Aleksi Saarela was not one of the original members on the Checkers roster to start to the season, but man has he fit in with the team like he has been playing with them all season. The Hurricanes acquired Saarela in a trade with the New York Rangers, that saw former Stanley Cup champion and Canes team captain Eric Staal traded away for the rights to Saarela and two second round picks. All I can say is that it is never easy to lose a franchise player like Eric Staal, especially when he has become so close with the fan base and the community.
Notes on Aleksi Saarela through 7 games with the Charlotte Checkers
But if Saarela is as good as he has looked for the Checkers, then the Hurricanes fan base may need to give Eric Staal one more thank you for what he has done for the franchise. The Finnish product has looked incredible in his first seven-game sample in North American professional hockey. He has tallied ten points, six of which have been goals where he has shown a tremendously hard/accurate shot. He is boasting a whopping 37.5% shooting percentage, something that is just unheard of but to be fair he has only taken 16 shots for the season. Saarela is a terrific skater, with quick acceleration that allows him to blow past slower defenders to create quality scoring opportunities. He is also strong on the puck and gets lower to the ice when he is skating, so he cannot be easily shoved or pushed off it. Saarela is featured not just on the power play, he also has been put out on the ice to help kill penalties for the Checkers in key moments of the game. Going back and looking at old scouting reports of Saarela before he was drafted I do not understand why he was projected and taken so late in his draft class year. He was clearly skilled even back when he was younger and the people who watched him consistently had nothing but good things to say about him. The only real knock about him is that he can be injury prone at times and it has caused him to miss some big games over his career in Europe. I absolutely think he looks NHL ready now, and I know I have been saying this a lot lately, but Hurricanes fans need to start getting really excited about this guy. It has been dark for 8 seasons now without a playoff light for this franchise and fan base but as cliché as it sounds, it is always the darkest before the dawn and Aleksi Saarela might just be part of the sun rising again.
Jordan. Thanks for the details. Saarela has definitely put himself on Canes fans’ radars the past two weeks. You are correct to talk about the bright future for him and the entire team. I hope to see Saarela as the fourth line center to begin the season. In fact, I think the 4th could have two rookies, whether the other one is Zykov, Gauthier, or maybe Foegele, joined by McGinn or DiGuseppe (expect we might lose one of these two to expansion). That would be a fourth line that could add some offense and make the Canes dangerous from top to bottom.
If he pans out, the Staal trade will confirm that RF is a shrewd GM.
No thanks on the fourth line idea. Foegele and McGinn/DiG yes, probably a reliable two way guy like Wallmark too, they’re the perfect kind of energetic players with offensive upside for that role, Saarela needs to be at least middle six, or in the AHL. I don’t like the idea of young, high upside players getting eight minutes of ice time. Play him and play him a lot either in Charlotte or the NHL. But if it’s Raleigh put him with Lindholm or Aho so he’ll have a high level set up man that can help him create offense. He’s the type of offense creator and finisher we really really need.
Agree that 8 minutes doesn’t make sense. But think the Canes could easily become more the Columbus where all forwards get between 11-17 minutes per game. In fact, I think that might be more the norm going forward. Having a 4th line that is a skill line puts more pressure on opponents.
And in Saarela’s case, if he proves to be potent at NHL level, then Peters’ history of changing lines is a good thing and Saarela joins Aho and Lindholm while Rask centers on the 4th.
I can get behind that. Moving forward I think there’s enough talent that that could be a viable option, really rolling four lines. But weve got to have 12 worthy players to do it. Something like Aho-Lindholm-Skinner (if that line could mesh it would be lethal, but chemistry is a funny thing. It’s not like NHL 17 on Xbox. Players have to complement each other), Teravainen-Staal-Saarela, Gauthier-Roy-Zykov, DiG/McGinn-Rask-Wallmark. Obviously who knows the exact lines, but in a few years that sounds like a heck of a lineup to me so long as they develop as hoped/expected. But who knows what happens or if a guy like Kuokkanen makes it to he HAS to have a spot on the NHL roster, plus trades, injuries, other unforeseen circumstances like the expansion draft which I think we lose one of McGinn or DiG to. With a defense core of Faulk, Hanifin, Slavin, Pesce, Fleury, and McKeown behind it and hopefully a true number one goalie… that team, hypothetically speaking, sounds like something I could definitely get behind.
Yeah he was a beast in the Finnish junior leagues and was looked at one point to be a first round lock, but he was injury prone throughout the few years leading to the draft so that’s why he fell.
Thanks Jordan. Saarela could be really good. Exciting group of guys in development.