Monday’s Coffee Shop featured a playoff theme. If you have not already, please consider stopping back in to see how CandC readers voted on the second round of the 2017 NHL playoffs. Most interesting to me was how close the polling was for picking winners for three of the series and then how lopsided the polling was for the Nashville Predators versus St. Louis Blues series.
With the Charlotte Checkers loss on Wednesday ending the 2016-17 season for all but the two Hurricanes prospects (Josh Wesley and Alex Nedeljkovic) still playing in the ECHL with the Florida Everblades.
As such, it is time to start turning our thoughts toward the 2017-18 and the summer work necessary to build the opening day roster. The all-important starting point for this project is assessing the current roster, what is reasonable to expect from those players in 2017-18 and what risks exist for setbacks with young players. The Thursday Coffee Shop partners with today’s Daily Cup of Joe in looking at key players who offered a mixed bag performance-wise in 2016-17 putting Francis in a challenging position to project what to expect for the 2017-18 season.
Carolina Hurricanes polls
Please remember to click ‘vote’ after each poll response.
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Discussion questions
1) Without the limitations of poll choices, what are your thoughts on Cam Ward, Eddie Lack, Justin Faulk, Noah Hanifin and Elias Lindholm in terms of reasonable expectations for 2017-18? Which one(s) are the riskiest in terms of expecting too much based on a partial season of strong play?
2) Do you think there is any risk that one or more of the young stars in Jaccob Slavin, Brett Pesce or Sebastian Aho suddenly hits some growing pains and takes a step back? Or are these players bulletproof?
3) Which of the depth, AHL or below AHL prospects do you feel comfortable counting on for the 2017-18 season?
Go Canes!
Answer to 1- Start over in goal, other guys pretty solid.
2- I wouldn’t say BULLETPROOF, but not a major concern…
3- None can be counted on, BUT EXPECT 2-4 will contribute in
A meaningful way.
1. I expect all of them to improve some. Lindholm has found a new level in elite primary set-up role (near the very top for primary assists in league). Faulk will improve with new partner as will Hannifin. Just as Hanifin and Faulk played better from the trade deadline on, the goalies will both improve if kept. Coaching seems to make the most difference for that position. An article on NHL.com about St. Louis’s second half of season reinforces my point:
“Goaltending also played a big role, with Jake Allen and Carter Hutton going from an .895 save percentage under Hitchcock to .941 after the coaching change.”
2. Let me go on record as saying Pesce might be the key for D moving forward. CanesCountry had a post early in the season that showed that statistically that Pesce improved his partner–including Slavin. I would actually pair Pesce with the rookie (presuming Fleury), Faulk with Hanifin, and find reasonably priced free-agent to pair with Slavin. On PK, Slavin and Pesce are a pair, but for 5-on-5 I think it makes sense to split them up. Aho will reach or almost reach 30 goals.
3. I think the two that you noticed last year during camp–Wallmark and Fogele–should both help. Also expect one of Zykov, Saarela, Smallman to make team during 17-18. From what I have read, there is also outside chance that Roy or Kuokkanen make it out of camp. Both have the talent, but with other options, RF and BP might want them getting one more year elsewhere.
Given Ward’s rather pedestrian level of play over his long career, it would be unwise to believe a simple change in coaching will make an appreciable difference in his play. The odds are better for a younger player to experience more of a substantive improvement. However, the player still must possess some above-average level of talent to provide a base to work with. In that regard, the jury is still out for Lack. As I think everyone agrees, there are so many questions between the pipes and as Peter’s clearly stated when talking about the forwards on the squad for next season, he wants players who he knows can play, and not depend on players that he hopes can play at a high level. In a sense what your’re saying is you are hoping that one or both goalies, either as a starter or as a back-up, can have his play elevated enough through better coaching, to play at the level necessary to win enough games to get in the playoffs. That’s a lot of hope. I’d prefer to acquire a player who has shown to have ability greater than either of the two current goalies, and take some of the unknowns (hope) out of the equation. At least that’s what I’m hoping.(!)
Tenininumee pretty much has said what I would say. The “key” words in his writeup to me is in his next to last sentence are “a player who has shown to have greater ability…” referring to the goaltending. For example, Bishop or Fleury has done this, but at this stage of their careers do we want to go big bucks and long-term to get one of them. If we could get one for two years at 3 million probably we all would say sign him (even puckgod and I). When we say 5 years at 6 million most seem to say “no”. Has a player like Darling “shown to have greater ability…”? Over a short period of time the answer would be “yes”. Is this enough? The right answer for this situation is to make a move based upon RF’s best judgment and hope for the best. As it has done before RF does anything, whatever he decides will surely be adequately evaluated by us fans and woe unto him if HE is wrong. Meanwhile I enjoy reading all you guy’s (and gal’s if that be the case) ideas and you sure are making my summer much more fun.
Your point #2 (how Peters sorts out the D pairings) will be critical. He never really did figure out how to make both a 1st and 2nd pairing work on the road (where opposing coaches dictated match ups) until it was too late. I am on record as hoping Francis provides one more proven #4/#5 defenseman to provide more combinations/options, but regardless being better 2 pairings deep is an area for needed improvement.
Your points are right on in my opinion. I think your pointing out (as you have elsewhere in other articles), that in addition to player changes and improvements, there are improvements that the coach needs to make to make us more competitive on the road is just as critical as those involving adding or subtracting players. You have mentioned the on the road matching up problem. There are others which you have mentioned in passing like the changing of lines when it seems we have found a working combination.
Actually, out of about six goalies that would be an upgrade… I’d
look at Condon, Darling, or Howard (a good Syracuse boy)! Other choices are Grubauer or Korpisalo, an RFA. THIS LIST IS MOSTLY CHEAP… however, I’d pay a bunch to finally get a good goalie!