Credit to the optimistic and smart Caniacs who voted in the last round of polls and correctly predicted the Hurricanes win on Tuesday.
I wanted to quickly get The Coffee Shop reopened while we are still reveling the Hurricanes’ HUGE win on Tuesday. Timing is right for a round of positive chatter over coffee!
Polls
Below are 5 quick polls on the topics of local hockey (check out the preview for today’s #BackyardBrawl at PNC Arena between UNC and NC State college hockey teams), Tuesday’s Canes win and rookie phenoms.
(Remember to hit ‘vote’ for each individual poll.
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Questions for chatter over coffee…
1) Is Sebastian Aho settling in at the NHL level such that the surge we see from him offensively in the second half of the season will exceed even the most optimistic of expectations? Or should we just be thrilled with the 50ish-point pace that he is suddenly on?
2) Do you expect to see Eddie Lack this weekend? If so, what is a reasonable expectation after a long layoff but at least 2 AHL games last weekend to shake off any rust?
3) Which Hurricanes players are most likely to be gone before the trade deadline at the end of the month?
Go Canes!
Some changes need to be made, BUT I’m not all that optomistic they will be…!??
I was hoping for something more definitively positive, but I guess shorter negative qualifies as a start. ?
At least puckgod used the word “optimistic” in his post. Granted, it was preceded by the word “not”.
As for Aho, I am happy (but not satisfied) with the 50ish point pace he is on. The 50ish point pace is probably already exceeding the most optimistic expectations for him. I would also expect Eddie get get some time in net this weekend. It is time to see if the Canes can get some backup goal tending that does not cause them to lose more ground. Regardless of what is reasonable, a win with him in net is necessary for building more confidence.
Regardless of who will be gone at the trade deadline, I do agree with puckgod that we should not expect the front office to make any personnel moves of major significance for the team.
Aho has exceeded any expectations I had coming into the season. I expected a long learning curve due to the numerous obstacles he would have to overcome; 1) his age, 2) slight frame and 3) adjusting to the North American rinks and style of play and, 3) outside pressures including cultural changes and meeting high expectations. What is both surprising and encouraging is how after struggling early, he seems to have adjusted his game and not only improving his play, but making those playing with him improve their games as well. From his initial game, Aho never appeared to be intimidated by playing in the NHL. He carries an innate, but subdued, confidence that he can succeed under any conditions or style of play. He actually seems to play better against the larger, more physical teams.
I don’t see any trades at the deadline. I firmly believe the Canes will be fighting for a playoff spot and the limited return for any of the players mentioned above isn’t worth the signal sent to the fan base (and more importantly the players) that they are once again bagging the season and looking to the future. Next season is pivotal, but being in the hunt of a playoff spot until the end of this season will tell you a lot about the kind of players you have, and the types of players you need, to get the ultimate prize. ONE DOLLAR HOT DOGS!
1. I agree with a lot of what ‘tenininumee’ had to say about Aho. He does have an almost natural ability to remain calm with the puck, even when the high-paced NHL storm is swirling around him. We read all the time about how certain pro athletes have the ability to ‘slow the game down’. Even at his young age, Aho appears to have that ability. And it will only get better. So, yes, he’s exceeding my expectations, and by a long shot.
2. I think we’ll definitely see Lack against the Islanders. The result? I have no idea, but my gut feeling is that he’ll hold the fort just barely enough for us to eek out a win.
3. This one is difficult to answer right now. I think it will all depend on how we fare in these next few games, along with what the rest of the Wild Wild East teams accomplish around us.
First, a note about my vote – I said I thought the team would continue with both up and down play. That said, I think they will have enough wins to continue to battle for a playoff spot. My gut tells me we fall just short. My heart tells me otherwise.
Before the season started I hoped/predicted Aho would score 35-40 points and that Teravainen would score between 40-45 points. I’ll be tickled with anything over 40 for SeaBass. I paid a good bit of attention to him last year during his Liiga play and he actually seemed to get stronger as the season wore on. The kid has played a ton of hockey in the last 18 months. While I understand the sentiment that Sebastian “slows the game down”, I view it a bit differently. His most valuable asset is his vision. To me, that slows the game down for him, allowing him to actually play with a good deal of pace. Notice his crisp, fast, and quick passes. It took him a while to get used to NHL speed, but now, he’s using that vision and quick decision-making to produce.
I tend to agree with the idea that we have a favorable schedule that would allow Cam to power through most of February. However, I think it is critical to get Lack some games, to build his confidence while spelling Ward. Frankly, if Ward didn’t have such a good recent record against the Oil, I might start Eddie tomorrow and then let Ward play the two key conference games. The Dallas game before the break would be determined by those performances. My gut tells me Eddie gets 3 games this month (one of the two this weekend or maybe the Dallas game, then the 2 games against the Western teams). Cam is going to get most of the tilts against the East.
It is such a tough call about deadline deals. I think Jay McClement’s days are numbered but as an integral part of the PK, he’s not going anywhere unless we crap the bed this month. Realistically, I believe we have to go 7-3 or 6-3-1 to have any sort of shot at post season. If we do worse than that I could see Hainsey, Stalberg, and JayMac being shopped at deadline time. In Hainsey’s case, it would be as much a favor to him as anything else. He’s never played a post-season game. I think the return for Hainsey could be pretty solid (2nd round pick or maybe a 3rd with a solid prospect), Stalberg likely gets a 3rd or a 4th. I just don’t think McClement has that much of a market given his declining FO ability. He’s almost exclusively a PK specialist. That’s a luxury most teams can’t afford.
In the final analysis, if we kick off the month with a small streak (4-0 or 3-1), I could see Ronnie making a move during the bye week. Then all bets are off.
Everyone above has pretty much said what I would have said. I will add one comment concerning Ron Hainsey. It is my understanding he has never been in the playoffs in his career (or is it never won the Cup?). Whichever is correct if the Canes are out of it I would like to see us deal him to a team that is a bonafide contender for the Cup. Hainsey has been one of the most under rated players on the team IMO. He has played in the top pairing, helped our young defenders, has rarely missed a game, and overall played at a high level. All without any accolades which we have heaped on virtually all the other defensemen. I would want us to make this move to reward him for all he has done for us.
I know this was written yesterday, but with Ward leaving practice early today (the 3rd) I would be dumbfounded if Lack didn’t get in either game.