News and Notes XVIII: Déjà Vu All Over Again - See Post 121

[Boom Boom Apathy]

Aside from maybe Nordstrom, I think it wouldn't be controversial to say 11 forwards are meeting or exceeding expectations this season at the halfway point. Probably could throw in the 6 dmen, and the goalie. And really Nordstrom, as a 4th liner, is probably right where he should be as well.

So basically, everything but the backup goalie is going as planned or better. It's pretty crazy.

True. Reminds me of the 05/06 cup run. Pretty much every player either had a career/near career year and/or performed at or better than you'd expect that season.

 

[A Star is Burns]

True. Reminds me of the 05/06 cup run. Pretty much every player either had a career/near career year and/or performed at or better than you'd expect that season.

True, with the big difference being that they performed so well because of the style of the game that was phased out over the following years. Hopefully the fact that there won't be changes like that won't lead to this being just career years for everyone and it will be indicative of what they're actually capable of.

 

[The Faulker 27]

I'm enjoying the up beat spirit around here right now. I hope even if they don't come out on top over this next gauntlet of games, we keep a positive atmosphere. It certainly has been an entertaining season so far. I have people who don't even really follow the Hurricanes texting me about them. They're playing well enough to leak into mainstream news outlets.

 

[Boom Boom Apathy]

True, with the big difference being that they performed so well because of the style of the game that was phased out over the following years. Hopefully the fact that there won't be changes like that won't lead to this being just career years for everyone and it will be indicative of what they're actually capable of.

True, but a couple of things happened right off the following season that made the team so much less competitive.

1) Cam Ward wasn't ready for a full time starting job, so their goaltending got worse (and John Grahame was the back-up)
2) Stillman and Kaberle both had shoulder surgery and missed time and weren't the same when. Injuries also took their toll on guys like Hedican, Wesley, and Wallin.
3) Staal lost 30 points, a lot of it probably due to Stillman being gone.
4) Weight, Recchi, Cullen, were all not re-signed.
5) David Tanabe played 60 games.

That was a veteran team so changes like that were bound to happen.

 

[Vagrant]

I think a lot of credit needs to go to the coaching staff with him. When he first came up last year and this year, he was a bull in a China shop. Probably had someone in his ear telling him to go out there, hit everything he could, bring a ton of energy, blah blah. Peters or someone else got him to settle down and now we're seeing the kid actually does have NHL level hockey sense. I'm not completely sold on him being more than a "typical" 3rd line guy, but he's getting better and better each game and erasing some question marks.

Still needs to stop staring at the camera when being interviewed though.

A lot of it as well was that he just wasn't ready for the promotion. I'm a big fan of having guys "beat the level" before they're called up for NHL duty. McGinn was just starting to find his legs in the AHL last year at the time of his promotion and the organization thought it might be time to challenge him again. He was clearly overwhelmed in those games. He spent a lot of time watching and not skating and that's just certain death in the NHL. And truthfully, I believe that Derek Ryan coming up and having success was big for a lot of the Charlotte guys. If you play the same game you play at the AHL level, you'll be okay. Don't forget why they like you. Ryan keeping his nose to the grindstone, even at 30, and doing everything he could to get another promotion and showing everyone else how close they were to their own call up if they just stayed the course was important. I think there are some sad sacks in our organization that feel like no matter how hard they work they'll never get in the lineup, so they stop working. Ryan Murphy strikes me that way. His conditioning stint in Charlotte should have been him running around like his head was on fire dominating that level because he has the natural skill to do it, but he pouted and crossed his arms and straight up sucked. Matt Tennyson is another example of the inverse. He went to Charlotte and scored 3 goals in 9 games and was a +7 and we couldn't get him back up here quick enough. The biggest mistake these fringe guys make is believing that the organization stops watching you when you get demoted. I would wager they're watching you closer at that time than they are at any other point. PDG is currently down there putting in some great work and he'll be back soon enough.

 

[Roboturner913]

Aside from maybe Nordstrom, I think it wouldn't be controversial to say 11 forwards are meeting or exceeding expectations this season at the halfway point. Probably could throw in the 6 dmen, and the goalie. And really Nordstrom, as a 4th liner, is probably right where he should be as well.

So basically, everything but the backup goalie is going as planned or better. It's pretty crazy.

Even with that, if you had come along in the offseason the Canes would be 12th in goals scored at the halfway point of the season you would not have any takers. Certainly not myself, and I'm one of the more optimistic people around here.

 

[Unsustainable]

Canes have multiple coverage of the team going on, The Score, NBC, NHL....

It's like we are trending up.

 

[Anton Dubinchuk]

Canes have multiple coverage of the team going on, The Score, NBC, NHL....

It's like we are trending up.

just in time to blow it in front of everyone

 

[HisIceness]

I for one am just happy to see this team in the news for positive things and not other things we've been in the news for in the past 2 years.

Hopefully we can keep this positivity going so we can squash that rumor ******** once and for all.

 

[MinJaBen]

I'm enjoying the up beat spirit around here right now. I hope even if they don't come out on top over this next gauntlet of games, we keep a positive atmosphere. It certainly has been an entertaining season so far. I have people who don't even really follow the Hurricanes texting me about them. They're playing well enough to leak into mainstream news outlets.

 

[Vagrant]

Hurricanes recall..... NED?!

What in the absolute hell. Was Alves tired of double duty?

 

[Boom Boom Apathy]

Hurricanes recall..... NED?!

What in the absolute hell. Was Alves tired of double duty?

I saw that and thought it was probably that they wanted Leighton to get some games in the next couple of days since he hasn't played in a while. The Checkers play on the 17th, 18th where-as the Canes play 17th, 20th, 21st. Will be a bit surprised if Leighton isn't back with the Canes by that Back to Back on the 21st, unless Lack is healthy by then.

 

[Unsustainable]

I saw that and thought it was probably that they wanted Leighton to get some games in the next couple of days since he hasn't played in a while. The Checkers play on the 17th, 18th where-as the Canes play 17th, 20th, 21st. Will be a bit surprised if Leighton isn't back with the Canes by that Back to Back on the 21st, unless Lack is healthy by then.

Someone else needs to start one of those back to backs

 

[Unsustainable]

Would you trade Murphy and a 2nd for Fluery and a 3rd?

 

[geehaad]

Would you trade Murphy and a 2nd for Fluery and a 3rd?

Are you referring to M-A Fleury, or are you making some food-for-thought point about Haydn Fleury?

 

[Unsustainable]

Are you referring to M-A Fleury, or are you making some food-for-thought point about Haydn Fleury?

Marc-Andre.

I'm typically against people with hyphenated names though.

 

[RodTheBawd]

I'm enjoying the up beat spirit around here right now. I hope even if they don't come out on top over this next gauntlet of games, we keep a positive atmosphere. It certainly has been an entertaining season so far. I have people who don't even really follow the Hurricanes texting me about them. They're playing well enough to leak into mainstream news outlets.

Right? The season will be declared over after the next loss.

 

[Cardiac Jerks]

Would you trade Murphy and a 2nd for Fluery and a 3rd?

I'd be happy with Fleury but I think I'd change the picks. Murphy isn't great but still has some value and taking Fleury would be doing the pens a favour when there isn't a huge market for goalies. So I don't see us giving up a second. However, i wouldn't be hugely upset if this deal went down like this.

 

[geehaad]

Wow. I didn't believe it was MAF because I wouldn't have dreamed that he could be had for a 2nd rounder (I'm roughly equating Murphy to a 3rd).

 

[The Faulker 27]

Right? The season will be declared over after the next loss.

Most likely but I felt it was worth saying. 2 losses in a row, which is very likely, and I expect it to seem like we missed the playoffs by 1 point around here.

 

[Cardiac Jerks]

Wow. I didn't believe it was MAF because I wouldn't have dreamed that he could be had for a 2nd rounder (I'm roughly equating Murphy to a 3rd).

Pittsburgh has to do something with him though. Buy him out or trade him at a loss are likely their options unless they get lucky and there's somehow a bidding war for him.

 

[Joe McGrath]

Wow. I didn't believe it was MAF because I wouldn't have dreamed that he could be had for a 2nd rounder (I'm roughly equating Murphy to a 3rd).

If the Pens don't trade him or buy him out they lose Matt Murray in the expansion draft.

 

[Finlandia WOAT]

How many teams have the space to accept Flirty and are in a position where it makes sense to add a goaltender (ie they're close enough to contention it makes sense to pay for one, while having goalie being a position of weakness)?

Very few. Carolina is the only one off the top of my head. Dallas?

Philly, but their defense is trash anyway, and pens wouldn't trade fleury there anyway.

 

[MinJaBen]

Most likely but I felt it was worth saying. 2 losses in a row, which is very likely, and I expect it to seem like we missed the playoffs by 1 point around here.

This place could be a disaster about five minutes into the next game thread if we come out bad...remaining optimistic after losing several of the next games is asking a bit much. On the other hand if we win the weekend, there will be no living with the lot of us.

 

[The Faulker 27]

This place could be a disaster about five minutes into the next game thread if we come out bad...remaining optimistic after losing several of the next games is asking a bit much. On the other hand if we win the weekend, there will be no living with the lot of us.

I like your dramatic spin on things.