If you do not land at the home page and notice that the appearing and disappearing Canes and Coffee cups are up and after two years of dragging my feet in terms of selling merchandise, they are officially available for sale. Even better, you can order and pay now and then pick up your coffee cup at the Tenco Coffee food truck at the Caniac Carnival on Sunday. Details are HERE.
And for those looking for my notes on Tuesday’s Canes prospect debacle (a 9-2 whooping at the hands of the Blackhawks prospects), I did watch the game and scribble notes, but life got in the way in terms of posting them. I will either write them up at lunchtime or Wednesday or include them with my article on the Traverse City finale on Tuesday.
And with that, we will all turn our attention to the Carolina Hurricanes training camp which officially kicks off with the first of two group practices starting at 8:45am on Friday.
A more formal training camp preview will follow starting either on Wednesday or Thursday, but today’s Daily Cup of Joe just cannot wait, so I will talk a bit about the types of things I look for early in training camp as relates to where Coach Bill Peters’ mind is at in terms of sorting out the lineup for opening night. On the topic of reading Bill Peters’ mind (and Francis’ too), if you missed it, check out yesterday’s article with four questions that I wish I could get answered by the duo.
Here is a bit of a stream of conscious list of clues and information points that I will be watching closely starting on Friday.
Penalty kill reps for players who could be dark horses for a fourth line wing slot: Best guess is that the starting point penciled in as a fourth line includes some combination of Joakim Nordstrom, Marcus Kruger, Josh Jooris and Brock McGinn. All four players are on one-way deals and figure as depth forwards if in the lineup. The line could also feature three of the teams four forward penalty killers (just like all of McClement, Nordstrom and Stalberg were used on the penalty kill in 20161-17). So if a younger player is going to seize a slot, ideal but not 100 percent required would be if the player could also take the penalty kill minutes. So especially in preseason game action, I will be watching to see which young players get a look on the penalty kill.
Reps with NHLers: One telling sign that a young player is garnering NHL consideration is receiving ice time with players certain to be in the NHL. It is huge sign that the coach is at least considering if, how and with whom a young player might fit into the lineup.
Who slots at center: Jordan Staal, Victor Rask and Marcus Kruger are nearly certain if healthy to slot at center in the opening day lineup. That leaves one slot open. Derek Ryan figures to be the fourth center, but he is also the one that could be vulnerable if a gifted young offensive player looks ready ahead of schedule or if Ryan does not spark scoring therefore leaving Peters to try other options. I will be watching to see if any of Teuvo Teravainen, Sebastian Aho or Elias Lindholm see any ice time at center during training camp.
The initial line combinations and defense pairings: Things and will change over the course of the season and even preseason, but how things start out does provide an indication of what Peters thinks will work best. So in that regard, I will be watching to see what the top two pairings on defense are initially and also what line combinations skate together in practice.
Stay tuned! A more in-depth training camp preview is on the way. And please consider adding to your coffee cup collection and supporting Canes and Coffee’s Hurricanes hockey coverage as we head into the 2017-18 season.
What say you Caniacs?
What will you be watching right out of the gate for training camp?
Go Canes!
One thing I will be interested to get a handle on is if Derek Ryan appears more comfortable/productive. His history is that he acclimates to the level of play. It started in juniors, which makes sense, but is a pattern which has held through to the AHL. He increases his scoring about 20%-30% his second year. Since he was on a 35 point pace last year, he might be good for 42-46 points this year. I understand that he is vulnerable and isn’t a star, but those numbers are actually solid for a 3rd center.
Some interesting thoughts, Matt. I agree with some and look at some a bit differently.
First, I don’t think you can overstate the importance of the PK not only as part of the Canes’ identity but also for the team’s success when scoring has been limited. Even though the PK fell off after the trade deadline, the success of the PK is a product of Smith’s coaching and the type/quality of players on the PK. I always say if you can prevent the other team from scoring, it is like getting a goal for yourself. I don’t see a younger player on the PK – I don’t even see McGinn on it, in fact. If that impacts the make-up of the 4th line, that precludes a younger player making the roster out of training camp.
I really don’t think Ryan is “vulnerable” – he is a known quantity to Peters going back years. As ct says, his scoring is solid 3rd line. He is very strong on the face-off. Plus he can play on the wing as well. I don’t see how a younger player pushes him off the roster at the beginning of the season.
I do agree with you the importance of who is getting PK time and who is getting ice time with NHLers – but I really think this is part of an evaluation process of the young players by Peters, with it’s relevance being to see what players are closer to NHL readiness and who is more likely to be called up on an as-needed basis.