If you missed it yesterday, be sure to see where fans land with regard to the Carolina Hurricanes captaincy for the 2018-19 season in the polls with the article on that subject yesterday.
Today’s Daily Cup of Joe will dial up a dose of optimism by looking at similarities between the current state of the Carolina Hurricanes and the 2005-06 team that rose up from low expectations to shock everyone and hoist the Stanley Cup.
To be clear, my point is not to predict that the same will happen but rather to remind everyone that in the topsy turvy NHL, it is in fact possible.
A new(ish) coach of the rally the troops variety
In 2005-06, Peter Laviolette was not technically a new coach. He had closed out a 2003-04 season behind the Hurricanes bench. But it was his first full season with the Hurricanes. Rod Brind’Amour will similarly represent a coaching change and hopefully a new attitude and mentality. More significantly, best guess is that Brind’Amour will bring some of Laviolette’s style challenging players and pushing them to find a higher level.
The departure of a scoring star
For the first time since the 2009-10 season, the Hurricanes will be without Jeff Skinner. Somewhat like Jeff O’Neill, Skinner had become a leading scorer and veteran despite his young age, but as a player who never really rounded out his game, the team opted to part ways with him rather than work to ink him to an extension. The situation looks a bit like Jeff O’Neill’s from the 2005-06. At the same time that Rod Brind’Amour was digging his heels in in Raleigh as a team leader for the next leg up for the team, O’Neill ironically preferred to leave to join a Cup contender. The 2005-06 team obviously did fine minus a player who was recently a leading scorer. The 2018-19 team will try to do the same minus Jeff Skinner.
A rebuilt blue line
Before the 2005-06 season, the team added Frantisek Kaberle and Mike Commodore who would both play their way into the top 4 and be part of a defense that was unheralded but good enough for a team that played a get up and go kind of style. Heading into the 2018-19 season, the Hurricanes roster will again include two newcomers on defense in Dougie Hamilton and Calvin de Haan.
The volume of changes makes any kind of projection difficult
A key facet of the 2005-06 magic was the volume of changes that made it impossible for the experts to forecast results for the team. Following the 2004-05 season lost to the lockout, two offseasons made for a high volume of changes. Players new to the NHL roster in 2005-06 included Martin Gerber, Cam Ward, Mike Commodore, Frantisek Kaberle, Cory Stillman, Ray Whitney, Matt Cullen and Chad LaRose for eight newcomers. The 2018-19 roster will similarly see almost half of the players change over.
Differences
Again, the aim of this article is not to predict a Stanley Cup win but rather to suggest that is always possible. But I do also note a few key differences between the two teams. Maybe most significantly, the 2005-06 team was a veteran bunch. The changes in the lineup were largely the result of opportunistically adding good veteran players from teams trying to fit under the new salary cap. The 2018-19 team figures to be very young with as many as four rookies in the lineup. Another difference is that the 2005-06 season represented a complete reset for the entire league after the lockout season. The league’s attempt to open up the game by cracking down on previously permissible obstruction played right into the hands of a Hurricanes team that was heavy on skill and skating at the forward position.
What say you Canes fans?
1) Do you see any other similarities between the current state of the Canes entering the 2018-19 season and the 2005-06 Cup winners?
2) Based on the 2005-06 magic, do you believe that anything is possible?
3) What would it take for this team to shock everyone and hoist the Stanley Cup in Raleigh again?
Go Canes!
1) I was a much more casual fan in 05-06 (I had two young children and was finishing up graduate school, so little time to think about why the Canes were successful). I will leave the analysis to the rest of y’all who have more insight into both teams.
2) Based on 05-06 and VGK last year–anything is possible.
3) Twenty-five plus goals from both Svechnikov and Zykov; 40 points each from Hamilton, Faulk, Pesce or Slavin; a top 5 penalty kill, two goalies with more wins than losses.
1) similarities include question marks in goal. We went in to game 7 of the Stanley Cup final with a rookie in goal, it doesn’t get more questioning than that.
The canes were fast for that era (the end of the clutch and grab era), and we are fast now in this era.
Necas skating ability reminds me a bit of Matt Cullen. Cullen’s ability to start, stop, and turn explosively was generally good for a chuckle or two per game. A defensive player trying to keep up with the changes of direction would appear to screw himself into the ice and become a fence post.
Necas has a lot to learn but his skating is exceptional in this era.
2) anything is possible. The cup win in ’05-06 wasn’t probable, but possible.
3) this team’s strength has to be solid play from defensemen. That will be the only way that the youngsters up front will play with confidence and necessary amount of wild abandon.
I think this is a stretch. We signed two unheralded wingers that were bought out because they werent successful in the old NHL. New rules came around and it matched their game, perfectly. We havent done that.
Hey lets hope Aho is our Number 1 like Staal was (as long as we dont sign Aho to an albatross contract afterwards)
Our defense is more “named” than our 05-06 defense. Our defense was looked at as a bunch of 3rd pairing defenders and spare parts. This season’s defense has serious recognition as a top 5 defense with the addition of de Haan.
Gerber was at least a decent tender at the time with the unknown rookie in the wings. We dont have any positive vibes in goal coming into the season.
to be able to make the playoffs: Mrazek and Darling must combine to be a top 20 goalie, defense is top 10 in the league for GA, a .65 record at home, and have a +20 in goal differential.
to shock the world: Darling or Mrazek have a .920+ save percentage, a top 5 defense, and Svech and Zykov battle for rookie scoring title. Or do everything to make the playoffs and go on a wild playoff run.
I’m not sure who are the unheralded wingers you are referring to? The wingers I’m thinking of were Cory Stillman and Ray Whitney. Stillman was coming off an 80pt season with Tampa Bay and Whitney was a 4x all-star before he came to Carolina. Both were in their 30s, so that is probably why they signed with the Canes, but unheralded?
There are some parallels between Gerber and Mzarek. Gerber was let go by Anaheim and had a solid year between the pipes for the Canes. His save percentage wasn’t impressive, but he seemed to make the timely save his team needed. Unfortunately, he couldn’t maintain that performance in the playoffs.
A solid year between the pipes by either Darling or Mzarek and the Canes are a whole lot better team.
I wasn’t following the Canes or hockey in 2005-06 – the SC run was just a set of headlines in the newspapers. So I can’t speak to similarities or differences – but I am always reluctant to make comparisons between teams like this so that is probably for the best.
To answer 2) and 3) together, I certainly think anything is possible. We have such a different look to the team and I think a different feel as well – culture and talent; youth and experience. I really thought we were a playoff team the past two seasons – but for a 6-week mid-season stretch in 16/17 we would have made it that year. Last year was just a mess. I think we are much better team this year – with scoring, grit, better play in the D zone and better goaltending all in the offing.
And once in the playoffs anything can happen.
Matt, I thinkthis is the third year in a row I’ve seen a C&C blog comparing the roster to the magical ’06 roster. *grin*
Don’t get me wrong, I don’t mind at all. It’s dog days of summer and we have to amuse ourselves, I don’t know how you come up with 5 topics a week, even in August, that’s really impressive and something I really appreciate!
And we all want to see the glorydays return. At least we’re not Toronto, the cup is only a decade gone, not a century (well, half a century).
I honestly don’t see many similarities other than a team that is trying to totally reinvent itself and go in a new direction.
There is a lot less veteran presence at forward, the defense is definitely much superior, at least on paper, and the goalie situation is in approx. the same state of uncertainty. Then again I did not start following the team closely until the ’06 playoffs so I do not have an insider perspective.
Let’s face it, this team has two terrible goalies who are lucky to be in the league, after last year! If either one improves even ten percent…that won’t get it done, and thinking both will…THAT IS JUST DREAMING!
Our forward group being more than adequate (with reliance on rookies) is a large gamble…ala the GKS, especially with the loss of Skinner and his goals.
Finally the D (which I feel has (on paper) greatly improved, still isn’t likely to put up goals sufficient to offset the negatives we have!
Overall IMO, we will be extremely lucky to see playoff games this year… too many good teams will have to sink to our level.
That said, is it very possible to acquire a GOOD forward for Faulk, and add to the scoring? I don’t think it would be enough, but we really need more offense…
I perfectly agree with PuckGod on this
I think this team, as is, screams full rebuild mode.
I know hopes are high for rookies, recoveries and revamped (well, recycled) coaching, but looking at the roster I see tons of maybes and potentials, but very little proven win now.
I hope a trade will happen for a real difference maker at forward.
I remain hopeful for the 2020 or 2021 seasons with this roster (once we figure out what the rookies have to give) but I am ready to “Chuck” another season down to a rebuild.
Maybe some combination of vudu, energy and goalie comebacks prove me totally wrong, and I will cheer it on, but I don’t expect it.
Just announced that Sekera is out indefinitely at Edmonton. They now need a defenseman. The Canes have a spare for the right price. RNH, just saying. Maybe.