Chronological Blog List
Building a lineup from former Canes
On Friday night, the Hurricanes will face the New York Rangers for the first time during the 2021-22 NHL season. That game will mark the first game in Raleigh for former Canes prospect Adam Fox who has since become one of the best defensemen in the entire NHL and...
Ranking Canes most irreplaceable players
Recently watching the Canes defense with and without Jaccob Slavin in the lineup was eye opening. No doubt, there is an element of the randomness of NHL teams from game to game that is a part of it, but there is also an element of the Hurricanes being a significantly...
Measuring sticks
There is not necessarily a carry over from regular season to the playoffs, so any and all predictions based on regular season results are subject to be quickly overturned in the playoffs. But now approaching the midway point of the 2021-22 NHL season, we are reaching...
Room for improvement
As measured by points per game which adjusts for the differences in games played because of the COVID cancellation randomness, the Carolina Hurricanes are second in the entire NHL barely behind the Florida Panthers and on pace for an impressive 122 points in the...
Random notes: Debacle versus Columbus and goal scoring from the wing
Today's Daily Cup of Joe starts with a few quick thoughts on the ugly 6-0 loss to the Blue Jackets on Thursday and then offers up a few other random thoughts that are a bit more positive. Thursday's debacle In general, I think Thursday's 6-0 loss is just one...
Midway point assessment for reworked Carolina Hurricanes’ blue line
In general, the summer of 2021 was a busy one in terms of player additions and subtractions. Now basically at the midway point of the season if not for games canceled due to COVID, today's Daily Cup of Joe takes a look at the reworked blue line thus far and also looks...
Five thoughts on Jesperi Kotkaniemi
Today's Daily Cup of Joe considers Jesperi Kotkaniemi through 33 games from a couple different levels. Worth noting is that it is still a bit early to make any kind of final judgment on Kotkaniemi. The best recent reference point for patience with players adjusting to...
What and why for Hurricanes signing 2016 draftee, goalie Jack LaFontaine
Thanks to those who reached out to make sure I am okay during my writing hiatus. I am fine; just hit a combination of a couple things taking a lot of energy and a couple others taking a lot of time and not with flexibility for the after midnight writing that I have...
Gm14 @Veg: Canes start long trip with 4-2 win over Vegas Golden Knights
Starting a long road trip in Sin City, the Hurricanes continued finding a way to win even on less than stellar nights. The Hurricanes played two good periods and one bad one which was enough to win by a 4-2 margin. My notes follow: 1) Antti Raanta Because the...
The possible interplay between Seth Jarvis and Jesperi Kotkaniemi
Right now, the Hurricanes have two young players new to the roster in 2021-22 who have the potential to add higher-end scoring depth to the top half of the lineup. Jesperi Kotkaniemi was acquired with the hope and to some degree expectation that he could be exactly...
Gm13 Vs. StL: Canes rebound with 3-2 win over good St. Louis Blues team
After losing the first of two at home on Friday against the Flyers, the Canes rebounded quickly on Saturday with a win over a good St. Louis Blues team. The game featured heroics by two non-regulars and a decent even if not top shelf level of play by the Hurricanes....
Gm12 Vs. Phi: Canes fall to Flyers 2-1 for first home loss of the season
On Friday night at PNC Arena, the Hurricanes took their first home loss of the season falling to the Philadelphia Flyers by a 2-1 margin. On the hand, the Hurricanes could easily have gained a better outcome with a break or two. On the other hand, the Canes level of...
Should Canes try true ‘new NHL’ with fourth line?
Many moons ago, the fourth lines of NHL hockey teams were stocked with one or more players whose primary job was to skate just enough to find someone to fight. That transitioned to teams maybe having a single player of that mold but also players with utility often as...
Gm11 @Tam: Canes rebound with hard-fought 2-1 overtime win over the Lightning
On Saturday, the Hurricanes collected their first loss of the season in a sub-par effort that capped off what had in my opinion been a downward trend despite the continued winning streak. That set Tuesday's match up against the Lightning as the first try for the...
Managing the minutes – Carolina Hurricanes’ ice time through 10 games
Today's Daily Cup of Joe offers a quick assessment of how Head Coach Rod Brind'Amour has divided up ice time through 10 games. In net After a few years where the goalie starts were split something closer to 60/40 in more of a new NHL 1A/1B arrangement,...