Seven games is obviously not enough to make any final judgments, but with those games and also preseason, it is enough for first impressions on the new players. That is the subject of today’s Daily Cup of Joe.
James Reimer
The crux of the trade for James Reimer is that the Hurricanes could unload Scott Darling’s contract and get a player who at least theoretically could contribute and/or possibly be traded later. The move made sense on a financial level even if Reimer did not work out. But the deal did also have upside if Reimer rebounded. Though his 2018-19 campaign was not great, he was only a couple years removed from being a capable 1A/1B type goalie.
First impressions on Reimer are definitely positive. The team is 2-1 in Reimer starts, and more significantly he played a sizable role in both of the wins. Mrazek may have evened things up a bit with his shutout on Tuesday, but prior to that I think it was fair to say that Reimer was the better of the two goalies. He held the fort in the second half of the game against the Capitals while the team rebounded. And he was stellar in the win over Florida that saw the team in front of him play one good period and then take the rest of the night off to the tune of a shooting gallery that Reimer survived.
At a minimum, he seems to be settling in as a competent backup which in itself is a win.
Joel Edmundson
My assessment after seven games is that I underappreciated what he brought to the Hurricanes. He seemed to be billed as a capable depth defenseman who could handle the rough stuff if necessary. From watching him, he seems capable of being a regular top 4 if necessary. The result is that Edmundson, along with Gardiner, again make the team five deep in terms of top 4 defensemen. That recipe worked well for the Hurricanes in 2018-19.
Jake Gardiner
Of the group, I feel like Gardiner is the player still most in an adjustment phase. Gardiner has not been bad. In fact, for a player whose downside was alleged to be his deficiencies in terms of defenses lapses and occasional bad turnovers, I think Gardiner’s play has been quiet in a good way. But at the same time, he has not been a regular difference-maker offensively. No doubt his overtime game-winner was a huge contribution, but otherwise he has not really emerged as an offensive catalyst yet. The power play unit that he is on has not produced much, and past the overtime game-winner, he has produced only a single assist on the score sheet. My feeling is that Gardiner is going through more of a normal adjustment phase with a new team and system.
Ryan Dzingel
Dzingel seemed to arrive billed as a capable goal scorer with speed who was maybe deficient defensively. Thus far, he has lived up to his billing offensively with two goals and four assists in six games. His pass to Martin Necas for the Hurricanes lone non-empty-net tally was a pretty, heady playmaking type of assist. And in general, he has been a positive both at even strength and on the power play. I have noticed that Dzingel does go for the Skinner-like swipe and fly by instead of playing through the body. But on a positive note, I would not say that Dzingel has stood out negatively on the defensive side of the puck which in itself is a positive. Further, he seems to be meshing well with line mates Martin Necas and Erik Haula and boosting the team’s depth scoring in the process.
Erik Haula
The most productive of the newcomers in the early going is Erik Haula. He already has five goals and added his first assist in Tuesday’s win. But maybe more significant than his scoring is his all-around play. Haula is emerging as a player that Brind’Amour can trust at the same level as Jordan Staal. He wins face-offs and is a good read/react center defensively. His role has quickly become much more than just ‘depth scoring’ which is significant.
What say you Canes fans?
1) What are your thoughts on the newcomers?
2) Over the longer haul, which of these players do think will make the largest contribution?
Go Canes!
I agree that the additions have worked out well so far.
Loved Reimer’s game in Florida. I wasn’t as wild about the Washington game. Thought he was more lucky than good, but the results speak for themselves. Quality backup, if a bit expensive.
I am also impressed by Edmundson. Skates much better than I thought. A quality d-man who has the ability to handle the rough stuff if needed. As long as he continues to stay out of the box he’s a keeper.
Huala is rock solid on D and wins faceoffs. A big upgrade at 3C for the Canes. I love how he goes hard to the net. If he continues to do these things he will be the pickup of the year.
Lots of skill from Dzingle. A real nice feed to Necas last night. He’s a bit soft, but playing on the third line he can get away with it. I think what you are seeing with Huala, Dzingle, and Necas is the benefit of depth. These three can score and they are facing third D pairings and non-defensive forward lines. Matchup heaven!
Wasn’t wild about the Gardiner signing and still don’t care for it. He is nice on the PP, and makes the occasional stretch pass, but the rest of his game is blah. Moving the puck to forwards like Marner, Matthews, and Tavares will inflate your assist totals. There are reasons other teams didn’t want to sign him to a long term deal.
Reimer has been our best goalie. I agree that after last night we have 1A/1B. Mrazek really looked great last night. We look very good at goalie. The Reimer trade has been a total win.
Both Dzingel and Haula have been excellent, what we call our third line is our first line. You could not ask for much better, and it is consistent.
Gardiner was supposed to be offensive and not so good on D. He has been quite good on D. I noticed several good D plays last night and wondered why people were saying he was so bad. We have not been seeing bad D at all. Once he gets used to the team I believe his offense will step up as well. I have been pleased because I was concerned he would be a defensive hole, but not even close to that.
I was not happy moving Faulk but I find now I cannot complain about Edmundson, it’s the opposite. He does bring grit and more. I underestimated him also. He may not be a scoring machine but his D has been top 4 level.
I have nothing but glowing reviews for all of them. The brain trust knows what they are doing. This is fun.
Good comments above by everyone. Gardiner seems to be the only newcomer anyone anyone is on the fence about.
We are 6-1-0. What’s to complain about? The new guys all have contributed to the good play and on occasion to some bad lapses in their play. It’s a team game and we seem to have put together a very good team. If I had a complaint it is that our forecheck has not been as effective as it was most of last season and our penalty kill has looked ragged at times. Neither of these deficiencies (if they are deficiencies) can I blame entirely on the infusion of the newcomers.
1) I will be in the minority but I think Dzingel is playing better than Haula. This is mostly based on his passing ability. Dzingel has made several plays to set up his line mates almost every game. On the other hand, Haula had at least two chances last night to pass across the middle to Necas who had some separation, both times the pass was way off. Haula did a make a nice pass to the front of the net for a Dzingel chance later in the game, so I am not saying his passing is a liability, just that there is a reason he has goals and last night was his first assist (ironically he got an assist on a play where the Dzingel pass was the key play).
My take on Edmundson is that he (like Faulk last season) is benefitting from partnering with Pesce. At some point, I would expect Gardiner to get that opportunity, which will likely improve his play.
2) He isn’t absolutely “new,” but I think Necas has started to realize that his skating is a level above most opponents. His passing is also showing much more confidence. Haula and Dzingel will likely play up to their career trajectory (50-55 points for both), but it looks like Necas could be another Teravainen in driving the offense from the wing.
All good comments.
The player I am happiest for, though, is Necas. Not making last year and not having RBA’s confidence took it’s toll. He is a true Vellucci development success. Necas’s acceptance of the move to the wing and his development in that role is leading to his development of the impactful player we hoped to see in him. As ct says, and I have said since middle of last season watching him in CLT he is a playmaking wing like Turbo, right down to the ability to score. He does show positional uncertainty in the d-zone (but is so much better than Skinner – and is really working at it) and helping move the puck out of the d-zine. He skates with confidence through the neutral zone and is delivering some near-elite passes. And he appears to have RBA’s confidence, which is really critical to a young player.