Pre-Game Talk: RagCar

[Joe McGrath]

Remember when we all shit a brick about that one radio guy thinking Rask’s contract sucked when he signed it? Whoops.

 

[geehaad]

I'm going to go ahead jinx this game by saying that a win here puts the Canes back to true .500

 

[MinJaBen]

I'm going to go ahead jinx this game by saying that a win here puts the Canes back to true .500

No need to worry about the jinx...it is a guaranteed loss. Between the true .500, the putting us points wise in a WC spot, all the hype the team is getting with the TSA line playing so well, and the Rangers play of late...we are doomed.

 

[The Faulker 27]

No need to worry about the jinx...it is a guaranteed loss. Between the true .500, the putting us points wise in a WC spot, all the hype the team is getting with the TSA line playing so well, and the Rangers play of late...we are doomed.

Honestly, I'm going to be at the game against Toronto on Friday, so if a loss to the RAGs means a potential for a W against the Leafs, then I won't get too disheartened. Especially since I'll be with my friend, who's from Canada, and an obnoxious Toronto fan. They have to win one or the other, right? RIGHT?

 

[Breakdowns]

true .500 - I am not familiar with this one, what we should do if that happens?

 

[MinJaBen]

Honestly, I'm going to be at the game against Toronto on Friday, so if a loss to the RAGs means a potential for a W against the Leafs, then I won't get too disheartened. Especially since I'll be with my friend, who's from Canada, and an obnoxious Toronto fan. They have to win one or the other, right? RIGHT?

Ok, I've checked your post count, so I know you've been here before...

 

[MinJaBen]

true .500 - I am not familiar with this one, what we should do if that happens?

Lottery tickets...

 

[NotOpie]

Remember when we all **** a brick about that one radio guy thinking Rask’s contract sucked when he signed it? Whoops.

It was Adam Gold and I got into a Twitter war with him over it. That's how I became "Captain Hot Take". Anyway, while Rask is in an extended slump of sorts, I honestly believe it is a confidence thing. I think he'll come out of it, but agree he should sit for another game. Also, I wouldn't break up the Skinner/Lindholm/PDG line for another game or two to see if they are a real thing too. They quietly did a bit of dominating yesterday.

No need to worry about the jinx...it is a guaranteed loss. Between the true .500, the putting us points wise in a WC spot, all the hype the team is getting with the TSA line playing so well, and the Rangers play of late...we are doomed.

It's a team we just have trouble beating.

 

[Breakdowns]

Lottery tickets...

I don`t remember last time we have had true .500 after a month of games

 

[geehaad]

They have to win one or the other, right? RIGHT?

 

[DaveG]

Remember when we all **** a brick about that one radio guy thinking Rask’s contract sucked when he signed it? Whoops.

To be fair, the way Rask had played up to that point he was dead wrong. He just straight up never progressed and may have even taken a step or two back after some of his injuries.

 

[DaveG]

Lottery tickets...

Hmmm, powerball is up around 200 million, and I heard that Greenberg guy could use some investors.

 

[MinJaBen]

Anyway, while Rask is in an extended slump of sorts, I honestly believe it is a confidence thing.

If it lasts any longer, one has to start to wonder if his contract year was the outlier and not his current level of play.

 

[JCLA]

What is strange to me is he went 3-2-5 in 10 games with Sweden yet he hes 3-2-5 in 18 or so with us and looking terrible.

It seems honestly pretty close to every time he touches the puck he turns it over.

 

[Blueline Bomber]

Yeah, Rask's decision-making with the puck this year has been baffling. I'd have to guess he and Faulk account for 80% of our turnover count this year.

Also, the reason we won't win this game is because it puts us in a playoff spot by Thanksgiving.

 

[Anton Dubinchuk]

Yeah, Rask's decision-making with the puck this year has been baffling. I'd have to guess he and Faulk account for 80% of our turnover count this year.

Also, the reason we won't win this game is because it puts us in a playoff spot by Thanksgiving.

His decision making has been bad, but at least to me it seems his hands aren’t there either. When he’s not turning the puck over due to bad decisions, he’s turning it over because he can barely receive a pass on his tape.

 

[tarheelhockey]

If it lasts any longer, one has to start to wonder if his contract year was the outlier and not his current level of play.

Much as I hate to reduce a whole career to one statistic, you look at his yearly shooting percentages to date (6%, 13%, 9%, 10% so far this season) and consider that 9% is normal... it sure does look like the past two seasons are the “real” Rask.

 

[Boom Boom Apathy]

It's not just the SH% though, he's not getting the shots. He's averaged ~175 / season for the last 3 seasons and is on pace for about 140 right now, so about a 20% reduction in shots taken. Even with a 9% SH%, he'd still have 15-16 goals by year end if he was getting shots.

The PP is also off for him. His last 3 season's he's had 11, 18 and 10 PP points and he's on pace for 4 right now.

 

[Finlandia WOAT]

At what point do the Hurricanes consider trading Rask for peanuts if the other team agrees to eat the full contract? They are not the team that can afford ~5% of the upper limit on a guy that is neutral at best.

 

[NotOpie]

It's not just the SH% though, he's not getting the shots. He's averaged ~175 / season for the last 3 seasons and is on pace for about 140 right now, so about a 20% reduction in shots taken. Even with a 9% SH%, he'd still have 15-16 goals by year end if he was getting shots.

The PP is also off for him. His last 3 season's he's had 11, 18 and 10 PP points and he's on pace for 4 right now.

My "eye test" tells me there's a lot about his hands that is just going wrong. He's fumbling pucks, has errant passes, and not doing any puck handling cleanly. And with only 31 shots taken, as BBA points out, he's just not shooting the puck as much.

 

[DaveG]

At what point do the Hurricanes consider trading Rask for peanuts if the other team agrees to eat the full contract? They are not the team that can afford ~5% of the upper limit on a guy that is neutral at best.

More then likely they try to use him as a chip in a deal for a #1C in a quantity for quality deal. But until they have that depth lined up (and they're starting to with Jordan, Necas, and god help me Ryan) they're not going to do anything. And Necas is still another year or so off IMHO.

 

[geehaad]

It's not just the SH% though, he's not getting the shots. He's averaged ~175 / season for the last 3 seasons and is on pace for about 140 right now, so about a 20% reduction in shots taken. Even with a 9% SH%, he'd still have 15-16 goals by year end if he was getting shots.

The PP is also off for him. His last 3 season's he's had 11, 18 and 10 PP points and he's on pace for 4 right now.

I think you've stumbled your way onto tarheel's point.

 

[Unsustainable]

It's not just the SH% though, he's not getting the shots. He's averaged ~175 / season for the last 3 seasons and is on pace for about 140 right now, so about a 20% reduction in shots taken. Even with a 9% SH%, he'd still have 15-16 goals by year end if he was getting shots.

The PP is also off for him. His last 3 season's he's had 11, 18 and 10 PP points and he's on pace for 4 right now.

Look whose back from the living dead

 

[geehaad]

Look whose back from the living dead

He's not the living dead, he's just so old that he's nearly dead.

 

[Anton Babchuk]

Nobody's taking Rask without a horrific contract coming back. We're going to have to buy him out this summer as this is the last offseason where he can be bought out at 1/3rd of his salary due to his age. After next season it jumps up to 2/3rds of his contract.

If they buy him out after this season they'll pay him $5.33M total over the next eight years (667k/yr). If they buy him out after next season they'll have to pay him $8M total over the six years (1.3M/yr) after that, plus the 4 million for him next season, or $12M total.

They really can't afford to wait. The upside just isn't there. Someone that slow and who has such bad hands isn't going to magically turn into a good player all of a sudden. His point totals were largely inflated by playing the point on the powerplay with Faulk back when Faulk could score goals and from getting easy assists when Jeff Skinner did something. He was never someone who drove or created any sort of offense. It's not a coincidence that at the same time the team is getting so much better offensively that Rask is struggling. he's not constantly being thrown out there in every key offensive situation with talented players that inflated his point totals.

Any random player from Charlotte can do what Rask has done since last November--and I think his production to start last year was due entirely to a sky high shooting percentage and Jeff Skinner. His production since then is absolutely pathetic when you consider the ice time, powerplay time, and linemates he's gotten. And it's not just the production....he's just flat out terrible out there with no effort all, no attempt to engage physically, refusing to go to the net or do anything with the puck except skate around the perimeter constantly turning over and losing the puck for no reason. This isn't a "slump" where a player is still playing reasonably well and just not getting the results. He's horrible and a huge anchor to whatever line he's on. His skating is horrific and he's not going to magically improve at that.

Adam Gold was right.