GDT: This is where it gets better, right?

[Rick Davis]

Ovies and Giglio have been convinced for a while that Aho will not entertain an extension with the team and he's already looking to his next contract, and that is why our window closes after next season. A lot of it does smell like they have convinced themselves of this and are projecting their own opinions as certified fact, so I wouldn't necessarily put too much credibility into those statements.

That said, if they are right and they know something..... Phew, things are going to get ugly in Raleigh in the near future.

Perhaps it might be time to consider the unthinkable and move Aho? Who else on this team would potentially bring more in return? Hell I don’t think even Svech would bring more, especially given Andre’s current injury concern…

If Rod is going to continue being the coach and if we are going to continue to be a dump and chase team then maybe moving Aho for assets more conducive to a dump and chase system would be a good start…

 

[Daeavorn]

A lot of the issues that have been simmering for the last few seasons are all coming to a head at the same time.

Offensively, we go into a rut annually around this time of year. Patches was supposed to help with that, and he played like 3 games before blowing out his Achilles again. We stayed relatively inactive at the deadline because we thought the roster we had could still get it done, which maybe would have been ok if we were banking on our internal players to show growth and improvement. Instead, Svech blows out his knee and our lines are royally screwed.

And now, to really sprinkle it on, our goalies are all letting in very soft goals on a nightly basis. Yes, they also make excellent saves later on, but the softies are routinely putting our backs against the wall early in these recent games, which is a worrisome omen going into the playoffs.

Our inaction at the deadline combined with a bunch of players who cannot be consistently relied upon to be the guy for the team plus our leaky goaltending is really just a recipe for a complete meltdown in the playoffs. From where this season was right before Patches came back, what we're seeing now is close to the worst case scenario that we could have dealt with at the time. We're going to the playoffs, but its increasingly looking like even the players know the season is already over. And the loss last night at that point in the game is just horrendous.

Its probably safe to say this upcoming offseason might be the most pivotal this franchise has had under Dundon. If we don't bring in some serious help up front, I do worry that someone like Aho is going to walk and go to a franchise more dedicated to surrounding him with equitable talent. And if he goes, the whole thing could unravel quickly.

I wish I could like this post twice. I think that is an excellent summary of where we are.

Yes our team is good, but this is a critical juncture in the Canes history. If we can't persuade Aho to resign its back to mediocrity until we can find another 1C.

 

[Daeavorn]

Perhaps it might be time to consider the unthinkable and move Aho? Who else on this team would potentially bring more in return? Hell I don’t think even Svech would bring more, especially given Andre’s current injury concern…

If Rod is going to continue being the coach and if we are going to continue to be a dump and chase team then maybe moving Aho for assets more conducive to a dump and chase system would be a good start…

IF and only IF we are in a situation where we know he will not re-sign, why not try to trade him for Pettersson?

 

[raynman]

What a fascinating read. Gotta give some credit to Drury and the 4th line though. He’s for sure been playing much better than his last call up. I’d even think about moving him to KK’s line and let Puljujarvi play with the vets for a bit.
Puljujarvi played better last night but he still made a couple mistakes Rod probably won’t like. One that was glaring was trying to make a move at the blue line instead of getting it deep. I don’t think I’ve ever seen a player look off into space and question the universe after an opportunity as much as he does. His confidence must be way down in the bottom of a shitty portapotty at a chili festival

 

[Sigurd]

IF and only IF we are in a situation where we know he will not re-sign, why not try to trade him for Pettersson?

I'm quite skeptical Aho won't re-sign, but that's exactly my thinking.

IF Aho won't re-sign (maybe if the front office's moves are duds two years in a row with next season due to more injuries, inaction, reclamation projects, etc.), and we know he won't, let's trade him for Pettersson who currently has 35 goals and is knocking on the door of 100 points with currently having 95 points. Pettersson is also bigger at 6'2. That's assuming Vancouver is even willing to trade EP.

I still would love to have both Aho and Pettersson though (of course). That center depth is insane. Then have Staal as the shutdown defensive centerman against other top lines on the 3rd line, and preferably Drury on our 4th line (I'm assuming we trade KK in a package for Pettersson).

 

[Blueline Bomber]

No one is great against top teams. If they were the TOP teams wouldn’t have the records they do. This shouldn’t be difficult to comprehend.

There aren’t enough bad teams to accumulate 103 points in 74 games only against shitty teams.

I'm bored, so I went through the schedule and compared the W/L record for the Canes vs. non-playoff and vs. playoff.

To make it easier, I'm assuming the standings stay the same as they are now (Sorry Florida and Calgary)

Non playoff record - 24-5-4
Playoff record - 23-13-5

 

[ndp]

Perhaps it might be time to consider the unthinkable and move Aho? Who else on this team would potentially bring more in return? Hell I don’t think even Svech would bring more, especially given Andre’s current injury concern…

If Rod is going to continue being the coach and if we are going to continue to be a dump and chase team then maybe moving Aho for assets more conducive to a dump and chase system would be a good start…

I think Aho plays fine in Rods system as long as he’s got a big bodied puck retriever on his line. Really that’s what every line on the Hurricanes and every other NHL team needs. The issue is finding or having that big bodied puck retriever that matches with Aho on a skill and talent level. Which is why drafting smaller boom or bust offensive forwards is a bit baffling to me. Maybe Rod does want to let the players cut loose a little more but doesn’t have faith in this group to do it.

The only way I see Aho just purely walking away from the Canes is if he believes he can produce more in a less defensive first system. That’s been my fear with him all along. Is he closer to a 100pt player on a more freewheeling team? Those are the guys that get PAID mainly based on offensive production. Is he leaving money on the table by continuing to play for a team that utilizes a system that maybe doesn’t allow him to reach his full offensive potential?

Is the system just not fun for high octane offensive players? Look at Huberdeau in CAL, maybe that’s part of the reason Tkachuk wanted out. I think if we compare playing styles or systems a Sutter coached team is probably the closest thing to the Hurricanes isn’t it.

 

[Svechhammer]

I think Aho plays fine in Rods system as long as he’s got a big bodied puck retriever on his line.

Which makes it all the more baffling that the only constant with Aho this year has been that he has Jarvis stapled to his hip.

 

[chaz4hockey]

I got bored, did the Devils schedule to compare them against the other top teams as defined by ESPN.
Toronto: 1-2-0
Rangers: 3-0-1
Carolina: 2-1-1
Boston: 0-2
Tampa: 1-1-1

5-5-3

The 3 being combo of shootout and OT. They still have one more with Boston left, but I'm sorry that's not better than Carolina. They're good against the Rangers and mixed against the other tops. Several of their wins are OT and shootout as well, but I'm not getting that deep into it.

Does it suck we are playing bad, absolutely, but the Devils aren't exactly world beaters here too. The expectation of top playing top is a 50:50 draw. I look at the Hurricanes and they are beating that expectation.

I posted this during the game. EVERYONE but Boston is treading water versus that East’s top teams (we are slightly worse). Of course Svetch injury plus other teams getting stronger at TDL moves the needle a bit now too:

Hey ESPN everyone’s record except Boston against other top teams are fairly close:
Leafs 7-6 versus canes, bruins, Ranger, devils, Tampa
Rangers 6-8 versus canes, bruins, rangers, devils, leafs
Tampa 6-8 versus canes, bruins, rangers, devils, leafs
Devils 7-9 versus canes, bruins, rangers, tampa, leafs
Canes 7-10 versus bruins, rangers, Tampa, leafs, devils
Bruins 12-3 versus canes, bruins, rangers, tampa, leafs Canes

 

[chaz4hockey]

A lot of the issues that have been simmering for the last few seasons are all coming to a head at the same time.

Offensively, we go into a rut annually around this time of year. Patches was supposed to help with that, and he played like 3 games before blowing out his Achilles again. We stayed relatively inactive at the deadline because we thought the roster we had could still get it done, which maybe would have been ok if we were banking on our internal players to show growth and improvement. Instead, Svech blows out his knee and our lines are royally screwed.

And now, to really sprinkle it on, our goalies are all letting in very soft goals on a nightly basis. Yes, they also make excellent saves later on, but the softies are routinely putting our backs against the wall early in these recent games, which is a worrisome omen going into the playoffs.

Our inaction at the deadline combined with a bunch of players who cannot be consistently relied upon to be the guy for the team plus our leaky goaltending is really just a recipe for a complete meltdown in the playoffs. From where this season was right before Patches came back, what we're seeing now is close to the worst case scenario that we could have dealt with at the time. We're going to the playoffs, but its increasingly looking like even the players know the season is already over. And the loss last night at that point in the game is just horrendous.

Its probably safe to say this upcoming offseason might be the most pivotal this franchise has had under Dundon. If we don't bring in some serious help up front, I do worry that someone like Aho is going to walk and go to a franchise more dedicated to surrounding him with equitable talent. And if he goes, the whole thing could unravel quickly.

Social media turning on the team yet? A little bit but still mostly positive. If they do turn negative very heavily, that would be a canary in the coal line. Regardless, I think the team gets a pass from the fan base this year; season ticket renewal should be strong.

However, i believe that if next year is another end of season/playoff flameout it will get ugly.

Btw: off-season will be important in getting some fresh blood plus leaving cap space for Svetch’s and Patch’s (possible) q1 2024 return.

 

[Sigurd]

I posted this during the game. EVERYONE but Boston is treading water versus that East’s top teams (we are slightly worse). Of course Svetch injury plus other teams getting stronger at TDL moves the needle a bit now too:

Hey ESPN everyone’s record except Boston against other top teams are fairly close:
Leafs 7-6 versus canes, bruins, Ranger, devils, Tampa
Rangers 6-8 versus canes, bruins, rangers, devils, leafs
Tampa 6-8 versus canes, bruins, rangers, devils, leafs
Devils 7-9 versus canes, bruins, rangers, tampa, leafs
Canes 7-10 versus bruins, rangers, Tampa, leafs, devils
Bruins 12-3 versus canes, bruins, rangers, tampa, leafs Canes

Nah, just easier and funner for ESPN to kick Carolina while they're down (post injuries and their struggles recently post-Svech) without a comparison to other top teams in the east. Out of context digs at a team (a smaller hockey market one no less) makes them feel smart I guess.

At first you think, wow, Carolina really isn't that great with the record they showed against the top teams in the east. However, they misled people. Why do that when they're supposed to be professional commentators and analysts?

Who knew it's more difficult to win against the best teams in the league, and that's the norm for everyone not named Boston. Such a crazy concept. How novel.

 

[AD Skinner]

When two good teams play each other one of them will lose. Doesn’t mean one of those teams is bad

 

[tarheelhockey]

People really in here talking about trading Aho.

We are not ready for the playoffs. “We” meaning the fans, not the players.

 

[Joe McGrath]

People really in here talking about trading Aho.

We are not ready for the playoffs. “We” meaning the fans, not the players.

I’m surprised we arent already in the fire everyone phase. We did lose to Detroit in March

 

[Sigurd]

People really in here talking about trading Aho.

We are not ready for the playoffs. “We” meaning the fans, not the players.

You're ignoring the skepticism of Aho supposedly not re-signing (according to some local media guys speculating), but if he didn't re-sign, us saying Pettersson would be a great trade target (frankly he'd probably be the best even with Aho re-signing).

Here we were just talking about ESPN saying stuff out of context.

 

[tarheelhockey]

You're ignoring the skepticism of Aho supposedly not re-signing (according to some local media guys speculating), but if he didn't re-sign, us saying Pettersson would be a great trade target (frankly he'd probably be the best even with Aho re-signing).

Here we were just talking about ESPN saying stuff out of context.

And you’re ignoring the context of why people are suggesting Aho wouldn’t re-sign.

 

[Sigurd]

And you’re ignoring the context of why people are suggesting Aho wouldn’t re-sign.

How am I doing so exactly?

Also, let's not deflect from your implication.

You were acting like we were done with Aho and ready to run him out of town for discussing the possibility of him not re-signing which was brought up by local media guys.

 

[tarheelhockey]

How am I doing so exactly?

Also, let's not deflect from your implication.

You were acting like we were done with Aho and ready to run him out of town for discussing the possibility of him not re-signing which was brought up by local media guys.

“If Rod is going to continue being the coach and if we are going to continue to be a dump and chase team then maybe moving Aho for assets more conducive to a dump and chase system would be a good start”

Talking about trading Aho because he and Rod are incompatible.

We are also taking seriously the babble of sports talk radio, which is a red flag in its own right.

 

[Canes]

People really in here talking about trading Aho.

We are not ready for the playoffs. “We” meaning the fans, not the players.

Aho is literally the last person I'd trade. Hell, I'd even give him 10-11 million per for 8 years if that's what it's going to take. I think he's a player that can play in any system should for whatever reason Rod/Don move on.

Build around him and Svech. Preferably Necas as well but given the right player I could trade him too. Defense is where it's going to be tricky. I don't know who moves on between Slavin, Skjei and Pesce but I don't think we can keep them all especially if guys like Nikishin* and Morrow develop into top 4 guys sooner than later. Goalie is also worrying as well.

lol, not Nikolishin

 

[Svechhammer]

We are also taking seriously the babble of sports talk radio, which is a red flag in its own right.

I have heard very little from Ovies/Giglio/Gold that leads me to believe they have any actual inside knowledge. I do think they have their finger on the pulse a bit because of who they are able to interact with, but I do not get the feeling they have the ear of anyone within our organization. Everything they say comes off as speculation, they even admit that, for the most part, it is speculation.

But....

They are also hosting shows on the home network of the Canes. So you can't fully rule out anything they say, and at one point Gold actually did know something before it came out, and given he hosts the pre and post game shows, its not out of the realm of possibility he knows things. I would just hedge heavily against believing anything they say.

 

[raynman]

Seeing the way some interpret what ESPN commentators and play by play people say I’ll believe the Aho stuff when I see it.

 

[Blueline Bomber]

I’m surprised we arent already in the fire everyone phase. We did lose to Detroit in March

It's less about losing to Detroit and more about losing 7 of their last 11(?). Not exactly the kind of high you want to be riding going into the playoffs.

And more importantly, the reason(s) for many of these losses are the same reasons we failed to go far in the playoffs in years past, namely, goaltending and the PP.

So yeah, we're a bit in panic mode because it's looking more and more likely we'll be facing the Rangers in the first round when none of our players (sans maybe Aho) look anywhere near good enough to compete with them.

 

[AhosDatsyukian]

That's the thing, your last two points could easily be attributed to being the #1 dump and chase team simply doesn't fit players like Turbo, Jarvis and KK as it can be attributed to that they're personally underperforming. All 3 of them don't seem to be the type that excel at going into corners or behind the net to dig out pucks. They're just not big enough and/or it's simply just not the type of game they excel at. Really only Martinook, Staal, and Svech are those type of guys. Nino was one. Ferland was one. Trocheck was OK at it despite his size. We simply don't have the horses to play like the early-mid 2010s Kings.

I mean, this doesn't really make sense as Turbo has had tons of success here under Rod already in the exact same system. And Jarvis was significantly better last year in the same system than this year. They're just having down years. Koko has actually really settled in, he's not a top tier scoring #2 C but I'm not sure the expectations was ever for him to be that. This is more of a roster construction issue than coaching/system. There are plenty of reasons to question the system, but I do not think Jarvis/Turbo/Koko underperforming support that.

 

[Oilers in NS]

I'm quite skeptical Aho won't re-sign, but that's exactly my thinking.

IF Aho won't re-sign (maybe if the front office's moves are duds two years in a row with next season due to more injuries, inaction, reclamation projects, etc.), and we know he won't, let's trade him for Pettersson who currently has 35 goals and is knocking on the door of 100 points with currently having 95 points. Pettersson is also bigger at 6'2. That's assuming Vancouver is even willing to trade EP.

I still would love to have both Aho and Pettersson though (of course). That center depth is insane. Then have Staal as the shutdown defensive centerman against other top lines on the 3rd line, and preferably Drury on our 4th line (I'm assuming we trade KK in a package for Pettersson).

I’d be nervous the Habs r gonna go in on him. They will have money to spend, lots of draft picks, and some young players coming along
From what I’m reading, not good impressions on Puljarjvi? I thought he was gonna have a better year. He just can’t get it together. He was tourney MVP when Finland won world Jrs . There was lots of talent on that team

 

[AhosDatsyukian]

I got bored, did the Devils schedule to compare them against the other top teams as defined by ESPN.
Toronto: 1-2-0
Rangers: 3-0-1
Carolina: 2-1-1
Boston: 0-2
Tampa: 1-1-1

5-5-3

The 3 being combo of shootout and OT. They still have one more with Boston left, but I'm sorry that's not better than Carolina. They're good against the Rangers and mixed against the other tops. Several of their wins are OT and shootout as well, but I'm not getting that deep into it.

Does it suck we are playing bad, absolutely, but the Devils aren't exactly world beaters here too. The expectation of top playing top is a 50:50 draw. I look at the Hurricanes and they are beating that expectation.

I'm not going to read too much into regular season H2H matchups as they are not always indicative of postseason results (Canes/Caps 2018-19 and Canes/Rangers last year for example). However on the surface based on that it does appear that our best route to the ECF is to hang on in the division and then the Devils should beat the Rangers and we are even vs them. Rod needs the boys to get their heads outta their asses the rest of the season. Win our game in hand and we're still only 3 points up on NJ. And as of now we are tied in RW but the Devils have the ROW tiebreaker. Last night's loss was really a disaster and leaves us very very little room for error the rest of the year.