happen. Um I don't know when the injury took place. A lot of people were saying, you know, they don't really there's not a memorable moment where he took something. The unfortunate thing is that um he is in uh it sounds like he is in concussion protocol. That's what Rod Brighamore did say today. So you never know what the timeline on that is gonna be. Um you we'll have to see what that's gonna be. Um but uh someone uh did point out that this has been one of his problems with the Oilers when he was playing with them, is that he was frequently he's had a couple of of uh uh times when he's been out of the lineup with concussions. So you do have to watch for that because if a player has had multiple concussions, it starts to be a concern. And um, you know, you don't want to have somebody risking their their health for you know for the sake of playing hockey in the NHL. So if this becomes an issue, then then the Canes will have to address it. But for for right now, I thought he uh added a lot. I thought I think he's the kind of foresee they want to have. Um so hopefully he'll he'll be able to get through this and come back because I'd like to see a bigger sample size. Um I think that he's definitely a more physical player in that role than Mark Jankowski, and that is something the Canes are going to see going into the playoffs. I like Jankowski, he does not hit. It's not something he does. He's got one of the lower uh hit numbers on the team. So um that's not true. Yes, as big as big a player as he is, he's not really terribly physical. So um it would be nice to have a physical force.
SPEAKER_01:Okay, and and the other night late, and I had to wait till the next morning to pick this up as the Canes uh did a deal with Utah to acquire defenseman Yusso Vallamacke. Vallamacke's an interesting one. He's just coming off at Torn ACL. Um, he was a guy that was drafted by uh Calgary. He ended up going on waivers to uh at that time Arizona. Actually played extremely well his first couple of years with Arizona. Um he led them in uh five-on-five play uh expected goals uh numbers for both years, 22-23, and 23-24. And he was plus twelve uh his second year, and he led the team in plus-minus that year as well. So he's a guy that uh he was originally looked upon as an offensive defenseman, very uh very much a freewheeler back there. He was a guy that liked to take the puck and go with it, even though he's a bigger player at 6'2 and uh I think 200-205 pounds. So he's a guy that uh you know he's got some offensive acumen, but he really worked on building up his defensive game, and I think that's a good story. Interesting thing about him, uh he was on the Four Nations roster last year for Finland. So they brought him in. He didn't play, but he was on the roster. Uh and he was uh he had a great junior career. He actually was the captain of the world junior team for Finland in 2018, and one of the players on that team was Juha Yaska, interestingly enough. And where's Juha these days? We talked about him, uh Andrew Rinaldi and I talked about him the other day. In any case, um, some depth at the position. Uh he did have a torn ACL before in 2019-20. So you got to wonder about these injuries. I'm always concerned about torn ACLs. They seem, remember with uh uh Svetnikov, it took a long time for him to really come back and play his game. But any thoughts on Valamaki? I mean, I'm sure you don't know much about him, but uh just the idea of bringing in some depth on the blue. Any thoughts?
SPEAKER_02:Yep, it good move, makes sense. The only thing that I kind of wonder about is I believe he's also a left shot. So the claims seem to have um a a little bit of uh imbalance when it comes to left shot versus right shot defenseman, but I I think you'd go for quality over handedness, and so obviously it's also he thought that getting him was was worth it despite tilting the the scale a little bit further over to the left handed side. But other than that, just it's hopefully he settles in in Chicago and learns the system well, and then if the canes need him, he'll be ready and uh look forward to. Seeing him if and when that comes. Of course, I'm kind of hoping it doesn't come anytime soon because it means our D Cor is healthy. But that kind of insurance is good because we saw what happened last postseason when a couple of the regulars go down and you don't have somebody that can play with the experience to come up and play.
SPEAKER_01:So one other thing I'll mention on the rumor mill is uh I guess there's two things. Number one, I was delighted to see your poll, uh Aaron, uh, regarding uh uh Vincent Trochak. Vinny, of course, former Kane. Uh he's got a couple more years on a$5.6 million deal. He's a guy that would certainly help. And I noticed that the response was overwhelming to uh to give him the number two C spot over uh your guy currently, uh Logan Stankhoven. It was 92%. So um if there's an opportunity to get Vinny, I think a lot of folks will be pretty pleased for sure. Now, having said all that, the other thing I wanted to bring up, and it's over to you, Erin, on this one, of course, is uh what's gonna happen with Kokaniami. Uh he's on uh the fourth period trade board now at number 13. We've seen some different things on uh on X, people talking about the Keynes trying to make a move. What are you thinking right now?
SPEAKER_00:I'm thinking that it's actually encouraging to see him on a trade board because that means that there's enough chatter out there that, you know, that he's probably gonna get picked up by someone between now and the trade deadline, and that's an ideal situation for both the player and the team. Um I think that the reality is that um, you know, we heard Brenda Moore talking about this, you know, uh there were some quotes from yesterday, I'm not gonna repeat them all, but um the idea that Kokanyami needs to carve out a role or find a role, the the the real issue is that there hasn't been a role for him on the Canes um really since um well, almost since he's been here, but but definitely since that third season. Um and I think that uh when the Canes did uh re-sign Jordan Stahl for four years and you know the fact that he's been able to keep playing at this high level and this effective level, it means that they do not need a 3C. And when you look at everything about Koch Kanye's profile as a player, what his history as a player, what he's done, um people like to say things about you know how terrible he is, but the reality is that for all of his time in Raleigh, he has produced like an above-average 3C in terms of point production and in terms of his impact on the on the games. The problem is he's playing either the paper 2C role, as we like to call it, or a 4C role. So he's doing he's he's producing like a 3C while playing really high-end 4C minutes at best. You know, he's there's kind of that cutoff mark in there between 3C and 4C minutes, and that's been most of what he's done. So on a team where he could be deployed as a 3C, I don't think there'd be much of an issue with the player, but it's not gonna happen in Raleigh because there's no need. So that is the best thing that can happen for the player and for the team is for him to go to a team that actually needs a 3C, and there are teams in the league that do. Um, I know that his situation this year has not been good. Coming in and finding out right off the bat that he was gonna be rotating in and out of the lineup with Mark Jankowski, and then you know, having to deal with the ramifications of that, plus the injury situation that took him out for nine or ten games there back in the beginning of the season. Um hasn't really had a chance to get back into a rhythm because he's been in and out of the lineup since then. So I don't think GMs around the league are looking at this as typical of the player. I think that they're smart enough to look at the body of work and look at what's happened, you know, a course over the course of the four years. It's just a terrible fit. It's a terrible fit for the player and the team. And uh there's no need to drag this out any longer. So I'm very hopeful that seeing his name pop up on trade boards means that you know there's gonna be some movement and some traction there.
SPEAKER_01:Well, I think I think here's what I think, and it's you know, based on everything I'm seeing as well. He's gonna be gone by the deadline. I don't think there's any question. But what's happening right now, what's happening right now is the cat and mouse game. So Eric wants to use him as one of the you know uh the chits in a big deal that he's gonna put together, right? So he's he definitely wants to you know see if he can leverage Kokanami. And and also, you know, that there are teams that he's talking to that if he's gonna get a center, they probably want to center back. And you know, that could be the kind of match that that would work well. And there are teams that enjoy Kokanami, as we know, or have talked about this in the past. They seem to have an interest in in KK. But I think that's what's going on right now, is that uh Eric's trying to do a bigger deal. He's trying to include Kokinami. I believe what will happen in the end is he's gonna swap them at the deadline, maybe the day before or the day of, and get a third or fourth or fifth, probably fifth round pick.
SPEAKER_00:If if he can't do a deal before that, I agree with you. The only situation that would potentially change that, and I I haven't done all the roster numbers, but let's say that you know Slavin is back, everyone's healthy, they're carrying a uh 13th forward, either Jankowski or Philp, depending on which one it is. Yes. Um, and they decide to add a third goaltender. At that point, they may need the roster spot. So then it's a question of do you send someone else extra down to Chicago who you could potentially lose, or do you go ahead and take a deal for Kokanyami just to get him off the team and get the roster spot open. So if they need the roster spot, I have no doubt that they will make the move to do that sooner.
SPEAKER_01:I believe you're gonna be happy by March 6th, which I think is the deadline.
SPEAKER_00:Oh, I'm always happy.
SPEAKER_01:Yeah, KK will find a home. Okay, absolutely. So let's uh some closing thoughts, guys. Uh, we look at the next five games. We've got the Ducks, as I mentioned earlier, they've lost seven in a row, so they're feeling the pain these days. Uh, we're gonna have the Kraken. Now they're at the other end of the spectrum. They're 8-1-1 in their last 10. They are playing very well. They won four in a row, uh, but they're beatable, as we know. Uh, the Red Wings, of course, they are battling us for one overall in the East, along with Tampas. So they've been right there all year, and they're gonna be a tough out. The Blues, uh, I think they're pretty well, they won a couple, but they're not a team I get concerned about. But then the Panthers. So here we go again. Yep. Oh man, we get right back into the fire. Anyway, uh, what are we thinking about uh this coming run? And uh, and you know, how do we feel about uh this this next couple of weeks?
SPEAKER_02:I feel good. I feel good. I think I think they're trending in the right direction. They've built some confidence with these last couple of wins. Bessie's in a good place. Hopefully, Freddie can can get a win under his belt over the next two games, either the ducks or the kraken. Jarvey's back, and so that's got the vibes going. Looks like Slavin's gonna be back, so that's gonna keep the the good vibes moving in the in the same direction. Um if they can just build on what they've done the past couple games, you know. I'm not gonna say that they're gonna sweep those five games, but I think I think a I think a four-in-one record or three and one going into the Florida game, and then we'll see how it goes. Because the Florida people are always something else. Let's let's call it three and one going into Florida, and then, you know, depending on what what they've been able to establish and build on, we'll go from there. But I think I think they're doing great, and I think they are on the right track.
SPEAKER_00:Well, I think that they should do about like what Katie's saying. The only concerns I have are, you know, just um I mean, you you obviously don't want to take any of these games lightly. Yeah, any opponent can win on any night. Um, it would be a very uh canes-like experience for the ducks to decide they've had enough of losing and come out and and uh somehow win that one. But I don't see that happening. Now the blues they did have trouble with earlier, um, you know, so so the blues are not a team that's easy for the canes to beat. It doesn't mean that they're uh it's one of those where you know certain teams just sort of seem to have your number. It feels like every time um I've watched the canes go up against the blues, the blues are just able somehow to at the very least keep it extremely close and right down to the wire, or to get that one goal uh advantage and and to carry it into the final horn. So I'm a little more concerned maybe that it might be, you know, a two-and-two split going into Florida rather than a three and one. We'll we'll have to see. But um and I think that with the blues, the the the real key, honestly, is the fact that they're such a physical team. So that's where having someone like uh Noah Philip would have really helped. I don't know if he'll be back by then, but um, you know, they're that watching them play uh a different team the other night, I was saying, you know, they're they're just they're so physically intense that even when they're outclassed by another team, they can sometimes gain the upper hand if the other team is a team that does not play a hard physical style. So that will be a challenge for the Canes. Um, we'll have to see how they do with that.
SPEAKER_01:Okay, just to wrap up, uh Katie, any players that you think you're gonna be watching closely over this uh this next five games who you're looking for to come through for the Canes.
SPEAKER_02:Um on offense, it's all about that top line. If that top line's working, it's gonna flow down from there. I want to see them build on these past four games, not have it just be a flash in the pan. And like I said, turn themselves into a real big elite top line that the canes really haven't had um since at least since I've started following them. Um there have been flashes, but not a consistent top line, and this really has the potential to be a very consistent top line, and I think that fetch is gonna be the key. I think Aho and Ealers will work off of him, but if he's if he's going, they'll be going and that whole line will be cooking. Um on defense, I'm I'm it's gonna be Slavin, but how does he bounce back? How does how does his presence, especially if he can make it more than a couple of games in a row? Yes, please. Um how does his presence affect the entire decor? You know, who is he playing with? How what kind of matchups are they taking? Does their success then stabilize everybody below them? And so in that way it parallels what I'm saying with you know, top line and how it trickles down with everybody else and their success, top D-pair. How does their progress trickle down as far as solidifying and um and securing a a more dominant uh style of play with the entire decor? So I think I think that's what I'm looking for going forward.
SPEAKER_01:Any forwards on your side, Aaron, that you could just pass out to us?
SPEAKER_00:Yes, I'm I'm ready for the return of uh uh uh Jordan Gretzky Martinook. You know, we haven't seen him in a while. No, seriously, seriously though, when you look at the dadline, if they get to keep Jarvis for a bit, and I think that would be wise. I mean, Jarvis, uh someone on um X posted before the game, and I I forgot to go back and find the post and give them their kudos because um they they had were at the game, I guess, and and we're watching, and they said uh Jarvis is either going to put a puck or himself into the net tonight. And he did both. That was a pretty good call. But as far as his energy level and playing with those two guys, I would like to see, you know, a little bit of a bump from that for the dads as well, because like you said, they've been kind of struggling a little bit too. It'd be nice to see uh Stahl get another goal, you know. We we it's been a while, and it'd be nice to see uh Martin Nook right now is not, I think Katie, you pointed out his uh his points per 60 uh production is not very good. So getting a couple of assists here and there, even on some Jarve goals, would be a good thing for those guys. I think that that would uh kind of help them to get their legs back under them a little bit too. So and then on the defensive side, um, I want to see um what's gonna happen, you know, when Slavin comes back in, like you said, altering the pairs and and shuffling things around. But um I would like to see um Keandre Miller continue what he's started in these last couple of games. He's been, you know, following that one game he had, I think it was it the game against Pittsburgh, maybe, where he was really struggling with that gap control. He's looked really good since then. I'd like to see him keep building on that, and I'd like to find out if it's possible for him to score a single goal in a game because so far he's only managed to score two. So, but all kidding aside, um, I've liked what I've seen from him, and I'd like to see that continue.
SPEAKER_01:And and and rightfully so. Uh, and I just want to mention one last thing is that you know I've talked about uh William Carrier playing on the fourth line, and I thought he was outstanding in the fourth line the other night. So, yes, uh let's keep everything as it is and let's go forward. Ladies, as always, it's been a great amount of fun, and this is uh this has been a great one. Lots of uh interesting topics, and of course, uh with the Keynes and their situation right now was uh fuel for a great discussion, and we'll look forward to getting together uh very, very soon to continue these discussions. In any case, for those of you who've been uh watching or listening, of course, we're delighted you spend time with us. If you have any comments, please uh put those in the comment section down below. If you like this episode, please tap the like button. We are always happy about that. And of course, if you want to be alerted of future episodes of Storm Tracker, please uh press the subscribe and the bell button, and we'll uh alert you just as soon as those are available. As always, Aaron, Katie, and I are delighted to spend time with us, and we'll look forward to getting together with you real soon right here. Let's go.
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