Thought on Necas: Are the Canes essentially using NHL resources to put him on an NCAA schedule for a while? The NCAA plays a lot less games than most leagues, with much more time in practice and in the gym. It's a really good system for preparing players physically. Game time is critical when you're trying to get players adjusted to making good decisions at speed ('hockey sense'), but Necas does that extremely well already, his issue is just sheer strength, which becomes apparent when you watch him try to work the puck along the boards. At least in preseason, the NHL guys or even the guys a few years ahead were able to muscle him off consistently. That strength is a function of age and when guys hit their peak testosterone levels, but spending a lot of time in the gym can help. If the Canes are willing to use a roster spot to keep him practicing with the NHLers and working out with Brindy, with one game a week or so, that strikes me as something that could be a very effective development tool, and you can make 9 games last quite a while that way.