After most of a week off for reader/guest week last week, Daily Cup of Joe is back at it first of the week with part one of a series that will look at and even take a shot at ranking the Hurricanes prospect pool. Since that series will take a few days to play out, we will break from recent form and not link the Daily Cup of Joe and The Coffee Shop today.
Also, if you missed it on Saturday, please check out our article with a quick look both backwards and forwards on Canes and Coffee’s two-year anniversary.
Instead, the Monday Coffee Shop will address the potential hockey news abyss for the month of August which starts tomorrow.
July was fairly eventful with a big free agent signing in Justin Williams, a smaller free agent signing in Josh Jooris, a trade for Marcus Kruger, a Jaccob Slavin re-signing and word of a potential team sale. August will inevitably be a down month news-wise. The month is easily the slowest of the entire year in terms of NHL activity.
But in between stretches of slowly clicking off days until the start of training camp in mid-September, potential does exist for intermittent bursts of significant news.
–An official closing for the sale of the team would be huge news. If that happens, the result could be an ongoing stream of news as we learn more about the ownership group and what the change means for our hockey team.
–Any number of players scheduled to be free agents next summer (Brett Pesce, Elias Lindholm, Noah Hanifin) could re-sign a year early.
–Francis could still pull off a big trade for a difference-making center to boost the offense or a smaller trade to bolster the blue line.
Today’s polls and discussion look into the crystal ball and predict what is on tap for August.
Carolina Hurricanes Polls
Please remember to click ‘vote’ after each individual poll response.
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Discussion questions
1) What do you think will be the Hurricanes biggest news item in August? And when do you expect it will happen?
2) If you could make one change, improvement or addition to Canes and Coffee’s coverage as we push closer to the start of the 2017-18 season, what would it be?
3) Tentative plan is to do something related to this week’s prospect articles for the Thursday Coffee Shop, but who has proposed questions and/or topics to help fill up a couple of the slow weeks in August?
Go Canes!
1) Contract extensions. I certainly hope the team makes a commitment to Pesce and Lindholm.
2) I really like the deep-dive into the prospect pool, so no suggested changes on Canes coverage.
3) However, it would be interesting to get others’ opinions on some other teams in the league–who will be battling with the Canes for league supremacy over the next 5-8 years; which players are under-rated, which over-rated; which team is doing something a little different and might it be a model for the Canes to follow.
For those of you who don’t know, the players start trickling into town around the 15th-20th of August to start informal training at Raleigh Center Ice (which I still think of as the RecZone). They usually start around 10am and practice/scrimmage for about an hour. The first few days there’s usually only 3 or 4 skaters, along with Cam. Then after that, more and more players arrive. By the end of August, a good majority of the team is in attendance. It’s all very casual, so the sessions are fun to attend if you can. So I always like to think that Canes hockey actually starts in August! This might be something for Canes and Coffee to cover?
1. Pesce signing
2. Nothing comes to mind…,BUT a rehash of the current goalie situation…I’m still concerned that if Darling gets hurt (or just isn’t as good as expected) we’re stuck with Ward! AND…we already know that Darling can’t, nor shouldn’t play EVERY GAME…ie. Ward AGAIN!
3. I like both ctcainiac and goaliedad’s ideas
1. I think Pesce gets extended based on his consistency and growth the last two years. If Lindy and Hanifin have a good 1st half, then extend them before the deadline.
2. Since a handful of us are scattered around the states and see more LIVE road games than home, how about occasional “On the Road” forums from fellow contributors detailing their game day experiences in-and-around the visiting arenas (for Canes-specific road games, of course). Things like best sites, pubs, sections, fan experience, etc…
3. ‘A Look Ahead’ at the 2017-18 schedule. Which home stands/road trips appear most appealing, most difficult, most unique?
1) I also believe contract extensions. I hope for Pesce and possibly Lindholm.
2) Agree with CT, I really like the deep-dive into the prospect pool, so no suggested changes on Canes coverage.
3) I would be curious to see how other team’s prospects look comparable to ours (pretty much what CT said). Good ideas from ct, goaliedad and lfod.
1. Pesce signing.
2. I like live_free_or_die’s idea. See how our out of state fans handle things.
3. Like goaliedad said. It’s an early Canes hockey fix. They have the schedule here: http://www.raleighcenterice.com/page/show/885706-schedule
Just keep a lookout for “private rental” from 10:am-noon.
1. I see contract extensions – although I don’t know which ones. I reminded of RF’s comments after the Slavin signing that they have reached out to all of those in similar situation – i.e., RFA after the 2017-18 season. Talks are undergoing with some, and others are waiting.
I read an interesting take that bridge deals can be problematic, although they often seem like the safe choice. If a player like Lindy or Hanifin have a breakout year (something I consider quite possible) we are going to wish we had signed both to long-term extensions this summer.
1/ No idea. Maybe an extension but I’m expecting it to be quiet. I’m also, like redrider describes himself, often a negative-leading indicator so we’re more likely to see the big deal for the 1C.
2/ if there is a network of other sites like this in other Metropolitan Division markets, and I’m sure there is (though not nearly as good as this one), I’d love to read about what the Flyer’s locals are saying about the Flyers offseason and the 2017-18 prospects. And then for all the other teams, too. A brief around-the-division summary for each team and some “things to watch” would be very interesting.
3/ I like a view into the 2017 schedule.