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What We Learned from the Hurricanes Preseason So Far · stormTRacker Podcast | Carolina Hurricanes & NHL Hockey

• 0:33
  SPEAKER_04: Well, preseason is underway, and the reigning Stanley Cup champion, Carolina Hurricanes, are busy preparing for another run of the cup.
• 0:44
  SPEAKER_04: It's a short training camp this year with just four preseason games to work out the Kings.
• 0:51
  SPEAKER_04: And with opening night of the 26-27 NHL season fast approaching, what are we watching with the Kanes right now?
• 1:00
  SPEAKER_04: What moves did they make over the summer?
• 1:04
  SPEAKER_04: What decisions remain as the roster comes together?
• 1:09
  SPEAKER_04: And what should we expect to see as the new season unfolds?
• 1:16
  SPEAKER_04: I'm Tom Ray, and joining me as always, our resident hockey sabants, Aaron and Katie.
• 1:23
  SPEAKER_04: Ladies, great to be back talking hockey.
• 1:27
  SPEAKER_06: Absolutely.
• 1:29
  SPEAKER_04: Okay, so we've had some time off, took a few weeks to kind of recharge the battery and and uh take care of some things at home on the home front, which is great.
• 1:42
  SPEAKER_04: And now we're back ready for I think it's gonna be another another great season.
• 1:48
  SPEAKER_04: And you know, it's kind of the summer was kind of quiet and not much going on, so we didn't miss a lot.
• 1:57
  SPEAKER_04: But the canes did make some moves.
• 2:01
  SPEAKER_04: Aaron, what are your thoughts on some of those moves?
• 2:04
  SPEAKER_06: Well, you know, I think that um they they they are pretty well, you know, set, and that's the reason they didn't make a lot of moves.
• 2:12
  SPEAKER_06: Um and uh they they did sign some uh some veteran defensemen to bring in, and you know, um and we we have the return of Mike Riley that you know I thought that was pretty interesting because you know he could they could have been signed earlier in the summer, and we didn't really know what was going to go on with that, but uh he came in and um you know he's he's one of the guys competing now for what may be a sixth and a seventh spot uh with the Canes on defense.
• 2:39
  SPEAKER_06: Um one move that I think that um a lot of canes fans you know had some mixed feelings about is that we saw the departure of Frederick Anderson.
• 2:48
  SPEAKER_06: Um Freddie is very popular in Raleigh.
• 2:50
  SPEAKER_06: He he certainly had a lot of uh fans on his side during the time that he spent there.
• 2:55
  SPEAKER_06: And um it's always hard to see a player, you know, kind of leave the organization.
• 3:00
  SPEAKER_06: But certainly he left on a high note um getting the canes uh through the playoffs the way that he did.
• 3:05
  SPEAKER_06: And uh I know that uh it'll be interesting to see how he does with the Edmonton Oilers.
• 3:10
  SPEAKER_04: So well, and of course he's uh he's on the shelf again.
• 3:16
  SPEAKER_04: Uh guys he's gonna be out uh out for a couple of months, so uh we're not gonna see him in an Oiler uniform anytime soon.
• 3:23
  SPEAKER_04: But uh I agree with you, Aaron.
• 3:25
  SPEAKER_04: And you know, some of the players that uh kind of came in the mix, uh we saw Yusuf Alamacke was signed fairly early uh to a one-way deal, which was kind of interesting.
• 3:34
  SPEAKER_04: He um he was tremendous in Chicago last year as I as I covered the Wolves closely and and watched uh Yuso really put together a nice run with the team uh in the playoffs.
• 3:45
  SPEAKER_04: And you know what?
• 3:46
  SPEAKER_04: He's a guy that uh he's had success in the past in the NHL.
• 3:50
  SPEAKER_04: I think one of the challenges with Yuso is going to be that he's his foot speed is not quite what it was.
• 3:56
  SPEAKER_04: Uh as you know, he had a couple of surgeries, serious surgeries that kept him out for extended periods.
• 4:02
  SPEAKER_04: And and I I think it just you know it's you know, the speed of the NHL is just that little bit more than than what we see in uh you know in the AHL.
• 4:11
  SPEAKER_04: And then the other guy I wanted to mention was P.O.
• 4:13
  SPEAKER_04: Joseph, Pierre Olivier Joseph, who was a bit of a surprise.
• 4:18
  SPEAKER_04: Um some folks see him as a maybe he's another Jalen Chatfield as an example.
• 4:24
  SPEAKER_04: He's coming in from Vancouver, so that's kind of funny.
• 4:26
  SPEAKER_04: But uh he has uh you know, his last three years, hmm, 78 games, minus 38.
• 4:34
  SPEAKER_04: That's not that's not great.
• 4:37
  SPEAKER_04: I just thought I'd read the scouting report.
• 4:39
  SPEAKER_04: Maybe it'll give us some some encouragement, and then we'll talk a little bit about these guys.
• 4:44
  SPEAKER_04: But um he was a first-round pick in 2017.
• 4:47
  SPEAKER_04: Okay, so he's a good pedigree there.
• 4:50
  SPEAKER_04: Um, he has all the tools for a successful career as an NHL defenseman, but is still working to get the pieces to mesh.
• 4:58
  SPEAKER_04: He has plenty of speed and mobility enabling him to jump into the play.
• 5:03
  SPEAKER_04: He can produce solid numbers too.
• 5:05
  SPEAKER_04: He needs to get stronger and improve his play in the defensive zone to maximize his talent.
• 5:11
  SPEAKER_04: You know, at different points, I think he's uh he's kind of shown stuff.
• 5:16
  SPEAKER_04: But so uh there's your picks, there's your veterans.
• 5:22
  SPEAKER_04: Um anybody jumping out in those three?
• 5:27
  SPEAKER_01: I I took a little bit of a look at um Pierre, Olivia, Joseph.
• 5:31
  SPEAKER_01: And you you have to take his stats with a grain of salt because when you're playing with the Canucks, I don't think anybody's stats look particularly.
• 5:40
  SPEAKER_01: And when it came to expected goals against for the Canucks when he was on the ice, he was the third best defenseman.
• 5:49
  SPEAKER_01: And one of the defensemen ahead of him was Quinn Hughes, who of course was traded in the wild early in the season.
• 5:55
  SPEAKER_01: So um that was okay.
• 5:58
  SPEAKER_01: Uh that was encouraging that he, at least on a team that struggled that much that last season he was able to um to do something that was a little bit more effective than than what most of the team was able to accomplish.
• 6:11
  SPEAKER_04: Yeah, well, that's interesting news.
• 6:13
  SPEAKER_04: I mean, I wasn't aware of that too much, Katie.
• 6:15
  SPEAKER_04: I didn't watch him that closely last year.
• 6:16
  SPEAKER_04: I've seen him with Pittsburgh, you know, he's with Pittsburgh for probably four or five years, on and off.
• 6:22
  SPEAKER_04: Um and, you know, he's a guy that can skate.
• 6:24
  SPEAKER_04: He's a big player, he's not a heavy player.
• 6:27
  SPEAKER_04: Um, you know, again, he relies on the stick.
• 6:29
  SPEAKER_04: He's one of those kind of defensemen that you know really likes to have the long reach and and jump into it.
• 6:35
  SPEAKER_04: So so we've got three defensemen veterans that are in the mix, and we'll talk a little bit about this uh possible open spot as we get into this.
• 6:42
  SPEAKER_04: Um Caden Priedmal, interesting signing, right?
• 6:48
  SPEAKER_06: Absolutely.
• 6:49
  SPEAKER_06: He he had a great year with the I mean with Chicago.
• 6:53
  SPEAKER_06: I mean a great one with the to the Calder Cup, you know, and and uh um uh last night um I was able to catch a little bit of the third period of the prospect game last night and and noticed how much uh Trip Tracy was really kind of uh pointing out uh the specific things that Primo does that are that are good, you know, as far as uh keeping his arms in close to his body, not you know, not reaching, not swimming all over the the crease.
• 7:18
  SPEAKER_06: So I mean Tripp uh Tracy definitely has some things to say about goalies.
• 7:23
  SPEAKER_06: When he doesn't like something, you know.
• 7:24
  SPEAKER_06: I mean, he might dress it up and say it in a nice way, but he'll he'll let you know.
• 7:28
  SPEAKER_06: So um I think that uh looking at Primo, I think he's got a lot of uh potential, and uh it's it's gonna be an interesting uh thing to see if he eventually comes up and perhaps fills in if someone is injured.
• 7:40
  SPEAKER_06: Um he would certainly be their call-up.
• 7:43
  SPEAKER_04: The other interesting thing about the Primo signing was it was a two-year deal and it was a one-way deal.
• 7:49
  SPEAKER_04: So he got uh 850 this year and 975 guaranteed next year.
• 7:53
  SPEAKER_04: So that's kind of interesting.
• 7:54
  SPEAKER_04: They clearly see him as number three on the on the uh goalie chart, which is great.
• 7:59
  SPEAKER_01: I think they also don't want to mess around with the waivers like happened last year.
• 8:05
  SPEAKER_01: A two-year deal tech tech typically is a tool that they use to make teams less interested in claiming a goalie off of waivers and having to keep him on their NHL roster.
• 8:16
  SPEAKER_01: So I think they're hoping to not worry about that song and dance that happened with Primo last year.
• 8:21
  SPEAKER_01: Well in our favor because we got Besie as a result.
• 8:26
  SPEAKER_01: We now have Busy.
• 8:27
  SPEAKER_01: We don't need Bussey number two.
• 8:29
  SPEAKER_01: We'd like to keep our our tandem as it is and have Primo as a uh as a good backup option in Chicago, should we need him.
• 8:40
  SPEAKER_04: Well, you know, in the playoffs last year, I don't know if you saw some of the highlights, he made saves that were circus saves.
• 8:45
  SPEAKER_04: They were ridiculous.
• 8:46
  SPEAKER_04: I mean, they were just unbelievable saves.
• 8:49
  SPEAKER_04: And you know, listening to what uh Tripp was saying, just on your point, Aaron, of course, he he uh he referenced the prime TV series Reacher, which I don't know if you've seen it or not, but it's uh it's uh Alan Rickson, it's a great series, it's fantastic.
• 9:05
  SPEAKER_04: And and uh I thought that was kind of cute that he did the segue between the two.
• 9:09
  SPEAKER_04: It's kind of fun, but uh for those who've seen Reacher, they probably know where he's coming from.
• 9:13
  SPEAKER_04: Anyway, uh Primo, yeah, for sure.
• 9:15
  SPEAKER_04: Um I'm with you on this one.
• 9:17
  SPEAKER_04: He's he's a guy that uh the canes definitely want in the mix.
• 9:21
  SPEAKER_04: No, just uh wrapping up the wolves as we're talking about them, uh some good signings, popular signings, right?
• 9:28
  SPEAKER_06: Absolutely.
• 9:29
  SPEAKER_06: Um uh Skylar Brindamore will be back with the Wolves.
• 9:32
  SPEAKER_06: Uh Josiah Slavin, uh very popular there too, and then uh Justin Roboda, who I'm sure we're gonna chat a little bit more about.
• 9:40
  SPEAKER_06: But um, those three guys will be back.
• 9:42
  SPEAKER_06: And um, you know, for certainly for the center, you know, and I think that we touched on this briefly, you know, that the Canes center depth could could, you know, certainly use some bolstering.
• 9:52
  SPEAKER_06: So it's nice to have a couple of really solid uh centers with the wolves who can be called up if needed.
• 9:57
  SPEAKER_06: You know, um, I think either of them would be a good fill-in if if uh the canes were to need that.
• 10:03
  SPEAKER_04: Yeah, and you know, I mean, Skyler, hey, it's great.
• 10:07
  SPEAKER_04: We had him on the podcast last year, so I'm delighted we might get him back.
• 10:11
  SPEAKER_04: Uh he was on with Andrew and I and did a great job.
• 10:13
  SPEAKER_04: And I was so excited about that.
• 10:15
  SPEAKER_04: And Josiah, of course, uh, he's just uh salt of the earth gentleman who adds so much as the captain of that team.
• 10:22
  SPEAKER_04: And I was delighted when when we heard the good news that they had both signed and and come back this year.
• 10:27
  SPEAKER_04: Now Josiah does have a Wolves deal, which is interesting, which means if the Keynes wanted to bring him up, they'd have to sign him to a contract.
• 10:34
  SPEAKER_04: And I'm not sure how that all works.
• 10:36
  SPEAKER_04: So uh it's a little bit different, but yeah, um very popular.
• 10:41
  SPEAKER_04: And you know what?
• 10:41
  SPEAKER_04: Watching those guys play right now, man, they they fill role so strongly, right?
• 10:47
  SPEAKER_04: There's so much like Stahl and Martinook, it's it's incredible.
• 10:51
  SPEAKER_04: And and I think uh, you know, Skyler can come in and fill in as well if there are injuries for sure.
• 10:57
  SPEAKER_04: Uh he's proven that.
• 10:58
  SPEAKER_04: And by the way, uh played very, very well, I thought, uh, in the game last night.
• 11:02
  SPEAKER_04: So it's good stuff.
• 11:03
  SPEAKER_04: Now, speaking of Jordan Stahl, I know Aaron, you're pretty excited about this one too.
• 11:10
  SPEAKER_06: I'm intrigued.
• 11:12
  SPEAKER_06: Let's just say intrigued.
• 11:13
  SPEAKER_06: Yeah.
• 11:14
  SPEAKER_06: Jordan Stahl has his new contract.
• 11:17
  SPEAKER_06: Um, he is, you know, obviously he's currently under contract.
• 11:22
  SPEAKER_06: He's already this year is his current contract, so this does not impact the current cap space or the current situation in any way.
• 11:29
  SPEAKER_06: But he is assigned for next year um to a contract extension.
• 11:33
  SPEAKER_06: Um, it will be a$900,000 base salary, a$4 million signing bonus, which of course counts against the cap.
• 11:41
  SPEAKER_06: And then um he can earn up to$5,100,000 in performance bonuses, which means that it's hypothetically possible that a 39-year-old Jordan Stahl next year, because he's 38 this year, could earn$10 million.
• 11:55
  SPEAKER_06: He would actually earn more than Sebastian Ajo.
• 11:59
  SPEAKER_06: So um if he meets all those targets and gets all the of those uh performance bonuses.
• 12:04
  SPEAKER_06: And uh, you know, I think that the the idea here is clearly to reward him for his excellent performance in the playoffs that led to the the Stanley Cup, um, you know, Conn Smythe winner and everything else.
• 12:15
  SPEAKER_06: Um, I think that the team, the organization as a whole, probably feels that he has been underappreciated because you know, there have been many times when he's been passed over for the Selkie, and he probably should have been a little bit more in consideration for that award.
• 12:28
  SPEAKER_06: So if nothing else, this is a pat on the back from the organization.
• 12:33
  SPEAKER_06: And you know, we'll see if he plays out that entire year or not.
• 12:36
  SPEAKER_06: That's remains to be seen because, as we know, you never know for sure uh when Father Time's footsteps will be heard.
• 12:43
  SPEAKER_06: So it's it's gonna be an interesting one to watch for sure.
• 12:46
  SPEAKER_06: What do you think, Katie?
• 12:48
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, I think I think it's a very interesting contract.
• 12:50
  SPEAKER_01: The the signing bonuses are for games played, so it's just the idea that he has that long that that durability that he has demonstrated with his time during his time with the canes, he will get that full amount.
• 13:02
  SPEAKER_01: Um, having the performance bonuses done though does give the canes the option on whether they cover it under next year's salary structure or they can defer those payments to the following year's cap.
• 13:16
  SPEAKER_01: So depending on where they're at, they can uh they have a little bit more decision making as far as when to absorb that.
• 13:23
  SPEAKER_01: Um I know this because I'm very familiar with all of the stuff that's been going on with Burns and all of his extra money on the AB side because being an older player as well.
• 13:33
  SPEAKER_01: I think Jordan's contract is going to age very, very well, and he will be getting those bonuses.
• 13:39
  SPEAKER_01: And it'd be he is the heartbeat and the culture, along with Martinook and Aho and Slavin, of who the Carolina Hurricanes are.
• 13:47
  SPEAKER_01: So the longer that he gets around, the more likely that they are able to continue that high level of play and their culture.
• 13:58
  SPEAKER_01: Um, it's not like it won't continue once he's gone because we have Aho and so on, but he he definitely is that heartbeat.
• 14:05
  SPEAKER_01: And so I'm I'm glad to know that we'll have him not just for this season, but for the following one.
• 14:10
  SPEAKER_04: Yeah, and and the you know, this this is uh interesting because they did it just before the wire, right?
• 14:15
  SPEAKER_04: So they they had to get this deal done just before the CBA uh agreement took uh took precedence, and uh and so they they got it done just in time, and and uh that's great news for Jordan.
• 14:26
  SPEAKER_04: And and you're right, he's he he's the heartbeat of the hockey club.
• 14:30
  SPEAKER_04: I mean, there's no question.
• 14:31
  SPEAKER_04: And you know, it also kind of speaks to where we started in terms of this whole kind of concept of can the canes you know run it back again and do this and win another cup.
• 14:41
  SPEAKER_04: And he's clearly the guy that's uh right in the center of it.
• 14:45
  SPEAKER_04: So locking him up and uh and understanding he's gonna be around a couple more years is right in the window for the canes.
• 14:52
  SPEAKER_04: So I think it's uh it's perfect.
• 14:54
  SPEAKER_04: So yeah.
• 14:55
  SPEAKER_06: No one more thing.
• 14:56
  SPEAKER_06: I I just I you know I I I was thinking about this the other day.
• 14:59
  SPEAKER_06: Um, we all know how annoying it was when during when uh Rob Brindamore's contract was coming up and when you know every single media person had to ask every time they had a chance.
• 15:12
  SPEAKER_06: Are you gonna re-sign here?
• 15:13
  SPEAKER_06: Are you gonna sign anything?
• 15:15
  SPEAKER_06: Have you signed, you know?
• 15:16
  SPEAKER_06: And so if nothing else, even if Jordan Stahl, you know, decided he wanted to retire for some reason, but if nothing else, this will stop the questions from being asked all this season, like they would have been, because they probably would have asked him, Well, is this your last season?
• 15:31
  SPEAKER_06: Are you gonna retire after this one?
• 15:32
  SPEAKER_06: You know, because we know Burns has been asked that for years, and he always just says no and laughs.
• 15:36
  SPEAKER_06: So there's gonna be no distractions.
• 15:40
  SPEAKER_06: Stahl will not be hounded by the media and asked when his retirement party is gonna be held.
• 15:44
  SPEAKER_06: So that's good too.
• 15:46
  SPEAKER_04: Now Burns came to camp uh quite a bit slimmer this year, right?
• 15:49
  SPEAKER_04: Uh did did I see that his beard's uh not there?
• 15:53
  unknown: Yeah.
• 15:55
  SPEAKER_01: And he was wearing his uh his full smile going on.
• 16:00
  SPEAKER_01: It was thinking about Twitter X.
• 16:04
  SPEAKER_04: That's how you reach the wig goal.
• 16:08
  SPEAKER_01: I I'm sure he'll work on it this season.
• 16:10
  SPEAKER_01: I'm sure it'll be back to being very bushy come.
• 16:13
  SPEAKER_04: Yeah, it it just seem incongruous.
• 16:15
  SPEAKER_04: I mean, I just hardly recognize him.
• 16:17
  SPEAKER_04: It's incredible.
• 16:18
  SPEAKER_06: It's a sneak peek of Burns, the broadcaster and commentator that will probably be his next career.
• 16:24
  SPEAKER_06: We're gonna see what he looks like on camera.
• 16:27
  SPEAKER_06: This is gonna be Burns, you know, filling in for uh, you know, various people on uh ESPN Plus or wherever he goes, you know, telling us all the inside stories.
• 16:38
  SPEAKER_04: Well, for sure.
• 16:39
  SPEAKER_04: And and you know, he's a great guy, so he's a lot of fun, and uh and so that would be wonderful if if we had a chance to see him in that role for sure.
• 16:46
  SPEAKER_04: Anyway, I thought that was uh that was quite interesting and and certainly uh worth mentioning.
• 16:52
  SPEAKER_04: Uh, you know what?
• 16:53
  SPEAKER_04: Unfinished business.
• 16:54
  SPEAKER_04: What's unfinished?
• 16:55
  SPEAKER_04: Katie?
• 16:56
  SPEAKER_01: Nikitian.
• 16:57
  SPEAKER_01: Nikeshin is unfinished.
• 16:58
  SPEAKER_01: What is going on with it?
• 17:03
  SPEAKER_01: Where in the world is Carmen San Diego?
• 17:05
  SPEAKER_01: It's where in the world is Alexander Nikitian.
• 17:07
  SPEAKER_01: Well, actually, we know where he is.
• 17:08
  SPEAKER_01: He's skating in Florida, he's still working out, but the the canes and the player with and his camp are are still at an impasse.
• 17:17
  SPEAKER_01: And unfortunately for Nikishan, he does not have a whole lot of leverage in the um in the situation.
• 17:24
  SPEAKER_01: He can either sign, hang out in the bo, or go back to Russia.
• 17:29
  SPEAKER_01: And going back to Russia just really doesn't advance his career and his standing.
• 17:35
  SPEAKER_01: So it's just kind of a big question mark right now.
• 17:39
  SPEAKER_01: The Kanes are willing to be patient, they're good to go.
• 17:42
  SPEAKER_01: They they don't need him.
• 17:45
  SPEAKER_01: They would love to have his services should he have a change of heart.
• 17:49
  SPEAKER_01: But right now, there's three different veterans and two uh Chicago Wolves slash Ruggins that would be more than happy to take that six defenseman spot from him.
• 18:02
  SPEAKER_01: So I think the Kings are not willing to sell him for pennies on the dollar.
• 18:07
  SPEAKER_01: They are going to hold on to his rights and be happy to just hang out for the time being until they get an offer that they feel like makes the team better.
• 18:17
  SPEAKER_01: And until that happens, I think we're just gonna kind of be in wait and see mode, but uh doesn't really affect the outlook for the season either way.
• 18:28
  SPEAKER_01: So we'll see what happens.
• 18:30
  SPEAKER_06: Well, and one interesting thing that you know some people may not know, and I didn't know until I was corrected on it, um, uh Jean-Francois C on X explains the the CBA rules, you know, whenever you get them wrong.
• 18:44
  SPEAKER_06: And um he's he's very kind to do that.
• 18:46
  SPEAKER_06: And uh I had thought that uh Nikkeishan would have to sign by that December 1st deadline that uh rookies unsigned RFAs usually have to sign by.
• 18:54
  SPEAKER_06: But because he's not a group two RFA, uh Nikitian does not have any deadline to sign.
• 19:00
  SPEAKER_06: He can sign anytime during the season.
• 19:02
  SPEAKER_06: He could even sign, according to um Jean-Francois, he could sign in you know June and play in the playoffs.
• 19:08
  SPEAKER_06: You know, he's he he can he can do whatever he wants to do as far as that goes.
• 19:12
  SPEAKER_06: So that's not you know necessarily going to increase any kind of leverage, but it does mean that there's no pressure to sign by a certain date or you're out for the season.
• 19:21
  SPEAKER_06: So that will also, I think, play into some of the considerations that maybe some other teams that would be interested in him might um have because they have plenty of time to get a deal done if they're willing to talk to him and see, you know, if he's if they're allowed to talk to him, if the canes will allow some of these teams to have a conversation.
• 19:39
  SPEAKER_06: Um and we I think that it seems like that that has already happened.
• 19:42
  SPEAKER_06: I believe that the Rangers uh were interested and and just didn't end up wanting to meet his contract demands.
• 19:47
  SPEAKER_06: So um that they obviously would have had a chance to to talk to his agent about that um if in order to get that information.
• 19:54
  SPEAKER_06: So so we'll see what happens.
• 19:56
  SPEAKER_06: Um I I don't I don't I get the sense that he doesn't want to come back and play in Carolina.
• 20:01
  SPEAKER_06: Whether he would do so for a short-term deal is still up in the air.
• 20:06
  SPEAKER_06: Um, I I could see him agreeing to a one-year deal.
• 20:09
  SPEAKER_06: I just don't know that he would want to go much beyond that because he'll be 25 here in October.
• 20:14
  SPEAKER_06: He's not gonna want to sign for two to three years with a team that he doesn't feel he has a spot on and doesn't necessarily feel like he is needed.
• 20:24
  SPEAKER_06: So we'll see what happens.
• 20:27
  SPEAKER_04: Yeah, I mean it's an interesting one because uh you know, we've seen these crazy deals for defensemen, right?
• 20:36
  SPEAKER_06: Oh my gosh.
• 20:39
  SPEAKER_04: You know, Z Buyam uh got a big deal with Vancouver, Bowen Byron got a massive deal with Chicago.
• 20:47
  SPEAKER_04: Um yeah, incredible.
• 20:49
  SPEAKER_04: And and good for them.
• 20:50
  SPEAKER_04: But uh, you know, they you know they were part of what we saw with the Carlson uh, you know, Philadelphia put an offer in for uh for Carlson uh with uh with Anaheim, which was crazy.
• 21:03
  SPEAKER_04: It was you know 16 or 18 million a year, some stupid number.
• 21:06
  SPEAKER_04: So a lot of different things happening.
• 21:08
  SPEAKER_04: And I think I think Alex's camp, uh, you know, you the agents like to be in there and uh and uh capitalize whenever they can, as we know.
• 21:18
  SPEAKER_04: Uh I think their camp thought, hey, this is this is definitely going the right way for us.
• 21:23
  SPEAKER_04: But I agree with both of you that this is a tough situation for Alex now.
• 21:28
  SPEAKER_04: Um, you know, he's he's really in no man's land.
• 21:31
  SPEAKER_04: I know he's out skating with uh Vladimir Terasenko, and who knows if Terasenko is gonna get a deal this year.
• 21:37
  SPEAKER_04: Maybe they'll both be skating for a long time.
• 21:41
  SPEAKER_04: And uh and thanks to the folks on TikTok uh that brought that to us.
• 21:46
  SPEAKER_04: But I think um I think I think it's just gonna be a wait and see situation, like you say.
• 21:52
  SPEAKER_04: Nothing needs to happen.
• 21:53
  SPEAKER_04: Absolutely nothing.
• 21:54
  SPEAKER_04: Uh the canes have got lots of depth on the blue.
• 21:58
  SPEAKER_04: And you know, when he's sitting, he was sitting in the call it five or six spot.
• 22:03
  SPEAKER_04: Um, you know, you've got your top four.
• 22:06
  SPEAKER_04: You're good to go.
• 22:07
  SPEAKER_04: So yeah, I think a lot of folks are wondering, you know, what what do we think is going to happen with this?
• 22:13
  SPEAKER_04: I think it's just gonna kind of go its way.
• 22:15
  SPEAKER_04: And ultimately, I believe strongly he's gonna give it.
• 22:20
  SPEAKER_04: I think he and his camp will do a deal with the canes.
• 22:23
  SPEAKER_04: Sorry.
• 22:23
  SPEAKER_01: I I mean I was just saying that absolutely could be, and it'll be interesting to see if the canes do find a deal for him exactly what happened.
• 22:32
  SPEAKER_01: Like it has been entertaining online seeing all of the different trade proposals that people have been putting forward.
• 22:38
  SPEAKER_01: And anytime that there's one that's like, oh, well, they'll get draft picks or they'll get a forward.
• 22:44
  SPEAKER_01: No, the canes don't aren't interested in futures and they are so full at forward right now.
• 22:51
  SPEAKER_01: They don't have NHL ready talent that could end up starting the season in the AHL.
• 22:57
  SPEAKER_01: You gotta be realistic.
• 22:58
  SPEAKER_01: So if the Kanes do a deal, it's probably going to be for a right-handed defenseman to help round out that bottom, uh, that bottom pair, some someone uh that can play well again uh alongside uh Shangosta Spare and provide a ready defensive presence.
• 23:15
  SPEAKER_01: Um Nashville and St.
• 23:17
  SPEAKER_01: Louis have been mentioned as possible destinations who would be interested in him.
• 23:22
  SPEAKER_01: Hey, look, I'm I'm not saying they would they would do it, but Colton Preco is a right-handed defender.
• 23:31
  SPEAKER_01: Who has been in St.
• 23:32
  SPEAKER_01: Louis a long time, but they're working towards a rebuild.
• 23:35
  SPEAKER_01: He might be thinking that, you know, there they might even be thinking that they're not going to get to the point where they're going to be able to be competitive in the long term with him still at the top of his powers.
• 23:47
  SPEAKER_01: Maybe he comes over and slots in well as a veteran presence alongside Ghost, and they get Nikkei in long term and use him as a piece that they can build around, build their power play around, build their top uh defense defensive pair around, something like that.
• 24:02
  SPEAKER_01: I mean, that at least is realistic in the sense of what the canes would be looking to get back.
• 24:08
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah.
• 24:08
  SPEAKER_01: And I'm sure any team that that trades for Nikkei will also want it to be a sign and trade deal.
• 24:14
  SPEAKER_01: They don't want to trade for his right because that gives them no value.
• 24:17
  SPEAKER_01: They'd end up in the same position that the canes are in.
• 24:20
  SPEAKER_01: They want to do a sign and trade where they know that they have his services for X number of years at whatever the dollar figure is against their cap, so that they can move forward with him as a key piece of their defensive work.
• 24:34
  unknown: Yeah.
• 24:36
  SPEAKER_04: Yeah, I mean, clearly, though we haven't heard anything, to my mind, that's of great interest.
• 24:42
  SPEAKER_04: I love Colton Pariko, but I I just can't imagine that St.
• 24:45
  SPEAKER_04: Louis would want to include them.
• 24:47
  SPEAKER_04: They'd want to have both of them, I'm sure, on the blue.
• 24:49
  SPEAKER_04: Probably.
• 24:50
  SPEAKER_04: And that's the way these deals are looking right now.
• 24:52
  SPEAKER_01: That's what that's what the Keynes would be looking for.
• 24:55
  SPEAKER_01: They're not going to deal into Kingdom unless they get that level of a deal, most likely.
• 24:59
  SPEAKER_04: And I think that's I think you hit the nail on the head though, Katie.
• 25:02
  SPEAKER_04: I think that's the problem.
• 25:03
  SPEAKER_04: There just isn't a deal out there to be done.
• 25:06
  SPEAKER_04: I just don't see it.
• 25:08
  SPEAKER_04: Um and and with what he's asking, that's the second part of the problem.
• 25:12
  SPEAKER_04: For some teams that might be willing to do a deal, they just don't have the headroom to do it.
• 25:16
  SPEAKER_04: So I think uh yeah, I think it's gonna be interesting to see how it plays out.
• 25:22
  SPEAKER_04: Anyway, let's talk about folks on the ice and uh and what's happening uh kind of on this side of the fence.
• 25:28
  SPEAKER_04: Uh we had the uh prospect showcase, as you're uh you both know.
• 25:32
  SPEAKER_04: I was up there and uh up close and personal watching uh watching the Kane Prospects.
• 25:37
  SPEAKER_04: And you know, uh it went pretty well as we expected, right?
• 25:40
  SPEAKER_04: I mean, there's certain folks we were watching.
• 25:42
  SPEAKER_04: We wanted to see, hey, how is Charlie Serato gonna do with Bradley Nadeau and Felix Ungerstorm?
• 25:48
  SPEAKER_04: They were really the signature line for the crew, and we wanted to know how they were gonna do.
• 25:53
  SPEAKER_04: Charles Alexis Lego, you know, how was he gonna do because he's in the mix?
• 25:58
  SPEAKER_04: Uh, you know, obviously he's a big, solid defensive guy.
• 26:01
  SPEAKER_04: How was he gonna do?
• 26:02
  SPEAKER_04: And then what about a guy like Ivan Ryabkin?
• 26:05
  SPEAKER_04: You know, a lot of folks are talking about Ivan.
• 26:07
  SPEAKER_04: His role is gonna go up in Chicago.
• 26:09
  SPEAKER_04: He's a 19-year-old, he's feisty.
• 26:11
  SPEAKER_04: How did these guys do?
• 26:13
  SPEAKER_04: What do you think came out of that camp?
• 26:15
  SPEAKER_04: Was there anything that jumped out at you guys?
• 26:20
  SPEAKER_06: There were some, you know, I think you can kind of see that some of these guys are definitely, you know, when you look at, for instance, uh the Serato, Nadeau, Angersorum line, you know, they were all very good.
• 26:29
  SPEAKER_06: Um, I think that um I want I would have liked to have seen a little more from Nadeau in the showcase, but there again, we've, you know, we'll get to it, but we've we're seeing plenty in in the actual camp.
• 26:39
  SPEAKER_06: So sometimes you just get to the point where, you know, you're playing on a line with guys that may or may not be right there with you.
• 26:45
  SPEAKER_06: Um, yeah, for Charlie Serrado, I think this was his first time in a cane sweater, you know.
• 26:50
  SPEAKER_06: So you're not gonna drag them into situations that they're not gonna be capable of of uh you know following you.
• 26:56
  SPEAKER_06: So um sometimes the the more experienced players in these showcases have to kind of dial back a little bit so that they're not putting the younger guys in in bad situations.
• 27:06
  SPEAKER_06: So um as far as like you know, players like Ryamkin, you know, you see the talent, you see the energy, you see the enthusiasm.
• 27:12
  SPEAKER_06: You also see that he's really, really raw still.
• 27:15
  SPEAKER_06: Like he needs a lot more seasoning before he's gonna be able to be trusted on a Rod Bridden War coach team.
• 27:22
  SPEAKER_06: So um certainly lots to like about him as a kid, you know.
• 27:26
  SPEAKER_06: But he's certainly, I mean, I wouldn't expect to see him in in Carolina for a few years yet.
• 27:31
  SPEAKER_06: Um I did like Charles Lexus Lego.
• 27:35
  SPEAKER_06: Um I'm I would say that I I liked him very well in the prospect showcase, um, more so even than what we're seeing in these these couple of uh preseason games.
• 27:46
  SPEAKER_06: And again, I know we'll get to that.
• 27:48
  SPEAKER_06: But um in the prospect showcase, he certainly looked like somebody that knew what he was doing, you know, and didn't didn't take anything from anybody.
• 27:55
  SPEAKER_01: So my focus was on the ones that would potentially impact more the um more the canes uh as things go along.
• 28:03
  SPEAKER_01: I did like Lego a lot in the um from from the little bit that I did see.
• 28:08
  SPEAKER_01: He was definitely assertive, let's put it that way, while he was in the lineup.
• 28:14
  SPEAKER_01: He took the responsibility of being captain for the team very he took it to heart, let's just put it that way.
• 28:29
  SPEAKER_01: Um and like you said, Aaron, I think that the Ungersorm and Serrado and Lego and uh Nadeau lines they were fine.
• 28:39
  SPEAKER_01: They were fine.
• 28:40
  SPEAKER_01: And you know, you would love to have somebody who's supposed to be more developed, uh be a little bit more noticeable and a little bit more successful, but there wasn't anything wrong with with how they did.
• 28:55
  SPEAKER_01: And and they they are making up for it right now in in training camps.
• 28:59
  SPEAKER_01: So as far as the others, um, definitely plenty of potential there.
• 29:04
  SPEAKER_01: Um I liked seeing I never pronounced his name right, Kaziv, Ruslan Kaziv.
• 29:09
  SPEAKER_04: Um yeah, Ruslan Kaziv, yes.
• 29:13
  SPEAKER_01: That dude is massive.
• 29:15
  SPEAKER_01: Um you're out close in personal, all you're doing is looking up at this guy.
• 29:22
  SPEAKER_01: I don't think we can round out his game well because I do think he still has a lot of potential and he is still pretty young.
• 29:29
  SPEAKER_01: And um, so I I have high hopes as he um as he approaches the season, uh hopefully backing up Privot in Chicago, but we'll see.
• 29:40
  SPEAKER_01: We'll see how it works out for him.
• 29:43
  SPEAKER_04: Yeah, they have Zach Sachanko, who's a veteran A feller also under contract.
• 29:47
  SPEAKER_04: Um, I actually had a chance to talk briefly to Tom Barrasso about uh Kazav, and he he said, you know what, uh still very young.
• 29:56
  SPEAKER_04: I mean, goaltenders, as we know, take a little bit longer.
• 29:59
  SPEAKER_04: And he said, you know, they're they're really pleased with the progress.
• 30:02
  SPEAKER_04: And he played, obviously he played last year with Greensboro, uh for the most part, because they have dead end, and uh they really like uh some of the things that he's adding to his game.
• 30:12
  SPEAKER_04: So they have very specific areas that they're working on with him, as you can well imagine.
• 30:16
  SPEAKER_04: But boy, I tell you, he's so big.
• 30:18
  SPEAKER_04: Oh my god.
• 30:19
  SPEAKER_04: Holy jeepers.
• 30:21
  SPEAKER_04: Um, yeah, and and you know, Charlie Serrado, we'll talk about Charlie, but it was kind of fun to see him actually out there, you know, with uh against other you know, prospects and pros or whatever.
• 30:31
  SPEAKER_04: Um and he uh boy, the one thing that shocked me the most watching him uh in those games is how fast he is.
• 30:38
  SPEAKER_04: Oh man, he was he would make plays so quickly down the ice, it was just incredible.
• 30:44
  SPEAKER_04: So he can skate, he's definitely a guy that can motor, and he's also a feisty player.
• 30:48
  SPEAKER_04: Uh he showed that very much in the prospect showcase he was in pushing and shoving and bumping guys, and you know, he was right in the mix of it, which is kind of cool.
• 30:56
  SPEAKER_04: Uh, Charles Alexis Legal, I agree with you totally.
• 31:00
  SPEAKER_04: Um, he played, he acted the part of a captain.
• 31:03
  SPEAKER_04: He really was.
• 31:04
  SPEAKER_04: Uh, and he scored a shootout goal that was insane.
• 31:09
  SPEAKER_04: He had the coaches with the biggest smiles you've ever seen over there when he scores that uh that shootout goal, which uh was not really expected.
• 31:16
  SPEAKER_04: And I, in fact, I didn't even think we'd see him in a shootout note.
• 31:19
  SPEAKER_04: He goes and scores, so it's kind of fun.
• 31:21
  SPEAKER_04: The one player I did want to mention um is someone I was very interested in when we went to the showcase, and that was uh Noel Franson.
• 31:30
  SPEAKER_04: Fronson, of course, coming out of Sweden.
• 31:33
  SPEAKER_04: He's like early 20s.
• 31:35
  SPEAKER_04: He's been playing in the Swedish Elite League for the last uh the SHL, the last three years.
• 31:41
  SPEAKER_04: So he's a guy that's been doing very well over there.
• 31:43
  SPEAKER_04: And the book on Fronssen was this guy can motor, and he's like a fourth forward on the ice.
• 31:49
  SPEAKER_04: So I was really trying to see is that the guy he is or what he was.
• 31:52
  SPEAKER_04: Oh my goodness.
• 31:53
  SPEAKER_04: He was he was everywhere when he got on the ice, and he made numerous plays that turned into excellent opportunities.
• 32:01
  SPEAKER_04: So he's a guy that uh I know they're they're gonna continue to work on his uh defensive game.
• 32:07
  SPEAKER_04: And interestingly enough, Spiro Sanastas was mentioning to me while I was there that that Franson is a very stocky player.
• 32:14
  SPEAKER_04: He's solid.
• 32:15
  SPEAKER_04: He's very, very solid.
• 32:16
  SPEAKER_04: He called him Fick, and he said he's he's a guy that uh boy, he can handle himself in the ice, he's not pushed around at all.
• 32:22
  SPEAKER_04: So I thought that was good information to come from Spiros.
• 32:25
  SPEAKER_04: And uh, and of course, uh Fronson's gonna start the season in Chicago.
• 32:29
  SPEAKER_04: But he's a guy that I think has some real potential for the future with the Canes.
• 32:33
  SPEAKER_04: And his big calling card, of course, is power play quarterback.
• 32:37
  SPEAKER_04: So he's gonna see a lot of action with Chicago in that role.
• 32:40
  SPEAKER_04: Of course, uh, if Yusuf Bailamaki is there, he's also a top jar uh PP quarterback uh in the AHL.
• 32:48
  SPEAKER_04: So kind of fun stuff.
• 32:50
  SPEAKER_04: Uh one other guy that uh was there that was interesting was the draft pick this uh draft pick this summer was uh Zachary Lancard.
• 32:57
  SPEAKER_04: Um he's a guy that uh 18 years old.
• 33:01
  SPEAKER_04: And boy, watching him, he looked like he had been around for a while.
• 33:04
  SPEAKER_04: And the thing that I really took away from that was boy, another great another great draft pick for the Keynes.
• 33:09
  SPEAKER_04: Third third rounder, he's gonna play with Regina in the Western uh Junior League this year.
• 33:14
  SPEAKER_04: He's a guy to keep an eye on, folks, because he can do it all.
• 33:17
  SPEAKER_04: He's uh he's really impressive.
• 33:19
  SPEAKER_04: So lots of fun up there, talked to a lot of folks, of course, and and you know what?
• 33:25
  SPEAKER_04: There's some great prospects coming for the hurricanes, that's for sure.
• 33:29
  SPEAKER_04: And speaking of that, we uh kind of segue into the exhibition games, and the canes uh have been using their prospects and uh and they're some of their other veterans and have really steered clear most of the starting lineup for the first two games.
• 33:46
  SPEAKER_04: Any uh anything jump out at you um on that side, Aaron?
• 33:51
  SPEAKER_06: Well, I think that you know, um the first game in Florida um uh players seemed like they were still kind of getting their legs under them, you know, whether they were veterans or prospects, you know, nobody seemed to be quite on the same page.
• 34:04
  SPEAKER_06: And so it was really good that they thought through those struggles, played as well as they did.
• 34:09
  SPEAKER_06: Uh score ended up being six to three, that doesn't matter.
• 34:12
  SPEAKER_06: But um it it was just um I think that there were players that that kind of improved as the game went on for sure, and and uh then they've looked even better in the second game.
• 34:22
  SPEAKER_06: So um I think that um I I I can't really say that there's anybody that of the prospects that that I that didn't, you know, that that I thought would look better than they did.
• 34:35
  SPEAKER_06: You know, it seemed like it was a pretty clear cut between the ones that are close to being NHL ready and everybody else.
• 34:41
  SPEAKER_06: You know, there's there's not I'm not seeing anybody from the everybody else group that's suddenly rising to the occasion and standing out, you know.
• 34:48
  SPEAKER_06: Um it's it's the usual guys.
• 34:50
  SPEAKER_06: It's you know, it's uh Nadeau, it's Serato, it's Unger Sorum, it's uh uh Justin Robodaugh, for instance.
• 34:55
  SPEAKER_06: You know, he's been good, he was good in both games.
• 34:58
  SPEAKER_06: Um uh the first game, he was mostly good offensively, his defense was not good.
• 35:03
  SPEAKER_06: Um, possess possession numbers were not good, but second game very much improved.
• 35:08
  SPEAKER_06: And then uh uh Nadeau and um and Unger Sorum, you know, their their connection with each other um certainly I seemed their chemistry seemed to improve greatly between the first and the second game.
• 35:20
  SPEAKER_06: Um probably because as Serato was getting to know them better, because it's important for a center to be able to balance, you know, if you know your wings, you've played with them a little bit, you start being able to balance what they can do.
• 35:30
  SPEAKER_06: And even though he didn't necessarily factor in on some of their plays as far as on the score sheet, he was very much a part of that, you know.
• 35:37
  unknown: Yeah.
• 35:37
  SPEAKER_06: Um, so giving them the facility to do the plays that they were doing and to make the things happen that they were making happen.
• 35:43
  SPEAKER_06: So um so I liked that a lot.
• 35:45
  SPEAKER_06: Um I I think that the takeaway here is that the players that we think have a shot are still the same players, you know, as far as the shot of making the NHL team.
• 35:58
  SPEAKER_06: It's not there aren't any surprises.
• 36:00
  SPEAKER_06: We haven't seen any camp surprises, I I don't think.
• 36:03
  SPEAKER_06: Um I I have liked uh Lego's game a little less in these first two games of the preseason.
• 36:10
  SPEAKER_06: I I don't think that he's shining as much as I would have thought based on the prospect showcase, you know.
• 36:16
  SPEAKER_06: So, and and based on also his prior time with the the Kanes during uh you know when he had to fill in last year.
• 36:22
  SPEAKER_06: So I think he's got what it takes to make the team at some point.
• 36:27
  SPEAKER_06: I'm not sure.
• 36:28
  SPEAKER_06: I don't think it's gonna be now.
• 36:30
  SPEAKER_04: Okay.
• 36:30
  SPEAKER_04: That's interesting.
• 36:33
  SPEAKER_01: What do you think?
• 36:34
  SPEAKER_01: I I definitely liked um Nadeau, Serato, Ungersorn better in these names I did in the prospect show, which is interesting because if you consider the fact that Paul Maurice decided to dress a majority NHL lineup against both of these games, they were going up against some pretty stiff competition.
• 36:53
  SPEAKER_01: They were having to compete against Barkov and the Kachuks and that type of those types of players.
• 37:02
  SPEAKER_01: And I felt like they held their own pretty well.
• 37:04
  SPEAKER_01: Um, I think Corey Lavalette actually uh tweeted out at one point that the Corsi 4 percentage for that line was something like 10 to 1.
• 37:13
  SPEAKER_01: They were not just holding their own, but they were actually dominating their minutes against their competition and creating a lot of opportunities for themselves in that in that second game.
• 37:25
  SPEAKER_01: But as much as I liked them and what they were generating, the one person out of all of them that stood out to me both in both games, because he played both games with Mike Riley.
• 37:35
  SPEAKER_01: Oh, yeah, cool.
• 37:36
  SPEAKER_01: That extent in their time with the Kanes was a two-way extension.
• 37:40
  SPEAKER_01: So there is an option for him to go to the AHL.
• 37:43
  SPEAKER_01: He gets paid a lot less if he ends up in the AHL.
• 37:45
  SPEAKER_01: And you can see that he wants that sixth or seventh D position.
• 37:51
  SPEAKER_01: He either wants that spot next to Ghost, or if somebody else gets it, he wants to be the next man up like he was last season for Ionim because there is a soft spot in Brenda Moore's heart for his vets that Riley will be on that opening day roster if only because of the banner hanging.
• 38:12
  SPEAKER_01: Since he was part of the Stanley Cup winning team, he will at least be a part of the team.
• 38:16
  SPEAKER_01: He might be up in the in the press box, but he'll at least be on the team so he could be in the building and take part in the banner raising ceremony since he was part of the team.
• 38:26
  SPEAKER_01: So I'm not worried.
• 38:27
  SPEAKER_01: I I think he'll I think he'll be there for that, but how it works out as the season develops will be really interesting to him.
• 38:33
  SPEAKER_01: But I thought he was just really strong on the puck, on the zone entries.
• 38:38
  SPEAKER_01: He helped transition play in the other direction really well.
• 38:42
  SPEAKER_01: Um, he even got an assist in that second game.
• 38:44
  SPEAKER_01: So I really, really loved uh how Mike Riley took that um responsibility and shouldered it.
• 38:52
  SPEAKER_01: He was he was very strong.
• 38:53
  SPEAKER_01: And some of those other veterans, like Balamaki, struggled a lot more in his time with their lineup than Riley did.
• 39:01
  SPEAKER_01: Riley was really was really good.
• 39:02
  SPEAKER_01: As far as some of the other vets, unfortunately, I was really wanting KK to kind of stand out and look good and take some of his experience and translate it.
• 39:12
  SPEAKER_01: And it it didn't happen.
• 39:14
  SPEAKER_01: Uh, unfortunately, I don't I don't know.
• 39:17
  SPEAKER_01: I I don't know what to say about KK anymore, other than I I hope he finds a new home and and ends up with a new breath of life into into his career.
• 39:26
  SPEAKER_01: And then of course, um, you know, I love Kochekov.
• 39:30
  SPEAKER_01: He he is my guy, he is the one that me from just oh yeah, I like the canes.
• 39:36
  SPEAKER_01: I'm a fan too.
• 39:36
  SPEAKER_01: Oh my goodness, this team is amazing.
• 39:39
  SPEAKER_01: I have to watch them every single night obsessively.
• 39:43
  SPEAKER_01: Um, that Kochekov is that reason, and so it was so good, so good to see him back in net again.
• 39:49
  SPEAKER_01: I've missed seeing my crazy Russian goalie taking care of business in the blue paint.
• 39:56
  SPEAKER_01: And he was he was definitely himself at that one game.
• 40:02
  SPEAKER_01: He made him he had a fantastic first and third periods, and that second period was kind of cuckoo, and you you know, you can't chalk all of that up to him.
• 40:11
  SPEAKER_01: There there was a and mostly AHL lineup in front of him, and a lot of uh the goals against him were because of breakdowns by by those players, like the giveaways and that sort of thing.
• 40:23
  SPEAKER_01: But you know, well, what do you expect?
• 40:25
  SPEAKER_01: The guy has been out since December because of surgery.
• 40:29
  SPEAKER_01: It's his first game matchman um in a canes sweater since then.
• 40:34
  SPEAKER_01: So I'm sure he'll ride out into form.
• 40:37
  SPEAKER_01: I think uh Brenda Moore said that he's planning on giving him one more of the uh full preseason game to um to get ready for the regular season.
• 40:47
  SPEAKER_01: But yeah, so I you know, could could have been better, but it w man, it was so good to see him back in a canes uniform again.
• 40:52
  SPEAKER_01: I've missed Pyodor.
• 40:54
  SPEAKER_06: Well, the Canes are definitely high on Kochekov and his potential, and that is one of the reasons why the ongoing discussions about whether or not the canes would acquire or attempt to acquire uh Connor Hellebuck are are kind of I mean you you don't want to give up a young goalie with a lot of potential for someone who's a bit older and you know has had a history of not necessarily rising to the occasion in the tough moments.
• 41:22
  SPEAKER_06: Um I think uh Johnny Lazarus is posting on X just a bit ago that uh he thinks that if the Canes acquired Hellibuk, that they would be guaranteed to win the Metro and probably you know much more than that.
• 41:36
  SPEAKER_06: Um I if the Canes saw it that way, I think they would be aggressively pursuing him.
• 41:40
  SPEAKER_06: And I just don't see that.
• 41:41
  SPEAKER_06: I don't see them aggressively going after Helibuk.
• 41:43
  SPEAKER_06: So um, you know, I I think Kachekov's job is probably safe.
• 41:48
  SPEAKER_06: Um he's probably not gonna be part of a trade.
• 41:51
  SPEAKER_06: So um, but yeah, that first game, he was definitely um not playing with the kind of poise that you will see once he's got a few more games under his belt.
• 42:02
  SPEAKER_06: Because, like you said, Katie, it's hard when you haven't played in a while to come in and play, you know, and and and and you know, again, Florida's top scorers, they're their best lineup, including a very motivated uh Brady Kachuk, who very much wanted to get on the score sheet, you know, to an extreme extent.
• 42:20
  SPEAKER_06: And then of course, you know, now he was obviously injured last night, so he's uh they they we went from it's just precautionary to he should be able to play the opener, so um day to day now.
• 42:31
  SPEAKER_06: So um we'll see what happens with that.
• 42:33
  SPEAKER_06: That's interesting.
• 42:34
  SPEAKER_06: But yeah, so I mean you can't fault Kachekov for not being 100% in that circumstance.
• 42:41
  SPEAKER_04: Yeah, I mean the goaltending's in great shape.
• 42:44
  SPEAKER_04: I mean, you I have no interest in Connor Hellebuck cheapers.
• 42:47
  SPEAKER_04: Are you kidding me?
• 42:48
  SPEAKER_04: I mean, you've got Brandon Bussey looked tremendous, I thought, last night in his short period in.
• 42:53
  SPEAKER_04: Uh Caden Primo was lights out, and and I'm sure that P.
• 42:56
  SPEAKER_04: Order is going to get back on track here quick.
• 42:58
  SPEAKER_04: The Keynes are deep in goal.
• 43:01
  SPEAKER_04: I don't think there's any discussion going on there right now.
• 43:03
  SPEAKER_04: Um, a couple things from my point.
• 43:06
  SPEAKER_04: Look, Bradley Nadeau played 25 minutes last night.
• 43:10
  SPEAKER_04: Well he has seven shots.
• 43:11
  SPEAKER_04: He scores a goal and scores a shootout goal.
• 43:14
  SPEAKER_04: He was head and shoulders above anybody on the ice.
• 43:17
  SPEAKER_04: He was just incredible.
• 43:19
  SPEAKER_04: And to me, you know, yeah, I know folks have said he wasn't that great in the prospect showcase.
• 43:26
  SPEAKER_04: This is what really counts.
• 43:28
  SPEAKER_04: So he's he's upped his game, and I fully expect that uh he's gonna make it very difficult for Rod.
• 43:35
  SPEAKER_04: And I know Katie, you've definitely been thinking that you know Rod loves to keep the bets, and uh he'll probably he'll probably put Nicholas Pelorier out there and and uh they'll want to send uh Brad back to Chicago.
• 43:47
  SPEAKER_04: Look, he he's gonna make it tough.
• 43:50
  SPEAKER_04: And uh and I think at some point they're gonna start to reduce uh you know the number of players in camp.
• 43:58
  SPEAKER_04: And hopefully he's gonna get a chance to get out there with uh with group A.
• 44:02
  SPEAKER_06: And then he could interestingly enough, you know, they didn't practice today.
• 44:06
  SPEAKER_06: Yeah, and they have a game tomorrow.
• 44:07
  SPEAKER_06: So we don't know who the game group will be yet for the game in uh um Green Greensboro, right?
• 44:13
  SPEAKER_06: Is that right?
• 44:13
  SPEAKER_06: Yeah, it's in Greensboro.
• 44:15
  SPEAKER_06: Okay, I thought that was right.
• 44:16
  SPEAKER_06: Um yeah, so the game in Greensboro, um, I I would not be surprised if we see a more veteran heavy lineup than we have seen so thus far.
• 44:25
  SPEAKER_06: I don't think we're gonna see Yeah, I I do.
• 44:27
  SPEAKER_06: Um, because even though Rod doesn't want to play them a lot and da da da, he did say.
• 44:32
  SPEAKER_06: They know what they need.
• 44:33
  SPEAKER_06: And I have a feeling that there's some of these guys that, you know, they want to go back.
• 44:37
  SPEAKER_06: They want to, they want to, you know, even if they weren't part of that team ever, they want to do it for Rod, you know, because oh, you mean the greenscale thing?
• 44:44
  SPEAKER_04: Oh, okay.
• 44:44
  SPEAKER_06: Yeah, I I I think they want to be part of that.
• 44:46
  SPEAKER_06: I think they want to be signing autographs for little kids and everything because it's going to be a big um event, I'm sure.
• 44:52
  SPEAKER_06: And um, you know, that they they want to, they're they're gonna want to be part of that whole uh scene.
• 44:56
  SPEAKER_06: So I wouldn't be surprised if you know we see a majority of the team as you know, some of our NHL vets tomorrow.
• 45:07
  SPEAKER_06: I I don't necessarily think it's gonna be 100%.
• 45:09
  SPEAKER_06: I think that, you know, again, Rod doesn't care if his if his vets play any uh any uh preseason games whatsoever.
• 45:16
  SPEAKER_06: He does he would rather abolish the preseason.
• 45:18
  SPEAKER_06: He's made that very clear.
• 45:20
  SPEAKER_06: He doesn't think there should be preseason games, just a week of training camp and you jump right in, you know.
• 45:24
  SPEAKER_06: And there's something to be said for that as we watch the injury reports start to rise all around the league, you know.
• 45:30
  SPEAKER_06: And I I saw someone say, well, you know, they could just as easily be injured in the first or second game of the of the regular season.
• 45:36
  SPEAKER_06: But in the first or second game of the regular season, you aren't playing NHL veterans against guys from the AHL who don't have anything but this.
• 45:44
  SPEAKER_06: These is this is their shot to make an impression, to lay those heavy hits, to make those risky plays.
• 45:51
  SPEAKER_06: And some of them are doing that.
• 45:53
  SPEAKER_06: And that's how every year we have these injury reports.
• 45:56
  SPEAKER_06: So I think Brad's right on about that.
• 45:58
  SPEAKER_06: I'm all for it.
• 45:58
  SPEAKER_06: Um but as far as tomorrow's game, I'm I, you know, Nashville is is certainly probably not about to send their A-team to Greensboro for this game.
• 46:09
  SPEAKER_06: I think Brad can rest assured that there won't be a lot of guys out there that the Canes can't handle.
• 46:14
  SPEAKER_06: So um I wouldn't be surprised if we see a more veteran group tomorrow.
• 46:18
  SPEAKER_06: And that'll be interesting because if Nadeau is included with that group, that would certainly say something.
• 46:23
  SPEAKER_04: Oh, I think he'll be included for sure.
• 46:26
  SPEAKER_04: I have every expectation he'll play tomorrow night.
• 46:28
  SPEAKER_04: Um, but hey, a couple things.
• 46:30
  SPEAKER_04: Uh Juha Yaska, right?
• 46:33
  SPEAKER_04: He missed almost the entire season last year.
• 46:36
  SPEAKER_04: But remember a couple of years ago, he did a good job for the Cades filling in when they had some injuries.
• 46:41
  SPEAKER_04: So he I thought he looked uh he was definitely motoring well, skating fast.
• 46:46
  SPEAKER_04: He was in the play.
• 46:47
  SPEAKER_04: So I was really encouraged with uh with Juha's return.
• 46:51
  SPEAKER_04: Um and look, uh Joel Nestrom, he wasn't so strong game one.
• 46:56
  SPEAKER_04: I thought he played a solid game last night.
• 46:59
  SPEAKER_04: I thought he really looked sharp with uh with Mike Riley.
• 47:02
  SPEAKER_04: Those two guys were right on, they did a great job out there.
• 47:06
  SPEAKER_04: And I thought he started to show what you know what he had showed last year when he was up for uh 38 games with the Kings.
• 47:12
  SPEAKER_04: So that was encouraging to me.
• 47:14
  SPEAKER_04: One surprise to me was Alexi Hema Salmy.
• 47:16
  SPEAKER_04: Now, Hema Salmi played 23-25, he played over 23 minutes, which is incredible.
• 47:22
  SPEAKER_04: And you know what?
• 47:23
  SPEAKER_04: He was quietly going about his business, he was killing penalties, he was out on the power play a couple of times as the second unit guy.
• 47:30
  SPEAKER_04: Um, big story for him is that uh Sparros was telling me recently that that with Hema Salmi last year in the playoffs, when they were getting to like, you know, the the uh the end of the series and they needed a big win, they would bring him in because they were alternating.
• 47:46
  SPEAKER_04: They had so many defensemen.
• 47:48
  SPEAKER_04: He said, we always made sure that we brought in Alexi because he was our good luck charm.
• 47:51
  SPEAKER_04: You know, like that.
• 47:53
  SPEAKER_04: Oh, isn't that cute?
• 47:54
  SPEAKER_04: That was a great story.
• 47:55
  SPEAKER_04: Um, and they're loaded on the blue again this year, so he's he's gonna be challenged to get in there.
• 48:00
  SPEAKER_04: But he's a good young defenseman as well, and I thought he looked great.
• 48:03
  SPEAKER_04: So, yeah, lots of fun watching the uh the youngsters and uh some of the prospects in these games, and uh, and we'll uh we'll probably see, I think we'll see more of uh certainly Nadeau, we'll probably see more of Unger Sorm, we'll probably see more of Charlie Serrado.
• 48:19
  SPEAKER_04: Those guys are, I mean, they're definitely in the mix for the future, the canes.
• 48:23
  SPEAKER_04: Anyway, um, so looking at all that and kind of boiling down everything we've been talking about so far, there's really two spots currently sitting with the canes, key spots, if you will.
• 48:35
  SPEAKER_04: Um, Seth Jarvis, we know is going to be out for a couple of months.
• 48:38
  SPEAKER_04: We don't really know how long, so we'll just say that.
• 48:41
  SPEAKER_04: Um, and we've got uh the situation with Alexander Nikisha.
• 48:46
  SPEAKER_04: So, sitting here now, we've talked a lot about these players, who's in and who takes those spots.
• 48:52
  SPEAKER_04: Katie?
• 48:53
  SPEAKER_01: Well, with Jarvis, there's two parts to this question.
• 48:57
  SPEAKER_01: The first part is who's gonna take the roster spot.
• 49:00
  SPEAKER_01: The second part is who's going to fill that position alongside Aho and Svetch.
• 49:06
  SPEAKER_01: Um, as far as the Aho and Spech or Aho and Svetch question, it seems like at the moment it's Eric Robinson.
• 49:13
  SPEAKER_01: And Robin has used Robinson up in the lineup before, and most notably back when Natchez went on his hot streak before that particular trade happened, it was KK, Robinson, and Natchez, and that line just could not be stopped.
• 49:28
  SPEAKER_01: They were on fire.
• 49:30
  SPEAKER_01: And I think one of the things that really speaks for Robinson is the fact that he has the speed to keep up with Amaho and Svetch, and he is definitely willing to shoot the puck.
• 49:39
  SPEAKER_01: So if the two of them want to be playmakers, I think they should shoot more anyway.
• 49:44
  SPEAKER_01: But they you know, they should be playmakers.
• 49:47
  SPEAKER_01: Robinson can have no problem number one, getting up the ice alongside them, and number two, putting himself in positions where he can shoot the puck should they find him uh wherever he's at.
• 49:59
  SPEAKER_01: So it looks like right now that's that's the coach's particular inclination.
• 50:04
  SPEAKER_01: And for a short time, I it makes sense.
• 50:07
  SPEAKER_01: It wasn't something I originally had come up with, but it it makes sense.
• 50:11
  SPEAKER_01: So great.
• 50:12
  SPEAKER_01: As far as filling the roster spot, I definitely think for opening night it's gonna be DeLaurier.
• 50:20
  SPEAKER_01: Number one, because you want the deterrent when it comes to playing the Florida Panthers specifically.
• 50:26
  SPEAKER_01: And number two, like I mentioned before with Riley, that little bit of soft spot that Rod has, you know, it's the mana raising.
• 50:32
  SPEAKER_01: D Lo was part of the team when they won the Stanley Cup.
• 50:36
  SPEAKER_01: He wants him to be involved and be on the ice, that sort of thing.
• 50:40
  SPEAKER_01: So that first night, that roster spot, I think goes to D Lo.
• 50:43
  SPEAKER_01: After that, is it a I'm going with the veterans Rod?
• 50:48
  SPEAKER_01: I think if Seth Jarvis's timeline is shorter than we realize that it is, that's the way Rod's gonna go.
• 50:54
  SPEAKER_01: If it's only gonna be a month and it looks like Jarvis is gonna go back, I don't think he wants to dangle the kids around for short shifts in in Carolina when they could be playing starring roles on the wolves in Chicago.
• 51:10
  SPEAKER_01: But if it does look like that Jarvis timeline is a little bit longer, more that two-month time frame, or even more, you never know how injuries are gonna go.
• 51:20
  SPEAKER_01: Um, then that's when we're looking at someone like Nadeau or Unger Sorm being the um being that replacement because of the offense that they provide.
• 51:30
  SPEAKER_01: I don't think they'll end up on that top line with Aho, but you could very well see them alongside uh stall on his line, or even playing fourth line minutes.
• 51:39
  SPEAKER_01: I mean, that's where Jackie Blake got his start.
• 51:41
  SPEAKER_01: That's where you know Jarvis got started with the Kanes was playing on those lower lines and having to learn the ropes and show that they're trustworthy on both sides of the puck before they were given increased trust and responsibilities with the team.
• 51:57
  SPEAKER_01: So we'll we'll see how it goes.
• 51:59
  SPEAKER_01: I I honestly think the decision though comes down to how long the team believes that Jarvis is gonna be out.
• 52:04
  SPEAKER_04: Right.
• 52:05
  SPEAKER_04: Right, right.
• 52:07
  SPEAKER_04: And Nikation.
• 52:09
  SPEAKER_01: And with Nikatian, I think it'll be Riley.
• 52:12
  SPEAKER_04: Okay.
• 52:13
  SPEAKER_01: I I think I think Riley has shown he is so good, respon uh defensively responsible, and I think he'll just be that rock solid presence alongside Ghost and really allow Ghost to feel confident and activating in the offensive zone, knowing that Riley's behind that behind him to take care of business should uh should the puck end up going the other direction.
• 52:40
  SPEAKER_06: I kind of agree with all of that.
• 52:42
  SPEAKER_06: Um I think that there's there's the question um to me that's gonna be interesting is who's that seventh defenseman gonna be if Riley is um with Ghost and you know in the roster.
• 52:52
  SPEAKER_06: Um because there's a lot of different ways they could go.
• 52:54
  SPEAKER_06: That's where they could decide, you know, um for brief time periods, they could have someone like Lego up just for, you know, we're gonna have you up for a couple of weeks and give you some some chances here.
• 53:05
  SPEAKER_06: Um Pier Um Olivier Joseph probably is the most obvious because they did sign him and they do, you know, they do have something that they like about his game.
• 53:16
  SPEAKER_06: So he might be the most obvious choice for a seventh defenseman right now.
• 53:21
  SPEAKER_06: Um and then, you know, there's always the possibility because you know, the the thing that we saw last year, um, I I hope that this is not the case this year, but last year we had a very injured blue line.
• 53:32
  SPEAKER_06: We we had you know defensemen going down left and right.
• 53:35
  SPEAKER_06: So it's possible that we could see some of these other guys that we've talked about, like Valamaki or, you know, any of these guys that that could come up for short stints of being that just to be that seventh guy, even if even if you've already filled in whoever's injured with some other people, you're gonna probably need to see some of these Wolves players, you know, here and there throughout the year, because you know, that's it's just how the the game is these days.
• 53:57
  SPEAKER_06: You you it losing defensemen is not at all uncommon.
• 54:00
  SPEAKER_04: So um well, it certainly hasn't been uncommon with the hurricanes, that's for sure.
• 54:05
  SPEAKER_06: But no, it certainly hasn't.
• 54:07
  SPEAKER_06: And I mean, uh as much as I I there are some Keynes fans on X that like to look at other people's injuries and say, well, they don't have the strength and conditioning.
• 54:14
  SPEAKER_06: I'm sorry.
• 54:15
  SPEAKER_06: Strength and conditioning does not stop you from getting injured on the ice, it does happen.
• 54:20
  SPEAKER_06: Um there are that you can do things wrong in terms of you know creating situations where more stress injuries occur, but you can't stop all of the injuries that that that can potentially take place in a hockey game from happening.
• 54:33
  SPEAKER_06: You wouldn't, it wouldn't be hockey anymore.
• 54:34
  SPEAKER_06: So um, so we'll see some of these guys.
• 54:37
  SPEAKER_06: I have no doubt.
• 54:37
  SPEAKER_06: And I I don't know, is there somebody we would you like to see someone like say Nistrom come up, uh Tom, if they're that upwards?
• 54:44
  SPEAKER_04: Yeah, I think Uel is is he proved last year he could fill in quite nicely.
• 54:48
  SPEAKER_04: So yeah, for sure.
• 54:50
  SPEAKER_04: I I have no concern with that.
• 54:52
  SPEAKER_04: Um I would like to see Charles Alexis Legault playing a lot uh as opposed to sitting around because I think he's he's still got a little bit to do to get to the next level.
• 55:03
  SPEAKER_04: Uh you know, we always have to remember uh Legaux was a later round draft pick.
• 55:08
  SPEAKER_04: I think he was fourth or fifth round.
• 55:10
  SPEAKER_04: So he wasn't someone that uh they picked up early.
• 55:12
  SPEAKER_04: So, you know, he's a guy that uh he's he's kind of surprising folks.
• 55:16
  SPEAKER_04: Um and you know, he's uh continuing to work hard and and uh fight hard.
• 55:21
  SPEAKER_04: I mean, certainly the way he came into the prospect showcase, he was he was fighting, he's fought every game he's been in, including the first game of the of this series, of the of the the uh of the exhibition series for the Kings.
• 55:33
  SPEAKER_04: Um I'm with I'm with you on both of these.
• 55:36
  SPEAKER_04: I think for sure Mike Riley's earned the right.
• 55:38
  SPEAKER_04: I mean, he's looked great.
• 55:39
  SPEAKER_04: And they've relied on him in these games, and he's he's really stood up and and done the job.
• 55:44
  SPEAKER_04: Um and you know, spars up front, yeah.
• 55:47
  SPEAKER_04: I think Nadeau gets a shot.
• 55:49
  SPEAKER_04: He's proving he can play any way you want.
• 55:52
  SPEAKER_04: He'll play heavy, he'll play defensive, he'll score goals.
• 55:54
  SPEAKER_04: I think he's definitely a guy they're gonna want to keep around.
• 55:57
  SPEAKER_04: So so I think that's how it goes.
• 55:59
  SPEAKER_04: Now we have an interesting scenario here as CAP starts to wind down a little bit.
• 56:04
  SPEAKER_04: Um there are a couple of players that are gonna be put on waivers if they go down to Chicago, and that's Caden Primo and Justin Robodaught.
• 56:13
  SPEAKER_04: Do we think they'll be picked up?
• 56:16
  SPEAKER_01: I well, I think that oh sorry, Katie, go ahead.
• 56:20
  SPEAKER_01: I'm gonna go back to what I said before about Primo.
• 56:22
  SPEAKER_01: I think the Canes are going to skirt that particular issue because of the two contract.
• 56:27
  SPEAKER_01: I think they'll avoid him getting claimed again this year.
• 56:31
  SPEAKER_01: So go ahead, Aaron.
• 56:32
  SPEAKER_01: I that was all I had to say.
• 56:34
  SPEAKER_06: No, that I agree with you on that.
• 56:36
  SPEAKER_06: Um, and and I would say that with uh Justin Robodaugh, it's not so much about the contract as it is that um, I mean, I I know there's a risk.
• 56:43
  SPEAKER_06: There's always a risk that somebody might say, well, you know, whatever we see in this kid, we really like him.
• 56:48
  SPEAKER_06: The problem is that um he has to stay with the NHL roster if he's claimed by someone.
• 56:56
  SPEAKER_06: So if a team claims Robodot, he has to stay with their their NHL roster or else they have to put him on waivers.
• 57:01
  SPEAKER_06: So unless we have a situation where a team really has a hole at forward, um probably, I mean, I I know he he plays center in Chicago.
• 57:12
  SPEAKER_06: I don't know if he would play center in the NHL or wing, you know, it's um I'm sure he can play either.
• 57:16
  SPEAKER_06: But so if someone has a hole in their bottom six that they want to put Justin Robodai in right now, they might take that chance and they might claim him.
• 57:25
  SPEAKER_06: But otherwise, otherwise, though, I mean, teams right now, I mean, we've seen a lot of players.
• 57:29
  SPEAKER_06: Um, they had what 30 some players pass through waivers uh yesterday or something like that.
• 57:34
  SPEAKER_06: There's uh there's there's tons more being listed daily.
• 57:37
  SPEAKER_06: It's more of a fear, I think, for fans of an organization that we might lose this guy, you know.
• 57:42
  SPEAKER_06: And uh the reality is that it can happen, sure, we've seen it happen.
• 57:46
  SPEAKER_06: But a team has to be out there saying, we definitely need this specific player right now for our NHL roster.
• 57:53
  SPEAKER_06: And I look at Justin Robodon, I think that's probably not a huge risk right now for the Canes.
• 58:00
  SPEAKER_06: I think he should make it through waivers.
• 58:02
  SPEAKER_04: Well, I hope you're right.
• 58:03
  SPEAKER_04: I'm on the other side of the camp.
• 58:05
  SPEAKER_04: I'm very concerned because I watched Justin last year a lot with the Wolves.
• 58:09
  SPEAKER_04: He's a heck of a player.
• 58:11
  SPEAKER_04: Um, and he's been he's been good in every league he's been in.
• 58:16
  SPEAKER_04: He's been exceptional.
• 58:17
  SPEAKER_04: And he came on last year.
• 58:19
  SPEAKER_04: I don't know if you recall, there was a stretch where he was he was incredible.
• 58:24
  SPEAKER_04: He scored like 18 goals in 23 games.
• 58:26
  SPEAKER_04: Like it was just incredible.
• 58:27
  SPEAKER_04: He was just uh unbelievable.
• 58:30
  SPEAKER_04: And so he's got he's got talent to burn.
• 58:33
  SPEAKER_04: And he's he he's a defensively strong player.
• 58:36
  SPEAKER_04: He does the PK, he does a lot of you know heavy lifting defensively as well.
• 58:40
  SPEAKER_04: I'm very concerned about him.
• 58:42
  SPEAKER_04: Uh we'll see.
• 58:43
  SPEAKER_04: I hope you're right.
• 58:44
  SPEAKER_04: I hope he ends up back in Chicago because I like him a lot.
• 58:47
  SPEAKER_04: But um we'll have to wait and see.
• 58:49
  SPEAKER_04: Okay, so uh that's the player situation right now with the canes.
• 58:54
  SPEAKER_04: Um hey, we've got uh some exciting things happening.
• 58:58
  SPEAKER_04: We mentioned it at the outset.
• 58:59
  SPEAKER_04: We've got the banner raising coming up.
• 59:02
  SPEAKER_04: This is big stuff, and we've got the season coming up.
• 59:05
  SPEAKER_04: Just some short thoughts on what we're thinking with both of those, Katie.
• 59:12
  SPEAKER_01: Um, I expect an excellent season for the Canes.
• 59:15
  SPEAKER_01: I don't think that they're going to oppress to be the president's trophy winners or anything like that.
• 59:23
  SPEAKER_01: I think they're just gonna focus on playing Canes hockey and playing it at a high level.
• 59:29
  SPEAKER_01: And if they do that, then they should win the metro and put themselves in a good position going into the playoffs and then see what happens from there.
• 59:40
  SPEAKER_01: But I anything less than a deep playoff run would be very much a surprise to me.
• 59:47
  SPEAKER_06: Well, absolutely.
• 59:48
  SPEAKER_06: And I mean, we can I know there's always situations that can happen, injuries that strike key players at really inopportune times and so on.
• 59:56
  SPEAKER_06: But if the Canes can, you know, if they stay as healthy as they were last year, which was not all that healthy, you know, but if they can stay as healthy as they were last year and uh continue to play the way that they've been playing, um, I like their chances.
• 1:00:07
  SPEAKER_06: I know that the Metro has some you know heavier weights this year than they did last year.
• 1:00:12
  SPEAKER_06: Um so that's something we'll keep an eye on for sure.
• 1:00:15
  SPEAKER_06: Um I'm just excited for the regular season to get started.
• 1:00:19
  SPEAKER_06: I always get very excited about the preseason, and then it's like, okay, we're dead.
• 1:00:22
  SPEAKER_06: Really?
• 1:00:23
  SPEAKER_06: One game, two games, you know.
• 1:00:24
  SPEAKER_06: I I'm I'm I'm you know, that's where I probably I have my my most uh you know constant agreement with uh Rod Brennan Morris that this is stuff is nonsense.
• 1:00:32
  SPEAKER_06: Let's get it over with, you know.
• 1:00:35
  SPEAKER_06: Let's get on with the real games.
• 1:00:37
  SPEAKER_06: We we want it, we want the games to count, we want them to matter, and and we want to see our players shine like we are hoping that they will.
• 1:00:43
  SPEAKER_06: So um I'm excited to see everything, but I think that the thing I'm gonna be watching the most this year is I'm going to be very eager to see the next step from uh Logan Stankoven and Jackson Blake.
• 1:00:56
  SPEAKER_06: I want to see them take that next step forward.
• 1:00:59
  SPEAKER_06: There is no reason, after what they showed in the playoffs, there is absolutely no reason that they cannot become a dominant force every night.
• 1:01:08
  SPEAKER_06: And I want to see that.
• 1:01:09
  SPEAKER_06: I want to see them reach that goal.
• 1:01:10
  SPEAKER_06: I I I mean, it's not about people talking about, well, they're are they gonna get 60 points?
• 1:01:13
  SPEAKER_06: Are they gonna get it's not about points, it never has been with the canes.
• 1:01:17
  SPEAKER_06: You know, if other teams, that's a really good way of measuring how well a line is doing offensively.
• 1:01:22
  SPEAKER_06: But as we know from Sebastian Ajo, you know, people complain every year that he doesn't have X number of points.
• 1:01:27
  SPEAKER_06: That's not how the Canes play.
• 1:01:29
  SPEAKER_06: So it's not about points, but how are they handling the much tougher matchups I expect to see them get this year?
• 1:01:35
  SPEAKER_06: How are they handling, you know, are they re are they showing that dominance in in the whole 200 foot of the arena and not just you know here and there, but every single night because they they could do it, they did it in the playoffs, they they certainly did.
• 1:01:49
  SPEAKER_06: So we need to see it even more in the regular season this year, and I'm I'm expecting that.
• 1:01:55
  SPEAKER_06: So that I'm excited to watch that unfold.
• 1:01:58
  SPEAKER_04: That's kind of an interesting segue here is to look at, you know, we're heading into this, our third year together.
• 1:02:04
  SPEAKER_04: Uh boy, we've had so much fun.
• 1:02:06
  SPEAKER_04: We've now had a chance to to be involved in a cup run and and and a cup win.
• 1:02:12
  SPEAKER_04: Uh, what are we looking for as we as we look ahead now?
• 1:02:15
  SPEAKER_04: We've got some games coming up, we've got the season coming up.
• 1:02:18
  SPEAKER_04: What are we thinking as we head into this this new season?
• 1:02:21
  SPEAKER_04: And by the way, we will do a full season preview uh probably in a couple of weeks and talk so talk about some of those teams that uh that you mentioned too, Aaron.
• 1:02:30
  SPEAKER_04: There's a couple of teams that have improved themselves quite a bit uh in the metro.
• 1:02:34
  SPEAKER_04: We're gonna have to be mindful of.
• 1:02:35
  SPEAKER_04: So uh so we'll we'll share some of that with with uh fellow Kaniacs and and have some fun getting into it.
• 1:02:42
  SPEAKER_04: But just you know, closing thoughts on uh on the upcoming games and uh in the season ahead.
• 1:02:48
  SPEAKER_04: Katie?
• 1:02:49
  SPEAKER_01: I just want to see them get off to a strong start.
• 1:02:51
  SPEAKER_01: I don't want them to end up putting themselves at a disadvantage to the other teams in the metro.
• 1:02:58
  SPEAKER_01: I want them to be assertive and say, yes, we are the Stanley Cup champions.
• 1:03:02
  SPEAKER_01: Yes, you are going to have to beat us and catch us if you want to have what we have.
• 1:03:08
  SPEAKER_01: And we are going to do everything in our power to prevent you from doing so.
• 1:03:11
  SPEAKER_01: I want them to take that attitude and establish that particular mentality and um and outlook right from the first 10 games and set themselves up as this is our division and we are going to win it, and nobody else has a chance.
• 1:03:28
  SPEAKER_06: Absolutely.
• 1:03:31
  SPEAKER_06: And I think that for me, you know, I'm just I'm I'm interested with this whole, you know, new 84 games season.
• 1:03:37
  SPEAKER_06: We have two extra games this year.
• 1:03:39
  SPEAKER_06: So it is important, like you said, Katie, to get off to a strong start because other teams will have a little bit more runway to catch up if there's a couple extra games on the slate.
• 1:03:48
  SPEAKER_06: So we don't want any of the teams that you know the Canes will be facing maybe a little bit more than they did last year to be the ones to set the tone.
• 1:03:55
  SPEAKER_06: We want to be the dominant team and we want them to be the ones laying down the loss.
• 1:03:59
  SPEAKER_06: So let's get started.
• 1:04:01
  SPEAKER_06: I can't wait.
• 1:04:02
  SPEAKER_04: Uh a couple of games coming up.
• 1:04:04
  SPEAKER_04: Uh we we got to have some exhibition games still to go.
• 1:04:07
  SPEAKER_04: They're gonna be playing uh Nashville, uh the one game in Greensboro, and then they head off to Nashville for the final exhibition game and kick off the season, as you mentioned rightly, uh against the Florida Panthers.
• 1:04:19
  SPEAKER_04: So uh I think the Panthers will come in uh loaded for bear.
• 1:04:23
  SPEAKER_04: They're gonna be uh they're not gonna be happy campers.
• 1:04:25
  SPEAKER_04: That's uh an understatement.
• 1:04:27
  SPEAKER_04: And uh now that they have the two uh Kachuks and others, uh it's gonna be a handful.
• 1:04:32
  SPEAKER_04: But that'll be a good start for the Canes, and they'll be right into it to kick off the years.
• 1:04:37
  SPEAKER_04: So as always, ladies, yeah, it's uh it's great fun.
• 1:04:40
  SPEAKER_04: Um we're gonna have a great season this year.
• 1:04:44
  SPEAKER_04: Uh there's gonna be lots to talk about, and we'll be here on a on a regular basis as as we have been in the past, and uh sharing all of the insight and all the uh the the awareness that we have of what's happening with the Kings.
• 1:04:57
  SPEAKER_04: So again, great stuff, and uh we'll be getting together again in a couple of weeks to talk about the season ahead.
• 1:05:03
  SPEAKER_04: So that's good stuff.
• 1:05:04
  SPEAKER_04: Uh, for those of you who have been watching or listening, of course, we appreciate greatly uh that you've made uh Storm Tracker a part of your day.
• 1:05:13
  SPEAKER_04: Uh we'd love to hear from you.
• 1:05:16
  SPEAKER_04: So if you have questions, comments, just leave them in the comment section or reach out to us on X or Facebook or whatever it is, and we'd definitely like to uh to uh talk with you uh through that medium and respond just as quickly as we can.
• 1:05:31
  SPEAKER_04: As always, Aaron, Katie, and I are delighted you spent time with us, and we look forward to getting together with you real soon, right here.
• 1:05:39
  SPEAKER_04: Let's talk.
• 1:05:43
  SPEAKER_00: Thanks for joining us.
• 1:05:44
  SPEAKER_00: Be sure to follow or subscribe and share Storm Tracker with your fellow K.
• 1:05:50
  SPEAKER_00: And remember, for everything Kadians, you need Storm Tracker.