2015 Off-Season talk

[remkin]

In other news, the Canes let their 35 year CFO go:

 

Not sure what that means.

 

http://www.newsobserver.com/sports/nhl/carolina-hurricanes/article22558458.html

 

 

Also signed goalie Drew MacIntyre to a one year deal:

 

http://www.wralsportsfan.com/hurricanes-re-sign-goalie-drew-macintyre-to-one-year-deal/14677285/

[LakeLivin]

. . .

 

Also signed goalie Drew MacIntyre to a one year deal:

 

http://www.wralsportsfan.com/hurricanes-re-sign-goalie-drew-macintyre-to-one-year-deal/14677285/

 

I'm a little surprised they signed McIntyre to a "2-way plus" deal ($250k AHL level).  Muse started poorly last year but apparently played very well the last part of the year (so much so that his overall numbers ended up a bit better than McIntyres).  And Muse is younger (27 to Macs 32).  

 

I wonder if Canes are investing in Chex as an organization or maybe see McIntyre as a potential NHL backup in spite of his so-so record last year and limited NHL experience?   

[OBXer]

I'm more surprised Mac signed with them. He had stated "if we have one of the youngest teams again, then no, I’m not interested.”

 

Does this mean we aren't going for a youth movement in Charlotte? I find that unlikely. Maybe Mac thinks he has a real chance at a callup. Hmm I wonder if he knows something we don't? Maybe his agent just shopped around and they decided the grass isn't greener in another pasture.

 

There is more Checkers talk here; In The Canes System

[PenaltyKiller17]

In other news, the Canes let their 35 year CFO go:

 

Not sure what that means.

 

http://www.newsobserver.com/sports/nhl/carolina-hurricanes/article22558

 

I don't think it means anything, Karmanos just replaced him with somebody he's known for equally as long.  Looks like an in-house hire.

[LakeLivin]

I don't get the NBC Sports channel so I haven't seen much of the playoffs this year. Last night I bit the bullet and watched the game live over the internet. I have a slow connection so it's better than radio but still stop and go at times.  Still, one thing that jumped out at me was how much better the teams passed the puck than the Canes.  I know it's in vogue to put most of our scoring woes on a lack of a net front presence but I've read somewhere that the best scoring chances come after passes that force the goalie to go "against the grain", i.e., trying to make a save while on the move from one side of the net to the other. 

 

So in addition to getting grittier, I'm starting to think we also need a more skilled passing game.  How we get there, I can't say. 

[OBXer]

Good point Lake. Net front and dirty goals are important but as important is puck position (IMO) and getting the goalie moving. I did see some hope late in the season. I though we got better at creating scoring chances but maybe that was just wishful thinking.

 

I think our scorers had trouble adjusting to the new system. Almost all our goal scorers had an off year but once they got it down and stopped thinking about how to play the Peters system and just played it I thought our Offense got better. When you have an active offensive minded D it puts a great deal of defensive pressure on the forwards. I think they got better at that too as time went on.

 

Of course this is all subjective, only what I took away from the late games. A better cure might be getting a top pair D-man, A top 6 center and a top 6 winger.

[OBXer]

Sekera is apparently up for grabs. LA wants to re-sign him but has cap issues and the word is he wants too much money. Isn't that what we said before we traded him. We don't have cap issues but always have budget issues. A FA might be an option but I think we are more likely to trade for a D-man. Even if we do get Hanifin in the draft, even if he is ready to make the leap he won't be ready for top pair duties (IMO). We need to get a topn Dman if we can.

[coastal_caniac]

I don't think it means anything, Karmanos just replaced him with somebody he's known for equally as long.  Looks like an in-house hire.

 

Witnesses say he was escorted out of the building.

 

So yeah, he was "replaced".

[dinz]

Not real sold on Franson..

[remkin]

It's like the Airplane line, "I picked a bad day to give up smoking". We picked a bad year to urgently need defensive help.

 

UFA's always seem a bit thin at the top, but this year's defensive crops seems really thin. I seriously think Sekera might be the best. Every guy on the list has serious shortcomings or question marks from what I can see.

 

This would really suggest a trade might be innevitable, but to get any kind of quality, and not give up the #5 pick, we are pretty much talking Skinner probably. Outside of the #5 pick, what other asset do we have that we would trade that would return a solid d man.

 

I just read that Vancouver has only used one first round pick on a defenseman in 17 years. (Just found that interesting).

 

There is no Ryan Suter this year. Defensemen that get deals in the first round of signings will be overpayed.

[bluedevilcane]

With Tolchinsky hopefully in our future, and a significant chance Marner falls to us in the draft, trading Skinner for a solid D-man seems like a good way to go.

[dogbutler]

Sekera is apparently up for grabs. LA wants to re-sign him but has cap issues and the word is he wants too much money. Isn't that what we said before we traded him. We don't have cap issues but always have budget issues. A FA might be an option but I think we are more likely to trade for a D-man. Even if we do get Hanifin in the draft, even if he is ready to make the leap he won't be ready for top pair duties (IMO). We need to get a topn Dman if we can.

If Andrej didn't want to sign before, I doubt he would sign now.

 

Witnesses say he was escorted out of the building.

 

So yeah, he was "replaced".

They did not mention that in the press release.

 

 

[legend-1]

Someone can correct me if I'm wrong but I don't see Eric being either the first NHL'er to restructure his contract or the first in a long time.

 

The players have to have massive fights every 5-10 years for what they do have and it would be a major slap in the face of the NHLPA for Eric to just hand money back.

 

Buying out Semin is vastly more plausible then Eric restructuring his contract. As long as NHL teams can't instantly terminate contracts which is something we playfully kicked around a few months ago here, I don't see restructuring being a thing in the NHL.

Edited June 1, 2015 by legend-1

[MinJaBen]

Someone can correct me if I'm wrong but I don't see Eric being either the first NHL'er to restructure his contract or the first in a long time.

 

The players have to have massive fights every 5-10 years for what they do have and it would be a major slap in the face of the NHLPA for Eric to just hand money back.

 

Buying out Semin is vastly more plausible then Eric restructuring his contract. As long as NHL teams can't instantly terminate contracts which is something we playfully kicked around a few months ago here, I don't see restructuring being a thing in the NHL.

 

Per the agreement with the players union, there is no "restructuring" like in football. What we are probably talking about here is a contract extension that has much different terms (NTC's) and/or salary compared to the contract that expires next year. The current contract is set in stone barring a buyout.

[super_dave_1]

1. Trade the 5th pick for Skill Speed and Grit offensive player..(The future is now)

 

 

JR is in Pittsburgh now

[KJUNKANE]

JR is in Pittsburgh now

super_dave, you beat me to this response, but I do so agree with you!!

 

I've been mulling over my post season feelings, and truly believe, that suffering thru this "6 yr drought" of playoff hockey increasingly causes one, myself included, to wander from the realistic world, into a fantasy hockey mode.

 

As much as I despised our owner's comments way back when, and still do, regarding the need for patience, that was/is the only sage words I've ever heard him mutter. Thus, with reference to those wanting to "pull the trigger" on some fantastic deal, as in" trading our #5 for some savior", I truly wonder how often something like that works out? Bringing in a new "element" into an established base just seems like a coin flip as to chances for success.

 

Further, a team, such as ours, financially living on the edge, just seems to me to be in too precarious of a position to assume these types of risk. Sure, the "Original" group, the Big Boys can spend their way out of risk failure, like taking on a Semin or Kabrele!! This is a luxury we, and our owners cannot afford.

 

No,I think that we need to stick to development within our system, prey that our scouting group has improved, and put the right, complementary coach in place in Charlotte to develop a system wide evolution of player excellence. One doesn't do that by jumping rank, and further undermining our future by trading away high draft picks, particularly in a reputed strong draft year where generational players are supposed to be lurking.

[coastal_caniac]

As to the cap. Spend more. I know, I know, it's not my money, but we need another NHL defenseman to field a team that is not already planning to go for a high draft pick next year. Presumably the cap will go up, so our baseline should. Also, PK will get his taste of expansion money soon enough, and there has to be some price to an empty PNC center. Also could buy out Semin to get a little more room.

 

 

 

The cap might rise from 69-mil to 72-mil, depending largely on the valuation of the Canadian to US dollar.  So, if the Canes spend in relation to the cap increase, as they did in 2014, then they will have an additional 2 million dollars to spend.  So, 8 million to add legit defensemen, replace or resign Terry and Dwyer, and qualify the 2 RFA's (Nash, Nestrasil).

Edited June 1, 2015 by coastal_caniac

[Kyrule]

Tyler Ganly signed to an entry level contract.

It looks like Charlotte's defense may be getting a serious overhaul.

[OBXer]

Tyler Ganly signed to an entry level contract.

It looks like Charlotte's defense may be getting a serious overhaul.

 

It does look like changes are a coming.

 

There is a Canes UFA/RFA player tracker here

[PenaltyKiller17]

Only fair if JR undoes the trade-back. Pittsburgh got a nice defensman at #8. We'll take him back, and Doumalin and Sutter.

How on Earth did Jordan put up 25 goals in 73 games that year in Pittsburgh? Were they all tap ins? Maybe. Then 23 playoff goals in 73 games too. I'd take that at this point. His defense is great, but not worth the paycheck and NTC. He needs to put up at least 50-60 points. Maybe this year....

Scary part about Jordan's numbers in Pitts was they were with players with inferior talent level than the ones he plays with here. I thought the first he played well with Skinner his 1st season here. I think his first 15 games, he was a ppg scorer. I think the problem is our players are too passive and worry too much about making the perfect play. Once 40goal scorers like Semin and Staal aren't shooting as they should. Eric's shooting numbers are significantly down from his better days. It doesn't make sense a team that's in the top 10 in ppgs should be third to last in goals per game.

[bluedevil58]

Fancy stats indicate that shots on goal last seasons happened about 3 - 5 feet further from the goal crease than in previous seasons.

[wxray1]

Probably should post this on Off-Topic, but it kind of crosses.

 

Basically, Cam Newton agreed to a huge extension of $104M.  This feels very Staal/Ward-esque.

 

I just wonder if the Panthers are going to get bit in the butt too.  Something in the water in Carolina.

[super_dave_1]

 

And let's please stop with the "if he were so good why would they trade him?" line. That is a really shallow rhetorical line of thin reasoning, because it means little by itself.

 

I disagree with this.  If he was that great, a team that finished at the bottom of the league wouldn't be doing everything they can do to move him and his contract.  It isn't a straight up hockey trade.  It's solely based on the Canes wanting out of Semin's contract and we would have to take back Kessel to make it happen.

 

Your "shallow rhetorical line of thin reasoning" is a little condescending also.  These are people's opinions, just like yours.

Edited June 3, 2015 by super_dave_1

[LakeLivin]

A couple thoughts:

 

One thing we can put a clear value on is the benefit of another team picking up Semin's contract.  It's whatever $14m would buy us on the free agent market.  Sekera for 3 years maybe? 

 

IF GMRF and Shanahan are talking it wouldn't surprise me if GMRF is investigating 3 way deals involving players better suited to his vision for Canes hockey.  As in Kessel going directly to another team in exchange for a young stud d-man, perhaps?  Or, say, for the 8-12 pick plus additional assets?  Low enough that we would still be able to address specific needs like defense (Werenski, Provarov) or size/ physicality (Crouse, Rantanen, Zacha, etc.).  

 

In order to even consider moving the #5 pick I'd want part of the return to be young as well as high value (for the beneficial contractual reasons previously outlined). That could involve either moving down slightly in the draft or a young player under an agreeable contract for several years (preferably entry level).

 

Bottom line to me: I believe the GM for a franchise like the Canes can't afford to be overly rigid and has to look at creative ways to improve the team in addition to creating a solid developmental culture. 

 

edit: that last paragraph doesn't imply I'm advocating moving the #5 pick. The devil's in the details imo.

Edited June 3, 2015 by LakeLivin

[remkin]

On a more positive note, just confirmed for select a seat and the Canes released the preseason schedule:

 

Two games each w/ Caps and Pens.

 

http://hurricanes.nhl.com/club/news.htm?id=769642&navid=DL|CAR|home