News and Notes Thread VIII: The more things change, the more they stay the same.

[Novacane]

Larose hasn't even played a preseason game yet. They probably want to get him into one to gauge where he's at before sending him down.

This is LaRose we're talking about here

 

[tarheelhockey]

Yeah,
A reminder that this team scored 91 points

... thus missing the playoffs...

with a top six of Eric Staal, Jeff Skinner, Erik Cole, Jussi Jokinen, Tuomo Ruutu, and Chad LaRose.

Let's compare the centers on these two teams.

26 year old Eric Staal > 30 year old Eric Staal
Ruutu >> Whoever we have at 2C until January
Sutter >>> Whoever we have at 3C until January

I guess we're better at the 4C position now that we have McClement. Unless, of course, McClement ends up playing 3C by necessity. In that case, good lord.

And I don't honestly see a lot of difference at wing other than having added Semin. So as I said, we are basically putting our entire season on Semin and Eric somehow returning to their lockout-season level of play, except across an 82-game schedule. And that would get us *close* to the playoffs.

And a worse defense.

Pitkanen = Sekera, assuming Sekera doesn't regress
2011 Gleason = Hainsey
McBain = Murphy
2011 Harrison > 2014 Harrison
2011 Corvo = Liles
White/Allen/Joslin > Bellemore/Fleury/Jordan

If anything, the 2011 players above have a slight edge over the current group (and that was a BAD defense). Whether 2014 ends up better or worse in the end will come down to Justin Faulk.

And worse goaltending.

Ward had a .923 that season. Last season Khudobin had a .926 in what may or may not have been a sustainable performance across a true starter's workload.

So far, Cam and Anton have put up a combined .866 in the preseason. So I am not ready to pronounce this duo better until they go out and prove it.


... in any case, we're comparing this team to a club that didn't make the playoffs. What's the purpose of scratching and clawing and spending a bunch of money on salaries just to end up outside the bracket again? It's almost masochistic.

 

[tarheelhockey]

Look at Columbus- the best forward they can ice is what, Brandon Dubinsky?

And their goalie is a Vezina winner. And they don't have passengers on their roster, quite unlike this one.

Look at Buffalo. Done laughing yet? Look at Florida. They're banking on Jussi Jokinen to be an impact forward, for chrissakes.

And now you're comparing us to the 2 worst teams in the league. Yay us.

Being better than those 2 teams simply guarantees that they're going to get a generational player in this draft while we add a guy who will mature just in time to see that shiny group of high-paid forwards be put out to pasture.

 

[Francis10]

I've never felt this bleak going into a season. Having lost Jordan we can't even pretend that we have a competitive roster. Our playoff "hope" relies on both Eric Staal and Alex Semin rising up to lead the team with consistently dominant performances, combined with the continuation of career-best performances by Sekera and Khudobin over the course of a full season. And even that kind of perfect scenario would only be a 50/50 shot to overcome the severe lack of depth at both forward and defense.

I mean, for crying out loud... what if someone told us three months ago that we'd have Rask as our 2C, and both LaRose and Gleason on the roster? It's almost absurd how badly this team is constructed.

No kidding. So, so, so true.

 

[What the Faulk]

Tarheel, most of those comparisons are so completely off base that I'm surprised they're coming from you.

 

[Identity404]

Disagree about the defense. Did you leave Faulk out of the comparisons on purpose to make the 2011 defense look better?

2011 forwards might have the edge while Jordan is out, but once he comes back I like this years group more.

<rant>

I find it masochistic to root for a team that you fully expect to miss the playoffs.

The 2011 team didn't make the playoffs, but they were completive and it came down to the wire. Despite what all the pundits say, this years team should remain in the hunt for most of the year. I don't understand how people can plan on watching the upcoming season without thinking the hurricanes have a chance or at least fool themselves to believe they do...

</rant>

 

[tarheelhockey]

Tarheel, most of those comparisons are so completely off base that I'm surprised they're coming from you.

They didn't come from me... I only responded to them.

Disagree about the defense. Did you leave Faulk out of the comparisons on purpose to make the 2011 defense look better?

I mentioned Faulk specifically as the guy who will determine the difference between the two groups.

2011 forwards might have the edge while Jordan is out, but once he comes back I like this years group more.

Except for the whole part about his only playing half a season at best.

And the part where we haven't yet factored in injuries to anyone else on the team.

I find it masochistic to root for a team that you fully expect to miss the playoffs.

Yeah, no kidding. This season is going to be brutal and it's better to be emotionally prepared for it in October than to hit the hard wall of reality in November.

 

[the halleJOKEL]

i hope we go 0-82 and set a record

 

[A Star is Burns]

My head says we have a small small chance to make the playoffs. But I'm a fan with my heart. So I will go into every game thinking we can win, and I'm always saying there's a chance until we're eliminated. Right now before the games actually start, I'm a bit more in head territory still. I'll believe in us by next Friday night.

 

[Joe McGrath]

The good news is the schedule is pretty forgiving in October. If they are really bad, it'll be obvious early. If that's the case (as I expect) I'm going to need someone to commandeer an actual tank to park at PNC Arena to show Francis what the fans would like him to do.

 

[Unsustainable]

 

[NotOpie]

Sure, I'm one of the optimists here, but in no way, shape, or form do I want this team to tank. I want them to perform up to their potential. I've said before, if 5 of our projected Top 6 (now that Jordan's out for a piece) merely return to career averages, we will be an offensive force (assuming some amount of growth from Lindy). Gerbe plus somebody on the 3rd line steps up and we'll have some solid scoring there as well.

My biggest fear is whether on not our 3rd line can be defensively effective while generating some offense. I've never expected wonders from our defense and still feel that "work in progress" will turn out to be adequate....a team of team-mates.

From what I can tell Nash has had a fairly good preseason and Rask has stepped up. The coaches obviously see something in Boychuk or he'd be riding the waiver wires right now. Even so with Patrick Brown breathing down their necks, the usual suspects are getting seriously pushed, something that hasn't happened in recent memory (Brown, PDG, McGinn, for example). Brown has proven to be a gamer and may edge out Chris Terry for the 13th forward position. I believe he was a centerman for BC, so that adds some interesting fodder to the mix (if Boychuk fails, Nash could slide to wing on the 3rd line with Brown centering...or McClement).

I liked what I saw from PDG, but was slightly disappointed in Brock McGinn. He clearly needs some seasoning in the AHL (assuming the Jeff Daniels has some semblence of ability to develop guys). Both Jordan and Rissanen showed that they are progressing and look a lot like where Bellemore was at similar points in time in his development. All in all, I'm only disappointed that I haven't heard more from Boychuk or Lindholm. But we'll see....

 

[nobuddy]

Rask is with 53 and 16 in practice. Ward in the starter's crease.

 

[Blueline Bomber]

I just don't see how anyone can look at this roster and say "playoff team." I mean, there's optimism and then there's delusions.

Though I suppose stranger things have happened. :shrug

 

[daikan]

I just don't see how anyone can look at this roster and say "playoff team." I mean, there's optimism and then there's delusions.

Though I suppose stranger things have happened. :shrug

It would have to be one of those years where a number of young guys take it to the next level, some veterans regain their form, the coaching is excellent, and so on. Unlikely.

 

[nobuddy]

I just don't see how anyone can look at this roster and say "playoff team." I mean, there's optimism and then there's delusions.

Though I suppose stranger things have happened. :shrug

Jiri Tlusty - Eric Staal - Alex Semin
Jeff Skinner - Victor Rask - Elias Lindholm
Nathan Gerbe - Riley Nash - Zach Boychuk
Brad Malone - Jay McClement - Pat Dwyer

Andrej Sekera - Justin Faulk
Ron Hainsey - Ryan Murphy
John Michael-Liles - Brett Bellemore

Anton Khudobin
Cam Ward

I bolded the letters that spell "playoff team"

 

[NotOpie]

It would have to be one of those years where a number of young guys take it to the next level, some veterans regain their form, the coaching is excellent, and so on. Unlikely.

Is that pee I see in your cornflakes?

 

[tarheelhockey]

Time for News And Notes Thread IX.