Canes and Coffee is on short summer break for the week of 8/13 and will return sometime between 8/20 and 8/22 and pretty quickly start looking at training camp for the 2019-20 season.
If any big news breaks (a Justin Williams signing?), we will reemerge early.
Go Canes!
Enjoy!
You deserve it !!! Have a great time.
And, what, extending GMDW doesn’t qualify as big news? 🙂
And we now have our goalie coach – although I have my reservations about the hire.
Curious what those are. He seems to be fairly accomplished despite it being a collegiate level. But I don’t know anything about his coaching history aside from the press release.
Coaching at the college level is very different than coaching at the NHL level. At the college level you are coaching fundamentals (still) and skill development – it is teaching.
At the NHL level it is managing. And Bailes was excellent in this role as the “goalie whisperer”. The goalies approached him when they felt there were issues or Bailes would work with them with a specific focus. But NHL goalies already have the skill set developed – in anything, it is fine tuning and spot checks and the goalie coach understanding his goalies.
I think these are two very different job descriptions and it will remain to be seen how Muzzotti makes the transition.
Sometimes I’m just too much of an optimist for my own good. But this has been a few pretty significant days for the organization and the upcoming year.
Don Waddell re-upped. Check.
New goalie coach hired. Check.
Opportunity to troll the traditional hockey media for a week. Biggest check of all!
Still I’m hopeful. Don’t know a thing about Muzzatti and his track record at Mich. St. isn’t impressive. In fact, they’ve been a bit of a dumpster fire these last few years. I don’t know how the goaltenders performed, however. Still, he was a teammate of Roddy’s and that’s got to count for something.
I was impressed with the way Mike Bales managed McElhinney and Mrazek last season, but we know that Petr has his own people that he works with (per Sara Civian) from a technique and skills perspective. And not to beat a dead horse but Bales left not only because he was given an assistant coaching title (and likely pay), but also because he had a pre-existing relationship with Jason Botterill. And this front office gave him permission to take that job, something that reinforces the thought that, “…if you don’t want to be here then we don’t want you here…”.
All we need now is a decision from Justin Williams, which I hope comes sooner rather than later.
Bales didn’t need permission from the team to take the position. I recall DW saying that it was written into his contract that he could pursue/take an assistant coach job.
So basically given permission out of the gate. 😉
The Canes aren’t going to be hiring known NHL coaches with what they pay. When you judge Hurricanes coaching hires you have to view it through that prism.
As bad as Michigan State has been over the past decade, they have had some good goalies.
I agree with most of what has been said here. And like most here, I am confident that Willy will sign on for another year or two.
My beloved Canes have invested heavily in forwards and goalkeepers. We have more of each than we could possibly need. That is what I call depth.
But the NHL talking heads, as well as some on this site talk about our depth on defense. Say what?
The Chicago Blackhawks have 15 defensemen on NHL contracts. 15!!! 15!!!
We actually keep a straight face and list our defense corps with our Haydn among the top 7. And this we call depth?
I think not.
Donny and Tommy have more work to do. And soon. Please?
The one statement that strikes terror into the heart of Roddy, is when TVR says at the pre-game skate, “Coach, I’m not feeling very well.”
I’m a bit less concerned about depth on the blueline than some. Personally, I think the reason McKeown hasn’t been re-signed has to do with the situation that pwrlss references. If TVR is delayed in his return, doesn’t look good in his return, or has some sort of set back, then McKeown is likely the back up plan. Keep in mind that, although a leftie, Jake Bean played a lot of right side defense throughout his career. Plus there’s still that off chance that Chase Priskie comes into the fold.
At some point we’re going to have to get an answer from Williams so that we can put the finishing touches on the team going into camp.
And, as it was foretold, Priskie is now signed.
I think he will push McKeown for 4th RHD slot.
Ultimately don’t you think somebody gets moved? While it’s not a sure thing that a McKeown or Forsling or Fleury would get claimed, it is probably a pretty fair bet that they would.
Seems to me that one of these waiver eligible guys will need to go.