Speculation: Canes needs to contend

[chaz4hockey]

But what exactly happened with Guentzel? Did they have a certain amount they were willing to pay him?

New GM trying to juggle multiple priorities + a fear that Jarvis was going to be a target by other clubs.

 

[chaz4hockey]

They miss 6'3 Necas more than they realize.

Nah, as a 21 year old, Stankoven this year (five) had more goals than Necas ever did through 6 years of playoffs (and he is now age 26).

 

[cowboy82nd]

Trade for Demko and signing Bennett would be huge for them. Not sure if demko is completely broken at this point though

What makes you think Bennett will sign in Carolina?

 

[spockBokk]

What makes you think Bennett will sign in Carolina?

He wouldn’t, don’t see him leaving FLA.

 

[qcal1427]

Surely this is the offseason where they finally weaponize all that cap space and future assets to make a big move!

There's no way they'll just stay the course in the name of 'future flexibility' again

 

[Stuzchuk]

Carolina will go for Marner but I think Marner decides to go west. (Vegas, LA, or even anaheim)

My guess would be ANA or LA as well for Marner. No pressure and nice warm weather year round

Karlsson, Bennett and Peterka will be landing in CAR

 

[Mpirone12]

You can hear it in the players voices in the end of season interviews that this off season is not going to be your typical Canes off season. Aho during his interview goes into how disappointed he was in the Canes for letting go of players last off season and ends the interview with saying he expects the Canes to have a very good offseason.

 

[SnS]

You can hear it in the players voices in the end of season interviews that this off season is not going to be your typical Canes off season. Aho during his interview goes into how disappointed he was in the Canes for letting go of players last off season and ends the interview with saying he expects the Canes to have a very good offseason.

I’ll listen later. Does he reference who? Or just sort of glazes over it?

 

[Mpirone12]

I’ll listen later. Does he reference who? Or just sort of glazes over it?

Doesn’t really reference who just says “To be quite honest I was disappointed in last years off season and the players we let go” he’s a winner and needs to be the captain sooner than later.

Also Stank’s interview really impressed me also. Genuinely could see he wanted to sign long term and wants to be a part of what we have built.

This years loss may have hit the hardest out of any of our eliminations. To battle through the Mikko drama with a team that was no where near a contender and stick together as a team and grind it out that personally to me is better than any run we’ve had over the past 7 years. The Canes in years past were expected to contend and it was infuriating to watch the team collapse in the later rounds. I had no problem going out in the ECF this year after the 2 games to end the series and the heart we showed to try and battle back. They showed heart against a team that we obviously were not as talented as. You can’t ask for anything more.

 

[wintersej]

Physicality isn’t the lesson. You ain’t going to be able to out physical Florida. It’s an offensive talent problem.

 

[Ulf5]

They need to stop shooting 50 times from the outside and find ways to be more successful in generating scoring chances in the home plate area in front of the opponent's net.

Brock's the name, goal scoring's the game.
And they need a 2C and goalie.

 

[Mpirone12]

Physicality isn’t the lesson. You ain’t going to be able to out physical Florida. It’s an offensive talent problem.

I personally believe trying to compete with Florida's physicality is a huge reason they dug their self a 3-0 hole. They came out trying to hit and forgot about what got them to the ECF. By game 3 it was a little too late.

 

[TheReelChuckFletcher]

Surely this is the offseason where they finally weaponize all that cap space and future assets to make a big move!

There's no way they'll just stay the course in the name of 'future flexibility' again

There will be some moves toward flexibility. That's what they do best. BUT, simultaneously, there will be big moves.

 

[bleedgreen]

But what exactly happened with Guentzel? Did they have a certain amount they were willing to pay him?

Guentzel was rumored to be asking for nine the whole time and he got it from TB. Tulsky went public with owning he didn’t handle the summer the way he wished he did. Waddell leaving was a surprise and Tulsky stepped into needing to sign six ufa’s, which is tough but you’d hope he’d have done better. He says he was trying to sign all of them at the same time, because he didn’t want to lose any. So he’s grinding all of them and ended up losing all the big ones. That’s why he waited on Guentzel. He admits now that he knows he lost all that if he could do it over he would just give it the Guentzel and then figure out what he had left as best he could. They did match the nine million, but not until it was too late and Jake wanted to go to TB. Jake said he would stay and it sounds like he meant it.

 

[bossram]

Surely this is the offseason where they finally weaponize all that cap space and future assets to make a big move!

There's no way they'll just stay the course in the name of 'future flexibility' again

This is a weird comment.

For multiple seasons in a row the Canes have traded for star players and tried to retain them by offering a lucrative contract. The players in question just didn't want to stay.

The Canes already recognize the issue and multiple times have tried addressing it by leveraging their assets (cap space, futures).

 

[Boom Boom Apathy]

Surely this is the offseason where they finally weaponize all that cap space and future assets to make a big move!

There's no way they'll just stay the course in the name of 'future flexibility' again

Weird post.
1. They've been pretty much spending to the cap every year.
2. They traded for Guentzel at the deadline last year and tried to re-sign him.
3. They previously went after Tkachuk, Eichel, Timo Meier, in prior years.
4. They traded for Rantanen this year and it didn't work out.

Why would you think they are just "staying the course"?

 

[Blueline Bomber]

Weird post.
1. They've been pretty much spending to the cap every year.
2. They traded for Guentzel at the deadline last year and tried to re-sign him.
3. They previously went after Tkachuk, Eichel, Timo Meier, in prior years.
4. They traded for Rantanen this year and it didn't work out.

Why would you think they are just "staying the course"?

Because they're not actually paying attention to Carolina, but rather they have the Canes on the periphery of their knowledge and just assumed they knew what they were talking about.

 

[qcal1427]

Weird post.
1. They've been pretty much spending to the cap every year.
2. They traded for Guentzel at the deadline last year and tried to re-sign him.
3. They previously went after Tkachuk, Eichel, Timo Meier, in prior years.
4. They traded for Rantanen this year and it didn't work out.

Why would you think they are just "staying the course"?

How many of Guentzel, Tkachuk, Eichel, Meier, and Rantanen are on the roster right now?

 

[wunderpanda]

canes don't need a superstar that has expectations. they need a talented player that fits the system that can become a superstar with them. maybe go after ufa perbix & offersheet knies.

 

[Boom Boom Apathy]

How many of Guentzel, Tkachuk, Eichel, Meier, and Rantanen are on the roster right now?

You're moving the goalposts now rather than just admitting your comment was off base. What you said was:

Surely this is the offseason where they finally weaponize all that cap space and future assets to make a big move!

There's no way they'll just stay the course in the name of 'future flexibility' again

1. Have they utilized their cap space in recent years? Yes
2. Have they made a big move in past years? Yes, Guentzel and Rantanen were big moves that involved utilizing cap space and parting with future assets.

Not all moves are going to work out long term, but it's incorrect to say they haven't made big moves.

 

[bringbacktheskate604]

With close to 30 million in cap space this offseason and only needing to fill 2-3 spots what needs push the Canes to the next level?

I personally think we need a Bennett and Ekblad to fill out our roster. Marner doesn’t move the needle {in the playoffs IMO}. It became obvious after the Florida series that we need skilled physicality to compete in the last couple rounds.

Will this also finally be the year the Canes bring in a goaltender via trade or free agency? Free agency is slim pickings so a package deal may be needed to get a franchise goalie finally.

This is a quick off season roster I made. Bought out KK, traded Morrow and Pyotr for Demko. Maybe a 2nd round pick is also needed. What other goalies would be available with a package deal and what would it take?

I’m no GM just a fan since 96 that believes this is what is required to win the cup and get over the hump.

Discuss

I know Servelli thinks Demko would be available but I just don't see a world where in a year Quinns up for an extension we trade a top 5 goalie when healthy and from all reports he is and wants to sign an extension.

Nucks are also flush at defence.
Last season we had a save % under 900 and Lankinen crashed under the weight of starting but was elite to start but he's just not built for 50+ games and Silovs is just to much of a wildcard.

As you know good starting goaltending is paramount to winning in the playoffs or even getting there and if we aren't able to add much scoring this off-season were gonna need to win a lot of 3-2 2-1 type games.
With the bruins likely heading into a rebuild I wonder if Swayman could be pried away?
I'm trying to think of goalies available but none better than Freddy come to mind

 

[Nikishin al Gaib]

They miss 6'3 Necas more than they realize.

Nah, going from Necas to Stank was exactly what we needed. Necas disappears when it matters most, you saw it in Colorado as well. Stank had 5 goals in the playoffs for us this year, more than Necas ever gave us when he was here.

Necas doesn't know how to be a good hockey player when defenses tighten up.

 

[GhostfaceWu]

The problem is their 2nd line center is roslovic or kotkienemi

 

[DaveG]

Because they're not actually paying attention to Carolina, but rather they have the Canes on the periphery of their knowledge and just assumed they knew what they were talking about.

There's also a preconception of how the team operates that mostly dates back to how they did things under Karmanos - cheap out on as much as possible and spend as little as you can get away with while occasionally throwing a contract at damaged goods like Semin or Kaberle. ESPN and TSN/Sportsnet still actively hold onto that as well for a variety of reasons which makes it even more difficult to change lazy takes.

 

[JKG33]

The problem is their 2nd line center is roslovic or kotkienemi

I also think that much like Hintz in Dallas, Aho cant provide what you need out of a championship 1C.

Depending on where you rank Mackinnon, Edmonton has 2 of the top 3 centers in the league. Barkov and Eichel round out the top 5. And just like that you have all the centers from the Stanley Cup finalists since 2022, with the exception of Tampa. And while I'd take Point over Aho as well, Carolina doesnt have the elite wingers, defence, or goaltending Tampa did to win without a top 5 centerman.