Annual "Where will the Canes finish" Poll

[Boom Boom Apathy]

I usually wait until training camp to put this poll out there, but I think the roster is fairly well settled already, except for a couple of role players, and again, it's pretty boring right now. Where will the Canes finish in 16/17?

1) Top 3 team in the east
2) Comfortably in the playoffs
3) Bubble team - but will make the playoffs
4) Bubble team - but will miss the playoffs
5) Not really in the playoff hunt, but not bottom 5 in NHL
6) Bottom 5 team in the NHL

Click to read more...

 

[MinJaBen]

I usually wait until training camp to put this poll out there, but I think the roster is fairly well settled already, except for a couple of role players, and again, it's pretty boring right now. Where will the Canes finish in 16/17?

1) Top 3 team in the east
2) Comfortably in the playoffs
3) Bubble team - but will make the playoffs
4) Bubble team - but will miss the playoffs
5) Not really in the playoff hunt, but not bottom 5 in NHL
6) Bottom 5 team in the NHL

I'm going to go with 4) Bubble team - but will miss the playoffs. I think we are in it very late (maybe last day) but some injury derails an important player and we just miss.

 

[Boom Boom Apathy]

I'm going to go with 4) Bubble team - but will miss the playoffs. I think we are in it very late (maybe last day) but some injury derails an important player and we just miss.

I added a poll after the initial post, so you can vote also

 

[MinJaBen]

I added a poll after the initial post, so you can vote also

Woohoo, everyone agrees with me....for now.

*Darn it! Another vote before I posted. Curse you summer no-hockey gods!*

 

[AD Skinner]

I voted 3

 

[Wolfpuck]

9th in the East

I'm being serious this time.

 

[Unsustainable]

Destiny for 9th

 

[sheriff bart]

I got "Bubble team, but makes it" because it eventually has to happen.

 

[Anton Dubinchuk]

one more year of no playoffs

next year itll happen

 

[Boom Boom Apathy]

This is the first year in a while where my view is kind of all over the place. In previous years, I've been pretty much entrenched in the view of them being bottom 5, out of the playoffs..maybe bubble team missing the playoffs at the most optimistic. This year, there are so many unknowns and new variables that I could see them anywhere from making the playoffs to bottom 5 in the league.

If the goaltending is bad and/or they have any significant injuries, the could be a bottom 5 team. If goaltending is like it was from Early December on and they don't have any major injuries, they can be a playoff team.

The odds of the goaltending being good, no injuries, no setbacks on 2nd year D, and new guys hitting the ground running seem low to me. I think the style Peters has them playing will keep them in the hunt/keep them in a lot of games though so I guess Bubble team, miss.

 

[RodTheBawd]

Bunch of negative nancies in here.

 

[Anton Dubinchuk]

meh, im not as worried about the d, bc the risk is scattered across all of them

if slavin takes a step back, maybe hanifin has a huge year, if pesce becomes meh maybe fleury steps up, etc.

i just dont think the forwards are quite there yet

 

[Ole Gil]

A very similar team to the one that was terrible at scoring goals and mediocre at preventing them last year.

I think they were lucky last year to finish where they did in the standings given their goal differential and lack of injuries. My guess is both normalize, and they pick in that 4-7 range.

^^^Anton: The defensive issue that hasn't been spoken of, is losing Liles. He really provided a lot of stability on D playing at times on all 3 pairs. Now Slavin has to be a top pair guy. Two of Hanifin/Pesce/Hainsey have to be the 2nd pair. Ryan Murphy has to be a regular in the lineup. Liles being gone really forces the issue. They might be more than fine, but margin of error has shrunk significantly.

I know what you mean with guys covering for eachother, but top 4 is a much higher bar than last year, when 2 could be stashed in the bottom pair.

 

[Boom Boom Apathy]

A very similar team to the one that was terrible at scoring goals and mediocre at preventing them last year.

I think they were lucky last year to finish where they did in the standings given their goal differential and lack of injuries. My guess is both normalize, and they pick in that 4-7 range.

You may be right, but last year's team had Eric Staal getting 2 min / game more ES TOI and 20-30S / game more PP TOI than any other forward and he contributed a total of 8 ES goals, 1 PP goal and 1 ENG. If the player/players that get his ice time this year can't do better than that, then you are probably right. I'm guessing they can do better than that as it's not a very high bar.

 

[Boom Boom Apathy]

^^^Anton: The defensive issue that hasn't been spoken of, is losing Liles. He really provided a lot of stability on D playing at times on all 3 pairs. Now Slavin has to be a top pair guy. Two of Hanifin/Pesce/Hainsey have to be the 2nd pair. Ryan Murphy has to be a regular in the lineup. Liles being gone really forces the issue. They might be more than fine, but margin of error has shrunk significantly.

I know what you mean with guys covering for eachother, but top 4 is a much higher bar than last year, when 2 could be stashed in the bottom pair.

That's my view as well. If even one of the 3 has any regression and Murphy remains to be, well, Murphy, they don't have as much margin for error. I still have offense and goaltending as bigger question marks, but the defense isn't without it's question marks also. Perils of a young team which over time, will start to go away.

 

[Boom Boom Apathy]

Bunch of negative nancies in here.

The Rainbows, Unicorns and Lollipops thread is that way ------->

 

[Novacane]

A very similar team to the one that was terrible at scoring goals and mediocre at preventing them last year.

I think they were lucky last year to finish where they did in the standings given their goal differential and lack of injuries. My guess is both normalize, and they pick in that 4-7 range.

^^^Anton: The defensive issue that hasn't been spoken of, is losing Liles. He really provided a lot of stability on D playing at times on all 3 pairs. Now Slavin has to be a top pair guy. Two of Hanifin/Pesce/Hainsey have to be the 2nd pair. Ryan Murphy has to be a regular in the lineup. Liles being gone really forces the issue. They might be more than fine, but margin of error has shrunk significantly.

I know what you mean with guys covering for eachother, but top 4 is a much higher bar than last year, when 2 could be stashed in the bottom pair.

I endorse this post

 

[Boom Boom Apathy]

Neck and neck right now with 14 voters saying they'll make the playoffs and 13 saying they won't. Far cry from last year when 46 said they wouldn't make it and only 9 said they would. The board, in total, voted right last year as 32 votes picked bubble team missing out.

http://hfboards.mandatory.com/poll.php?do=showresults&pollid=123661

 

[DaveG]

We shock the world and are in the mix all season long AGAIN. But I think 17-18 is our breakthrough after we pluck a goalie from a team that can't keep both of theirs at the expansion draft (Fleury?).

FWIW not saying we will or won't make it, but I'd say the odds are stacked a bit against us on this one. Not as badly as they were last year though.

 

[GoldiFox]

We shock the world and are in the mix all season long AGAIN. But I think 17-18 is our breakthrough after we pluck a goalie from a team that can't keep both of theirs at the expansion draft (Fleury?).

Canes are in the mix at the deadline, trade for Ben Bishop (Vasilevski proves himself to be a solid #1), and make a Cup run.

 

[Stickpucker]

2 words Steve smith.

 

[Anton Dubinchuk]

Canes are in the mix at the deadline, trade for Ben Bishop (Vasilevski proves himself to be a solid #1), and make a Cup run.

wed have to be firmly confident we're in the playoffs for us to drop picks/prospects on bishop

and if we get to there, its probably because one of ward/lack stepped up and became a legit #1

 

[Stickpucker]

2 words Steve smith.

2 more words David Marcoux.

 

[Anton Dubinchuk]

2 more words David Marcoux.

2 more words curtis joseph

 

[GoldiFox]

wed have to be firmly confident we're in the playoffs for us to drop picks/prospects on bishop

and if we get to there, its probably because one of ward/lack stepped up and became a legit #1

The allure of making the Playoffs after an unacceptable Playoff drought is strong for management and ownership. It's a lot easier to sell tickets in the offseason if real tangible progress is being made. If the Canes are WC contenders at the deadline, I think they will push for the Playoffs.