To be clear, I am not throwing in the towel on the 2016-17 season. Personally, I do okay with facing the reality of the actual odds but not completely chucking even the smallest morsel of hope until it is truly gone. But with the Hurricanes suddenly 6 points (adjusted for games played) out of a playoff spot, needing to catch multiple teams and trending in the wrong direction, here is a short wish list for if things must go the wrong direction.
1) A deep playoff run for Ron Hainsey
Maybe more than anything, if the Hurricanes are not going to make the playoffs, I hope that Francis trades Ron Hainsey to a team assured of making the playoffs and with a chance to go deep and contend. For me, it is unfair that Hainsey is in his 14th NHL season and will likely pass 900 games played but has yet to see a single playoff game. There are some teams that would make it challenging, but my goal, if the Hurricanes miss the playoffs, is to root for Ron Hainsey making his first appearance in them at 36 years old (turns 36 in March).
2) A reasonable run of starts to figure out which end is up with Eddie Lack
If the Hurricanes fall out of the playoff hunt, 1 of the big decisions that Ron Francis will need to make this summer is what to do in net for the 2017-18 season. Healthy again, I would like to see Lack get enough starts in the final month of the season such that Francis can see if he can find some kind of rhythm and in the process a higher level of play.
3) The kids in Raleigh in March – Haydn Fleury, Roland McKeown, Lucas Wallmark and more
Doing what is best for their development is the top priority, but my hope is that it includes a chance to see players like Roland McKeown, Haydn Fleury, Lucas Wallmark and others in Raleigh in March. Seeing how these players stack up at the NHL level is important for figuring out what they might/might not be capable of for 2017-18, but equally importantly, it also offers something to look forward to on the trek to PNC Arena post-playoff chase.
4) Sebastian Aho with Victor Rask
Who knows for sure until we see it, but the part of me that tries to predict what will happen with certain hockey things, has a hunch that this duo could work well. My thinking is that though the Aho/Staal/Lindholm line has been the team’s best that Aho’s playmaking ability could be better spent with a better finisher or 2. I commented in previous posts that I thought Aho’s 4G/1A week awhile back could easily have been more like 4/4 or 4/5 if not for a decent volume of near misses with Staal. I like Staal’s game, but he just is not a top-tier scorer. I would not say that Victor Rask is either, but I think 2 things could make him fit incredibly well with Aho. First, Rask is a cerebral player in terms of positioning and decision-making. I think that ability could fit really well with finding the right places to be and being on the same page with Aho who has a knack for generating offense with the puck on his stick. In addition, though I would not classify Rask as an elite finisher, I do think he is a notch higher than Staal in terms of his hands and footwork for receiving passes in scoring situations and also his shooting ability.
5) A step up for Noah Hanifin down the stretch
The Hurricanes’ record does not so much reflect it, but the 2016-17 season has seen a number of Hurricanes players take another step in their development. Ryan Murphy has missed, but Jaccob Slavin and Brett Pesce went from being top 4 defensemen to pairing to form a competent first pairing. That is a nice step forward. And though his scoring totals are not eye-popping, I think Elias Lindholm has taken a significant step up especially since being paired with Jordan Staal. And Sebastian Aho has made a nice transition from Europe to the NHL as a 19-year old and will likely finish the 2016-17 as 1 of the team’s best stories. While Noah Hanifin has not really taken a step backward, I do not think he has really taken a significant step forward either. With one-third of the season remaining, a strong finish by Noah Hanifin that sees him find a higher gear would top off a solid season in terms of the young players continuing to improve.
I will probably include a question like this in the Monday Coffee Shop when it goes up, but also feel free to comment here…If not the playoffs, what would you like to see down the stretch in the 2016-17 season?
Go Canes!
Completely agree with 1-3, especially 1.
I would add one more: see Brian Bickell return to the ice, for two reasons. The first, most obvious, is because he is a hockey player and he should return to playing hockey. The second, is because we need more muscle in the lineup.
When I think about how cold our offense has been, I’ve been thinking more about how other teams have shut us down rather than our lack of “finishing.” Just before this poor run, we were scoring goals like crazy, so we know this team has some skill.
Teams are daring us to chip-and-chase. They are clogging the neutral zone and disrupting our puck-possession game. We are reluctant to just throw pucks in deep and win battles – but that is what teams are opening up to us instead. We need either (1) more willingness to change our game when necessary or (2) we need to develop that part of our game if it’s lacking. Maybe Bickell helps. Maybe I’m just pulling at straws here.
(Our fourth line does it, and Stalberg is actually quite effective at it, but it’s mostly in response to clearing the zone to make a change and not an offensive strategy.)
One last point: we need someone to step up to deserve/earn the “C” on their jersey. Leadership in the room matters, especially in times like these. None of our for “A”‘s seems to be stepping up into this role. Maybe one goal for RF in the offseason is to bring someone in who can be that guy. It’ll be expensive, but worth it.
Really good reasoned writeup IMO. Let’s hear more from you in the future. Won’t always agree, but I am sure I can learn something along the way. My writings have fallen into the “rant” mode lately. Nice to see some positive suggestions and analysis.
Great calls David. Despite the ups and downs of the 2016-17 season that feel like more downs right now, there have been some great stories including Jorge Alves, Derek Ryan and Michael Leighton. A Bryan Bickell return would fit nicely.
And resolution on the ‘C’ would be interesting too.
Agree with all of the above!
Captain is an underrated leadership position, and w/RF(a captain himself) I’m a little perplexed with the absence of ONE… (not to mention Brindy) ???
ALSO, Bickel (who I’m hoping can resume his career) could fill another important role.
Guys like Sharp and/or other veteran centers would be what I’d consider for a needed leadership postion, but a topline center doesn’t come cheap! No expectations here!
Also have a fairly significant addition. If the Hurricanes do get to try out mode in mid-March, I would like to see Trevor Carrick get a reasonable run of games. I am not sure he is an NHL defenseman, but I think he has earned his shot.
Right on!
Duchene for Faulk and backfill with Shattenkirk (or someone similar) in the off-season? Live to dream.
We have the lowest spending in the league, $6-million below the next-lowest-spending team, and $10-mil below Winnipeg at 27. I saw Bill Peter’s post-game media scrum last night: he’s got to be thinking, “what am I supposed to do? who can I bench? who can I call up? we’d only be a worse team. And we’re still in the race when you look at the schedule and if we can pull it together.”
I think he’s done a remarkable job given the hand he’s being dealt. I love his brand of hockey.
The only realistic solution, given the absence of a game-changing draft pick (McDavid, Laine, Matthews, etc., which isn’t in the cards), is to spend more.
If I wasn’t so upset right now, I’d make the business case for why Peter Karmanos is the real issue. He’s simply got to sell this team because he can’t afford it anymore. He’s throwing the team into a death-spiral: not being able to afford it is causing problems on the ice (not competitive) which is causing problems in the market (poor attendance, sponsorships) which leads to losing money, which leads to relocation speculation, which leads to Tier-1 UFA’s not considering us, etc., etc.
Not saying it’s easy at age 74 to lose $15/20-million a year on your team. The obvious answer is to spend less. The non-obvious answer is to invest more … but that’s a younger person’s mentality.
Frustrating. I love this team. My kids think I’m crazy for watching 80 games a year on tv (I live in CLT) but I can’t help it. Go Canes!!!
Ok. That was a little too much of a rant. And I apologize.
But I think it’s all true.
I agree with all your points, and it’s crazy to sugar-coat the facts, just to appease someone!
This market would come back in droves if they spent a little more on higher caliber players.