In part 2, I forged ahead anyway and named some possible deals despite the long odds.
In part 3, I will actually discuss the merits of standing pat with the current roster if a great deal does not emerge.
Not just playing for 2016-17
If the NHL was scheduled to cease existence after the 2016-17 season and the goal was to build the best team possible for 2016-17, I would seriously question Francis’ limited activity this summer. There are certainly improvements that could be made and assets that could be deployed to do so. But that is not the case. Ron Francis’ mantra since day 1 in the GM role has been to build an organization heavy on quality players in its system that would not just return to the playoffs but become a fixture in them. Amid all of the temptations, potential deals and band-aid options to build a better roster sooner, Francis has been steadfastly patient arguably to the degree of stubbornness and committed to the original plan. At a minimum, he should be applauded for his consistency and following up his talk with actions.
Avoiding big mistakes
Francis approach thus far has also been low risk. As is the case with any GM, I could nitpick some of Francis’ individual moves, but thus far Francis risk averse style of building a roster avoids costly mistakes. His decisions lean heavily on using inexpensive players in the system, throw in a dash of additions of the inexpensive and short-term variety and completely avoid the big free agent contracts that can quickly become financial albatrosses. His approach is a somewhat boring but sound recipe for financial flexibility and steering clear of bad contracts that would make it impossible to build a competitive team with his less than salary cap budget.
Part of it is about investing ice time
There is a part of me that believes the NHL is a young man’s game, that the Canes might be ready to at least push into the playoffs this season, but that Francis is in the process of making the same mistake in consecutive summers in not adding enough quality depth from outside the organization when there are options to be had for cheap. But with a roster that is still incredibly young, I think Francis’ approach to the 2016-17 season is to push the youth up into bigger roles. If they seize the challenge and thrive, the team is ahead of schedule. If not, they still benefit from the ice time and challenges and are better for it in the long run. In addition, Francis gets a detailed read on how to slot what he has before he enters next summer with another small chunk of money to apply to filling a hole or 2. Bryan Bickell and James Wisniewski alone free up $5.5 million in actual salary (not cap hit). With some extra draft picks in hand, there is also a chance that if the team starts hot but still has gaps, that Francis makes a deal or 2 during the season. November can be a very good time for shopping when teams start slow and look to shake things up, and as the Ryan Johansen deal shows, these deals can be for good young players sometimes.
Dueling patience and anxiousness
As a fan who has received far more than I could ever have asked as a Hurricanes fan in 2002, 2006 and 2009 even if those glory years are in the past, I personally am fine with waiting out the current rebuilding process. But as a father of children who are in middle school, not that young and do not remember the Hurricanes going to the playoffs, frankly I am anxious and ready to spend a small amount of futures to improve the today that starts in a couple months. I also think the broader part of our once thriving Carolina Hurricanes fan base that has gone missing needs to see winning to return.
I continue to love where the team is heading, but there is also a part of me that is ready to be there now.
Go Canes!
1st, and most important, winning NOW…AND in the future are NOT mutually exclusive! Winning is a habit (as is losing), why would you think otherwise? When you compete in any sport, you try to win ASAP… if you only play at half speed, you have little chance to win. If a GM only develops his team a little…
RF, get off your wallet! Unlimited Patience is NOT a Virtue!
Losers can easily become winners. Chicago, Pittsburgh, and Washington all sucked for a long time before they became the perennial powerhouses they are now. Chicago’s attendance was so bad that the owner wanted to black out home games to get people to attend. Pittsburgh was almost bought and moved to Hamilton, Ontario. Washington couldn’t even give tickets away before Ovechkin landed in their laps. Things only turned around for these teams when their draft picks blossomed into superstars, not because of any big free agent signing or trade. Chicago famously whiffed when they threw money and term at Khabibulin. Ask Caps fans how the Jagr trade worked out for them. I get the frustration with the Canes not winning much recently, but that doesn’t necessarily mean the team can’t turn it around with our own prospects.
I agree fully with your last sentence above. I think most fans are out of patience, including myself.
My guess is that Francis would like to make some other deals and that there are deals to be had that would improve the team this year AND beyond, but he is handcuffed by budget constraints.
Canes are only $2-3M above salary cap floor, and included in that is ~$6M of cap hit for players bought out. If this team competes for a playoff spot this year, it’s due to great coaching from Peters and great personnel moves by Francis. I feel for these guys, it must feel as if they are fighting with one hand tied behind their backs. They are doing a great job. Total cap hit for young, talented top 6 D is only $11M this year. Amazing. Not sustainable, but truly a great job.
The sooner Karmanos sells this team, the better. These young players are going to have to get paid at some point.
I think you may be right on the budget constraints. That being said, there are 2 teams over the Cap, and 4 more with less than a million in cap space. Still time for an October Surprise.
One thing that can be said of RF, he doesn’t waver from the blueprint he’s established to develop this team. And develop is the key word. As much as we can hope and wish, his moves thus far don’t indicate that he’ll waver from the long term approach. Something tells me RF has kept the same house in Raleigh that he bought as a player, biding his time to sell it just when the market’s right. Patience is a virtue, as they say (whoever ‘they’ is), and as a fan of this team, we have to learn to accept that quality. Let’s just all hope (another good virtue)that things pay off this year with a taste of the playoffs.
Since when is being cheap a virtue? With 18M capspace (more than any other team), and players out there that would help improve this team, a good GM would have spent a little of it!
You do get what you pay for, and earn what you deserve… nothing!