With four straight wins by teams up three games to two in first-round playoff series on Saturday and Sunday, the 2017 NHL playoffs quickly jumped forward to the second round. Today’s coffee shop polls and discussion questions address the playoffs in general and also from a Canes-centric point of view. If you have not read it yet, today’s Daily Cup of Joe details impacts of the first-round playoff results for the Carolina Hurricanes.
Discussion questions
1) What was the best part of the first round of the NHL playoffs?
2) What is your biggest takeaway from a Carolina Hurricanes’ perspective for the first round of the 2017 NHL playoffs?
3) What are the chances that Alex Galchenyuk becomes available as part of a shake up in Montreal after their early playoff exit? How do rate/like him compared to other options to add a top 6 scoring forward?
Polls
Please remember to click ‘vote’ after each poll response.
Which second round NHL playoff series are you most excited to watch?
- Capitals vs. Penguins (67%, 30 Votes)
- Blues vs. Predators (22%, 10 Votes)
- Ducks vs. Oilers (7%, 3 Votes)
- Senators vs. Rangers (4%, 2 Votes)
- None. With the Hurricanes season over, I have checked out of NHL hockey for the 2016-17 season. (0%, 0 Votes)
Total Voters: 45
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Who wins?
- Pens in 6 (43%, 19 Votes)
- Caps in 6 (23%, 10 Votes)
- Caps in 7 (20%, 9 Votes)
- Pens in 5 (7%, 3 Votes)
- Pens in 7 (7%, 3 Votes)
- Caps in 4 (0%, 0 Votes)
- Caps in 5 (0%, 0 Votes)
- Pens in 4 (0%, 0 Votes)
Total Voters: 44
Loading ...Note added before start of series: Penguins 25 / Capitals 19
Who wins?
- Rangers in 6 (35%, 15 Votes)
- Sens in 7 (30%, 13 Votes)
- Sens in 6 (14%, 6 Votes)
- Rangers in 7 (14%, 6 Votes)
- Sens in 5 (5%, 2 Votes)
- Rangers in 5 (2%, 1 Votes)
- Sens in 4 (0%, 0 Votes)
- Rangers in 4 (0%, 0 Votes)
Total Voters: 43
Loading ...Note added before start of series: Rangers 22 / Senators 21
Who wins?
- Oilers in 7 (26%, 11 Votes)
- Ducks in 5 (23%, 10 Votes)
- Ducks in 6 (23%, 10 Votes)
- Ducks in 7 (12%, 5 Votes)
- Oilers in 6 (12%, 5 Votes)
- Oilers in 4 (2%, 1 Votes)
- Oilers in 5 (2%, 1 Votes)
- Ducks in 4 (0%, 0 Votes)
Total Voters: 43
Loading ...Note added before start of series: Ducks 25 / Oilers 18
Who wins?
- Preds in 7 (35%, 15 Votes)
- Preds in 6 (30%, 13 Votes)
- Preds in 5 (12%, 5 Votes)
- Blues in 7 (9%, 4 Votes)
- Blues in 6 (7%, 3 Votes)
- Preds in 4 (5%, 2 Votes)
- Blues in 5 (2%, 1 Votes)
- Blues in 4 (0%, 0 Votes)
Total Voters: 43
Loading ...Note added before start of series: Predators 35 / Blues 8
With the Checkers up 2-1, who wins the Checkers vs. Wolves AHL playoff series?
- Checkers in 5 (56%, 24 Votes)
- Checkers in 4 (37%, 16 Votes)
- I don't care. I do not track Checkers/AHL hockey. (7%, 3 Votes)
- Wolves in 5 (0%, 0 Votes)
Total Voters: 43
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Go Canes!
1) Overtime hockey. It is always exciting, but even more so during the playoffs. And there was plenty of it
2) Goalies. Since there is so much focus on new goalies, there is a lesson is the fact that 2 of 3 Vezina finalists couldn’t help their teams win one round. Two goalies who did (Fleury and Lundquist) had .909 and .910 SV% for the year. And last year a goalie with 13 games NHL experience was the winning goalie. Carolina can spend $6 million or more per year and not get out of the first round. I truly believe there are multiple Cup finals for this organization in the next decade given the abundance of young talent. Eventually there will be tough salary-related decisions. So Matt’s point from a few days ago about spending $3.5-4 million should be heeded. Spending much more could jeopardize other positions with no promise of any success once the Canes start making the playoffs every year.
3) It all depends on what it takes to get Galchenyuk. Montreal actually has 1st and extra 2nd round picks the next two years. So my guess is it would be someone off the Canes roster. I prefer UFA or trading a goalie and picks (so it is necessary to find someone who needs a back-up goalie and believes as I do that Lack showed what he will do for the near future during the strong March stretch). I am thinking Winnipeg. I would think Larson might be available for Lack and 2nd. Larson is not huge scorer, but a definite upgrade and doesn’t eat up salary needed for Slavin/Pesce/Linholm/Aho in next 2 years.
ctcaniac’s comments fall in line with my thoughts on all points. Only one thing would I add to his commentary. Toronto did go out and pay 5 million plus for 5 years to get Andersen and right now that’s looking like a great move. I take heed in Matt’s and ct’s caution, but if an “Andersen type” came available (Note: I do not see one in the mix right now), I would be inclined to try to make a similar deal that Toronto made with Andersen.
Re: Spending for a #1 goalie. I don’t think there is a more difficult decision a GM has to make than finding a goalie that will provide the stability in net that every team is looking for to be successful. It’s a crap shoot that depends on statistical analysis and a certain amount of gut feel or intuition. It is also a situation where over-paying for average or below average performance is common. It also is a position that has the most impact on a team from factors that are hard to quantify. Team confidence, being one. Making a key save at a critical juncture of a game can change the dynamics in a way that are difficult to measure. A young, fairly inexperienced (and inexpensive) goalie who gains the confidence of his teammates through a few well timed saves is just as valuable as a $7 million goalie, but identifying those younger players capable of coming through in the clutch is as scientific as playing the lottery. With the $4 – 6 million guys, you’re improving the odds based on their historical play in clutch games, and not basing the decision on a season or short playoff run GA or SV% (which can be horrendously misleading is short, low scoring series). You’re paying for “the guy” to make the big save when your team needs it the most. In other words, you can be wrong or right by either under-paying for a young, unproven goalie or over-paying for a veteran with lots of playoff experience. Unfortunately, Carolina works within some financial constraints that take some of the options off of the table which in some ways, can make the decision making easier. I don’t see a Bishop coming here, or Ryan Miller, Jonathon Bernier, Steve Mason or even Marc-Andre’ Fleury (who sucked during road games in the playoffs and was stellar at home – do we need more of that?). IMO, it will be more like a Phillip Grubauer (who I watched a lot in Hershey and is very, very good and would be my #1 choice) or a Scott Darling type of player. I’m just glad I don’t have to make the decision but in the end, we won’t know until the proof is in the poutine.
Question for you, tenininumee. Did you get to see Vitek Vanecek play much in Hershey? If so, how did he look at that level? I saw him play quite a bit in the 2015-16 season for the Stingrays in the ECHL and he looked great. Just curious about his transition to the AHL level and if it looks like he still has potential to progress further.
No charlestoncane – he was after I left the area and came to Raleigh. I mostly saw Grubauer and Danny Sabourin. I was lucky enough to see Jonathon Quick in Reading for a year in the ECHL before he moved up to the AHL. I think it is difficult to see greatness in goalies when they’re young but in Quick’s case, it was obvious from the first game. Probably the best minor league goalie I ever saw.
I would just like to say that watching McDavid in the playoffs makes me realize how good Sydney Crosby is. A lot of people say McDavid is the player in the world – no I don’t think so, not yet. He may be the most explosive/fastest player… but I would take Crosby over McDavid in a heartbeat. Just a random thought.
here4thebeer, I concur with your opinion. Right now Crosby is the best.
I agree with all of the comments on the goalie position.
It is a challenging puzzle for Ron Francis. On the one hand, you really cannot win without at least decent goaltending. On the other hand, there just is no guarantee that you get what you pay for in the higher price ranges.
My inclination is to get the best pair of $3-4M goalies you can, don’t overcommit in terms of contract length and constantly invest draft picks in the future so that eventually you can have a third or even fourth option available at the AHL level. If I thought paying $6M for the best available (probably Bishop this summer) guaranteed the highest level of play, I would pay it. But I just don’t think the probability of that happening is as high as some think which makes it really risky.
Matt, your surmise is right on. Right now I don’t see a 5-6 million dollar goalie out there, so I think it’s a moot question right now. Bishop is not a $5-6 million dollar guy IMO. Between you and tenininumee you guys have it covered as far as I’m concerned. As a thought, what about this guy McCollum playing for Charlotte right now? At one time he was considered the heir apparent for the starting job in Detroit, then hit hard times. Is he worth thinking about? Anyone have thoughts on this? I think he’s just south of 30 years old.
Wizard…where are you. We need your ideas about the goalie situation. Sign on and speak to us.
Of course paying big money on unproven goalies is risky, but when you settle for the worst pair of keepers in the league (just to save money)…you’ve ABDICATED YOUR RESPONSIBILITY to yourself, your team, and your FANS (who pay the bills). RF has the job to find a winning goalie (nobody wins with a crappy goalie), and if it was easy…you know… So, we’ve seen the cheap route FAIL (for multiple years), and it’s incredible that some people want to repeat this follie… I’d like to try something NEW, DIFFERENT, AND LIKELY BETTER! If any GM can’t pick out a good goalie (with help from OTHER experts)…then…maybe we should get another GM…???
Do you use statistics?
What about Jimmy Howard from Detroit? Mrazek is considered their number 1. Howard had 2.10 goals against and .927 save perecentage this past season. He’s older and has a year or two remaining on a $5 million per year contract I believe. Could probably be obtained from Detroit with them taking back some salary or they taking either Ward or Lack in return. Is he a good candidate? What do you think?
Howard is a possibility and also a great illustration of the ups and downs of even expensive goalies. He had a really rough 2015-16 season and could probably have been had for nothing (just taking his big salary) last summer. Fast forward a year,and he looks better and has value as a potential starter.