yave1964 Posted October 6, 2015 Share Posted October 6, 2015 Dont laugh. Yeah, you, i see the snickering behind your hand. Carolina has missed the postseason for seven straight years and the odds are that they will again this year as well but looking at the team, I see reason for optimism and while I dont think they are a playoff contender i see them as where the Calgary Flames were just two years ago. Lots of skill on defense, a few forwards who can play and ready to at least make every night interesting. Of course last year the Flames took the next step under Hartley and are now in the thick of the West, but the Canes still have some growing pains ahead of them. To start, I absolutely love the defense, like Calgary they are built from the back end forward, Faulk is their Giordano, wishniewski is their Wideman, throw in Uber skilled Noah Hanifan and Ryan Murphy, and gritty and underrated Hainsey and they have the making of a top tier defense. Really, I doubt i would trade this defense for more than a half a dozen in the game. And Haydn Fleury who is going to be a keeper was sent back to Junior not because of skill but because their was not enough room for him. Carrick, Lowe and Biega are chomping at the bit in the minors and all are skilled as well. I am on record as saying that Ward is horribly overrated, but in tandem with Eddie Lack and used right the goaltending should be decent. Nightly it may be an adventure but riding the hot hand the two of them are okay. Which brings us to the forwards who are a weak, thin lot. Skinner has slipped badly the past few years but is young enough to bounce back. The two Staal brothers have been good but have not carried the team. Nightly there are too many games where Riley Nash and brad Malone and Nestrasil play big minutes. But there is hope, Victor Rask is developing into a solid playmaker, and most important to the forward lines is 20 year old Elias Lindholm who as a teen managed 17 goals and 39 points with no real linemates around him. He has 30 goal scorer written all over him. Gone are slugs like Semin who showed up on payday only replaced by veteran role player Versteeg who is never going to remind anyone of anything special but who has won it all before and can play any line. Nordstrom came over from Chicago as well and he is a nice bottom six forward. The truth is the Canes could use a couple more top six forwards but they have a lot of nice pieces in place. In what is quickly turning into one of Hockeys elite divisions i see the Canes around 90 points, missing the postseason but overall a pleasant surprise. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TropicalFruitGirl26 Posted October 6, 2015 Share Posted October 6, 2015 Even though the Hurricanes have been pretty bad the last 7 or so seasons, it doesn't mean they haven't had talented players.In fact, as you pointed out Yave, they STILL do. Their problem has always been getting the talent to not only mesh well with each other, but also health.Guys like Jeff Skinner, the Staals, and Cam Ward. Really, talents like those should have been excellent cornerstones to base the franchise off of, but none of those guys could stay healthy for any length of time, and as seasons wear on, it starts to affect their performance when they finally are able to play. Throw in some questionable signings, such as the Alex Semin one at a time when the team should have been starting a retool instead of going "all in", and you can see how easily the pain has been extended in Raleigh. That all said, it looks like the Canes have finally figured out that they simply aren't a piece or two away from contending, and that they should start from scratch.Meaning, I really DON'T think they will be contender for the post season this year. That doesn't mean the team can't play competitive games (they did on many an occasion last season), but even though I like the Calgary comparison, the Canes, I believe are several notches below where Calgary was when the Flames started this unorthodox "defense as offense first" style of building.It's gonna take a while for Carolina to figure all that out (plus find their long term number one goalie), plus the division they are in with the retooled Pens, the in-their-primes-still Rangers and Caps, the rugged Blue Jackets and up n coming Flyers isn't going to do them any favors. I think the suffering continues in Carolina for at least another 2-3 seasons before the team starts seeing any sort of positive upward mobility in the standings.If Canes management hits the panic button from now till then, the wait could be even longer. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
briere48 Posted October 6, 2015 Share Posted October 6, 2015 if you look at the ducks why they are so successful is because they have at least vet on every line to balance out the youth, with the hurricanes, they just dont have the right balance. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
yave1964 Posted October 6, 2015 Author Share Posted October 6, 2015 if you look at the ducks why they are so successful is because they have at least vet on every line to balance out the youth, with the hurricanes, they just dont have the right balance. Agreed, they have a mess among their forward lines. I REALLY like Lindholm, he has all star written all over him but the two Staal's and Versteeg are all on the back nine. Rask is the only other forward who IMHO is a potential game changer. I think their defense has the potential to be amazing. Faulk may be the most underrated star in the league, when he is on the ice the puck is always near him. Hanifan was the first d-man taken this year for a reason and they are well built back there. But you are right, they need to sort out their forwards, but last year the Flames really only had one line to speak of, if Staal finds the fountain of youth and Lindholm is as good as I believe he can be, they will not contend but at least show significant improvement. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
teenagemutantninjahertl Posted October 7, 2015 Share Posted October 7, 2015 Unfortunately, no. The team has some good talent on the first line, and some tremendous talent on the back end, and better goaltending, but that doesn't make them a playoff team. This team needs a lot of secondary scoring help and some depth on the whole roster. I think it was great to trade for, and then sign Eddie Lack. He is a solid goalie, who is at worst, a high quality backup. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ruxpin Posted October 7, 2015 Share Posted October 7, 2015 I actually think the Hurricanes are a mess and will be a lottery team with a good chance at the #1 pick. At this point, I'm not buying either Ward or Lack. Their defense is good (at least from the perspective of a Flyers fan), but as mentioned, their forward lines are a mess. I have them finishing 25-30 in the league. I bet you Buffalo passes them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Unleashed Fury Posted October 9, 2015 Share Posted October 9, 2015 No doubt this team will improve from last season, but I think the Staal beothers need to step it up. Jordan seems like everytime you turn around he is injured. He needs to be on the ice. Eric is a great player, but he needs to get back to the 60 to 70 point range. He is only 30 so it is not because he is getting too old. He has declined the past 3 years and needs to get back to his old self. I also like Jeff Skinner a lot. If the defense can stay pretty good and the Staal brothers can improve and Jordan stay on the ice the could fight for a late playoff seed. I actually like Eddie Lack better tha Cam Ward. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OccamsRazor Posted October 9, 2015 Share Posted October 9, 2015 @yave1964 Bad news to start with.... Carolina Hurricanes defenceman James Wisniewski's season could be over after suffering a torn ACL in Thursday night's loss to the Nashville Predators Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
yave1964 Posted October 9, 2015 Author Share Posted October 9, 2015 @yave1964 Bad news to start with.... Carolina Hurricanes defenceman James Wisniewski's season could be over after suffering a torn ACL in Thursday night's loss to the Nashville PredatorsUgh. Too bad they sent Haydn Fleury out to Juniors rather than giving him a short term tryout, he would have been a lock to have stuck at this point. Of course that is what I do not like about Juniors and have stated categorically many times, the way that they dictate what happens with an NHL property and how they cannot recall them once sent out. I know I am in the minority here but I really feel this will come to an end sooner rather than later. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OccamsRazor Posted October 9, 2015 Share Posted October 9, 2015 Ugh.Too bad they sent Haydn Fleury out to Juniors rather than giving him a short term tryout, he would have been a lock to have stuck at this point. Of course that is what I do not like about Juniors and have stated categorically many times, the way that they dictate what happens with an NHL property and how they cannot recall them once sent out. I know I am in the minority here but I really feel this will come to an end sooner rather than later. Well they have him IRd and have about 9mill in cap space now....so for sympathy reason will send them Mcdud say for a 6th round pick...that is it! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OccamsRazor Posted October 9, 2015 Share Posted October 9, 2015 @yave1964 I can hear Ron Francis now on Hexy calling about Mcdud.............. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
yave1964 Posted October 9, 2015 Author Share Posted October 9, 2015 @yave1964 I can hear Ron Francis now on Hexy calling about Mcdud.............. LOL!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Unleashed Fury Posted October 9, 2015 Share Posted October 9, 2015 @yave1964 Bad news to start with.... Carolina Hurricanes defenceman James Wisniewski's season could be over after suffering a torn ACL in Thursday night's loss to the Nashville PredatorsDamn that really hurts the back end bad for the Canes.Some defensemen is really going to have to help out Faulk. Hope Wisniewski isn't done for the season, but it doesn't sound good. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OccamsRazor Posted October 9, 2015 Share Posted October 9, 2015 . Hope Wisniewski isn't done for the season Pretty much speaking from experience tore my playing basketball it is a hard one to come back from quickly........ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Unleashed Fury Posted October 9, 2015 Share Posted October 9, 2015 Pretty much speaking from experience tore my playing basketball it is a hard one to come back from quickly........That is sad. I hate seeing terrible injuries on any player in the league. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
teenagemutantninjahertl Posted October 12, 2015 Share Posted October 12, 2015 Losing on of your better defenseman to a torn ACL hurts. It's going to be even tougher, but it looks like the can score a little more consistently, at least for now. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
notfondajane Posted October 14, 2015 Share Posted October 14, 2015 The ' Canes just might beat out the Pens! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ruxpin Posted October 14, 2015 Share Posted October 14, 2015 @yave1964Bad news to start with....Carolina Hurricanes defenceman James Wisniewski's season could be over after suffering a torn ACL in Thursday night's loss to the Nashville PredatorsNo worries. Chip Kelly will sign him! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OccamsRazor Posted March 1, 2016 Share Posted March 1, 2016 Well now we know the answer to this it is rebuild year for them and they have now nice picks the next two years to do it with... 2016 Draft Picks (11) Round 1 CAR 1 LAK 1 * Round 2 CAR 2 NYR 2 Round 3 CAR 3 BOS 3 WPG 3 Round 4 CAR 4 Round 5 CAR 5 LAK 5 * Round 6 CAR 6 Round 7 2017 Draft Picks (10) Round 1 CAR 1 Round 2 CAR 2 NYR 2 Round 3 CAR 3 NJD 3 * CHI 3 Round 4 CAR 4 Round 5 BOS 5 Round 6 CAR 6 Round 7 CAR 7 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OccamsRazor Posted March 1, 2016 Share Posted March 1, 2016 @yave1964 Haydn Fleury and Roland Mckeown will be joining their AHL next year but man their future on the blueline looks bright as hell... Justin Faulk - Ryan Murray Noah Hanifin - Haydn Fleury Roland Mckeown - Keegan Lowe Man on paper that is a blueline that rival any in the NHL i think.....now they just need to build around it. Put this blueline with the Oilers forward group and they would have another dynasty on their hands!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
yave1964 Posted March 1, 2016 Author Share Posted March 1, 2016 1 hour ago, OccamsRazor said: @yave1964 Haydn Fleury and Roland Mckeown will be joining their AHL next year but man their future on the blueline looks bright as hell... Justin Faulk - Ryan Murray Noah Hanifin - Haydn Fleury Roland Mckeown - Keegan Lowe Man on paper that is a blueline that rival any in the NHL i think.....now they just need to build around it. Put this blueline with the Oilers forward group and they would have another dynasty on their hands!! Love that defense! I was sweating it when I said I thought the Oilers would be around 90 points and hang around the fringe of the playoffs, especially after they had a slow start. But they got hot and stayed that way, I understand the dealing of Versteeg and Staal and Liles, but if I were a Cane fan I would not have liked it at all. They are close, a few nice additions among the forwards, a few of the kids like Lindholm and Rask going to the next level and with that kid defense, the battle for the playoffs will be that much tougher...... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OccamsRazor Posted March 1, 2016 Share Posted March 1, 2016 1 hour ago, yave1964 said: Love that defense! I was sweating it when I said I thought the Oilers would be around 90 points and hang around the fringe of the playoffs, especially after they had a slow start. But they got hot and stayed that way, I understand the dealing of Versteeg and Staal and Liles, but if I were a Cane fan I would not have liked it at all. They are close, a few nice additions among the forwards, a few of the kids like Lindholm and Rask going to the next level and with that kid defense, the battle for the playoffs will be that much tougher...... That plus the fact they will have north of 45 million to spend if they like....they are positioning themseves for the future than the now. We'll have to see what they do with all thise nice draft picks if done right it could be a quick turn around. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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