GDT: ONCE MORE UNTO THE BREACH, DEAR FRIENDS, ONCE MORE

[Nikishin Go Boom]

I was on the roll and didn't feel like checking up the figures.

$7M AAV.

Usually you are the cap guy. I was trying to find some random cap clause I hadn’t heard of to make the 10M number right.

 

[CanesUltimate11]

I did find myself wondering why they didn't take a bunch of slappers right at Bob's melon. If you're gonna outshoot the other team by 10, why not use those extras to ring the guy's bell?

If they were good enough to hit Bob in the head they'd have picked more corners and won the series.

 

[HisIceness]

You know, 2019, 2020, and 2021 I could get over.

This year and last year feel like wasted opportunities, this year especially.

Obviously there's the offseason but the longer this goes on, the less I get excited about the regular season. I couldn't wait for the last two game 82s to end.

 

[Sigurd]

You know, 2019, 2020, and 2021 I could get over.

This year and last year feel like wasted opportunities, this year especially.

Obviously there's the offseason but the longer this goes on, the less I get excited about the regular season. I couldn't wait for the last two game 82s to end.

I feel exactly the same way about all of this.

Also, about the next regular season, to me at least, it seems like a slog to watch all 82 games after years of playoff disappointments. All of those games before the playoffs to see if they get over the hump finally. If Carolina's front office will have a good offseason, that will excite me enough though.

 

[Svechhammer]

You know, 2019, 2020, and 2021 I could get over.

This year and last year feel like wasted opportunities, this year especially.

Obviously there's the offseason but the longer this goes on, the less I get excited about the regular season. I couldn't wait for the last two game 82s to end.

Yep, this is kind of where we are right now. We're going into Year 6 of this run. Getting into the playoffs at this point is the expectation. What will define this current run is how we do in the playoffs, and the bar has been raised from just being happy to be there. Just getting to the ECF this year was kind of the expectation before the year started, so to get there and get swept away by a wild card team definitely feels like a big missed opportunity.

We're quickly getting a reputation across the league as regular season warriors who collapse in the playoffs. I've seen many references to being this generation's San Jose Sharks throughout the hockey media and fans lately.

 

[SlavinAway]

Wow; just realized that FLA has gone 11-1 over their last 12 playoff games vs Boston, Toronto, and us. I'm disappointed that we're out but what a run for a team that barely squeaked in at all.

 

[Nikishin Go Boom]

The regular season hasn’t mattered for playoff performance in some time

 

[Captain Dave Poulin]

Wow; just realized that FLA has gone 11-1 over their last 12 playoff games vs Boston, Toronto, and us. I'm disappointed that we're out but what a run for a team that barely squeaked in at all.

They've been blown so hard for it by so many people that they won't even need a parade when it's all over - they'll just have a nap.

 

[hblueridgegal]

You know, 2019, 2020, and 2021 I could get over.

This year and last year feel like wasted opportunities, this year especially.

Obviously there's the offseason but the longer this goes on, the less I get excited about the regular season. I couldn't wait for the last two game 82s to end.

Sound like Martinook agrees with ya:

 

[The Faulker 27]

Sound like Martinook agrees with ya:

I think we all felt a little different after they beat the Devils so decidedly. Unfortunately, they ran up against an immovable object in Florida. It's just their year. It will be our year eventually. I do have faith in Dundon and friends. I think they'll bring another Cup to Raleigh. They just haven't found the right formula of players, AND we haven't been fortunate enough to be injury free. The Panthers just hit the lotto this year with all boxes checked. Kudos to them for going out and putting that team together. I wish Tkachuk was a Cane, but it is what it is.

I do think Vegas is a different animal. I don't think it's gonna be the Bob & Chuk show like it was against the Canes. Of course Vegas has to get there first, but Dallas is against the ropes and they haven't even put up much of fight like the Canes did.

 

[Canes]

I think a combination of missing Svech and Pacioretty, along with losing a 4 OT game then going down 3-0 in the series resigned me to the fact we weren't going to win so I'm not nearly as pissed as the last few years. I still am pretty worried that even with all that went against us this postseason, it might have been our best shot. It took us 4 years to get back to the ECF last time.

 

[The Faulker 27]

I think a combination of missing Svech and Pacioretty, along with losing a 4 OT game then going down 3-0 in the series resigned me to the fact we weren't going to win so I'm not nearly as pissed as the last few years. I still am pretty worried that even with all that went against us this postseason, it might have been our best shot. It took us 4 years to get back to the ECF last time.

The way this post season played out it seemed ripe for the taking for sure, although Florida was heavily underrated going in, and even after they beat Boston so everyone who was listing the major players like Boston, Rangers, Tampa being out were not entirely correct. That group should have included Florida as we found out. They were obviously as good or better than everyone thought. I think they'll struggle with Vegas, but I won't be surprised in the least if they're hoisting a Cup when it's all said and done.

 

[Svechhammer]

I think we all felt a little different after they beat the Devils so decidedly. Unfortunately, they ran up against an immovable object in Florida. It's just their year. It will be our year eventually. I do have faith in Dundon and friends. I think they'll bring another Cup to Raleigh. They just haven't found the right formula of players, AND we haven't been fortunate enough to be injury free. The Panthers just hit the lotto this year with all boxes checked. Kudos to them for going out and putting that team together. I wish Tkachuk was a Cane, but it is what it is.

I do think Vegas is a different animal. I don't think it's gonna be the Bob & Chuk show like it was against the Canes. Of course Vegas has to get there first, but Dallas is against the ropes and they haven't even put up much of fight like the Canes did.

Florida has also done a lot over the last couple years to position themselves to have it be their year. They did win the President's Trophy last year and was very aggressive in building up their roster, and were willing to take a huge risk in the Tkachuk trade. Its hard to argue they just sat back and allowed fate to shine its light on them, they actively pushed others out of the way to seek out the light. Even if it didn't all come together for them this year, they were still playing great the second half of the season and were already positioned to be a great team next year, especially with Boston likely falling back with their cap situation. They didn't just luck into this in the way in which we keep saying will eventually happen for us.

 

[Navin R Slavin]

It's so funny in retrospect how little respect we gave Florida. Like, we knew it would be tough, but somehow we fully expected to beat a team that kicked the shit out of Boston and Toronto.

We deserved better than a sweep for sure, but I think there's no doubt that Florida was the better playoff team this year, their tough regular season notwithstanding.

 

[tarheelhockey]

Obviously there's the offseason but the longer this goes on, the less I get excited about the regular season. I couldn't wait for the last two game 82s to end.

This is a pretty normal thing to experience. Contender fanbases talk about it all the time. The regular season is for bubble teams to figure out where they stand. Contenders just slog through it because they’re required to.

It’s also a good reminder that hockey fans need to get away from the idea that the Stanley Cup is the only measure of success. That works in a 6-team league, maybe in a 21-team league, but not in a 32-team league. The Canes had a great year. Arguably the best year of anyone who doesn’t actually win the Cup. We won the division in both the regular season and playoffs, we won at what usually would be a President’s Trophy pace, we went to the Conference Final, we had an unforgettable outdoor game, we inaugurated a Hall of Fame, we had all sorts of 25th anniversary nostalgia, we had memory-making comeback games against Winnipeg and SJ, the barn was rocking every night, the community got up for the team. It was, literally, a banner year. This team is dotted with players who will be in the team’s HOF someday, because of the success they’re having now. Having it end in 4 consecutive nailbiters against a worthy opponent does not erase all of that.

 

[stevewin]

Ballys is reported to be taking advantage of their banx by exiting unprofitable contracts. Padres appear to be first up in baseball and after baseball the NBA and NHL teams are next under review for exit.

Given the subdued popularity of hockey and our smaller market who knows if Bally’s South survives.

I’d add Bally Sun had a post game show for Cats…we did not.

My daughter works in corporate strategy for a major network and recently was involved in a project analyzing regional sports networks. One of the main takeaways was that the leagues (esp MLB) charge sometimes ridiculous licensing fees that make it impossible for many of the regional networks to even break even (in the parlance of this board, unsustainable). It will be very interesting to see what happens to the local NHL coverage

 

[LakeLivin]

Yep, this is kind of where we are right now. We're going into Year 6 of this run. Getting into the playoffs at this point is the expectation. What will define this current run is how we do in the playoffs, and the bar has been raised from just being happy to be there. Just getting to the ECF this year was kind of the expectation before the year started, so to get there and get swept away by a wild card team definitely feels like a big missed opportunity.

We're quickly getting a reputation across the league as regular season warriors who collapse in the playoffs. I've seen many references to being this generation's San Jose Sharks throughout the hockey media and fans lately.

Wow; just realized that FLA has gone 11-1 over their last 12 playoff games vs Boston, Toronto, and us. I'm disappointed that we're out but what a run for a team that barely squeaked in at all.

It's so funny in retrospect how little respect we gave give Florida. Like, we knew it would be tough, but somehow we fully expected to beat a team that kicked the shit out of Boston and Toronto.

We deserved better than a sweep for sure, but I think there's no doubt that Florida was the better playoff team this year, their tough regular season notwithstanding.

Fixed that for ya Navin.

 

[Svechhammer]

Fixed that for ya Navin.

Where was I wrong?

Florida is a wild card team, no?

 

[LakeLivin]

Where was I wrong?

Florida is a wild card team, no?

Sure, but how relevant is that to how difficult they were as an opponent? The gist of your post comes across that because Florida is a wild card team that means they were an easier opponent. And it completely ignores that Florida had just ousted a Boston team that set the record for regular season wins, took 4 out of 5 from a Toronto team that had the 4th best record in the league (as well as who finally broke their post season futility streak and convincingly ousted a prior year finalist Bolts team), and as pointed out, had gone 7-1 over their previous 8 games before the conference semis against 2 teams that many had picked to win a Cup.

Think of it this way: I bet if the Canes had been in the same spot as the Panthers and someone posted an implication that they represented an easier out than typical, without giving them any credit for what they'd accomplished, most of us would have reacted angrily and chalked it up to another brick being added to a wall of disrespect built up over many years for our hockey team.

 

[Canes]

I respect Florida, that's probably another reason I am not too upset. We don't have a Tkachuk and even though Andersen played great, he sadly still got outplayed by Bobrovsky.

 

[The Faulker 27]

Sure, but how relevant is that to how difficult they were as an opponent? The gist of your post comes across that because Florida is a wild card team that means they were an easier opponent. And it completely ignores that Florida had just ousted a Boston team that set the record for regular season wins, took 4 out of 5 from a Toronto team that had the 4th best record in the league (as well as who finally broke their post season futility streak and convincingly ousted a prior year finalist Bolts team), and as pointed out, had gone 7-1 over their previous 8 games before the conference semis against 2 teams that many had picked to win a Cup.

Think of it this way: I bet if the Canes had been in the same spot as the Panthers and someone posted an implication that they represented an easier out than typical, without giving them any credit for what they'd accomplished, most of us would have reacted angrily and chalked it up to another brick being added to a wall of disrespect built up over many years for our hockey team.

TL;DR The east f***ed around and found out?

 

[Blueline Bomber]

Well, at least we can change our avatars now. I found this one to be too perfect.

 

[Svechhammer]

Sure, but how relevant is that to how difficult they were as an opponent? The gist of your post comes across that because Florida is a wild card team that means they were an easier opponent. And it completely ignores that Florida had just ousted a Boston team that set the record for regular season wins, took 4 out of 5 from a Toronto team that had the 4th best record in the league (as well as who finally broke their post season futility streak and convincingly ousted a prior year finalist Bolts team), and as pointed out, had gone 7-1 over their previous 8 games before the conference semis against 2 teams that many had picked to win a Cup.

Think of it this way: I bet if the Canes had been in the same spot as the Panthers and someone posted an implication that they represented an easier out than typical, without giving them any credit for what they'd accomplished, most of us would have reacted angrily and chalked it up to another brick being added to a wall of disrespect built up over many years for our hockey team.

That's a lot of words to refute me stating a literal fact that Florida was a wild card team that swept us in the ECF

 

[Ole Gil]

It's tough to be too disappointed.

They were still just a better team than the Isles, and they matched up perfectly with the Devils.

Florida at full power with a hot goalie and Carolina without a couple key players was a very even matchup. And the breaks did not go Carolina's way.

Can't will yourself to win, when all you've got to begin with is the will to win. The Canes forward lineup is filled with guys who could've cleared waivers at the start of the season being relied on to score goals.

Big offseason incoming. They'll be right back here next year. Hopefully with a couple more non-injured players in tow.

 

[ndp]

That's a lot of words to refute me stating a literal fact that Florida was a wild card team that swept us in the ECF

Just want to start by saying the entirety of this post isn’t directed specifically at you @Svechhammer, but I’ve been thinking quite a bit about this all series. And…

I think the point is they shouldn’t have been a wildcard team to begin with.

I think if you did a breakdown and compared the Hurricanes vs FL rosters they’re the better team on paper.

As much as the Hurricanes defense was hyped up throughout the season FL was literally one goal behind as a group. And quite honestly aren’t that far off defensively.

Bob is a 2 x Vezina trophy winning goalie who happened to find his game.
Barkov > Aho
Tkachuk > any player on the Canes

After Barkov their center depth whips the snot out of the Hurricanes centers.

I really don’t get the FL being an inferior team talk. To me they were always the superior team on paper that was struggling to put it all together during the regular season and finally found their game.

Some of y’all got some heavily tinted rose colored glasses when it comes to Hurricanes players. Guys like Fast, Martinook, Noesen, Drury are basically a dime a dozen in this league. Yeah they’re all likable guys who play hard every night but they’re not the kind of offensive difference makers that are needed to bring home a championship. And when you’re top six is full of those guys due to injuries or whatever you’re playing on borrowed time.

It was a great run, but they’re missing two key players and ran into a superior team anchored by a goalie who is playing absolutely lights out. I’ve said it 1000 times about the Hurricanes, hard work will only carry you so far. I think we’ve seen that limit.