Upon returning home to Raleigh on Thursday after a three-game preseason road trip, the Hurricanes announced another round of roster cuts. Six players were either sent to the AHL or placed on waivers with the intent of being returned to Charlotte. Cut were Nicolas Roy, Valentin Zykov and Aleksi Saarela who are waiver-exempt and will report to the Checkers. Also cut were Jeremy Smith, Jake Chelios and Trevor Carrick who must first clear waivers before being assigned to Charlotte.
Surprises
Of the bunch, two things surprise me to some degree. First, among the cuts, I am on record as thinking that Trevor Carrick has played well enough to become a waiver claim risk and that because of that risk, the Hurricanes would start the season with eight defensemen on the roster. At the end of the day, Carrick is still a fringe AHL/NHL defenseman with only a few games of NHL experience, so I guess Francis was willing to take the risk.
The other moderate surprise is the fact that the Hurricanes still have 27 players in tow. It will be interesting to see if that is simply to have a few more players available for Friday night’s preseason finale such that Saturday will see a phase two of the final cuts.
Who is left?
Right now, the roster includes all 22 players who are on one-way contracts plus five more players.
Let’s take a look at the other five players…
Jake Bean: I am on record about a week back as thinking that Jake Bean would stay until the end not because he is competing for an NHL position for 2017-18 but simply because experiencing as much NHL-ish competition as possible is beneficial to his development before he returns for another year in juniors. I detailed what I thought was a tough outing for him on Wednesday which even more so convinces me that he is here for the experience not battling for a roster spot.
Phil Di Giuseppe: Whereas Trevor Carrick was the player who lost the most in the most recent set of cuts, Di Giuseppe might have gained the most. He has not had a spectacular preseason, but he is serviceable in a fourth or possibly higher line role. With Necas not clicking on Ryan and Skinner’s wing, could Di Giuseppe get a chance on that line on Friday? Remember that he road shotgun on Jeff Skinner’s line for nearly half of the 2015-16 season and was effective in that role. He brings the ability to skate at something close to Skinner’s pace and also a forechecking presence that could free up a few more pucks in the offensive zone. My hunch is that Di Giuseppe will still find himself in Charlotte come opening night, but just maybe he has played himself up to just needing one huge game to change minds.
Janne Kuokkanen: Kuokkanen seeing time on the wing is interesting. Just like with Di Giuseppe, the fact that Lee Stempniak is still on the shelf and Necas did not immediately click with Skinner and Ryan leaves an as of yet unfilled opening. Could it be Kuokkanen who gets a try on that line on Friday?
Martin Necas: I wrote his situation up in multiple levels of detail for Thursday’s Daily Cup of Joe, so I will not reiterate it here. He continues to look capable but did not click at right wing. He continues to show flashes of offense, but not much has registered on the score sheet. Interestingly, Carrick’s cut could be the move that makes room for Necas to start the season at the NHL level at least for a short trial. Even if Stempniak is healthy, the team now has one open slot.
Lucas Wallmark: He is a bit of a head scratcher. He has had a strong preseason overall, but as a center only, I just do not see where he could fit in the lineup. I have to figure that he is ultimately destined for Charlotte, but I guess we will know for sure in a few days.
Bill Peters’ decision point
I like the idea of trying Kuokkanen with Skinner and Ryan on Friday. Kuokkanen’s ceiling might be a little bit lower than Necas’ ceiling, but Kuokkanen is also a little farther along in his development and also has more experience playing wing.
I do not see a fit for Bean or Wallmark in the opening day lineup. I think Peter’s decision if Stempniak is still on the shelf will be to select the third right wing from:
-Brock McGinn: He is on a one-way contract, brings every shift intensity and has a good amount of NHL experience.
-Phil Di Giuseppe: He is somewhat similar to McGinn as a know quantity with NHL experience.
-Martin Necas: Is his potential upside high enough that warrants a short exploratory try out?
-Janne Kuokkanen: He is sort of a middle ground between raw talent and a little bit more maturity as a player.
If Stempniak is indeed on the shelf, I like the idea of trying Kuokkanen in this slot first. I think the potential is there for an offensive upgrade on what needs to be a scoring line.
What say you Caniacs?
1) What are your thoughts on Thursdays cuts and stays?
2) Who do you like for a next try out and/or ultimate winner if Stempniak’s slot is open at least temporarily?
Go Canes!
1) The cuts make sense. I was not as surprised as most about Carrick–though I think there is about a 1-in-4 chance he gets claimed this morning.
2) Again, Kuokkanen clicked with both Williams on PP and Staal at even strength in third period Monday. BP could have shuffled Necas to that line when TT was injured. The fact that he moved up Kuokkanen says to me that he likes that line. I think we will see it again tonight. If TT is ready opening night, that gives BP more options to ice three strong scoring lines. If Koukkanen doesn’t work, then Wallmark can center Skinner and Ryan until Stempniak is ready. Or Necas can get the 9-game tryout. But I think both move Ryan to RW for a few games. That scenario does not rule out Wallmark. My guess is BP would lean Wallmark due to his much better ability in face-off circle and D.
1. I’d bet most teams are in a similar boat having to send down a quality player or two. This is the time to do so without much worry of a player being claimed.
2. Rotate Kuokkanen and McGinn onto the 3rd line for the first 9 games…see who clicks best. Both would slot in on wing with Ryan staying at center.
I think Wallmark is destined for Charlotte and is slotted as a replacement center if one goes down. PDG is likely heading to Charlotte (don’t think he beats out Jooris/Nordy). Of course, if Stempniak starts on IR then we can carry an extra player for short term. Also, does GMRF find a trading partner? Other teams are tweaking their rosters and maybe seeking a shift, which could lead to prime fishing. We shall see…
One final thought, I would let Necas play his natural center position with Skinner/Ryan tonight. Give him one HUGE tryout prior to opening night to center 3C with skilled wingers. If tonight doesn’t produce much, then my above mentioned thoughts of using Kuokkanen or McGinn on 3W applies.
1/ Not surprised by any of the cuts, not even Carrick. I think McGinn/PDG/Dahlback are much higher waiver-claim risks … As you remember from last season, we made four waiver claims on fringe NHL players, so I would expect other teams to be picking through the waiver wire this year like we did last year.
2/ I think Kuokkanen is ready. I’d like to see him given the real “tryout” while Stempniak recovers. As much as I like the idea of Necas rising up and finding his game, wins are too important and we MUST get off to a good start and in my view Kuokkanen gives us the better chance for that. I think PSG is destined for CLT and McGinn is destined for the press box most nights unless he finds more offensive touch: we’re going to be stout defensively with excellent forechecking, and at the margins, more offense (Kuokkanen) is going to trump more defense (McGinn).
Maybe I still have flashes of the first EDM game in my head, but that style of play should be the template for the entire season.
1. Not really surprised by any of the cuts just hoping that Carrick can clear waivers. I really think the kid has good NHL potential.
2. I am really liking Kuokkanen right now. I think he’s ready and deserves the shot. I could see a combination of him and McGinn filling in on the 3rd line. Wallmark will go back to Charlotte and be a good option if any of our centers go down. I don’t see any way that PDG doesn’t end up in Charlotte. I don’t think Necas is a good option on the wing and while I wouldn’t mind seeing him get a shot at center tonight I don’t think he makes a lot of sense with Skinner and Ryan. Skinner likes to play with the puck on his stick, and with Necas’ strengths being his playmaking abilities it doesn’t seem like a winning formula. If Stempniak starts at IR I think Necas will stick around for a little while but will be out after 9.
Re: Walmark
I agree that he is a center only, but he’s had a great camp. I could see him getting Lee’s spot by actually rotating Ryan to the wing and playing Walmark at center. Ryan played on the wing in about 30% of his games last year, so it is not like it would be new to him. Plus, it would give the third line that left-right center option Peters loves.
Kuokkanen and Wallmark have been the most impressive – in the end I am not that surprised at either coming into camp. I keep going back to Peters’ comment at the end of last season that he wants players to “can play” in the NHL and not “might be able” to play. That has been the gamebook all preseason and into training camp.
Both McGinn and PDG have demonstrated in previous seasons they “can play” in the NHL. I am not sure if Kuokannen and Wallmark have met Peters’ standard in Peters’ eyes.
If Teuvo is out tonight I will be interested to see who slots next to Staal tonight. This could be an excellent chance for Kuokkanen.
I would like to see Necas centering two legit NHL wings. Forslund told me at the Caniac Carnival that Necas was expected to center Aho and Lindholm this preseason.
I don’t see McGinn or Kuokkanen on the 3rd line for Stempniak on opening day. They both play LW – Stempniak is a RW – and Peters is adverse to putting a player, even a forward, on his off-side. I could see PDG there on opening day – but I wouldn’t be surprised to see Wallmark centering Skinner and Ryan this evening as a final trial.
Tonight is the last best chance for those 3 prospects to show they should stay in training camp. If Wallmark and Kuokkanen don’t make the final roster, I expect they will be the early call-ups.
At the morning skate, Kuokkanen is filling in for Teuvo on a Kuokkanen-Rask-Williams line.
Necas is again on the wing: Skinner-Ryan-Necas. This suggests that Peters doesn’t see him making the team this season as a center, but wants to give him every opportunity.
I was not impressed with the Skinner-Ryan-Necas line Wednesday night… I think the Skinner-Wallmark-Ryan line you mentioned above would be interesting to see.
This to me looks like the plan is to keep Necas around on the RW until Stempniak returns.