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What a difference a week makes. This time last week we were stewing in three consecutive losses and trending toward another playoff miss. With Friday, Saturday and Tuesday wins, the #CanesCoaster has yet again completely reversed course. As I write this, the Hurricanes are in the final playoff spot by a point with no need to adjust for games played and equally significantly are trending more positive (not just over the last three games but also 10-12) than anyone of the five teams currently fighting for the final two playoff spots.
Against that backdrop, the Thursday Coffee Shop will try to strike a balance between enjoying the current reality and maintaining a healthy (but hopefully not paranoid) level of skepticism and realism.
Carolina Hurricanes polls
Please remember to click ‘vote’ after each individual poll response.
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Discussion questions
1) With Brock McGinn stepping up on Friday, Justin Faulk on Tuesday and others to some degree as well, who is your best guess for the next round of heroes in the next three games?
2) If you allow yourself to be skeptical, what part of the team’s recent success could prove to be more random than true trend and could reverse course in the games ahead?
3) Anything else Canes to discuss? That goes here.
Go Canes!
1. Im guessing Skinner. NYI are a big penalty taking team. We will need 5v5 scoring and he is the biggest threat.
2. Special teams play. PK. We let in our first PP goal since the break against LAK. I dont expect that to remain the same. We have to keep our scoring up and stay out of the box. Even with that run we are only 18th in the league for PK%. PP. even with its recent success we are only 17th in the league. We need 5v5 scoring.
3. NJD are 20th in the league in penalties taken and we are tops in penalties taken. We need to force PPs early with strong play. That way we can get to high quality shots early against their backup goalies.
1) Truly a guess–Hanifin.
2) The other team missing a key player (Boeser, MacKinnon, Brown). Although in both NJ games it appears Schneider will be out. But I expect against NYI the opponents will be full strength.
3) I was reviewing the NHL Trade Tracker for last year’s deadline, I would say there were only three “big” acquisitions: Shattenkirk, Bishop, and Hanzal. I would rate all three moderately successful, if that. So I am skeptical of all the criticism of Ron Francis. It appears that 29 other GMs have the same failings (and professional NHL journalists were fairly consistent in stating that Carolina had the best offseason).
3. CT I think your conclusion about 3 acquisitions is faulty, for the the fact that several teams weren’t in need, and many didn’t have the money to make one… RF just has been cheap continuously, and remains that way, even with TD’s big money.
PG–I think you have mentioned numerous times we should hold ownership, management (most every comment), and players accountable.
I like to hold myself accountable. 1. I was way off on McGinn as I didn’t think he added enough to the lineup. While he is not a big point-producer, he is much more valuable due to his energy/physicality than I gave him credit for. 2. Even though I think it can still be turned around, I was wrong about Darling’s positive impact. 3. My early season guess for an offensive breakout from a D-man was Pesce not Hanifin, so I missed that.
I don’t think I am way off on the actual success of trade deadline deals. The history for most teams in the league just isn’t great. The most successful team (at least in terms of making the playoffs) since the early 90s is Detroit. The Red Wings made the fewest trades–they developed talent. If this organization can have a 20+ year run of playoff appearances–I will be happy, and too old to care when they re-enter rebuilding mode.
What have the Canes got to lose?
You make a bad trade… sooo?
We have NOT WON FOREVER doing it HIS way…
try something different, eh?