The Hurricanes' Trade Deadline Gamble | Power Play, Depth, and Identity

A 11-1-2 heater, a power play reborn, and a front office that chose clarity over chaos—this one digs into why standing pat can be a power move. Erin, Katie & I open with the Canes’ surge and how a simple shift in roles turned the man advantage from a frustration into a weapon: Gostisbehere steering from the point, Staal owning draws and vision lines, and Aho, Svechnikov, and Jarvis snapping passes through pressure. From there, we unpack the one trade that did happen—Nick Deslauriers for a seventh—and what a true fourth‑line identity can do in a grind‑heavy series without dragging the team into bad penalties.

Goaltending takes center ice as we weigh Frederik Andersen’s calm against Brandon Bussi’s breakout, why a playoff rotation might work, and how team defense can lower the temperature on high‑danger chances. We also revisit an overlooked edge: organizational depth that reduces the need for an emergency rental, plus encouraging noise around Pyotr Kochetkov’s timeline. Then we scan the East. Tampa Bay’s core still scares us, but few rivals made decisive upgrades. Buffalo got bigger and braver, the Islanders got tougher under Patrick Roy, and Detroit shored up the blue line—yet questions remain in net and top‑six punch across the board.

We close by looking West, where Colorado methodically addressed center depth and defensive balance, and why that matters for any June collision. Dallas and Minnesota made targeted adds, while Vegas stayed unusually quiet, signaling a different kind of spring in the desert. Through it all, our focus stays local: how Carolina protects its identity through a brutal March, when to rest veterans, and why special teams could be the lever that moves tight series. If you believe chemistry and clarity beat deadline chaos, you’ll feel seen here—and if you don’t, we want to hear your case.

Highlights:

• Power play rebuilt around Gostisbehere’s puck movement and Staal’s net‑front
• Second unit pace through Nikishin and quick exits
• Deslauriers as depth for a heavier fourth line and matchup flexibility
• Discipline vs physical edge trade‑offs on the fourth line
• Confidence in Andersen and Bussi with rotation upside
• Five‑on‑five depth scoring consistency beyond Aho’s line
• Eastern rivals’ modest moves and real threats assessment
• Western arms race highlights Avalanche upgrades and playoff shape
• Schedule management, rest planning, and home‑ice chase
• Stretch goals for maintaining form and special teams advantage

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Transcript

SPEAKER_01 0:31

Well, Carolina Hurricanes have been on a tear lately, going 11-1-2 in their last 14 games, and sitting first place overall in the Eastern Conference. Canes have been firing in all cylinders and their power play has been second best in the league since December 1st. Hurricanes are well positioned to make a strong run for the cup, and today the Canes made another small move to try to improve their chances of going deep. Joining me to talk about this some more, of course, our hockey savant and Katie. Hello there. Okay, so trade deadline. We'll talk a little bit about it in a few minutes. Looks like it was uh underwhelming for the Hurricanes. They uh they made one move and we'll talk about that. Uh, but I wanted to just spend a few minutes and talk about the Kane's play recently. Of course, uh they've been on it there, as I mentioned. They've been playing great hockey. In fact, the only game they've lost in their last 14 in regulation was a tough loss to the Seattle Kraken two to one on their Western trip. Uh otherwise, they've been pulling points out of all these games. What are we thinking about their play, Aaron?

SPEAKER_00 1:42

Well, I think that, you know, when you go back with the uh, you know, just even just as far back as the Olympic break, you know, they had two really good games at home, and then, you know, they've lost just one game on the road. Um, it was a winnable game, so that's a little always a little disappointing when they tend to drop a winnable game. But there again, you have to factor in uh the uh the long travel and the adjustment to the time zones and all those usual things that we talk about when they first start a Western road trip. So um they came back uh very well in their next game. So you know I I think that they're doing uh a good job. And and as someone uh said earlier, even if they split these road games and wins and losses, it wouldn't be the worst thing because of how well they're positioned and how many points they are. I believe they are nine points ahead of their next uh um can you know uh challenger. So th this has been uh it's been fun to see them get back into action. I think the Olympic break felt very long for those of us that missed the hurricanes and missed watching them play. Um so um I think that uh there there are still some areas I think we we could look at and say, yeah, we'd like to see them tighten up here and get a little better there. Um but as they they make their final push, um the biggest factor that's gonna be affecting them is this insane schedule in March where they have um so many games to play um in a single month. So that that's the same thing for everyone. That's everyone is in the same boat with that, and um the Kins should be well positioned to keep going and keep making uh the fans happy on a nightly basis.

Power Play Transformation

SPEAKER_01 3:07

For sure. And you know, the power play has been just incredible. I mean, you look at the last couple of months, and the numbers are off the charts. They're sitting in 10th right now in the NHL, and we remember on December uh 5th, I think it was, we did a podcast and they were 30th, sitting at 13.7 percent. So they've come way up. They've uh they've really been uh driving an incredible amount of opportunity with that power play. Katie, what are you seeing with the PP?

SPEAKER_03 3:35

I think it all starts with uh Shane Gausde-Sperr. He's really been the quarterback through and through for that unit with his puck moving and his vision and and his uh playmaking that he has been providing from the blue line there. And then it seems like finally the that top unit has really been clicking. Obviously, we know the story of Jordan Stahl being elevated to the power play and winning those face-offs and providing net front. So I I think he's only gotten points on about five to eight power play goals, but he's been on the ice for so many more um pro providing that net front and providing that big body um to screen the goalies' eyes, and that just opens up space and provides more opportunities for the playmakers like Aho and Svetch and Jarvis to to work with. And they've been uh connecting with each other quite well. The um the power play goal at the beginning of the game against Vancouver was just a thing of beauty uh when uh uh Jarvis got that little backhand to Svetch and Svetch just ripped it home and the I mean the goalie had no chance on that goal. So um it's it's been great to see that because it's something that the Canes are going to have to have continue to be strong the rest of the regular season and then into the playoffs. If it falters at any point and dries up, then uh they're gonna be um they're gonna be hurting a lot more as far as finding success with their wins and loss ratio.

Trade Deadline: Minimal Moves

SPEAKER_01 5:05

Well, and and for sure, and and the other power play unit I thought looked pretty darn good the other night as well. Uh of course, that's uh quarterback by uh Alexander Nikishan. And uh and they look good. And they you know they're able to get the puck-up quickly, usually, usually uh Dink Ehlers or uh Logan Stankhoven is uh is making that happen for them. So I think the power play in general is just uh it's firing on all cylinders right now. And and you know, whenever the Canes get an opportunity to go in the power plate, it looks like something's happening. So it's great. Um now if we look at uh you know the decisions that uh that were made today and the big trade deadline activities that took place, uh we look at the hurricanes, and of course, uh, you know, they they didn't do a lot, as it turned out. They made one move. Aaron, what did they do?

SPEAKER_00 5:55

Well, as uh we all know they picked up Nick Delorier from the Philadelphia Flyers, and um that this is uh a depth player. This is a um fourth-line left-winger um who has played for I think you said six teams now in his career, and um, he's not somebody that's gonna put up a lot of points. Um I think uh Tom was telling us that he had 10 goals in uh in a cur in uh one of his years early on in his career, but over the last three seasons, he has managed to collect a total of nine. So you're not looking for someone who's going to add to depth scoring. That is not gonna be his role, and that is not what he is there for. Um what I like about this move is that I've criticized the Kanes in the past for not having a true fourth line. Now, I I think we all would have liked to see an upgrade at fourth line center because Mark Jankowski is not a physical player and does not have that snarl that you want from a fourth line center in the playoffs. But you do have um Will Carrier on that line, and you know, it it's it's you can kind of pick and choose. You know, do you want Eric Robinson there for some scoring chances against some of the teams in the early rounds, particularly, when there's not as much of a need for that um bite, perhaps? And then do you want to bring in someone like Delorier for games where there's a lot of heavy physical stuff going on, shenanigans, whatever you want to call it? Um we don't have the Florida Panthers uh in the uh in in our sights this year for the playoffs, so that's you know a good thing. But there are still teams that make um a living, you know, by their fourth lines being that kind of fourth line that's gonna get up in your face and and you know try to maybe take a run at the goalie or something like that. So having someone like that on the team in the locker room and just in general is gonna be good for uh I think the players knowing that they've got somebody um whose job it pretty much is to be that player. We we haven't had that, so that'll be interesting.

SPEAKER_01 7:52

Well, the other thing we heard was that uh Rod Brindamore seemed to like this player. Katie, did you hear something along those lines?

Fit, Discipline & Usage Concerns

SPEAKER_03 8:01

Yeah. Uh the rumor basically was that he it's been somebody he's been interested in adding to the Keynes for the past couple of seasons, and I have no reason to say that that's not true, but I find it a bit puzzling because it doesn't seem like DeLaurier's profile fits with a traditional Keynes style, especially since Brenda Moore seems to help coach his his players to uh avoid get getting scrappy so that they don't draw those extra penalties. And I think that's my main concern with DeLaurier is whether or not his play is going to be disciplined enough to provide a positive result on the ice for the Canes. Um I I just that's that's where this is the most puzzling for me, is I don't see how his upside is greater than that of a Robinson or Carrier. Um and even even with the the toughness or the edge, I think those other two fill that role better. So I guess he's just depth. Uh it'll be interesting to see how he's used moving forward. It's always good to have an extra body there in case of injury. But um yeah, so we'll we'll see how we'll see how it goes. We'll see how Rod decides to deploy him now that he's got his man.

Goaltending Confidence & Rotation

SPEAKER_01 9:20

Well, DeLore is a big player. He's 6'1, but he's 218 pounds. So he is a guy that brings size for sure. And I think I think maybe it's a little bit of insurance. Because the two guys that patrol those wings, as we both know, they're kind of brittle. Both Robinson and Carrier have had serious injury issues in the past. And my feeling is they're thinking, hey, we like that fourth line as a heavy line that can get in and you know work hard on the four check. Don't care about the offense, just get in there and make something happen. And I think, you know, he's insurance if one of those two guys goes down. So yeah, uh, I don't expect we'll see much of him. I have no expectation of that unless there are injuries, in which case we could see a lot of of DeLaurier on that fourth line. So it's great. And the cost for DeLaurier was uh seventh round pick, which quite frankly is really nothing in the end, right? So um, so that's fine. He's a UFA at the end of this year, he won't come back next year. This will be this will be it for him. So the Canes made that one move. We had talked a lot about possible other moves. One of the areas I did want to talk about was goaltending. You know, we had some questions because a lot of folks have been talking about the canes' interest in goaltenders recently, you know, the pundits that are up there, you know, looking at who might go where. Uh and the canes were rumored to be in discussions all over the place, but they did not make a move. Aaron, what are we thinking about with the goaltending? I mean, Brandon Bussey, he's the fastest ever to get to 25 in just 29 games. So what are we thinking right now?

SPEAKER_00 10:58

Well, I think that they have enough confidence in both Bussey and Frederick Anderson to be happy with the situation as it is. Um, we don't really know, and nobody knows um how Bussey will fare in the playoffs because this will be his first uh crack at them. He's never been a playoff goaltender in the NHL before. So um, you know, we'll have to see how that, you know, if the tempo of the games, the uh the elevated aggression, especially um offensively from some of these really high-powered offensive teams, how is that going to play out? And how um big of a role does the Keynes team defense in sp in in general and their blue line specifically uh have to play in making sure that Bussey isn't overwhelmed um in these playoff situations. So that's something that I'm sure they'll be working on down the stretch. Very much so. Um but I think that they also feel very confident in Frederick Anderson. Um, Freddie was very good um with Team Denmark. Um he's he's certainly not a goaltender who is going to get rattled by any kind of pressure. Um and they, you know, they they may be alternating them more than they typically have alternated goaltenders in the playoffs. That is something that I think we all have seen in the past. You know, there was uh the the one year um a couple years ago when it seemed like Freddie was getting a lot of starts in a row, even though things weren't necessarily going that well. So, you know, they don't have to do that anymore. They can they can certainly switch between uh Freddie and Busy anytime they feel the need to do so. And I think that that's something that they may be, you know, more inclined to consider because they both have done well with a rotation. So hopefully that will be the case. Um, I think a lot of people, and this is surprising but interesting, a lot of people do expect uh Frederick Anderson to be the goaltender of choice in game one, around one. So that will be interesting if they do do that, um, because that'll show that you know where their thinking is on that, but we won't know till we get there. Um as far as not picking up anybody as a backup or an extra, I think that's where they look down at their you know goaltending depth in the AHL and say, you know, if if Caden uh Primo needs to come up and play a game, it's not gonna kill them. You know, it's not gonna if it's if if it's not as long as it's just one or two or something like that, you know, that's it, but but that would require losing both Busy and Anderson. And I mean, any any team that's that's in that situation where they have lost two goaltenders is gonna be in a world of hurt. So if if uh Primo had to come up as a backup for a game or two, there's no issue there. You don't need to go spending uh draft picks and and assets to pick up somebody else to be a bench warmer in case of a play a goaltender being out for a game or two. So I think we're good.

Forward Depth, 2C Questions & Consistency

SPEAKER_01 13:33

Well, it's interesting because I was just laughing, thinking about boy, uh Spencer Martin and uh Dustin Tekarski came in mind. Uh the time the Kings actually did lose both of their goalies. Um yeah, yeah, I mean let's be honest. Caden Primo is having an incredible year. He's won 12 straight for Chicago, he's uh he's seventh in this in the league and ninth, 12th safe for 12 against the average of 252. He he's just playing incredible. And I think that was part of of uh you know what what the Keynes are thinking in the conversation I had with Spiros Anastasis uh last week. He was saying this guy is just he's lights out right now. So if that's if they're sitting there, they're thinking, you know, am I giving something up? What am I getting that's better? There's probably not much they could do. So I think uh I agree with you. I think the goaltending's fine. Um a little bit concerned with Brandon Bussey the last couple of games. He's been letting in more goals. Now, some of them are weird where it goes off somebody's stick in front or you know, friendly fires, they call it. Um, but he's he hasn't been quite as sharp. And and and that's since coming back after the break. Uh so maybe he's just got to get his mojo going again and and uh and and start winning some games again the way he has with some of those great savings. He's winning anyway, but uh the can't be giving him lots of goals, tremendous goal support. And speaking of that, um if we look at the lineup now, and and you know, we we've really tried to look at this and say, where are the canes? Where do they need help? And we talked about 2C repeatedly, and you know, maybe some more strength up on the forward side. They chose not to do that or could not get that done today. Um we saw Nikolai Eglers with a hat-trick the other night. That's great. But Katie, what are you thinking about the forward crew? Are they good enough?

SPEAKER_03 15:18

Uh maybe. I know that's not a very helpful answer, but I think they're fine for the rest of the season. I mean, there's a reason that the Canes are in first in the East right now. It's um it's not bad. Um I think Tolski in his press conference said something along the lines of the Canes have three of the top uh 40, I think, um, centers as far as 5v5 production in the league. And so it's not like they're hurting for production from their from their main guys, who he considers to be those, like the order in which he would label those three, I'm sure, is uh different, you know, who's the two C and who's the three C in reality. But uh part of it just comes down to the fact that I think that consistency is the big question mark, right? Um, we know that Aho's line is going to produce, but after that, the Stenkhoven line and the Stahl line have been producing in fits and spurts. And so right now the Steinkhoven line is on is hot. They are producing well, they're creating lots of chances, they're having great uh possession numbers as far as the stats are concerned. Um but the stall line has gone kind of quiet since we've gotten back from uh from break. And so it's that sort of thing where what happens if they both go quiet at the same time, and in the playoffs, a team can focus in on shutting down Aho and Svetch and Jarvey, and then where's the production going to come from? Do they have the uh the depth scoring to be able to counteract that, as well as the defense to also shut down the other team and make it a bit more of a slug fest? I that's that's been uh their Achilles heel the past few playoffs, and it very well could be the same song and dance moving forward. We'll just have to see.

Eastern Rivals’ Moves & Threats

SPEAKER_01 17:12

I think the the way the canes are built now, I think special teams are gonna be absolutely critical. Uh the fact that the power play is firing all cylinders right now, that's gonna be a must-have going into the playoffs. Uh, because exactly what you're saying. Uh five on five, it's gonna be tough slugging. You know that uh the top line is gonna have all kinds of coverage on it. And you know, historically in the playoffs, if we look back, it's uh it's your bottom six, it's your third and fourth line that seem to kind of step in and make a difference. And I think that's gonna be a question on how that works out for the hurricanes. Um I am excited about uh William Carrier uh in the playoffs this year. Um he's a guy that uh he's had success before with Vegas, and the way he plays is ideal for the playoffs. And he's a guy that can uh and he can chip in here and there. And of course, uh uh Eric Robinson has uh he's shown a lot this year offensively. So, you know, it could be that that line can help a little bit, and you know that I don't know which the third line is anymore on the hurricane. But uh if we say it's the uh Vancogan line, then I think they should be able to deliver a bit as well. Um okay, so if we look at that, and and you know, we feel like you know there'll be some challenges. The canes did not add anything measurable to improve their chances. Then we take a look at some of the teams that I think the canes are gonna be possibly going up against, uh, and we start with the East, and we take a look at the moves that were made today, and the and starting it off, let's talk about Tampa Bay. Um they didn't do much either. So, you know, I don't think they've improved themselves measurably today. The only move they made that I've seen is Corey Perry. Uh so Tampa is a team that I think is probably in the same place as us. They haven't really improved, so that's fine. Uh, and we're in a pretty good position versus the Lightning, I think. One of the teams that we've talked a lot about in the past, kind of offline, and it looks like they're making their move, is the Buffalo Sabres. And the Sabres did make some significant moves. They added two veteran big defensemen, including Logan Stanley from Winnipeg, and he's a monster at six foot seven. Former first-round pick of the Jets, and uh and Luke Shen, who's been around forever, and he's been in lots of playoff action, another big, heavy right shot defenseman, and they added Sam Carrick from the Rangers. He's just a solid fourth-linger. He's he's a good fourth-line guy. What do we think about the Sabres? Is that a team that we kind of look up and say, hey, wait a minute, they're concerning. Aaron?

SPEAKER_00 19:55

Well, I think my biggest concern is not necessarily the moves they made today or even their their run of success that they've had, because it's been an impressive run without making these moves. So you know, some people think these moves might actually weaken them, you know, with that whole team cohesion and everything else that you get. So who knows? But my concern is that this is a team that is going to be running extremely high on the momentum and the vibes, if you will, of making the playoffs for the first time in 14 years. This is a huge thing. And I don't think, you know, we we like to look at uh you know the tangibles, all the stats and the data, but when you talk about the intangibles that can't be measured, um it's hard to measure the impact on a team of finally making it to the playoffs after a long slog of living in this nightmare of never getting close or never, you know, never getting high enough. Getting, you know, you think about some of the really talented players that they've seen come and go in that time play, you know, time frame. I mean, Jack Eichel, of course, comes to mind as the biggest loss that they probably had. Um you know, but so and yeah, uh you can you can go down the list. There's a there's a ton of them, former Buffalo Sabres that are playing on cup contending teams elsewhere and making a difference. So for them to be there, for them to have this emotional uplift of saying we finally made it, and you know, I don't think you can just rule them out and say that they're gonna be an easy, you know, first round exit or anything like that. I think they're gonna challenge a little bit harder than people think. So um the moves they've made to get, you know, like you said, a little bit bigger, a little bit, you know, fill in some of those gaps. I I don't see them as actually hurting them. Maybe in the long run, when they start looking at the cost of the acquisitions on some of those, that might be a little bit painful. But this was a year for them to do that. This was a year for them to send the message to the locker room that says, you stepped up, you did this, you got here, so here's your reinforcements. And I like that message for the Sabres.

Western Powers & Avalanche Upgrades

SPEAKER_01 21:51

Yeah, I mean, for sure, they're I mean, they're very deep. They've got a lot of old fence. Uh, man, they roll three pretty darn good centers if you have Case Thompson or sometimes it's Bait and Krabs, and then you've got uh Dylan Cousins and you've got Josh Norris. You got some pretty darn darn good center Iceman on that team. And uh so they're they can put the pluck in the net for sure. I think the challenge the Sabres are gonna have is goaltending. Uh you know, Uka Pakalukin and and uh and Alex Lyon are their guys, and I don't think either one of those guys is necessarily gonna take you to where you want to go. But they will be a tough out. And so uh we need to keep an eye on them. Another team we've talked about a lot is the New York Islanders. And the Islanders, of course, play a certain style of game, and it's kind of tough. They're heavy on the checking and defense side, and they do have an outstanding goaltender in Ilias Roken. They made a good move today. They picked up Braden Shann. Katie, thoughts on the Islanders?

SPEAKER_03 22:52

I definitely think that the Islanders are going to be a more difficult out than they have been in the past, and a lot of that has to do with the dynamics that Patrick Waugh has brought since he joined them as head coach. It's not the same old that we saw back when the Canes were eliminating the Islanders in the first round of the playoffs a couple years ago. So he's he's reworked them and built them up. I still don't think they're quite ready to be a true cup contender. They're more of a cup wannabe. But that doesn't mean that that team doesn't have teeth and can't hurt you if you know if the whoever's playing them is complacent around them. I don't know that these moves particularly move the needle as far as I'm concerned for them. You know, maybe round them out a little bit more, but I don't think it makes them significantly significantly better. And um especially because they they let Drew Ann go in the deal for Shen. Um I know Drew Ann has been having a real struggle this season and a and a downswing, but he's still a weapon that can show up, and when he shows up, he can be valuable, and they don't have that anymore. So we'll see how that goes with the Islanders, but with Wah behind the bench, you know, don't count them out.

SPEAKER_00 24:12

Um I just happened to see um that this is something that when we were just talking about goaltending for the Canes, and you know, we're talking about them not making a move. Um Tolke just said in his uh uh presser that uh pr Piotr Kochekov may be in the mix for the playoffs. So his recovery is progressing well, and they may have him back as a potential playoff third option. So that would kind of explain why all these insiders that thought the Canes were going to make a move on goaltending didn't have the full information in front of them. So, and certainly this is news to us, and it's really good news. So I wanted to share it.

SPEAKER_01 24:43

Isn't that funny? Because we were talking about that recently, and we're saying, hey, you know, is there an outside chance that the odor could be back? Because if you look at the timeline for the type of injury, it's usually four to six months. So and he's been walking around the team lately, so that's great. Well, okay, that's that is good news today. So the Islanders and Tony D'Angelo, I'm not as concerned, but I think like Tony D, of course, that's great. Uh, one last team in the East I thought we'd cover. Um, and Katie, this uh again, uh looking at Detroit, uh Justin Falk picked up today. What do you think about the Red Wings?

SPEAKER_03 25:22

Um I mean it makes their defense a little bit better, which was perhaps some of where they were suspect beyond Cider. Obviously Cider's great. He's he's a phenomenal defenseman, but it again, I'm not sure with their I don't know that I believe that they have the goaltending to take them very far. I think they'll um they'll struggle a little bit getting past some of the big dogs. Uh I hope hopefully the the Atlant the group in the Atlantic just kind of beats each other up before whoever emerges victorious would hopefully face the Canes. Hopefully the Canes will get that far that they can be once again in the Eastern Conference Finals. Um I don't know. It doesn't again. I I I'm sounding like a broken record here, but I don't feel like there's been that major piece that's been added to any of the teams in the East. Perhaps not really anybody. It's it's kind of been of a dud of a deadline uh overall as far as big impact moves and players. Um but you know, outside of Larkin and Raymond, you know, who who are the who are the big threats on the Red Wings? I think you you shut down their top line and you shut down the the entire team. Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 26:35

Well, no, they do have Alex to Brinkett, who is very dangerous, and and Patrick Kane on occasion. Yeah, so they I mean they do have some offense. Um I'm not as concerned about the Red Wings simply because the the team is to me, it's uh kind of a fragile team at times, and I think uh I think they're gonna have their challenges. Now, Aaron, looking at the standings today, who would the canes play in the first round?

SPEAKER_03 27:02

I don't know. I want to say last time I looked it was the Bruins.

SPEAKER_01 27:06

I think it is the Bruins. So yeah. Okay, yeah. Okay, so the Bruins did nothing. Um and so okay, I think the Bruins are definitely a team that we can we can handle quite nicely. So again, looking at the East right now, if I was to summarize what I think I've heard today, uh the only team that we're really seriously considering as a as a concern is the Tampa Bay Lightning. Is that fair?

SPEAKER_00 27:30

I think so. And of course, their one move that they did make today is the most dangerous move a team can make for the for those of us that are hoping to make it to the cup final. They added Corey Perry, and Corey Perry has a history of getting his team to the Stanley Cup final and then losing. So if that was to happen again, then there would be no uh move the Canes could possibly have made to outdo whatever powerful uh uh voodoo is going on there with Corey Perry. But uh no, really seriously though, um when you look at the the lightning, they are a team that the canes have at times struggled to uh to match. Their offense is so potent. And their defense is certainly very good as well. So they're not they're they're a team, and then on top of that, you have the goaltending that you know I know Vasilevsky has struggled this year, but I don't see any reason to think that playoff uh that playoff vibes won't kick in for him when he gets to them. So um if they are if they stay healthy, I think they're the biggest threat to the Keynes in the East.

SPEAKER_01 28:32

I mean Braden Point is he's feasted on the hurricanes, something awesome. Yes. Um and you've got Kucharov, who's the best player right now in the league, in my view. Um, those guys are something else. And you know, again, they just got uh uh Victor Hedman back, so their defensive core is uh is really rounding into shape, and they were winning all those games without him, for goodness sakes. He was out for weeks. So we know that they're a tough team. So yeah, the lightning, I think, right now are the are the team that we're gonna want to keep an eye on. Now, going west, I think we have to start with your team, Katie, and uh have some fun with the Colorado Avalanche. The Avalanche made a number of moves. Uh, most significant, I think, was Nicholas Waugh uh with Toronto. Wah he was uh actually a Kane uh farmhand at one time, played a few games with the Canes back in the day. Uh Dave Santa Ron uh, you know, he's he plays with size, he likes to get in, make things happen. Um he's had four 30-point plus seasons. He's not a huge offensive guy, but he's not gonna hurt you out there. And you got a couple of others. What are you thinking about with the Avalanche? How do you feel about those guys?

Philosophy Of Standing Pat

SPEAKER_03 29:41

Uh not overwhelmed, but not underwhelmed either. Just whelmed, I guess. Um the uh the Nick Wah deal definitely addresses an issue that the Aves have been saying that they want, where they have liked Jack Drury at 3C and thought he's been quite serviceable. But by putting WA in there, that allows Drury to shift down into the 4C role and gives them a proper centered depth because who they had been cycling out of that 4C spot just really wasn't doing it as far as what they needed, both production-wise and park management-wise. So um now Drury goes from being a serviceable 3C to an elite 4C, and uh we'll be able to pick up the mantle on that third line. And then as far as the depth of defense, um they traded a little while ago for Brett Kulak, who's had a few games in an af sweater, and he's been boosted. Um he's been very solid and given them some more balance. And um then they traded for Nick Blankenberg out of Nashville, who gives them uh another, I guess they're seventh D. Who can come in and be a puck moving defenseman if one of their other righties like McCarr or Burns or Molinsky go down and they need somebody to fill in for their role. So it's it's good, it's depth, it makes them more well-rounded, but happy to move forward with this crew that as the Canes have been the best in the East so far, so the Avs have been the best in the West and overall in the NHLs. So hopefully it just makes them better and stronger as they move forward into the playoffs.

SPEAKER_01 31:27

Yeah, and I mean the benefit for the Avalanche, of course, is they didn't give any players up from their current roster. So this is all ads. Uh Kulak, I mean, Kulak they did, of course. They gave up uh what's his name? Girard. Yeah, Gerard. Yeah, Sam Gerard. They gave up Sam Girard. Um, I think Kulak was an upgrade for sure defensively. Um and Nick Wan is just a straight upgrade. So yeah, they're if anything today, they're better than they were yesterday. So that's not great news uh for the hurricane side. Let's look at another team that I think is really on the rise, and that's the Minnesota Wild. Now, the Wild did the big move to get Quinn Hughes, and that changed the rules for them. They have a heck of a team right now, and they've got great goaltending. Um, they made some moves. They've got a hulking center iceman out of Nashville, Michael McCarran. Um, he's a solid guy, faceoffs, very strong, over 52% his uh history in the NHL. Um he's a guy that's gonna add some size to their to their roster, and a solid fourth-line guy. Bobby Brink, who I really liked with Philadelphia, they picked him up today as well, and veteran Nick Felino. So they've added some players again. They didn't give up really anything off the roster. Aaron, thoughts on the Minnesota Wild?

SPEAKER_00 32:44

I think the Wild are one of those teams that you know they've they've had so many years of uh getting into the playoffs, and then you know, the West being what it is, they immediately, you know, make you know, make an early exit or or or barely hang on for a second. They're not um they they haven't had what they've needed. Um but like you said, Quinn Hughes changed the rules on that. You add a superstar player, your team changes dramatically. And um, I think we've seen that in in how they've played, you know. Um these moves are only gonna bolster that. So but they're again, they're in the West and they have an incredible hill to climb to get all the way through to a Stanley Cup final. So um I think that it's gonna be fun to watch them be an actual player, maybe not as fun for Katie.

SPEAKER_03 33:28

Hey, if they can beat up the Dallas Stars, I'm I'm I'm here for it.

SPEAKER_00 33:32

That well, you know, you might have a better chance with the wild than the stars, give the way that things have gone for the abs lately. So um, but yeah, as far as as far as uh worrying about, you know, how they're gonna do or anything like that, I think that that's gonna be, you know, it's gonna be a work in progress to to get these guys in and get them up to speed. And that is one of those things that we always talk about with uh deadline moves, is that players have to come in and assimilate quickly. So I'm I'm sure that uh Nick Felino won't have any issues there. It'd be like you said, he's a veteran, he's he knows what he's doing. Um the other guys may take a little time to settle in and and figure out where they're gonna be. But um, they made good moves, so it's interesting to watch.

SPEAKER_01 34:11

Yeah, and if we move on to the other team that I think is right at the top of the list as far as the West is concerned, and that's the Dallas Stars. And the Stars picked up a couple of guys this week. Uh big defenseman uh Tyler Myers from the Vancouver Canucks. He's a right-shot guy, solid. And Michael Bunting, who we know a lot about from his days with the hurricanes. Katie, what are your thoughts about Dallas?

SPEAKER_03 34:34

Oh, I have so many thoughts about Dallas. Um but as far as these particular grades, I mean, Bunting's gonna be a pain in the rear.

SPEAKER_01 34:44

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 34:45

He he's he's gonna basically fulfill the role that Marchmont played for them last year.

SPEAKER_02 34:50

Right.

SPEAKER_03 34:50

And that's you know, that'll be a double-edged sword, right? It he'll he'll take a lot of penalties. It could end up costing Dallas, but he also could end up drawing some penalties and getting under the team's skin and being annoying and throwing other players off their game. So it's uh it just depends on which which way that cuts for them. Uh Myers, I'm not as impressed with. I know everybody loves the big defenseman, but I I don't think he's particularly strong defensively. I don't think it helps the stars in overabundance as far as that's concerned, other than him just having a little bit bigger reach than your average guy. Well we'll see how that goes. But they needed somebody. That Myers is not going to get a ton of playtime. That will go to their top four for the most part. But I just like I like I said before, with with the wild and the stars, I just want the Aves to keep their top seed and let the two of them duke it out in the first round and beat each other up so the Aves have a good chance of taking care of whoever comes out of that matchup alive.

SPEAKER_01 35:57

Well, the other team that uh when we look at the West, the other team that's certainly mentioned generally is the Vegas Golden Knights. And this was kind of a rare trade deadline because normally the Golden Knights pull off some massive trade. I mean, we've seen it for years. Um, and this year they didn't really do much. They acquired uh Nick Dowd from the Washington Capitals. Dowd's a third, fourth line guy, ten goals plus his last five seasons in a row. He's a good solid guy, uh, can fill a role for them. They've been missing William Carlson for an extended period, and they needed help down the middle. Uh Cole Smith was a kind of a fourth-line guy with Nashville, again, hard work, a good skater, this kind of stuff. So they they basically wanted to fill certain roles uh on the team. What are we thinking about Vegas, Aaron?

SPEAKER_00 36:48

Well, I hear um some rumblings from Vegas Golden Knight fans on Twitter because they're very active there. And then they haven't been as happy with how their team has been doing this year. A lot of them didn't think that, um, you know, they they didn't think that they looked like a team that was going to make a deep run. And um when you look at what they've done as far as their their acquisitions, like you said, um they they didn't the message there, like you know, I was talking about the message the Sabres were getting from their GM, you know, the message coming to the Vegas Golden Knights from their GM is very different. You know, because like you said, this is a year that they haven't gone all in and loaded up on people and managed somehow with no cap space whatsoever to acquire a lot of players. Um and on that topic, um, you know, we all know that the GMs were complaining that the new rule change that does not allow them to, you know, add quite so freely at the deadline um by use of LTIR is is has hampered some of these GMs. And I wouldn't be surprised if Vegas was one of them, since they were one of those teams that frequently made use of that little loophole. Um but even so, even without the loophole, I I feel like Vegas would would like to just kind of get into the playoffs and see where it takes them, but that they don't have that same feeling about this team that they've had about their team in the recent past in terms of who they can get past and get through. And when you look at the what the West has been and how how difficult it's been for anyone um to to uh to close in on uh the avalanche in terms of where they are in the standings, you know, you you kind of see that. So it'll be interesting to see uh how they do, um, but they may not be a team that goes very far this year, and that'll be kind of a new experience for some fans.

SPEAKER_01 38:26

It'll be a huge difference. And I know there's an injury to um to a couple other guys that uh you know they're they're struggling with. And and I think at this stage, you know, again, they can't use the LTIR trick that they've used repeatedly, and and that's changed all the rules for the next week. So um so so as we take a look at kind of wrapping up today and the deadline and everything that's taken place, do we feel that the canes are in a more disadvantageous position than when they started? Are we really kind of sitting here upset and saying, hey, this was just a bad, bad day, or what are we thinking? Katie?

SPEAKER_03 39:04

I think the canes are in a good position, but that has less to do with what they didn't do as it does just the whole the day as a whole, especially out east. Right. Um I think for the most part they've done really well for themselves this season, and there's no reason to believe that they can't continue doing well. Definitely through the end of the regular season. The question just becomes are they going to be good enough come playoffs? Are they going to regress the way that they've regressed in the past, or do they have the fortitude, as well as perhaps an easier path without the Panthers in the mix this season to finally beating their Eastern Conference Finals demons and making it to a Stanley Cup? Um we'll see. We certainly hope so. That would be fantastic, but there are a lot of a lot of hurdles still yet to come, and we'll see exactly how they uh how they respond to the adversity that is for sure coming their way.

SPEAKER_01 40:04

Aaron, what's your wrap-up to the trade deadline?

SPEAKER_00 40:09

Well, I think that it's you know, one of those trade deadlines where you look at, and again, um I'm gonna go back to the point I've made about the Sabres and the Knights. What is the message from the front office? Because the message that Tolski is is giving is that we felt that there were moves that we could make, you know, but it would cost too much for now and in the future, and that why and that's why it didn't make sense. It wasn't just cost for now and for in the future. So that means that teams were asking, um, you know, when we they they were in on Vincent Trochek right up to the last minute, but clearly um the uh uh Rangers wanted things that the Canes weren't willing to give up. And that might have been Bradley Nadel, that might, we don't know. We have no idea, but it could have been prospects, it could have been um draft picks. Uh I I would think it would have to be players. I think it would have to be either some players or some prospects that they didn't want to give up. Um and and so that's where you kind of say, well, without knowing what they were asked to give up, you can't really criticize the decision, you know, in the microcosm. But looking at the big picture, the message that the front office sent to the canes is that, you know, essentially uh you don't need reinforcements, you don't need help. You can you can do this on your own. You have the pieces you need to win. And that can be a positive message for the locker room, certainly, because they can you know take from that and say, yeah, we we we didn't have to lose any of our our you know, locker, you know, the guy next to me in the locker room isn't gone tomorrow, you know. So so that's a that can be a positive message on the one hand. On the other hand, I think that you have to look at the reality that they're also saying, we are not going all in this year, because that's what that's what that so when you're not going all in, you're in the in the mindset that most GMs have, which is make the playoffs and anything can happen. Because it's true. It's true. As much as we want to think that teams can control every factor going into the playoffs, you don't know when injuries are going to strike, you don't know when the other teams are going to be impacted by those same things. You don't know um who your you right now you don't even know for sure who your opponent is gonna be. So it's a hopeful approach, but it's not an aggressive approach. And I think that when I look at that, it makes me smile because you look at how the the canes are constructed as a team, and that is exactly how their offense works, you know. Um so it's the the mindset of the of the of the team as a whole in all these different areas is you know, do the right things and you'll eventually be rewarded. Sometimes they think that doing the right things is not doing very much at all because you don't want to be aggressive. Because if you're aggressive and you're pinching to try to acquire players, then maybe it's gonna go the other way and it's not gonna help you. So it it's I think that the philosophy of the canes is something interesting that should be studied. But um, as far as what this this draft, I mean this deadline is, I'm looking at it and saying, okay, we all know what our fears are about how things might not work out, but the canes have the chance to show us that that's not going to be the situation this year. So it's up to them now.

Stretch Run Outlook & Rest Strategy

SPEAKER_01 43:16

Well, I mean, it was an interesting deadline in that none of the big names moved. So we had Robert Thomas, we had Nazim Kadri, we had uh, you know, Jordan Cairo, we had uh uh Vincent Trochak. I can go up and down the list. None of those guys moved. So so in the end, there wasn't a deal to be done. Uh obviously the rule changes, the things that were changed uh by ownership uh and whatever was done to uh change the rules where you couldn't have multiple teams uh you know taking cap stuff, you couldn't uh have folks on LTIR. There are a lot of changes that took place, and it just led everything to this. Now, the one thing I will say is I am delighted that the Keynes did not lose Bradley Nadeau or Alexander Nikisha. Okay, those are two guys I did not want to lose. And I don't care who was coming here, I did not want to get up in the morning and say, oh, we just traded Alex Nikish and ended up with somebody. I don't want to go there. Um and the other thing I'll mention, just to wrap up my thought on this the Canes have a lot of players in Chicago that can help. There's no reason that they can't bring up Nadeau, they can't bring up Robodah, they can't bring up some of those other guys, the blue. Miners, those guys can play. We've seen them, they're just fine. They're not going to hurt the hockey club. And they're being, you know, they're being taught to play the way that you know Rod wants to play, which is a full 200-foot game in the forward side, and they can they can put the fuck in the net. So I think the Canes probably sat back and said the options and what we'd have to pay for them don't materially move the needle.

SPEAKER_03 44:58

This just came across Twitter. Apparently the ads got cadre. You're kidding. Uh-uh.

SPEAKER_01 45:06

Oh my goodness.

SPEAKER_03 45:07

No reports on cost, but so that was great.

SPEAKER_01 45:13

I just went through that complete.

SPEAKER_00 45:20

This is fun. This is a fluid situation.

SPEAKER_01 45:22

Our podcasts don't usually go like this, but um well that actually makes for an interesting scenario with the Avalanche because if you've got uh Nathan McKinnon, you've got uh Brock Nelson, you've got Nick Waugh, and you've got Nazim Kadri, where's what happens to Dreary?

SPEAKER_03 45:41

Yeah, is he part of the return?

SPEAKER_00 45:43

Oh my. That would be interesting.

SPEAKER_03 45:47

Yeah. So that's well, there there had been reports that the AS had tried to extend Dury and that he wasn't accepting any of their extension offers.

SPEAKER_01 45:57

So this is gonna be weird for Cadre. He's been the first line center in the big minute center for Calgary. He's moving to third line center.

SPEAKER_03 46:07

He's definitely not taking McKinnon or Nelson's spot, that's for sure.

SPEAKER_01 46:11

That's interesting. We'll have to see where that goes. It would have been more fun if you had said Nasm Cadry was traded to Carolina.

SPEAKER_03 46:17

Yeah. Um yeah, that would have been fun too. I would have really been happy with that. Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 46:23

So clearly, clearly, in the end, probably the Avalanche have done the most uh when you look at what they've done to improve their team in the areas they need improvement. So that's gonna that's gonna kind of make it more challenging for uh the Keynes if they go up against the Avalanche. I fully expect the Avalanche will come out of the West. So that's interesting. Okay, so stuff waiting for the last minute here, so it's a good podcast.

SPEAKER_03 46:48

Not to not to be lost in it, though. Everything you said, though, about the canes is absolutely true. And if there was a team that would be well constructed enough to thwart the Av Stanley Cup aspirations, it would be the Canes in the East, because the Canes have the type of system that can absolutely frustrate and disrupt the the flow that the Avs like to build in their game. So that would be that would be the dream, wouldn't it? That would be the dream.

SPEAKER_01 47:25

I think the other thing, and we started off this whole discussion recognizing the the Canes have gone 11-1-2 in their last uh 14 games. And the fact is this, that they are just playing great hockey, and you don't want to mess with that. And Rod's talked about this numerous times is that you know you don't want to mess with that. And you think about the story of of uh John Carlson leaving Washington, and you've got uh you know players crying, and you know, you heard uh Alex Ovechkin saying it's the worst day of my life and all this kind of stuff. So um, so there's so there's you know, you gotta look at the plus-minus of the stuff, and maybe standing pat is is the right move. And you know, I have a lot of confidence in Eric Tolski. I think he's the wizard. So if he thought this was the way to go, I'd I really believe it. So that's fun. We had a lot of fun talking about the deadline. Let's look ahead. What have we got coming up? The Canes complete their road trip playing in uh uh Edmonton and Calgary, uh Calgary minus Nazim Cattering, so that's interesting.

SPEAKER_00 48:28

Um that's gonna be fun.

SPEAKER_01 48:31

And they return home to play uh Pittsburgh and St. Louis, and I will be attending both of those games, so that's gonna be a lot of fun. Yeah, that's gonna be great. So, what are we thinking as we look ahead? Uh Katie, why don't you kick it off?

SPEAKER_03 48:45

Um I think the game against Edmonton's definitely gonna be the toughest um because of obvious reasons. But at the same time, I do think that Edmonton's defense is very, very weak, and that their goaltending isn't strong enough to hold up to that. So if the Canes can keep the puck away from McDavid and Drysidel and that crew and stifle them and get their chances in the ozone, then they should be fine. And anything less than total victory against the flames is unacceptable. They should just go in there and take care of business and call it a road trip and come on home. So I think they they they need two wins. They need to keep padding their lead both in the metro and in the east and put themselves in an advantageous position before they come home.

SPEAKER_01 49:40

Yeah, and to the Eventon point, um the biggest concern always with the Oilers is their power play. It's one of the best, it is the best, I think, in the league right now, and they are deadly. So if we can stay out of the penalty box, I think that's gonna help quite a bit. Aaron?

SPEAKER_00 49:58

Um I'm I'm agreeing with Katie on the road trip. Um looking ahead even just a little bit further. Um my my the biggest question I have right now, looking at the schedule um through with the rest of March, and then of course there's a few games in April. At what point does Rod Brindamore start resting some of his players? You know, they have enough depth now. That is another thing about adding Nick Delorier. You know, they have plenty of depth that they can put in here and there for a game. So at what point does he say, you know, maybe uh Jordan Stahl needs the night off, or maybe Jordan Martinook needs the night off, and shuffle those lines around a little bit and bring in some of those extra fourth line guys so that we're not getting to the playoffs in a state where, you know, they've all been playing 16, 17 minutes a game and it's you know, they're at the end of their rope. So we we see how good the key the team looks coming back from a nice long break, and um, you know, you want to make sure that that it stays that way. So I hope that they will do that. I hope that they will bring guys up, even maybe perhaps the defenseman from Chicago or something, so that um a couple of the defensemen can have a night off. You know, we're gonna get down the stretch and and we're gonna get to that point where it's a good idea to do that. First, they like like Katie said, they have to bank those two points as as long as they need to to be in the position that they need to be in. But once they've done that, once they've achieved that goal, I really hope that they will be aggressive about resting some of those players so that they will be ready for the run. Because if they can get through the East, and if they can get all the way, you know, if they can actually win an Eastern Conference final, then the narrative changes on this team. And I think we're all ready for that narrative to change. So I hope they will do everything in their power. Since the deadline wasn't really part of it, I hope they will do everything in their power to make sure that they have the best team going into the playoffs that they can. Apart from that, the only thing I'm looking forward to uh as the once the playoffs start is that I think, Katie, you're gonna be wearing pigtails.

SPEAKER_03 51:49

I very well could be. I very well could be. It's coming.

Closing Thoughts & Upcoming Games

SPEAKER_01 51:57

That's that's fun. Well, you know, I I I think you're you're on to something as well. And and you look at um, you know, the canes are they're firing all cylinders, they're not changing the lineup in any way, so there's no reason for it not to continue. They could bring up a guy like Noah Phillip, they could bring up uh Charles Alexis Lego, they could do any number of things, as you say, and and they've got the depth to do it. So I think unless injuries strike, I think the canes are probably going to be in really strong shape. And the interesting thing right now, of course, is that they're only one point behind Dallas. So, you know, the third overall in the NHL, if they get ahead of Dallas, guess what? The only team that would have home ice advantage on the Canes at any time would be Colorado. So somebody else beat Colorado, the Canes would have home ice advantage if they came out of the East and so on. So ending up as high as they can is a big difference for the Canes because of course they're deadly in the Noble Center. So, yeah. Uh, you know what? Hey, today was interesting. I'm not that concerned about it. I like what the Canes are doing. I think they're playing just fantastic hockey, and I look forward to seeing them up close and personal next week, and I'm sure I'll have some funny things to say when I get back, and I hope to get together with some of the Kaniacs while I'm up there and uh and share some stories. I'm sure that that'll be interesting. In any case, uh, as always, ladies, it was great fun talking hockey today, and uh we'll be back in a few weeks and we'll continue uh to uh to share our thoughts about the hurricanes and what's happening with the canes at that time. In any case, for those of you who've been watching or listening, we're delighted to spend time with us. Uh, if you like this episode, please press the like button. If you have any questions or comments, please put those in the comment section. And of course, if you want to be alerted of future episodes of Stormtracker, please press the subscribe and the bell buttons, and you'll be made aware just as soon as they're real. As always, Karen, Katie, and I are delighted you spent time with us and look forward to getting together with you real soon.