What is the #1 need for the Hurricanes right now?

[Canes]

Putting Svech on line 2 with some good players in Tro and Necas basically means there will always be two lines who are scoring threats whenever on the ice. Svech is a line driver and makes things happen. Take him off that line and put in a Virtanen, Duclair, etc I can see that line having some off nights and then if the big guns aren’t constantly firing on all cylinders you have no offence.

Aho and TT shouldn’t need a Svech caliber player to do what they need to do. Like someone said ‘a healthy Ferland type’ will do just fine.

Unless Necas has a Svech like leap in development (not just production wise but actually learning how to play defense consistently) and Trocheck actually starts producing like a legit 2nd line center again, a Svech-Trocheck-Necas line is going to have lots of off nights themselves. Banking on that line to be a consistent driver of production is a huge gamble.

 

[GIN ANTONIC]

Unless Necas has a Svech like leap in development (not just production wise but actually learning how to play defense consistently) and Trocheck actually starts producing like a legit 2nd line center again, a Svech-Trocheck-Necas line is going to have lots of off nights themselves. Banking on that line to be a consistent driver of production is a huge gamble.

Svech is an engine. I don’t see any line he’s on having an off night because of that. And from what I saw from Trochek he impressed me a lot. He didn’t get on the scoresheet much but he has high compete and was making things happen. He hasn’t exactly been given much of a normal situation or consistent linemates so far to achieve the results we want from him.

 

[GIN ANTONIC]

Mike Hoffman?

I like the player on the ice enough but I think his price tag will be too high and there’s been some pretty insane locker room issues in Ottawa attributed to him and his wife when he was there. Not sure that flies well on this team.

 

[SvechneJerk]

Ehlers
Palmieri/Hornqvist
Lehner
Draft Askarov.

Please & thank you.

 

[Penaltykiller17]

I like the player on the ice enough but I think his price tag will be too high and there’s been some pretty insane locker room issues in Ottawa attributed to him and his wife when he was there. Not sure that flies well on this team.

I hear what you're saying, and they said the same thing about Dougie. I didn't keep up with the Hoffman/Karlsson situation at the time, but it seem like everything was on his girlfriend instead of him. Was just thinking he'd be a perfect Williams replacement as a veteran forward. He was teammates with Trocheck, and would compliment he and Necas well with his shoot-first mentality. Would definitely round out the top 6, but he's probably too pricey.

 

[GIN ANTONIC]

I hear what you're saying, and they said the same thing about Dougie. I didn't keep up with the Hoffman/Karlsson situation at the time, but it seem like everything was on his girlfriend instead of him. Was just thinking he'd be a perfect Williams replacement as a veteran forward. He was teammates with Trocheck, and would compliment he and Necas well with his shoot-first mentality. Would definitely round out the top 6, but he's probably too pricey.

Yeah like I said, on ice I think he’s a great fit and if the locker room issues are behind him then no problem but he already makes $5+ and I’m sure he’ll be looking for a sizeable contract this off season. Someone will overpay I bet.

 

[Sens1Canes2]

I like the player on the ice enough but I think his price tag will be too high and there’s been some pretty insane locker room issues in Ottawa attributed to him and his wife when he was there. Not sure that flies well on this team.

He’s a selfish dink who will turn away from any sort of physical play. Anyone who’s ever watched him sees he will consciously avoid any sort of physical contact, even if the right play is to take the hit.
He has a great shot....but he’s not a guy you win with.

 

[GIN ANTONIC]

Ehlers
Palmieri/Hornqvist
Lehner
Draft Askarov.

Please & thank you.

This would be a solid offseason plan.

Would need to move out one of the goalies and maybe also clear out someone on D but I would be pretty happy with that.

 

[DougieSmash]

Legit top six winger, something in the mold of Micheal Ferland/ Tuomo Ruutu. We could use power forward with nasty edge. Also, I'd like to see PPQB - we have Bean in the system.

Other than that: sign Svech, Dougie and Foegele. Yeah, Foegele. I'm not saying he's next Marchand but Marchand wasn't that good early in his career. Foegele is adequate, could become 20/20 player. In 2019 McLovin finished with 15 pts, last season - with 30 (in 68 games).

Be patient with Necas. We have our next center, he's still just a kid.

I like the direction honestly. Maybe it's me but I'd love to see Tro and Skjei here from Day 1 next season. They have flaws but they also deserve a chance.

That's good, not ideal, but young roster.

Also - get rid of NN and Gardiner. No point of them.

Speaking about specific names - not a fan of Palmieri at all. He's soft. But I'd kill for Josh Anderson.

Mrazek

Slavin/ Hamilton
Skjei/ Pesce
Fleury/ X

X/ Aho/ TT
Svech/ Tro/ Necas
Foegele/ Staal/ McGinn
Marty/ Geekie/ X

At all, don't be that greedy. We have our offensive score. Aho has 66 pts in 68 games, TT with 63 in 68, Svech with 61 in same amount of game. Dougie was good. Necas was on pace for 45-50 pts, Foegele has next step. We need some secondary help.

 

[BB88]

Goaltending.
This is the year to spend on a goalie.

I believe Svecs development into a +ppg powerforward will improve the F by a good shot on it’s on.
Another top6/9 forward wouldn’t hurt but again I’d put more value on a goalie right now who could steal games/rounds in the playoffs and give you a better shot against the elite
It’s just different entering the playoffs with the likes of Rask/x

 

[Highway29]

We need healthy Ferland kind of player to play with Aho & TT.

I'd be content with Nino also if he get's back on track.

Then I'd upgrade better forward depth in AHL.

 

[bleedgreen]

AHL depth isn’t coming for a year or two with the moves we made, we have to wait for the recent draft picks to make their way.

We do need another top six, it’s hard to imagine their first choice is to watch Nino and Dzingle try to figure it out again. A Ferland type would be great but not a lot of those out there for sale. Palmieri is a good target but we’ll have competition.

I love Necas but he’s still so damn raw. I still don’t see a center in him though I do think he needs the middle of the ice more when attacking. Geekie is going to make things interesting next year. Reminds me of Foegele the year before he really made it, it’s obvious a spot is there for him and he looks pretty good.

Basing team offense around Aho and TT isn’t enough anymore. There has to be a legit second line to make the next step. I like the pieces but every single person we might want for the second line is a question mark, other than maybe Svech.

 

[hblueridgegal]

Mental toughness to adjust and overcome disappointments more quickly whether it be pings, bad calls, goals, etc.

Less line roulette. More Confidence/Less Anxiety including with the coach. I think he passes his panic and indecision vibe onto the players at times.

 

[AMOK14]

As some have echoed. Secondary scoring and overall team toughness.

 

[2Minutes4Surging]

I voted for improved overall offence but I also think the way to get there is "improved toughness, grit and checking overall." Especially when it comes to the playoffs. There were ton's of times when we backed out of a play for fear of getting hit against Boston. We didn't battle very hard in front of the net. Our smaller skilled forwards got pushed around a little too much. It would be nice to have player that other teams will have to answer to if they target our skilled forwards, but I think the best solution is team toughness. If all the players push back as a team when the going gets tough then other teams will think twice. I think a lot of it comes with age/experience/respect, and we do have a young team, but someone has got to answer the bell when your captain gets knocked out of the game or your star forward is dropped in front of the net. We need a stronger team physicality and mental toughness. It will take our offense to the next level. We also need a top 6 winger, preferably a sniper. I know these player's are hard to come by, but we need someone who can provide consistent scoring behind Aho, Svech and TT. Neither Dzingel nor NN are the answer and we cannot go into the new season hoping they "find their game" and expect to be better. Bokk may be that guy in a few years, but we need to take the step to true contender this year.

 

[Boom Boom Apathy]

This is difficult as I don't see 1 thing as being that much bigger than another.

We need more skilled scoring depth
We need better goaltending
We need better team defense
We need more team toughness (and I'm not talking goons that can't play)

We have very good defensemen, but don't play great team defense. We're great in transition and in the offensive zone, but we had too many lapses/bad judgement plays and aren't very good in our own zone. Part of that is how they play and the make-up of the personnel, but it is a factor.

Looking at team rankings to see where the Canes come up short or excel:

5v5
CF/60: 5th best
CA/60: 2nd best
CF%: 3rd best
GF/60: 11th best
xGF/60: 2nd best
GA/60: 17th best
xGA/60: 17th best
SV%: 6th best in the NHL (5v5 all situations). - This surprised me.

Looking at HD chances
HDCF/60: 2nd best
HDGF/60: 28th best (ouch)
HDCA/60: 23rd best
HDGA/60: 29th best (ouch)
HDSV%: 24th best

PP%: 8th best
PK%: 4th best
Penalties drawn: 20th most
Penalties taken: 7th most.

Overall SV%: 17th in the NHL (all strengths and situations).

This data really does kind of support the eye test for me.
1) We don't have enough scoring skill and/or our HD chances just aren't "as dangerous" as other teams, both of which means a lack of scoring skill IMO. We get high danger chances, but fail to convert them.
2) While we don't give up many shots, we give up a LOT of HD scoring chances and give up a lot of goals in those scenarios. Our defensive lapses are killing the team and the goalies aren't good enough to bail them out consistently.
3) We have good special teams overall, but take way too many penalties and don't draw enough of them.

Not measurable, but they lack team physical players / team toughness as well.

 

[WreckingCrew]

This is difficult as I don't see 1 thing as being that much bigger than another.

We need more skilled scoring depth
We need better goaltending
We need better team defense
We need more team toughness (and I'm not talking goons that can't play)

We have very good defensemen, but don't play great team defense. We're great in transition and in the offensive zone, but we had too many lapses/bad judgement plays and aren't very good in our own zone. Part of that is how they play and the make-up of the personnel, but it is a factor.

Looking at team rankings to see where the Canes come up short or excel:

5v5
CF/60: 5th best
CA/60: 2nd best
CF%: 3rd best
GF/60: 11th best
xGF/60: 2nd best
GA/60: 17th best
xGA/60: 17th best
SV%: 6th best in the NHL (5v5 all situations). - This surprised me.

Looking at HD chances
HDCF/60: 2nd best
HDGF/60: 28th best (ouch)
HDCA/60: 23rd best
HDGA/60: 29th best (ouch)
HDSV%: 24th best

PP%: 8th best
PK%: 4th best
Penalties drawn: 20th most
Penalties taken: 7th most.

Overall SV%: 17th in the NHL (all strengths and situations).

This data really does kind of support the eye test for me.
1) We don't have enough scoring skill and/or our HD chances just aren't "as dangerous" as other teams, both of which means a lack of scoring skill IMO. We get high danger chances, but fail to convert them.
2) While we don't give up many shots, we give up a LOT of HD scoring chances and give up a lot of goals in those scenarios. Our defensive lapses are killing the team and the goalies aren't good enough to bail them out consistently.
3) We have good special teams overall, but take way too many penalties and don't draw enough of them.

Not measurable, but they lack team physical players / team toughness as well.

I think those HD chances against are exasperated by our lack of toughness...we're not really physical enough to knock those guys out of the high-danger areas...we'll stand near them (sometimes), we'll try to stick lift or tap the puck away, but there's never really a guy shoving anyone out of position or pushing them off. How often do we have a guy standing in front of the opponents net and we get hacked, slashed, cross-checked, and otherwise disrupted from making anything happen (things that mostly go uncalled in the league)? Compare that to how rarely we see OUR guys doing the same to opponents in front of our net. If you're going to try and play the "position" game but you're not physically involved with the player you're covering, it only takes a split second for them to break free and be in the clear for a pass or rebound (unencumbered by a player keeping them off balance or not allowing them full maneuverability/positioning. Plus, opponents don't fear driving through our guys or towards the net because the odds of us laying them out are much lower. We seemed much feistier last year when we had Ferland, Marty, and McKegg who weren't afraid and didn't back down (and Melatonin threw a fair amount of shade on that 4th line too)

 

[Boom Boom Apathy]

I think those HD chances against are exasperated by our lack of toughness...we're not really physical enough to knock those guys out of the high-danger areas...we'll stand near them (sometimes), we'll try to stick lift or tap the puck away, but there's never really a guy shoving anyone out of position or pushing them off.

That could certainly be a component of it. My "eye test" makes me think that:
1) They play aggressively in the neutral zone and offensive zone and so when they get beat, it often times turns into an odd man rush.
2) They get hemmed in their own zone when the other team sets up a cycle. Part of that could be lack of physicality, but part of it is what are defensemen are good at (skating with and moving the puck) vs. what many of them aren't good at.
3) They (not just defensemen, but forwards) lose their guy in the zone.

Your point about not being able to move a guy out of the front of the net could also be a factor as it's not just 1 thing and hard to discern which is more of an issue without watching tons of film and I'm not that bored.

 

[CanesFanBudMan]

Toughness /grit. I think with modern day Fleury and healthy Pesce we have it on D, but Svech can’t be the only guy with hands that is a disruptor in front.

edit: especially in the playoffs

 

[ONO94]

I like what BBA said--the Canes are the s'mores of defense--all the pieces are solid but the end result is underwhelming. And it's not just the defenseman--the forwards look like they are playing a different structure half the time.

 

[Nikishin Go Boom]

If we want defenders that are more physical with pushing dudes out of the way, we are going to have to revamp the defense. Basically all of them will need to go and restart. That is Gardiner, Skjei, Hamilton, Pesce, or Slavin's games.

 

[Chrispy]

I like what BBA said--the Canes are the s'mores of defense--all the pieces are solid but the end result is underwhelming. And it's not just the defenseman--the forwards look like they are playing a different structure half the time.

Blasphemy!

 

[Chrispy]

If we want defenders that are more physical with pushing dudes out of the way, we are going to have to revamp the defense. Basically all of them will need to go and restart. That is Gardiner, Skjei, Hamilton, Pesce, or Slavin's games.

Pesce has the ability to go to the boards and win a battle. Slavin might not push guys out of the way, but both Slavin and Pesce will get the puck off the stick in the crease and be in position to help there.

Beyond those 2? Yes, there would need to be a major re-work of the strategy. Fleury was showing more of it this year. The rest, including the prospects? Not so much.

 

[Chrispy]

Double-post.

 

[Nikishin Go Boom]

Pesce has the ability to go to the boards and win a battle. Slavin might not push guys out of the way, but both Slavin and Pesce will get the puck off the stick in the crease and be in position to help there.

Beyond those 2? Yes, there would need to be a major re-work of the strategy. Fleury was showing more of it this year. The rest, including the prospects? Not so much.

Pesce and Slavin can win board battles and such. They arent overpowering dudes that will push someone that beats them to the front of the net out of the way. Slavin and Pesce are good at boxing out but they will lose one every now and then. Gardiner and Skjei are in a similar boat. Hamilton is big enough but I am not sure that is his game.