OT: Look here! Now with prizes!

[MinJaBen]

It's not Hanifin that's the question mark on the second pairing, it's Faulk or Pesce.

Is Hanifin/Pesce a better or worse defensive pairing than Hanifin/Faulk? That's the question that has yet to be answered, I think.

I thought when we traded away Hainsey, that Hanifin would HAVE to be paired with Pesce to make the top 4 work...and was very wrong. Hanifin and Faulk played very well together after the deadline. Both got a lot better in almost all metrics. It's a small sample size, so it could be a fluke, but I'd be shocked to see them separated to start the season.

 

[MinJaBen]

oddly enough I also wouldn't be stunned with a Skinner/Ryan/Stempniak line because Skinner. Seriously, unless you're putting him with someone that has an ineptitude level of me he's gonna produce regardless of who you put him with.

Didn't Peters all but call out this line as one he liked down the stretch last season. My guess is that this is one of the lines he will be at least starting the season with if not using through out.

 

[geehaad]

Anyone care to satisfy my curiosity regarding how many minutes Hanifin played with Faulk vs Pesce? I'm not smart enough to internet that kind of thing, you see.

 

[Boom Boom Apathy]

Anyone care to satisfy my curiosity regarding how many minutes Hanifin played with Faulk vs Pesce? I'm not smart enough to internet that kind of thing, you see.

Don't know minutes (since stats.hockeyanalysis is no more), but leftwing lock has the following in terms of % of time played:

https://leftwinglock.com/line-combi...=carolina-hurricanes&strength=EV&gametype=ALL

Pesce-Slavin: 25%
Faulk-Hainsey: 17.4%
Hanifin-Tennyson: 8.9%
Faulk-Slavin: 8%
Hanifin-Faulk: 7%
Hanifin-Pesce: 5%

All other combo's under 5%.

 

[Boom Boom Apathy]

Where is this notion that Faulk is some defensive liability coming from? His "inconsistencies" are pretty much getting caught flat footed in transition, or gapping up at the wrong time. It's like the HFBoards echo chamber has manifested itself into our own board. Being not as good as Slavin defensively doesn't mean being not good defensively. I'd have zero issues trotting Faulk out for 22+ a night, it just doesn't need to happen.

I think it's more a case of defensively, Pesce has been better than Faulk and since Hanifin is probably still the weak link defensively, do you put a guy who is better defensively (Pesce) to help Hanifin? That's how I was reading the discussion, not that Faulk is a liability himself.

 

[CandyCanes]

I really think the press box is going to suck this year without Ryan Murphy. Could be the key reason why it keeps us out of the playoffs.

 

[cptjeff]

Where is this notion that Faulk is some defensive liability coming from? His "inconsistencies" are pretty much getting caught flat footed in transition, or gapping up at the wrong time. It's like the HFBoards echo chamber has manifested itself into our own board. Being not as good as Slavin defensively doesn't mean being not good defensively. I'd have zero issues trotting Faulk out for 22+ a night, it just doesn't need to happen.

Faulk was a defensive liability early last season, and it was incredibly obvious at times, so maybe that's still sticking in people's heads. However, that was pretty much entirely because his ankle was still only at about 60% strength or thereabouts to start the season. After it healed the rest of the way, he was a more than effective defender, just as he had been in the past. He wasn't Slavin, but who is?

As for which D are paired with whom in camp, I wouldn't read anything into it at all. Our top four have all been playing together for two seasons now, they'll be able to work together regardless of what team they're on to start camp. I suspect in camp the strategy will be more to pair the non-NHL D with NHL ones for a while to see how they play with players who are a known commodity to the coaching staff. Later in preseason after most of the other players have been sent down, you'll start to see things closer to the real lines and D pairings.

 

[cptjeff]

If he comes our playing like he was during his AHL stint, he can push a guy down the roster and make a spot for himself. Ryan and Stempniak would be the most vulnerable depending upon Saarela's centering skills.

Yeah, if he comes out buzzing, I expect that he'll push Ryan to the 13th forward job. That AHL stint was incredible, and I'm sure he's coming into camp fully expecting to compete for the NHL roster.

 

[duga]

Surprised to see him on the list too. I ain't expecting much from him though. His numbers aren't all that great from playing in the Swiss-A.

His stats are a bit misleading though and just tell half the story. It's more a question of consistency. In many ways.

I follow his path for a long time now. As I always thought, he got a long way to go, but has a rarely high celling for a swiss player, if he could put it all together as a big questionmark.

He reminds me in some ways of my all-time favourite hockeyplayer Alexander Semin. As he is talented in many ways (on a lower level of course) and is capable of winning you a game single handedly, but his somewhat enigmatic personality can upset his game severely. Losing cool, timing, selfbelieve and then complicate things up in panic and finally losing effort and getting a liability for quite some time, before regaining the influence of a quality import playér in NLA and so on.
Things have gotten a bit better over the time but it's still a concern. It didn't help to gain consistency that he has changed the team already a few times.(there's a famous tv-interview crash by his angry ex-coach the legendary Arno del Curto, after he had heard that Hofmann will leave his team. He was so eager to polish this potential diamond. It's on youtube.)

He was dominant in the prep games for his first WHC last year, just to lose his game during the tournament. Didn't make the cut this year, somewhat surprisingly.

So, what to expect?

It could go both ways IMO. He could be a no-show and be back to Switzerland in a hurry or be a NHL player in a year. I always thought he has a 2nd line W potential.
IIRC he had some good rookie camps in the past with you?

He definitely has the wheels, the motor, the shot, probably the hustle and hands... and on a good night the playmaking and decisionmaking to fill in this role in the future.

On a downside, beside his mental and consistency issues. He really lacked core/leg strengh in the past, once he isn't moving, he easily can be pushed off the puck or his skates. Allthough he's a fine forechecker thanks to his skating, and gives an effort in the corners, his checking technique is bad and he'll loose most physical puckbattles, but will keep you busy.

On a D-side he's commited, but from time to time his legs are quicker than his head, that's why he's probably more of a Winger than Center in the NHL.

Capable on the Boxplay, strong in transition when he finds a bit of space. Can play off the half-boards or as a shooter on PP.

Had a very convincing pre-season and first couple of games in the NLA last few weeks. So he's in good shape. A lot of Lugano supporters fear he won't be back.

Hopefully they have some good reason!

 

[Boom Boom Apathy]

Reminds you of Semin eh? He and Peters should get along swimmingly then.

 

[duga]

Reminds you of Semin eh? He and Peters should get along swimmingly then.

To be fair, you got him 2 years too late, his wrist damaged, his skating on a severe downswing in spite of an inhuman work-out program throughout the long siberian summer

It's not that I think Hofmann and him are comparable stylewise.

Just that you can sit there in disbelieve how so much talent can not guarantee for a stable mindset and awareness of the own abilities, thus always being in danger to lose it completely, which was quite an issue with Semin when he was younger.

Hofmann isn't lazy at all, he skates hard all night. That wouldn't be an issue.

 

[Breakdowns]

He is not able to crack Swiss roster for WHC? WTF?

 

[SaskCanesFan]

Are the heights and weights current or are they just going off of last year on the training camp list? I'd be curious to know how some of the young guys - especially Aho - have done putting on muscle over the summer.

 

[geehaad]

Are the heights and weights current or are they just going off of last year on the training camp list?

They will get measured today.

 

[Anton Dubinchuk]

Look, another Sekera situation...

http://downloads.hurricanes.nhl.com/pronunciation/aho.mp3

Turns out we've been saying Aho wrong.

 

[JCLA]

Look, another Sekera situation...

http://downloads.hurricanes.nhl.com/pronunciation/aho.mp3

Turns out we've been saying Aho wrong.

I'm sticking with ah ho

 

[Finlandia WOAT]

I don't think that was a mistake.

 

[Boom Boom Apathy]

I think he's just messing with us.

 

[Anton Dubinchuk]

I'm sticking with ah ho

Don't be an Ahole

 

[DaveG]

He's.... he's ****ing with us right? I mean c'mon, the guy is over here for a year and surely learns about our culture and what Ahos the fanbase is, and goes with a little word play in year 2 because that's his sense of humor. HAS to be that.

 

[JCLA]

He's.... he's ****ing with us right? I mean c'mon, the guy is over here for a year and surely learns about our culture and what Ahos the fanbase is, and goes with a little word play in year 2 because that's his sense of humor. HAS to be that.

This is why I refuse to believe its A Ho

Plus, A(H)OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO sounds way better than (A)HOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

 

[urho]

Look, another Sekera situation...

http://downloads.hurricanes.nhl.com/pronunciation/aho.mp3

Turns out we've been saying Aho wrong.

Typical Finn, trying to pronounce his own name based on how it would be pronounced in another languange

https://youtu.be/1EyvelkO-eI?t=28

Here you can hear it said the right way several times.

 

[Finlandia WOAT]

But, that's how everyone was pronouncing it....

 

[CandyCanes]

A hoe

 

[Boom Boom Apathy]