Check out also Canes and Coffee’s Canes March Madness that will feature a series of brackets on the team’s 2018-19 season. Vote on which roster moves were most significant in building the current lineup.
Today’s Daily Cup of Joe offers a short list of Canes things that I like better now than I did initially (not in any particular order).
1) Brock McGinn
When McGinn first broke into the NHL, I was skeptical that he would ever be more than a fringe NHL/AHL player. He does not possess high-end scoring type of skill, and he is a bit undersized for the rugged brand of hockey that he plays. Furthermore, in his first run of NHL hockey, McGinn mostly played on a struggling fourth line with Jay McClement that did not make anyone look good. Based on his somewhat low ceiling offensively, challenge with his style of play at the NHL level and his play on a struggling line, I just did not see a regular NHLer in McGinn.
Fast forward to today, and I would readily admit that my initial assessment was wrong. McGinn’s ceiling is still likely that of a depth forward. And I think a good and deep version of the Canes ideally pushes McGinn to a regular role on the fourth line. But I think McGinn brings enough to be a good version of an NHL depth forward. Though he maybe will not score enough to play on a higher line, he does finish enough to provide good fourth line scoring. Aside from that, his every single shift motor brings consistent energy to the lineup and can be a spark plug when the team needs it. And he has matured as an NHL level penalty killer. When one puts it all together, McGinn has become a good NHL depth player.
2) Teuvo Teravainen away from Sebastian Aho
Up until very recently, I think it was fair to say that Teuvo Teravainen had yet to establish himself as a going concern as a top 6 scoring forward when playing away from Sebastian Aho. That is not to say that there was evidence that it was not possible for Teravainen to thrive on his own. That was just to say that he had yet to do it. In his last year with the Blackhawks, Teravainen scored 35 points in 78 games. In his first season with the Hurricanes in 2016-17, he posted a similar 42 points in 81 games. Those are not horrible numbers, but especially given the healthy helping of power play ice time with the Hurricanes, those totals qualify only as depth scoring and are not significantly above replacement level. What struck me about Teravainen’s first season with the Hurricanes was his inability to do much of anything in between scoring bursts. Teravainen actually had enough hot streaks to post better scoring numbers, but he was so incredibly quiet in between the productive outbursts that his scoring ceiling seemed very limited. But that changed in 2017-18 when Teravainen played with Aho. His 64 points last season suggested that at a minimum he could be a complementary player for Aho. And that is how the 2018-19 season started as well. But the recent move that put Williams and Niederreiter with Aho and slotted Teravainen as a playmaking wing next to Staal. The sample size is still a bit small, but the early results have been favorable. Teravainen has made Staal and the other wing (mostly Ferland with some variation) better offensively by generating scoring chances from his office near the boards and the top of the right face-off circle. Teravainen’s latest step in his maturation as a player is a significant one in terms of building out the Canes lineup. The team is still a bit short on sheer playmaking skill down the middle. Jordan Staal really does not possess that skill set. At least the first year version of Lucas Wallmark looks a bit like Staal in that he is sound defensively but light on generating scoring chances for his line mates. And Greg McKegg has performed admirably since being elevated to the NHL level, but also is not a pure NHL playmaker. When one adds it up, the result is that the current Hurricanes lineup is a bit underpowered into terms of generating offense from the center position. Being able to play Teravainen away from Aho in somewhat of a Ray Whitney-like playmaking wing role has played a significant role in providing more balanced scoring. Though I would expect Aho and Teravainen to be reunited intermittently in trying to keep things fresh and find winning combinations, the potential to split the two for balance adds significant flexibility to the lineup.
What say you Canes fans?
1) Who else has Canes things that they did not particularly like initially but like better now?
2) What are your thoughts on where McGinn fits into the roster as the team becomes deeper? Is he a core depth player? Or is he just a serviceable depth forward who could be easily replaced?
3) Minus a second true playmaking center, what are your thoughts on the prospects of Teravainen being able to be a puck distibuting catalyst for a second scoring line?
Go Canes!
TT’s growth has been impressive. I was skeptical he could succeed without Aho but he’s playing with confidence and driving play. Has he ever played center? If Canes can’t acquire a 2C in the offseason, should they ask him to prepare for some time playing in the middle. Maybe Necas will be ready, but seems like he’s thrived more on the wing in Charlotte. Svech-TT-Necas as second scoring line?
I like McGinn and I think your analysis is on the mark. I’m interested to see what a new contract will look like this summer ($1.2 mil/yr?). Almost any bottom six guy is replaceable, and they get more replaceable as their contract gets pricier.
A line of Necas, Svetch, and TT would make an excellent second line if Necas can manage center. It also has the added benefit of pushing Staal to the 3rd line and Wallmark to the fourth. Necas has been handled in Charlotte like Aho was in Raleigh, playing wing to get him use to the smaller ice and more physical game. But like Aho he has thrived as a center in Europe and international competitions.
Over a shorter time frame, one player has greatly improved more than any other in my POV. Mrazek, The before Christmas version s not the Mrazek, we’ve seen since Christmas. Whenever it was suggested in 2018 that he be re-signed I protested the thought. Based on his play in 2019 I hope that the team can afford him in 2020.
1) The Jordans. We have discussed Martinook on several occasions. The truth is I saw him as a depth forward, now I would argue he is at that level above depth player but below core player–I like the term role player. Martinook’s role is to energize the third line, help Svechnikov transition, score more goals than any of us imagined. Martinook has been a real surprise. Staal has looked solid, if not spectacular as the center for a second scoring line since returning from injury. Maybe it is RBA’s system or maybe seeing the team score more, but Staal is playing with more offensive confidence both passing and shooting. While TSA worked fairly well, Svechnikov’s power game and TT’s finesse passing might be the perfect mix for Staal.
2) Good question. I think McGinn remains a core depth player because he scores some goals. My guess is he is a constant part of the 4th line for the next 2-3 years. One important fact is that because he doesn’t play center his trade value is much lower than his value on the team.
3) Teravainen is the second most talented player on the team (at least until Svechnikov develops for another year or two). I understand the Whitney comparison, but I don’t know if TT will score as many goals. I think the better comparison is Voracek–he may never top 25 goals but can be a point-per-game player. As mentioned above, he will be a great catalyst for Svechnikov.
I am mostly alone in my opinion of Wallmark. While I think he would do fine on the fourth line, it underutilizes his skills. Wallmark is a cerebral playmaker. I saw that when I watched the Checkers last season. While his physical skills (size and speed) are not special, he can be a very good center when on a line with strong wingers. The single thing that makes me think he will become something between Frans Nielsen and Tomas Plekanec is his history of improving point production 80% once he has become accustomed to a league. He improved 80% between his first and second seasons and again between his second and third seasons in the SHL. Wallmark again saw an 80% increase between his first and second AHL seasons. He seems like an extremely conscientious player who wants to be fundamentally sound his first season. I expect he will feel much more comfortable offensively next season–when he will begin a run of 50-65 point production, which is solid for a 2C.
I share your opinion on Wallmark. He will probably score high on next year’s version of “‘better than originally thought” by a lot of people.
1. Believe it or not – JW. I have never really been a fan of his for a number of reasons, and I thought he was showing his age early in the season (even last season). He has proved to be much better than previously thought.
2. Every team has a player or three like McGinn. Scrappy, sandpaper, glue guys. We picked up one of the Coyotes’ version in Martinook. He is good at what he does but he is also eminently replaceable. The only question would be why would you want to replace him? – only if he tries to price himself out or there is a clearly better version of his style available, or we pick up or move up better forwards.
3. Turbo played a lot of center in Finland, and played some center with CHI as well. He can drive offense both on the wing and in the middle. I don’t think he has seen any time in the middle with Carolina (possibly in the preseason?) but I think he could step into that role with the Canes. That said we heavy on centers as it is – but light on offensive playmakers (although I think you will see a big pickup from Wallmark next season).