With the team’s loss to the Vegas Golden Knights, the Carolina Hurricanes fell to 3-6-1 in its past 10 games. With the Rangers sputtering a bit too, the gap (adjusted for games played) is still only two points from the final playoff spot, but it also requires jumping three teams to get there. In addition, the Hurricanes’ one step forward one step back movement and ongoing struggles with consistency and at the goalie position, the trajectory does need to change and change soon for the 2017-18 season to end differently than the past eight seasons.
At the risk of re-hashing other discussions, the Monday Coffee Shop focuses on the here and now and what could help take the next step forward.
Carolina Hurricanes polls
Please remember to click ‘vote’ after each individual poll response.
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Carolina Hurricanes questions
1) If you were Bill Peters right now, what would you do to try to spark the team?
2) What, if anything, is still missing from this team in terms of pushing over the hump and into the playoffs?
3) Write your own short story for how the rest of the 2017-18 season plays out with the Hurricanes MAKING THE PLAYOFFS.
Go Canes!
1. Quit
2.Same thing that has been missing for the last umpteen years…TALENT!
3. As long as RF is here I EXPECT THE SAME OLD (VERY OLD) sh#*!!!!
I don’t normally post but we need a man on this team other than Justin Williams. Watching this team night in and night out it just feels like we don’t have that grit needed to compete in the toughest division in the NHL. The youth is great for salary and building from within……which I support but we need a damn man on this team. Why do Faulk and Jordan never come to the aid of our youngsters….you are the damn Captains…..or maybe they forget whose turn it is each night? I’m not trying to question their position on our team but sometimes it’s hard to watch.
As for addressing goal-tending, something drastic needs to happen but I’m sure nothing will this season. We will ride out the season skating the same roster and hoping things change. Should we try and trade Darling back to the Blackhawks with Crawford out for the year….I’d be interested in seeing what his value is to them….he can’t be worth much to anyone else at this point.
We need an anchor in the net and what we have now just isn’t working. What about Carey Price in the off-season? I know the risk is high with a 30yr old goalie on an 8×10 but I imagine he could be had at this point. We have 30+ million in cap space with tons of people to resign (if they even want to, have to think about that now) but wouldn’t putting a proven goalie behind a young defense be worth it? Let him play out a few years with us and sit Ned behind him to learn from one of the best goalies on earth today.
All this aside I’m just disappointed and I dont think this is all doom and gloom like a lot of other here. I think we have a very deep farm system that will eventually reap rewards. Hopefully sooner rather than later.
I would love to trade Darling. Maybe he could do something back in Chicago. He is a zero here. That 3rd goal, where he showed no care at all, was it for me.
At this point we are not good enough to be a playoff team. I realize several didn’t want to admit this and rightfully held belief as we work through the struggles (even I was in this boat somewhat). But as of today it is very clear we lack leadership and grit. We have good young talent, but we needed more at the beginning of the season and still need it today. The shake up should include dealing one or more of Faulk, Skinner, Kruger and perhaps even Darling (bring Ned up for a few games).
Our young players will still be growing next year, and the need for veteran leadership will remain. Time to make a hockey trade.
1) To spark the team I would demote Darling to the AHL where he could sit and not hurt anyone. We are sunk without anther goalie and Cam has been good enough but cannot do it on his own. I would look to bring in another goalie or maybe bring one up from the AHL. The problem is, there are no good solutions. Even if we go get a high end scorer, we still do not have the net minding.
2) What is missing is the same things we have been saying for a long time. A real scorer and a goalie and possibly an experienced D.
3) I believe it is a repeat of last year. Without a second goalie it will be a slow death and picking in the 12 spot.
1. AHL call-up time. Zykov is great offensively, and even with the defensive questions (legitimate ones which everyone seems to like to ignore) we need someone that can score goals within 5 feet of the crease, and Zykov can do that. Foegele I would like to see get a shot to see if he can jumpstart production for the fourth line too. All that being said, if Ron and Bill decide they want to let the kids develop in the AHL and call up the veterans, I’m okay with that. Seriously, for all the frustrating, roller-coaster hockey we’ve seen this season, the only thing that truly annoys me are the fans who continue to treat the players on this team like statistical meat.
2. Rob is right. We need more grit. We have had our worst games against the teams that hit the heaviest. We have plenty of skill players, but when your 5’11 180 pound skill players are going up against those heavy hitters, you need someone that can watch Aho’s back and a 35 year old Justin Williams is not the guy to do it. It can’t be pure goon, the fix has to be able to skate and preferably do great things in front of the net, but if there is a legitimate gap in our game (outside of bad hockey decision-making) that’s it.
3. Cam Ward is the lynchpin in goal, and with less pressure Darling goes on a hot streak too, as 1A and 1B combine to pitch 6 shutouts the rest of the way, as Pesce returns to stabilize the defense. At the trade deadline, despite heavy rumors of Kane, Hoffman or Pacioretty, Ron trades a 4th round pick, and Trevor Carrick for the Oilers’ Patrick Maroon, who jumpstarts a flurry of scoring from our fourth line, and adds much needed grit. Combined with a quick recovery from Aho, and a much missed Skinner scoring streak, the team wins 15 out of 20 to gain entry into the playoffs on the last day of the season, and I don’t have to listen to any more griping about how a fixing 9-year playoff drought is somehow relevant to building a good hockey team.
Fogger.
I sure hope you are right man! It would be beyond awesome!
But I don’t believe it.
And I am not saying the Canes are horrible, cancel the team, but I am repeatedly saing the team is not good enough and does not have all the right ingredients for a playoff contender as it is currently constructed.
If we can get Maroon from the Oilers we’ve gotten one of them, it’d be a great trade.
We have osme truly promising, despite my skepticism, talent in Clt and below, talent we can bring up ot package for another team to acquire missing pieces.
But our management must take the steps needed to turn these possibilities into reality, and I believe our coach is not going to get it done.
1. It is no longer on Bill Peters. The team has to take ownership. They are professionals. They know how to play the game. They know how to win. Simply do it. They are talented enough to win big games against good opponents. But you can’t alternate big wins with WTF losses. It’s the team.
2. A consistently high level of performance from all the players. The same type of performance that has us winning in OT against Vegas in Vegas, and 4-0 against PIT at PIT. To me it is not a matter of pieces still needed. We have the team. And this team may need the shakeup – heck, it has needed the shakeup for over a month now. There should be just enough of a change in personnel – we have a couple of strong marks in Charlotte (Zykov, Foegele) who can come up and displace a few of the riders now on the team or, at least, provide upgrades in skill.
3. I like Fogger’s scenario, and I think it works. Give #1 to Ward (already in the works) and take the pressure off Darling so he can find his game and his confidence back. A couple of moves from Charlotte to add offense and scoring. A buy-trade at the deadline to bring in a mid-level forward. Aho won’t be out that long, it seems – I had been expecting 4-6 weeks on the knee but it looks like the concussion is the limiting concern. The team takes ownership for itself and commits to the remainder of the season with a high level of play that it is capable of on any given night.
Don’t think it matters who is named the starter. It’s pretty clear Darling is the backup based on his spot starts of late. Not sure what less pressure he needs.
Either way, this is far from good. The players collectively needed to own it, they haven’t consistently, hence some changes are needed.
1. A prime responsibility of a coach is to hold players ACCOUNTABLE. I would sit Faulk a game for his bone-headed penalties. Skinner is minus 21! – I believe this is one player Peters is talking about being a passenger. And Rob S above is correct in saying we need more men on the team (thank you Williams, Lindholm and McGinn for stepping up). Passengers need to take a seat; give some hardworking Checkers an opportunity.
2. We need players that bring toughness and leadership; Vegas did a great job of accomplishing this. RF needs to bring more balance to this team. Can we bring back Scott Walker?
3. Tom Dundon gives RF the green light to make a major trade(s). The player(s) turn out to be the missing ingredient that solidifies the team to go on a massive winning streak (if Colorado can do it so can we – a good example that sometimes less – Matt Duchene – is more). It is better to take a risk and fail than to continue on in mediocrity.
1. BP is part of the problem. He has his comfortable set of players many of whom have shown no special ability other than they play with effort. He is unwilling to make meaningful changes. Rotating Jooris, DiGuiseppe and Fleury to the healthy scratch role is doing nothing.
2. The team lacks grit (too many finesse type players), it lacks a top line center, it’s defense is not as good as advertised, and the goaltending is mediocre.
3. RF gets off his duff and makes a meaningful trade to remedy at least one or two of the team’s glaring deficiencies. We start playing some of our Charlotte talent. If we don’t, how will we know what talent we really have coming up. We can’t wait until training camp to find out if we have anyone who is going to make a difference.
Even though I said it was on Peters, your point in (1) is valid. I don’t like his reliance on players “who can play” in the NHL when there is talent available in Charlotte that represent an upgrade. In that sense I agree with you.
In the sense of taking ownership I will stand on my comment that that is now on the team and not coaching.