News and Notes XV: Get Well Soon Nestrasil!

[Roboturner913]

The #1 vs. #2 thing is nothing to get worked up about. As far as I know, teams still need 2 guys on their top pairing and 1 has to play on the right and 1 on the left. Who cares what they are called.

I agree that in the real world it doesn't matter. It's just their little way of trying to stub his value. Pretty much the same thing Edm fans do on the trade board. It's just so dumb. If Justin Faulk is not a #1 dman, then show me teams who have a Justin Faulk-level player as their "#2".

And the "defensive liability" thing is such a joke, please. He is definitely no risk-taker. He might get himself out of position sometimes but that doesn't make him a risk-taker any more than a Karlsson or Subban or any other point-producing dman is supposed to be. (there's a whole lengthy thread on the main board about the stigma surrounding young offensive d-men that I found to be really good reading, this is one of the cases where it definitely applies).

 

[DaveG]

I actually thought that was a pretty fair and balanced and pretty complementary write-up on Faulk. Says he's very good in a lot of categories and the article spends 90% of the time talking about this positives. The only negatives they list is that he takes a few more risks than we'd like defensively (but goes on to say that will will improve with age), is a little leaky 5v5, and isn't the best option on the PK, all of which are true.

The #1 vs. #2 thing is nothing to get worked up about. As far as I know, teams still need 2 guys on their top pairing and 1 has to play on the right and 1 on the left. Who cares what they are called.

Don't really disagree, I just think it's a bit laughable to call a guy that's one of the top 15 dmen in the league a "solid #2". If they wanted to reword that to say more like "not an elite #1 but someone that's capable of being a good to middle of the pack #1" then that would be far more accurate. Then again it was Craig Button who said that, so, yeah.


The only part that's bad about the article to me (other then Button) is the insinuation that they could get him for RNH or Eberle. No, they couldn't. Eberle has value but he's not worth nearly as much as Oilers fans think he is, his value is about the same as Skinner if not less. No Canes fan in their right mind would say Skinner is worth, say, OEL for the LHS equivalent of Faulk and for good reason. And while RNH is closer they still would need to add a nice kicker. It's basically just asking for one of the top 7-8 RHDs in the league on a sweetheart of a contract without offering up the equivalent in return that fits our team needs which is a top 15C. Not even sure I'd put RNH in the top 30Cs in the league right now honestly.

 

[Roboturner913]

RNH + something significant, yes

Eberle + whatever, hell no. You think Skinner is soft, won't play D? Eberle would last about 20 minutes into his first practice before finding his way into the doghouse.

 

[Boom Boom Apathy]

The only part that's bad about the article to me (other then Button) is the insinuation that they could get him for RNH or Eberle.

Yeah, I wasn't talking about his "offers" at the end, just the assessment of Faulk. That said, I think the value of Faulk would be "it depends". I don't think RF is looking to trade Faulk at all, so if a team wanted to get him, they'd have to massively overpay to do it. No team will really be willing to so it becomes a moot point. If RF was really looking to trade Faulk for forward help, the return would be a lot less than a lot of Canes fans think it would be IMO. I think this point is also moot because I can't see RF wanting to move Faulk at all. Look at our defense without him.

Hainsey: Vet with 1 year left
Wiz: Vet with 1 year left and coming off of major ACL surgery
Hanifin/Slavin/Pesce: All with less than 82 games of NHL experience. Promising 1st years, but won't be surprised to see some bumps in the road in year 2. Need to show it for a longer period.
Murphy: Yikes
Carrick/Fleury/McKeown: No NHL experience (yeah, I know Carrick had a bit).

One injury or one or two young guys having an sophomore slump and we are looking at a lottery pick. A year or two or three down the road, if all these guys pan out, then that's a different story.

 

[Hockeywatching]

Good news from Chip





BUT, how many of those renewals are in Quebec?

 

[DaleCooper]

That's pretty impressive. Good to know that the excitement a lot of us have about the future of the team is shared by many others as well.

 

[Lucky Lindy]

Wallmark will probably leave the World Championship now when Klingberg, Ekholm and Burakovsky will join and take the last three spots on the team.

 

[Anton Dubinchuk]

that right there is why we dont listen to the old thrashers fan about waddell

masterful rebranding

cant keep shoving eric staal down peoples throats when eric staal hasnt made the playoffs the last 7 years youve been doing that

he wasnt in anything though. no online branding adverts, no massive promos, the one commercial he was in he was a "vet presence" alongside jml

the youth movement is being pushed, and thank goodness it showed the promise it said it would

i am very happy with the direction the "non-hockey" side of this organization is heading in

edit: not sure how directly/indirectly waddell is involved with this. whoever it is gets kudos on kudos

 

[drganon]

Good news from Chip





BUT, how many of those renewals are in Quebec?

Gotta ask Pelle's cable guy.

 

[w e l o s t b o y s]

7.5 million for a 1st, 2nd, and a 3rd seems pretty crazy

 

[NotOpie]

Haydn Fleury has become the new Jeff Skinner of the main trade board. Here's a few scraps and a marginal player and maybe a 3rd as a throw in.....poor guy is getting woefully undervalued.

This time next year the Canes are going to be in an interesting position.

 

[Finnish Jerk Train]

that right there is why we dont listen to the old thrashers fan about waddell

masterful rebranding

cant keep shoving eric staal down peoples throats when eric staal hasnt made the playoffs the last 7 years youve been doing that

he wasnt in anything though. no online branding adverts, no massive promos, the one commercial he was in he was a "vet presence" alongside jml

the youth movement is being pushed, and thank goodness it showed the promise it said it would

i am very happy with the direction the "non-hockey" side of this organization is heading in

edit: not sure how directly/indirectly waddell is involved with this. whoever it is gets kudos on kudos

Wasn't it Waddell's idea to hire like 3x as many season ticket reps? Can't remember.

Either way, my impression is that he's probably not the sharpest hockey mind, but he does know business. I can't find anything to complain about yet.

 

[Brock Anton]

Haydn Fleury has become the new Jeff Skinner of the main trade board. Here's a few scraps and a marginal player and maybe a 3rd as a throw in.....poor guy is getting woefully undervalued.

This time next year the Canes are going to be in an interesting position.

"Fleury has regressed since the draft" is the new "Skinner is one hit away from dying".

 

[Surrounded By Ahos]

"Fleury has regressed since the draft" is the new "Skinner is one hit away from dying".

It's the classic hfboards mantra.

"Hey player X is really good and I want him on my team, and I'm willing to give up asset 4, 5, or 6."

"We really aren't interested in trading player X, but if he was to be traded, it would take at least asset 1, 2, or 3."

"Whatever, player X sucks anyway! He's totally a bust/washed up/one hit away from eating all his meals through a silly straw!"

 

[StormCast]

that right there is why we dont listen to the old thrashers fan about waddell

masterful rebranding

cant keep shoving eric staal down peoples throats when eric staal hasnt made the playoffs the last 7 years youve been doing that

he wasnt in anything though. no online branding adverts, no massive promos, the one commercial he was in he was a "vet presence" alongside jml

the youth movement is being pushed, and thank goodness it showed the promise it said it would

i am very happy with the direction the "non-hockey" side of this organization is heading in

edit: not sure how directly/indirectly waddell is involved with this. whoever it is gets kudos on kudos

Agreed that credit is due to someone but won't go so far as to call it masterful. Maybe at long last they are figuring out how to market the team by promoting promise and the future? Color me shocked?

 

[VAcaniac]

That's pretty impressive. Good to know that the excitement a lot of us have about the future of the team is shared by many others as well.

OTOH, makes you wonder if the STH base has been so decimated and has hit rock bottom and cant go any lower? But definitely good to see new plans up 88%. Gotta think attendance can only go up from here especially with all the young talent. Could be back to 06 sellout levels sooner than later.

 

[Anton Dubinchuk]

Agreed that credit is due to someone but won't go so far as to call it masterful. Maybe at long last they are figuring out how to market the team by promoting promise and the future? Color me shocked?

im just used to ineptitude, anything resembling a job well done is masterful to me

 

[StormCast]

im just used to ineptitude, anything resembling a job well done is masterful to me

Fair enough...masterful it is then by relative measures.

It fell to JR before he truly was clueless when it came to STH marketing. He relied too heavily on the old-school stuff and listened too intently to PK without much push back. PK is to marketing as Jesse Boulerice was to goal scoring.

 

[Boom Boom Apathy]

And maybe some of it is because they finally had a product on the ice that was worth watching and there's some genuine optimism for the future. This was the first time in a while that the team was still sniffing the playoffs by the deadline.

Marketing the youth movement was refreshing, and it worked out well because the youth actually played well. The guys they focused on in a lot of adds (and even rotating on their website) were Staal, Rask, Faulk, Skinner and Lindholm for the most part. Other than Lindholm, all of those guys had very good seasons.

And maybe this was a masterful stroke by Karmanos. Talk to Quebec so that more fans in Carolina get scared about losing the team and buy season tickets.

 

[Caniac125330]

And maybe some of it is because they finally had a product on the ice that was worth watching and there's some genuine optimism for the future. This was the first time in a while that the team was still sniffing the playoffs by the deadline.

Marketing the youth movement was refreshing, and it worked out well because the youth actually played well. The guys they focused on in a lot of adds (and even rotating on their website) were Staal, Rask, Faulk, Skinner and Lindholm for the most part. Other than Lindholm, all of those guys had very good seasons.

And maybe this was a masterful stroke by Karmanos. Talk to Quebec so that more fans in Carolina get scared about losing the team and buy season tickets.

I realize you're being sarcastic, but as bat**** crazy as Karmanos clearly is, that doesn't sound like the most far-fetched thing I've ever heard

 

[Carolinas Identity*]

Gotta ask Pelle's cable guy.

i am sooooooooooooooooo tempted to post those two tweets and ask pelle about his cable guy, but i am pretty sure that that would result in me getting fugu'd

 

[StormCast]

And the "defensive liability" thing is such a joke, please. He is definitely no risk-taker. He might get himself out of position sometimes but that doesn't make him a risk-taker any more than a Karlsson or Subban or any other point-producing dman is supposed to be.

Yeah, even though that comment came from a current player (a questionable POV given that his assessment comes from games against Faulk, i.e., small sample size) it's off base IMO. Earlier in his career maybe, but not in the last couple years. His biggest issue defensively is gap control and route-taking but they aren't major deficiencies. He's still above average defensively but he is going against top lines without the benefit of a really strong partner.

And maybe some of it is because they finally had a product on the ice that was worth watching and there's some genuine optimism for the future. This was the first time in a while that the team was still sniffing the playoffs by the deadline.

Marketing the youth movement was refreshing, and it worked out well because the youth actually played well. The guys they focused on in a lot of adds (and even rotating on their website) were Staal, Rask, Faulk, Skinner and Lindholm for the most part. Other than Lindholm, all of those guys had very good seasons.

Of course that's a part of it, but even as frequent critic of their marketing, they deserve some credit. Still more to do, especially when trying to generate interest for casual fans, but smart decisions on pricing, sales rep expansion and perks that Chip cited.

OTOH, makes you wonder if the STH base has been so decimated and has hit rock bottom and cant go any lower? But definitely good to see new plans up 88%. Gotta think attendance can only go up from here especially with all the young talent. Could be back to 06 sellout levels sooner than later.

Yep, was wondering the same thing and percentages can be used to tell a better story than whole numbers but encouraging all the same. It seems the Mendoza Line in NHL attendance is the 12k which gets you attention for all the wrong reasons. You never know what you'll get with a young core in the NHL and an unresolved situation in net so hopefully the marketing keeps pressing forward because even getting 2k more fans a game is a nice hedge against on-ice performance backsliding.

 

[Boom Boom Apathy]

Of course that's a part of it, but even as frequent critic of their marketing, they deserve some credit. Still more to do, especially when trying to generate interest for casual fans, but smart decisions on pricing, sales rep expansion and perks that Chip cited.

Yeah, I agree it's not the only thing, improved sales staff/plan and keeping the pricing the same no doubt helps as well. In an interview with Maniscalco, Waddell himself said there were 3 things and listed improved play as the very 1st thing.

“The team performed well after the trade deadline and the fans could see improvement, not just in the standings, but with the young players that really performed well," Waddell said. "There is optimism that (head coach) Bill Peters and (general manager) Ron Francis are doing the things to build a winner.”

Yep, was wondering the same thing and percentages can be used to tell a better story than whole numbers but encouraging all the same. It seems the Mendoza Line in NHL attendance is the 12k which gets you attention for all the wrong reasons. You never know what you'll get with a young core in the NHL and an unresolved situation in net so hopefully the marketing keeps pressing forward because even getting 2k more fans a game is a nice hedge against on-ice performance backsliding.

Yeah, that's a good point that I never considered. If it has bottomed out, then (a) you may be down to a group of fans where they are renewing no matter what -and- (b) a higher % of a smaller number may not mean more total fans. Still, all in all, positive news and a step in the right direction.

 

[Boom Boom Apathy]

I know that in general, the prices at the PNC are low compared to most NHL arenas so the prices below aren't apples to apples, but an interesting concept by the Atlanta Falcons.

https://www.yahoo.com/sports/blogs/...ssions-pricing-for-new-stadium-144716196.html

On Monday, Atlanta Falcons owner Arthur Blank and team president Rich McKay announced a revolutionary concept: "fan first" pricing on popular concession items at Mercedes-Benz Stadium, which is set to open before the 2017 NFL season.

How friendly will the prices be? Judge for yourself:

$2 – Non-alcoholic beverage products with unlimited free refills
$2 – Dasani bottled water; hot dogs; pretzels; popcorn
$3 – Peanuts; pizza; nachos; waffle fries
$5 – 12 oz. domestic beer

Blank stressed that the prices are not short-term, a gimmick to celebrate the opening of the stadium; they are part of a "core philosophy" to say thank you to fans for their loyalty.

 

[Joe McGrath]

Faulk still has stretches where he is a liability, but it's like 1 bad isolated period or game where he just looks like crap in his own end. That doesn't make you a defensive liability. I watched Duncan Keith play one of the worst hockey games I've ever seen from a top airing defenseman in the playoffs a couple years ago. It may have even been during his Conn Smythe run, but I don't recall. Sometimes even the best guys have bad nights. If a scout or analyst happens to catch a clunker, that's what they remember. It's not like anyone is watching 82 games of Justin Faulk but us.