GDT: Slugs at Canes

[bleedgreen]

Ferland with a one punch ko. Hated kinda rival Buffalo hands us a game on a platter. Buffalo fans burying heads in the sand while we’re still in the playoff hunt. Jordan Staal accidentally found a way to find the net by turning his back to it and closing his eyes.

That’s a good night.

 

[Big Daddy Cane]

Buffalo's pick keeps getting more and more valuable to the extent that a high 2nd can. 39OA atm and within striking distance of 36OA.

 

[My Special Purpose]

Buffalo's pick keeps getting more and more valuable to the extent that a high 2nd can. 39OA atm and within striking distance of 36OA.

And the one big, black mark on the Waddell/Dundon resume continues to move toward gray. When we win a playoff series, Jurco leads Charlotte to a Calder Cup, we pick up a surprising first-round faller in the second round, and Skinner signs with Ottawa for $64 million, the brilliance will be fully exposed.

 

[MinJaBen]

Ferland with a one punch ko.

At least he was nice enough to help the guy up...into the ref’s crotch.

 

[emptyNedder]

Buffalo's pick keeps getting more and more valuable to the extent that a high 2nd can. 39OA atm and within striking distance of 36OA.

A pick 40 or earlier should be fairly valuable. As MSP mentions, the player could well be one the Canes think has first round value but who has fallen.

 

[CanesFanBudMan]

A pick 40 or earlier should be fairly valuable. As MSP mentions, the player could well be one the Canes think has first round value but who has fallen.

Aho Jr.

 

[Drivebytrucker]

Aho Jr.

It'll probably just get us Zac Dalpe Jr or PDG Jr.

but there's always a chance of an Aho Jr.

 

[Stickpucker]

Aho seems physically and mentally fatigued. Not used to playing meaningful games this long and trying to carry the team.

Good thing Svech is heating up and the bottom 6 continues to provide good offense.

Still like Wallmark and Martinooks play a lot. Really needed that first goal to stop a collapse.

 

[vorbis]

Aho had 3 more minutes than any other forward vs Columbus, and 2 more minutes than any other forward vs Buffalo. so he's still being relied upon very heavily, even if he's hitting a bit of a wall at this point in the season. what a stud.

 

[Boom Boom Apathy]

Maybe it's just that as it gets to crunch time, teams are trying to clamp down and know that if you stop Aho's line, you have a great chance of beating Carolina. It's going to be harder for him to get things going because his line is going to be the focus of every team.

 

[Surrounded By Ahos]

At least he was nice enough to help the guy up...into the ref’s crotch.

This is some next level teabagging and I love it.

 

[Drivebytrucker]

Jesus Christ if we don't re-sign Ferland I will lose my mind. He's had more fights this year than the team normally has combined, and won all of them, decisively. I mean he straight up splits people's heads for them. He eclipses even Tim Gleason's brutality.

Broons beat the Jackets in OT!

The problem is were going forward with Svech and El Nino as LW 1 and 2...

Do you pay a guy 5 million plus to play 3rd line LW when he doesn't kill penalties and wont see much PP time?

That's a tough one....

 

[DougieSmash]

Yeah, well, but Svech is natural RW.

We could try Nino/Seabass/Svech. Not that I want to pay Ferland. He's good but reminds me of Ruutu.

21/20/37
79/88/86
23/11/14
48/71/8

 

[Boom Boom Apathy]

Nino is going to come back to earth though. He's a guy that has only hit 25G once in his career and only scored 50 once in his career. He's doing great, but he won't keep up his torrid pace over time. That's ok though as he will still be a decent top 6 F, but the team needs upgraded talent on top of that.

Even if we sign Ferland, we still need another top 9 FWD (2 if we don't sign Ferland) and that also assumes Necas is ready (which is speculative). Hopefully, that comes in a Faulk trade. And once a guy is signed, who cares where they slot him, particularly if guys like Svech and Necas are still on ELCs.

 

[GoldiFox]

The problem is were going forward with Svech and El Nino as LW 1 and 2...

Do you pay a guy 5 million plus to play 3rd line LW when he doesn't kill penalties and wont see much PP time?

That's a tough one....

Nino, Svech, and Ferland can all play RW. 37 year old Justin Williams isn't going to remain a top-6 winger for much longer.

Ideally one of those guys (or TT) is right handed but I think Ferland's physical element would be missed more than the loss of a RH forward. What the Canes really, really need is a right handed #2C to push Jordan down.

 

[zman77]

 

[zman77]

Canes grind out needed win 4-2 over the Sabres
by Matt Karash | Mar 16, 2019 | The Drive Home
For the first time since donning a Hurricanes uniform, Curtis McElhinney looked shaky and unsure of himself out of the gate in Saturday’s game. The team’s slow start was compounded early when Curtis McElhinney more or less scored an own goal on an odd deflection off his own stick and through him into the net. The usually calm McElhinney generally looked a bit scrambly trying to find the puck through most of the first period. But the same hockey gods that did the Canes an unfair deed in terms of opposing goaltending in Friday’s 3-0 loss despite 46 shots repaid the favor a bit. The Hurricanes relieved pressure and pulled even when a harmless Jordan Martinook shot from well out leaked through Buffalo goalie Linus Ullmark. Lucas Wallmark tapped the puck from the blue paint and into the net to tie the game at 1-1. The Hurricanes would escape a lackluster first period lucky to be tied.
The Hurricanes and McElhinney would rebound a bit in the second period just like the night before. Teuvo Teravainen continued his run of heady playmaking plays with a head pass through Eichel’s legs to find Andrei Svechnikov on the back door for an easy goal. Shortly thereafter, Nino Niederreiter had a chance to build the lead but hit the post from point blank range. But the Hurricanes were still a bit sloppy. One run included three consecutive defensive zone turnovers by Pesce, Faulk and Aho. But McElhinney rebounded strongly in the second period, and the hockey gods chimed in again when Justin Williams flipped the puck at the net from an odd angle and then improbably found another hole through Ullmark.
The Third period featured a nice mile stone with Jordan Staal pulling out an out of character spin-o-rama backhand goal for his 500th NHL point. Buffalo would score late to cut the lead to 4-2 but the game was in hand at that point, and 4-2 became the final score.
Gm71 Vs. Buf: Canes grind out needed win 4-2 over the Sabres | Canes & Coffee

 

[The Faulker 27]

At least he was nice enough to help the guy up...into the ref’s crotch.

This is amazing. Taintalizing.

 

[zman77]

 

[bleedgreen]

The problem is were going forward with Svech and El Nino as LW 1 and 2...

Do you pay a guy 5 million plus to play 3rd line LW when he doesn't kill penalties and wont see much PP time?

That's a tough one....

Assuming any of the three are going to be the third line LW is nonsensical. If we don’t get rw’s then lw’s will keep playing on the right, and Ferland already has plenty of experience over there. Injuries change the lines all the time. Assuming Svech is in the top six doesn’t make sense. He probably will be but that’s the call of the coach Rod.

Tampa figures out how to have “too many” decent forwards. Us planning to let go of one because we have “too many” when we have the bottom six we possess....

And why won’t he see pp time? He’s one of the better pp wingers on the team.

 

[robbieberns]

fingers crossed we can get back to firing on all cylinders to finish the season

it just takes one look at the names on the schedule to know that this group absolutely has to be on their a game

 

[Boom Boom Apathy]

Not counting on it, but Necas being ready for a 3C or 3rd line RW role would be a big help to this team next season. Still think they need 1 (or 2 if Ferland isn't signed) top 9 forwards on top of Necas though.

 

[bleedgreen]

I’m pretty sold on needing two not matter what. I suspect they’ll give Necas a chance and maybe try for one.

Depending on how this all goes. If we don’t score enough down the stretch and miss out, or we lose in the first round not scoring hopefully the point will be made. If we go further scoring like we have they may say the hated “we like our jerks, look how far they got”.

Obviously I want them to go far, I would just hope they would still see the need to add.

 

[Boom Boom Apathy]

I’m pretty sold on needing two not matter what. I suspect they’ll give Necas a chance and maybe try for one.

Depending on how this all goes. If we don’t score enough down the stretch and miss out, or we lose in the first round not scoring hopefully the point will be made. If we go further scoring like we have they may say the hated “we like our jerks, look how far they got”.

Obviously I want them to go far, I would just hope they would still see the need to add.

Yeah, 2 would be ideal. A lot depends on re-signing Ferland and what happens with Necas though. Hopefully 1 of those top 9 FWD slots comes back in a faulk trade.

 

[emptyNedder]

Nino is going to come back to earth though. He's a guy that has only hit 25G once in his career and only scored 50 once in his career. He's doing great, but he won't keep up his torrid pace over time.

He might playing with Aho. He has the talent of a #5 pick. Look at Lindholm playing with Gaudreau. I firmly believe Niederreiter will put up 30/60 next season.

Nino, Svech, and Ferland can all play RW. 37 year old Justin Williams isn't going to remain a top-6 winger for much longer.

I thought that to begin this season. As long as NN/Aho/Williams keeps producing there is no reason not to keep JWilly on the top line.

What the Canes really, really need is a right handed #2C to push Jordan down.

Sure having a Crosby/Malkin or Stamkos/Point or Matthews/Tavares is ideal. However, Staal and Wallmark will be fine as 2nd and 3rd centers next season.
NN/Aho/Williams, Svechnikov/Wallmark/Teravainen, Martinook/Staal/Necas.
Wallmark will likely put up 16g/33a next season. I say that because Wallmark has played 5 pro seasons. In each successive season he has increased his production almost exactly 80%. The NHL is a tough league, so the 49 points would be a 60% increase. If Wallmark finds another 10-15 points in his third NHL season, then he is solidly between a Mikael Backlund and a David Kreji. Maybe not Malkin or Point, but definitely a solid 2C. That allows Staal to wind down his career as 3C. It also allows Necas to play his first season or two at RW.
Also, there really aren't any right-shot centers available--especially if the trade chip is Faulk.
Expecting Wallmark to progress as he has in four separate seasons and allowing Necas time to develop is the best bet for the team reaching the next level.