CamWardo

Good two preseason games. Felix Sorum is a player to watch. Bunting was also impressive

Flyers certain can appreciate Rod and his accomplishments. Rod has been both a team and franchise difference maker. No Rod, no cup, no Rod, no 5 straight post season appearances. Glad Philly made that trade.

As for coming to this forum, well not certain, I think I saw your post on the Canes and chances of breaking through. But I really liked the way the site is put together, great job on that, whomever is responsible! Well, if Helle is picked up, then that changes things tremendously. It means that he will stop being one of my favorite goalies . But seriously, that guy is a workhorse and tremendously talented and certainly capable of stealing enough games to make a substantial difference in final standings. But then again, many here in Carolina are already big on the Orlov move and his potential impact. I know you meant no disrespect to Svech and I didn't take it that way. But, if you thought he had Ovie potential I can see you'd be questioning his promise. I don't recall that type of expectation here. Oh, and by the way, the Caps and the not-so-great 8 (just jealous) are much despised here! Right up there with the Booins and Marchand. However, he is so much more fun to watch than Ovie. See Ovie on powerplay, oh and see Ovie on powerplay. He is exciting, and Rod gives him a lot of freedom, i.e., the Lacross move (the Svechlacross). My sister is a big Wings, Larkin, and once Bertuzzi, fan. She bought a Bertuzzi sweater just days before the trade. Also, I lamented that Bertuzzi didn't come here. Looking forward to the Kings game in the down under!

Yave- don't disagree with the tenor of your post. I could see Rangers, Carolina and Jersey but, on paper, I don't see NJ jumping the Canes. NJ is scary good offensively, but IMHO the Canes are better on the back end and I'd take the Andersen/Raanta duo over Vanecek & Schmid (if they are still the duo??). Canes, as you noted, exposed that in playoffs. As for the Rangers, Zibanejad and Kreider are straight up "Canes killers" and Mika is another tremendously underrated player. Love Trocheck and hated he left the Canes. Where I think Canes have an advantage over the Rangers is our secret weapon: (no, not Niclas Wallin) but Rod Brind'Amour. Laviolette is an awesome coach but Rod seems to have an "it". We have a saying here: in "Rod we trust". So, I see either the Rangers or Canes at top and really think Canes can survive. Having the first seed in playoffs though is sometimes NOT a good thing as you usually play a hot, desperate team. I too wanted the Nylander deal to happen and I think there were Petterson rumors early on too, that would have been a great addition. Keeping Pesce though can't be a bad thing (although I think he may have the worst percentage of shots getting either through or actually being on target when it does get past defenders) . I think he is always shooting for sticks and not goals, but what do I know? Not sure I agree with "top 6 doesn't scare anyone", in part. They certainly don't intimidate physically, but I think coaches fear them especially in Carolina when they have matchup problems. It is certainly truer come playoffs when they play very physical teams (i.e., Florida manhandling them in playoffs). I don't agree that Svech may not be an elite talent he once appeared to be. Leaving aside that we haven't seen him since the injury, that YOUNG man is an awesome talent and I'd say elite. A true power forward, plays both ends and can drive play. I don't think that will change except as he learns more he will only get better. The most interesting thing about Svech is how the refs handle him. I know I'm biased, but, he gets more lame, unfair calls against him than anyone I can recall. We here in Carolina can't figure it out. Maybe he talks to much trash, but it remains a mystery. In fact, Carolina as a team gets an unusually large number of bogus calls. Carolina is always one of the least penalized teams but the number of calls that are "questionable" is high and it drives Rod and Caniacs Nation absolutely insane. It may be a response to the need for officials to make the same number of calls against both teams in a game. This is particularly true when they play the Rangers, which may be one reason to pick Rangers if they meet Canes in playoffs. Going to be a fun season. I enjoy the discussion. Peace

As one of the bunch of Jerks, I think the Canes are a more complete team compared to the Devils and Rangers. So, I think the Canes win the division again. I think they are better down the middle than both those teams, and I add, J Staal may be one of the most underappreciated centers in the league. However, it would not surprise me to see the Rangers winning the division, basically because of Shesterkin (a game changer). Canes, by adding Orlov and Tony D. only makes them better and a little more physical along with Lemieux's and Bunting's addition. Canes fall in Stanley play has been explained as a lack of physicality and the O power play going extinct. I think they made good moves to cover both needs. One key is Svech's health when he returns and can he pick up where he left off? Another key (IMHO) is, can Necas and or Jarvis and or Dury take a major step forward? If these are positive, I think not only do the Canes win the division, conference, and the cup.