News Article: News and Notes XXIV - ZOMG The Athletic Carolinas Incoming

[Finlandia WOAT]

Did I get fooled bad or did they say somewhere that it was a mild case of tuberculosis?

That was me, and I was joking. Sorry for the confusion!

 

[Canes]

Pitkanen was probably a #fancystatsmonster before #fancystats existed.

 

[Lempo]

That was me, and I was joking. Sorry for the confusion!

Yeah you can't do that. I'm gullible.

 

[Lucky Lindy]

Canes send some players to Charlotte, most notable is probably Saarela.

 

[tarheelhockey]

Canes send some players to Charlotte, most notable is probably Saarela.

No real surprises there. I guess they had seen enough of Helvig to send him off the island.

IMO Saarela is just not the player we had hoped would make the Staal trade feel better. At least we got Luke Martin with one of the draft picks, and used the other to get TT/Bickell, so it wasn't a total waste.

 

[tarheelhockey]

Inside sources say that Brett Pesce came down with a case of the vapors. He is expected to make a full recovery.

 

[Lempo]

Inside sources say that Brett Pesce came down with a case of the vapors. He is expected to make a full recovery.

Not hysteria, mania, clinical depression, bipolar disorder, lightheadedness, fainting, flush, withdrawal syndrome, mood swings, or PMS!

Someone quick stimulate his ********.

 

[DaveG]

I'm legitimately surprised that Fora was sent down. Not that he is a world beater but if someone had said to me before camp that Fora was going to be in the first wave of cuts down to Charlotte I would have suspected they either had a grudge against the guy or were severely inebriated.

 

[tarheelhockey]

Not hysteria, mania, clinical depression, bipolar disorder, lightheadedness, fainting, flush, withdrawal syndrome, mood swings, or PMS!

What gibberish is this?

 

[Lempo]

What gibberish is this?

Didn't know the word, researched Wikipedia.

 

[GoldiFox]

I'm legitimately surprised that Fora was sent down. Not that he is a world beater but if someone had said to me before camp that Fora was going to be in the first wave of cuts down to Charlotte I would have suspected they either had a grudge against the guy or were severely inebriated.

Seems like Cajkovsky is playing the role they wanted Fora to play. He did a good job keeping the slot clear against TB while being non-zero offensively. Carrick and Renouf are still up as well but they are more likely camp bodies.

 

[tarheelhockey]

I'm legitimately surprised that Fora was sent down. Not that he is a world beater but if someone had said to me before camp that Fora was going to be in the first wave of cuts down to Charlotte I would have suspected they either had a grudge against the guy or were severely inebriated.

It's a little weird because he's in a phase of his career to really benefit from the NHL exposure.

At this point he's got Hamilton, Faulk, Pesce, TVR, Bean, McKeown ahead of him as RHD. On the left side it's Slavin, CDH, Fleury, Carrick, Cajkovsky, Renouf. Cajkovksy's on a tryout contract so they need to make a decision with him pretty soon. Maybe this means Fora is so clearly locked out of a chance at the opening night roster that they didn't see any way for him to get into another preseason game?

BTW, in the process of confirming Cajkovksy's tryout status I came across this amazing article:

Hurricanes' Michal Cajkovsky: Invited to camp

Cajkovsky signed a professional tryout agreement with the Hurricanes, Chip Alexander of The Raleigh News & Observer reports.
Cajkovsky notched 19 points in 43 games with KHL club Avtomobilist Yekaterinburg last season, adding another two assists in four postseason contests. The Canes aren't especially deep on the blue line, which bodes well for the 26-year-old to earn a spot as the seventh defenseman coming out of camp.

 

[tarheelhockey]

Didn't know the word, researched Wikipedia.

All that medical mumbo-jumbo, no wonder you can't trust Wikipedia. It's common knowledge that the vapors can be cured with a slight loosening of the undergarments and a few moments to recover oneself on the divan.

 

[MinJaBen]

Inside sources say that Brett Pesce came down with a case of the vapors. He is expected to make a full recovery.

 

[NotOpie]

No real surprises there. I guess they had seen enough of Helvig to send him off the island.

IMO Saarela is just not the player we had hoped would make the Staal trade feel better. At least we got Luke Martin with one of the draft picks, and used the other to get TT/Bickell, so it wasn't a total waste.

I'm no where near ready to give up the ghost on Saarela yet. One year in the AHL where he was 3rd on the team in goals scored (25, I believe). This season he'll play on one of the top 2 lines (he played mostly 3rd line minutes last season) and have the opportunity to be a leader. I think he'll be in the mix again next season.

and a few moments to recover oneself on the divan.

.....a brandy darling....you forgot about the snifter of brandy.

 

[tarheelhockey]

I'm no where near ready to give up the ghost on Saarela yet. One year in the AHL where he was 3rd on the team in goals scored (25, I believe). This season he'll play on one of the top 2 lines (he played mostly 3rd line minutes last season) and have the opportunity to be a leader. I think he'll be in the mix again next season.



.....a brandy darling....you forgot about the snifter of brandy.

Yeah, I don't mean to say he sucks out loud or anything. I expect he'll be "in the mix" every year, just not quite as one of the top skilled wingers in the organization, and therefore not with a really defined role for the Canes. He kind of has a Zach Boychuk vibe to me, except I was more certain of Boychuk when he was in this age range.

 

[Lempo]

All that medical mumbo-jumbo, no wonder you can't trust Wikipedia. It's common knowledge that the vapors can be cured with a slight loosening of the undergarments and a few moments to recover oneself on the divan.

Ain't gonna be no divin' in mah rink!

 

[Boom Boom Apathy]

No real surprises there. I guess they had seen enough of Helvig to send him off the island.

IMO Saarela is just not the player we had hoped would make the Staal trade feel better. At least we got Luke Martin with one of the draft picks, and used the other to get TT/Bickell, so it wasn't a total waste.

I'm a bit disappointed that Saarela didn't show more, but I'm not sure it's a closed book on him yet since he's a 2015 draftee. Zykov was drafted in 2013 and didn't show much until this past season. Wallmark was drafted in 2014 and his AHL season 2 years ago was similar to Saarela's this past season. McGinn was a 2012 draftee and didn't become a full time NHLr until last season.

I'm not saying Saarela will make it, just that he's not any further behind than those guys were. I did expect a little better showing from him though as I thought he had an NHL level shot and some good offensive instincts. Another year in the minors (or Finland) won't be a bad thing for him.

 

[tarheelhockey]

I'm a bit disappointed that Saarela didn't show more, but I'm not sure it's a closed book on him yet since he's a 2015 draftee. Zykov was drafted in 2013 and didn't show much until this past season. Wallmark was drafted in 2014 and his AHL season 2 years ago was similar to Saarela's this past season. McGinn was a 2012 draftee and didn't become a full time NHLr until last season.

I'm not saying Saarela will make it, just that he's not any further behind than those guys were. I did expect a little better showing from him though as I thought he had an NHL level shot and some good offensive instincts. Another year in the minors (or Finland) won't be a bad thing for him.

I guess I just have a little less patience with a Saarela type player being a late bloomer. A McGinn or even a Zykov is one thing, knowing that they're basically in there because they have a higher #grind level than the next guy. That little extra step and bit of muscle makes a difference for a guy who's going to go LaRose around the ice or stand in front of the net and take abuse.

To me, if a scoring-intensive guy doesn't have the speed and skill to make the NHL at 22 (Saarela's age as of this January) then it's probably not worth waiting around for him. Whatever he's going to be is probably not going to amount to much more than a waiver-claim level player anyway (much like Wallmark, who might get to the opening night roster because of what's going on at our C position but wouldn't have a chance on almost any other team) and a waiver-claim skilled winger is basically Boychuk. If Saarela can be that guy for us someday, I guess it's better than not having him at all, but I see that mold of player as being expendable and mostly good for juicing the AHL club.

 

[Boom Boom Apathy]

I guess I just have a little less patience with a Saarela type player being a late bloomer. A McGinn or even a Zykov is one thing, knowing that they're basically in there because they have a higher #grind level than the next guy. That little extra step and bit of muscle makes a difference for a guy who's going to go LaRose around the ice or stand in front of the net and take abuse.

McGinn I agree with that assessment. Zykov I don't. He'll stay in the NHL if he can score goals. If he can't, he won't be in the NHL. He's similar to Saarela in that regards even if their skillsets are a bit different. Yes, he is bigger and can be a net front presence, but it is his hands and his shot that is going to keep him there, not just tipping pucks occasionally.

To me, if a scoring-intensive guy doesn't have the speed and skill to make the NHL at 22 (Saarela's age as of this January) then it's probably not worth waiting around for him. Whatever he's going to be is probably not going to amount to much more than a waiver-claim level player anyway (much like Wallmark, who might get to the opening night roster because of what's going on at our C position but wouldn't have a chance on almost any other team) and a waiver-claim skilled winger is basically Boychuk. If Saarela can be that guy for us someday, I guess it's better than not having him at all, but I see that mold of player as being expendable and mostly good for juicing the AHL club.

Maybe. I'm not ready to throw in the towel on the guy yet. I'm not sure what's wrong with "waiting around" for him. You try to develop him in the AHL and if he develops, great, if not, no big deal.

 

[A Star is Burns]

I don't know what Saarela will become, but there are only so many slots available, and we have a lot of prospects. Even more on the way if we keep the 9 picks we have this year or have to sell and get even more picks and prospects. We're rapidly approaching the point where guys are going to spend more time in Charlotte no matter what as long as some guys stick ahead of them on the NHL roster. Hopefully we will be able to sprinkle very well developed, cheap players on the team as guys like Aho, Turbo, and Svech get paid. That's exactly what we need as a small market team.

 

[ONO94]

What gibberish is this?

I am disappointed in all of you...all distracted by discussions of Scarlett O'Hara-esque ailments, leaving out fanning by a hand or oriental accordion fan as a treatment and missing the obvious answer......

the authentic frontier kind.....

 

[Lempo]

I am disappointed in all of you...all distracted by discussions of Scarlett O'Hara-esque ailments, leaving out fanning by a hand or oriental accordion fan as a treatment and missing the obvious answer......

the authentic frontier kind.....

I have legal reasons; my town slammed an e-smoke store with a hefty penalty payment for selling flavored liquids for vaping purposes. It's illegal apparently.

Grocery stores can still sell them for baking purposes, but they can't guide people at the smoking shelf that the liquids are in the baking shelf.

So I'm playing it safe, and voting for the meteor in the spring.

 

[tarheelhockey]

McGinn I agree with that assessment. Zykov I don't. He'll stay in the NHL if he can score goals. If he can't, he won't be in the NHL. He's similar to Saarela in that regards even if their skillsets are a bit different. Yes, he is bigger and can be a net front presence, but it is his hands and his shot that is going to keep him there, not just tipping pucks occasionally.

Maybe. I'm not ready to throw in the towel on the guy yet. I'm not sure what's wrong with "waiting around" for him. You try to develop him in the AHL and if he develops, great, if not, no big deal.

I agree, and just for clarity I didn’t mean Zykov will be here as a grinder. Just that the extra “man muscle” makes a difference for a guy who contributes the way he does, with a big presence in close to the net. For the amount of abuse he’s about to take, he needs that extra couple years of body development.

Username idea: Man Muscle

 

[NotOpie]

I don't know what Saarela will become, but there are only so many slots available, and we have a lot of prospects.

So my sense is that Saarela's a sniper at heart, came into the AHL and scored 25 goals, primarily in a 3rd line role. In his only preseason game he played quite well on a line w/Morgan Geekie and Greg McKegg, as was reported by a few folks. The issue is that he's not as rounded as a guy like Kuokkanen who has both an excellent distributor's skillset and an underrated shot. Saarela is a shooter.

All that said, I do agree to a certain extent, he needed to show more, hence his demotion. The reason I'm not worried as much is that I think he's slated for a leadership role on the Checkers and will get Top 6 minutes. Given that by the beginning of the off season, I expect us to have about 6 or 7 forwards under contract. Next Summer is likely to be pretty wide open as well.