TomasHertlsRooster
Don’t say eye test when you mean points
Carolina is 28th in GF/GP and 24th in 5v5 GF/60. Their problems are much, much more complicated than bad goaltending.
they need.....nylander
Seems like the same boat as Philly with Elliott/Neurvirth, Edmonton with Talbot, Calgary with Smith, Isles with Greiss/Lehner, St. Louis with Allen.
Where are they going to get this goalie to turn things around?
Bobrovsky? Varlamnov? Howard? Trade for Schneider or Quick, taking the risk that one guy regains his form following his hip injury and another who has missed large chunks of 2 out of the last 3 years with LBI. Recycle Talbot/Smith and hope for the best?
Bob is the biggest fish out there. After him, what can any team get? I don't see nashville giving up Sarros. SJ could part with Dell. But is he the next Jones or is he the next Darling in terms of backup getting a starting chance?
How close is Alex N? I see from his stats, both GAA and SVG are down from last season through 17 games. Should he be the backup next season behind a vet?
Carolina is 28th in GF/GP and 24th in 5v5 GF/60. Their problems are much, much more complicated than bad goaltending.
They traded Skinner for nothing, and then traded a first line talent (Lindholm) and a future #1 pairing D (Hanifin) for a 3rd liner (Ferland) and a #2-3 d-man (Hamilton).
When you have Ferland on your top line, you aren't a good team. Hell of a person, can score goals, but on a playoff team he is a 3rd liner/2nd line spot player. Hamilton gives about as little of a **** about winning or losing as one can give and is no longer being sheltered by Gio.
Folk can talk about the trade being fresh still (only been 24 games), but I've watched enough of Hamilton and Ferland to know that the Flames made out like bandits. Hanifin is also outscoring Hamilton right now by 3 points and is a + player and is 4 years younger on a cheaper contract.
Couldn't agree more with your 2nd paragraph. We don't pay for talent. We don't pay to keep talent. We don't pay for talented coaches. We don't pay for a GM. Until TD opens his checkbook we deserve the mediocrity we've come to expect.the triumphalism in this post is a little premature. as a flames fan, i'd wait until at least dougie's current contract is over before passing judgement. hopefully it's win-win at the end. the hurricanes' problems don't stem from that trade alone. it's more like they traded away excellent pieces without fully addressing their immediate needs (goaltending and more forward scoring). as if that's not enough, they then traded proven goal scoring (skinner) away for magic beans for no apparent reason.
their long-term issue is identifying goaltending talent, and not spending enough to surround their players with positive depth. they've been bottom 2 in roster spending for the past 4 years at least, and while spending to the cap doesn't guarantee success, leaving a large chunk unspent that could be used to provide secondary scoring is a hurtle the team hasn't been good enough to overcome. it seems possible that hiring rba instead of a more accomplished coach had something to do with keeping the payroll low also.
and ferland is better than a 3rd liner. he leads the canes in goalscoring and has 4 more than the next highest guy. he's the least of their worries. i don't know what is is with some flames fans and insisting that ferland be pigeonholed into the player they saw for a playoff run in 2015. he's developed his game since then, and if/when he's in the playoffs again he'll be a game changer again in more ways than before