The Carolina Hurricanes Have Lost 13 Straight ECF Games...

[BB88]

I just cant consider a team with Jack Roslovic as your 2C and Freddy Andersen as your starting goalie to be a serious contender. Youre never going to win like that. And as you said, they dont even have a super star that can try and mask those issues.

Andersen isn’t the problem

We see it especially in the West every year that high end goaltending is not the answer

But they do have 2 massive flaws to fix. 2C and a superstar winger

Also some of the key players are getting old so will they land them in time or get stuck in a limbo

 

[Suntouchable13]

It will ruffle a lot of feathers but it’s time to admit the Leafs were the second best team in the eastern conference this year

The series wasn't close after the first period of game 3. They mopped the floor with the Leafs. Maybe they are 2nd (a very distant 2nd), but that's not saying much in this watered down weak Eastern conference.

 

[Peasy]

Andersen isn’t the problem

We see it especially in the West every year that high end goaltending is not the answer

But they do have 2 massive flaws to fix. 2C and a superstar winger

Also some of the key players are getting old so will they land them in time or get stuck in a limbo

I disagree.

Dude folds like a cheap tent when things get tough. I expect more horrid games to continue.

Not to mention the constant health injuries... How can you bet on that.

 

[BB88]

Keeping the Rantanen we saw play the last 2 games (For Carolina) would be akin to playing a Cardboard cutout that can't move.. YES he was that terrible.
As to the team Florida is all in their heads and The first game was closer then the score this last game wasn't Mo took off the gas and they still coasted. Bob is so far in their heads just hang a Paper Bob in the goal I doubt the canes would score twice..

They need a real sandpaper player with Grit.. and no they don't have that guy they are too "nice"
They need a Marchand, 5 year ago Perry Tkachuk.

Legit question, does Rob’s system allow someone to become a superstar?

Or anyone really thrive offensively, let’s say the keep Rantanen, would he have been allowed to play to his strenghts or if they land Marner is he ever going to be a 100 player for them?

 

[GIN ANTONIC]

Well to all the comments of ‘Rod the Frauds’ fault and needs to be let go, etc. that’s just silly. He’s not going anywhere but I’m sure he’s mad as hell.

Take the 2009 sweep out of there because it was 15 years ago and it really has nothing to do with this iteration of the team but yeah even 10 loses in the ECF in a row is crazy. The sweep not a sweep series 2 years ago was legitimately razor thin close as every single one of those games was a one goal game. 2 went to OT, game 1 being 4OT, and game 4 the Panthers scored with 5 seconds left to win it.

That was as close of a series as you could get. This year? I don’t even know what these first 2 games are. I haven’t watched them but Panthers just seem in a different league.

At a certain point you have to just man up and get it done. Doesn’t matter how. Canes need to figure that out. This is the final 4. Act like you belong there even if maybe you don’t.

 

[Uncle Scrooge]

Tough streak obviously but it doesn't really matter. Sweep by the Pens happened 16 years ago when they won the cup. None of the current players were a part of that. Pens beat the Red Wings so they obviously were good enough to beat the Canes.

The second sweep was when the Canes made the playoffs for the first time in the Rod the Bod era. Making the ECF was a surprise and Boston was built to win now. It was a mismatch.

Doesn't really matter if it's 4 games or 5 games, the superior teams won and when it's that deep in the playoffs the urgency is typically higher so you don't get any freebies.

What matters more right now and what's relevant is their struggles against the Panthers. But they're not the only team going through that obviously.

Streaks like this can happen when the odds are always stacked against you. You'd hope to win a game or two but in the big picture it doesn't really matter. I'm sure they'll have success if they get to a point where the young guys are elevating their games and they're icing a stacked roster. They have so much cap space with a full signed roster so it's possible they could get there. But they're not there yet.

 

[BB88]

I disagree.

Dude folds like a cheap tent when things get tough. I expect more horrid games to continue.

Not to mention the constant health injuries... How can you bet on that.

Colorado won with the worst goaltending in league history basically with Kuemper

Edmonton’s fans are being driven into madness every year with their goaltending, Hill has been nothing special

The roster from above him is much more of an issue than what’s in net. Atleast he can give you 2 quality rounds

 

[ZeHockeyFan]

In 2016,17,18 the real ecf was the second round pens caps series.

Your confirmation bias as a Pens fans is duly noted. Sorry, but all all of those were 7 game series and were awesome, especially the Sens vs Pens series in 17.

 

[GIN ANTONIC]

Legit question, does Rob’s system allow someone to become a superstar?

Or anyone really thrive offensively, let’s say the keep Rantanen, would he have been allowed to play to his strenghts or if they land Marner is he ever going to be a 100 player for them?

I guess it depends on your definition of superstar. Canes have never really had a player with superstar talent to try it on with a few caveats.

Necas broke out this year and actually produced better as a Cane than as an Av. The narrative was that Necas would go there and explode even more because of the Avs high flying system.

Last year, Guentzel scored at a really really good pace after being acquired. Something like 25 points in 18 games I think. No he isn’t a superstar talent so maybe that’s an anomaly but he fit perfectly.

And then you have Rantanen. Legit superstar talent but unfortunately did not want to be there so I don’t think we got a true look at whether or not he could have been effective and produce at his normal pace because he just didn’t want to try it.

In general Rod hasn’t had anyone with superstar talent to see if it’s possible to get more out of them offensively

 

[ZeHockeyFan]

And yet were coming up on 7 straight years of a metro team not making the cup finals.

What does that have to do with the fact that under the new division format, the ECFs have been overwhelmingly well contested, save for Carolina series?

 

[CowbellConray]

The Buffalo Sabres have won a conference finals game more recently than Carolina....

OOOF dawg

 

[Luigi Lemieux]

Your confirmation bias as a Pens fans is duly noted. Sorry, but all all of those were 7 game series and were awesome, especially the Sens vs Pens series in 17.

They were close series but the caps were a far superior team. What does it matter if I'm a pens fan they were part of both series what do I care.

 

[ZeHockeyFan]

They were close series but the caps were a far superior team.

But the Sens and Bolts played the Pens just as tough- the Bolts more so than the Caps in 2016.

What does it matter if I'm a pens fan they were part of both series what do I care.

If you were appreciating good hockey, then you'd not care about wanting only your arch rival only in the conference final. I totally understand wanting it, but you'd have to admit that your bias is clouding your appreciation for the great series that were Sens/Bolts vs Pens. I think Sens vs Pens has been the best ECF I have seen under the new format.

 

[Theodore450]

Several years ago I asked when they start blaming Rod and I got some roster nonsense about how he's overachieving. What about now? Are we still sticking with that excuse?

Hes foreshadowing what will happen to Marty St Louis

 

[Tryamw]

Legit question, does Rob’s system allow someone to become a superstar?

Or anyone really thrive offensively, let’s say the keep Rantanen, would he have been allowed to play to his strenghts or if they land Marner is he ever going to be a 100 player for them?

Depends.. Will someone lend us a superstar to test? (HAHAHAHA)

Rantanen was the closet thing and Aa first he felt snakebit then (Note I intentionally single out the last 2)

we got a guy that checked out and could be beaten by an AHL lifer..

 

[Peasy]

Colorado won with the worst goaltending in league history basically with Kuemper

Edmonton’s fans are being driven into madness every year with their goaltending, Hill has been nothing special

The roster from above him is much more of an issue than what’s in net. Atleast he can give you 2 quality rounds

And?

Colorado had Mackinnon, Makar, Rant and Landeskog
Edmonton has McDavid and Drais.

Those players are good enough to mask certain holes. Carolina has no one anywhere near that level. They will never win anything with Freddy Andersen and their current make up.

 

[Peasy]

What does that have to do with the fact that under the new division format, the ECFs have been overwhelmingly well contested, save for Carolina series?

It means theyve been constantly on the losing end and worse team for 7 straight years. What else would it mean?

 

[Chrispy]

Playoff seeding should just be 1 vs 8, 2 vs 7, etc. The matchups suck and it would save us from watching Carolina get taken advantage of in the ECF every year. At least they would lose earlier

You can certainly change the playoff seeding system, but I think it has a different benefit: Carolina and NJ were largely playing out the string since February knowing each other was their opponent.

With 1 through 8 seeding you would have seen Carolina push harder down the stretch specifically to avoid Florida in a 4/5 game. Which would make the regular season more interesting, which is also better for the game.

Regarding this series, I think I saw a stat that 8 skaters and 1 goaltender are the same on each team from the 2023 ECF. That seems low, but when I realize it probably doesn't include Svechnikov (ACL tear) that may be right:
Aho, Jarvis, Martinook, Staal, Slavin, Burns, Gostisbehere, Kotkaniemi, Chatfield (injured for this series, maybe that's also how they get 8,). Andersen in net.

Florida is a significantly better team than they were in 2023.
Carolina is a worse team than in 2023, in large part because they lost a lot of talent in 2024.

They have an opportunity to regain that this off-season but that talent loss doesn't excuse the complete lack of compete last night.

 

[93gilmour93]

Nobody is beating Florida. It's nothing more than the luck of the draw which round they knock you out in. Any team that won in the first round of the eastern conference playoffs would've been gone in round one if they got the Panthers

 

[GIN ANTONIC]

Tough streak obviously but it doesn't really matter. Sweep by the Pens happened 16 years ago when they won the cup. None of the current players were a part of that. Pens beat the Red Wings so they obviously were good enough to beat the Canes.

The second sweep was when the Canes made the playoffs for the first time in the Rod the Bod era. Making the ECF was a surprise and Boston was built to win now. It was a mismatch.

Doesn't really matter if it's 4 games or 5 games, the superior teams won and when it's that deep in the playoffs the urgency is typically higher so you don't get any freebies.

What matters more right now and what's relevant is their struggles against the Panthers. But they're not the only team going through that obviously.

Streaks like this can happen when the odds are always stacked against you. You'd hope to win a game or two but in the big picture it doesn't really matter. I'm sure they'll have success if they get to a point where the young guys are elevating their games and they're icing a stacked roster. They have so much cap space with a full signed roster so it's possible they could get there. But they're not there yet.

Great post and 100% agree with you except there is one current player still involved. Jordan Staal... he was just playing for the other team... and I guess you also have RBA as a common thread as well as he was on the 09 Canes team

 

[Luigi Lemieux]

But the Sens and Bolts played the Pens just as tough- the Bolts more so than the Caps in 2016.



If you were appreciating good hockey, then you'd not care about wanting only your arch rival only in the conference final. I totally understand wanting it, but you'd have to admit that your bias is clouding your appreciation for the great series that were Sens/Bolts vs Pens. I think Sens vs Pens has been the best ECF I have seen under the new format.

Nah I would love the opportunity to say the caps suck but they were the best team the Pens played in both 2016 and 17. But I do agree the Pens Sens series was a good one.

 

[Jee]

 

[NYRnine94]

You can certainly change the playoff seeding system, but I think it has a different benefit: Carolina and NJ were largely playing out the string since February knowing each other was their opponent.

With 1 through 8 seeding you would have seen Carolina push harder down the stretch specifically to avoid Florida in a 4/5 game. Which would make the regular season more interesting, which is also better for the game.

Regarding this series, I think I saw a stat that 8 skaters and 1 goaltender are the same on each team from the 2023 ECF. That seems low, but when I realize it probably doesn't include Svechnikov (ACL tear) that may be right:
Aho, Jarvis, Martinook, Staal, Slavin, Burns, Gostisbehere, Kotkaniemi, Chatfield (injured for this series, maybe that's also how they get 8,). Andersen in net.

Florida is a significantly better team than they were in 2023.
Carolina is a worse team than in 2023, in large part because they lost a lot of talent in 2024.

They have an opportunity to regain that this off-season but that talent loss doesn't excuse the complete lack of compete last night.

I just feel like the matchups were better 1-8, 2-7 and you didn't see the same teams play each other every year. Nothing was stopping Florida anyway but idk, i prefer the old playoff format. Sometimes the NHL does things and they really don't work out that well. I guess they want it like this though so who am i to say it's wrong?

 

[mr figgles]

Scotty Bowman couldn't win with that roster. I'm always shocked they make it as far as they do

 

[Thallis]

Rod has them playing winning 2010s hockey in 2025. It's good enough to handle lesser opponents, but once you get to the conference finals, you have real quality teams who can handle their forecheck enough to make the constant point shots do more harm than good. Going all volume over quality is the issue and until Rod shows a bit a small ability to change than that focus, Canes will continue to be frauds.