Latest / stormTRacker Podcast | Carolina Hurricanes & NHL Hockey / The Hurricanes' Defensive Overhaul Could Be a Game-Changer This Season

Transcript

The Hurricanes' Defensive Overhaul Could Be a Game-Changer This Season · stormTRacker Podcast | Carolina Hurricanes & NHL Hockey

• 0:34
  Speaker 1: Well, here we are and good to be back again.
• 0:37
  Speaker 1: I've been out for a few weeks here and it's great to be back talking hockey, particularly as we are fast approaching the season start for the Hurricanes.
• 0:47
  Speaker 1: This week, of course, the Canes will be playing Tampa both Friday and potentially Saturday.
• 0:53
  Speaker 1: That's a bit of an interesting one, obviously with Hurricane Milton coming in towards Tampa.
• 0:59
  Speaker 1: We don't know what that's going to mean in terms of this game on Saturday night, but certainly our thoughts, prayers, going out to the folks who are going to be dealing with that later this week.
• 1:10
  Speaker 1: You know we've seen a lot of exciting activity in the last short period of time with the Canes.
• 1:16
  Speaker 1: They finished off the exhibition season quite nicely, beating the Nashville Predators with a kind of a youngster built team and up against the top players for the Preds, and I thought that was a good way to finish camp.
• 1:31
  Speaker 1: I thought it was a strong performance by several players in that game.
• 1:35
  Speaker 1: And of course we now take a look at what's the lineup going to be.
• 1:40
  Speaker 1: There have been moves on the roster We'll talk about that and some questions about one of the big areas for the Hurricanes and that's the fourth line.
• 1:48
  Speaker 1: There's been a lot of discussion about how that's going to come together and then ultimately we'll talk about where we think the Canes are going to be this year and kind of share that with some of the pundits that have come out and said what they think will happen with the Hurricanes this year.
• 2:03
  Speaker 1: So that's going to be a lot of fun, but let's kick it off.
• 2:05
  Speaker 1: So a lot of roster moves recently, erin, what do you think about the moves the Canes have made?
• 2:13
  Speaker 3: It's been an interesting offseason for sure.
• 2:15
  Speaker 3: It's been an interesting offseason for sure.
• 2:16
  Speaker 3: I think that there were a lot of questions going into it because they had a lot of work to do and we talked about a lot of that in our various discussions of you know what the offense was going to look like, what the defense was going to look like.
• 2:28
  Speaker 3: I think that defensively we've got as solid a blue line as we ever had.
• 2:33
  Speaker 3: You know it's still going to be Slavin and Burns, it's still going to be Orlov and Chatfield.
• 2:38
  Speaker 3: The newcomers, ghost and Walker, have the coolest pairing name in the league and they're also working quite well together Forward.
• 2:47
  Speaker 3: I know everyone is looking at the Canes forwards and saying maybe still a little bit weak in that top nine.
• 2:52
  Speaker 3: We'll have to see how that works out.
• 3:00
  Speaker 3: I did like William Carrier a lot when we saw him in the preseason.
• 3:01
  Speaker 3: I think he fit really well with Mark Nook and Stahl and he complimented them pretty heavily.
• 3:05
  Speaker 3: He said you know I've seldom had, you know, worked with people that work harder than I do, so I think that that's going to be a good mix there.
• 3:15
  Speaker 3: So we'll just have to see how things pan out.
• 3:23
  Speaker 1: Sorry, Kate, go ahead.
• 3:25
  Speaker 2: I was just saying.
• 3:26
  Speaker 2: I definitely think that the Canes have a good foundation upon which to build and it'll be really interesting to see how the different pieces and parts work together, create chemistry together and are able to do their roles as effectively as possible.
• 3:42
  Speaker 2: But, like I said, the foundation is good and that's where you want a team to be at the beginning of a season is you want that base to be really, really solid, and I think the Canes have one of the best foundational groups in the entire league.
• 4:00
  Speaker 1: Well, and a lot of roster moves too.
• 4:02
  Speaker 1: Along the way we saw some interesting Eric Tulsky work and some gyrations that had to happen as they tried to get under the cap and get the players in the lineup that they're looking to do.
• 4:12
  Speaker 1: We saw some PTOs that moved on.
• 4:15
  Speaker 1: Rocco Grimaldi, who I think will probably end up in Chicago this year he was their top scorer last year was on a PTO.
• 4:22
  Speaker 1: Sam Gagné was also on a PTO and he's moved on Now.
• 4:25
  Speaker 1: The interesting signing of course was Skyler Brindamore.
• 4:28
  Speaker 1: So Skyler Brindamore coming to camp he had been with the Charlotte Checkers last year in the Florida Panthers system, didn't have a great season kind of point-wise, but again wasn't used that effectively, I don't think Came into camp.
• 4:43
  Speaker 1: We saw him in the prospect showcase and I thought he looked pretty darn good.
• 4:48
  Speaker 1: He was very strong on the face-off dot.
• 4:51
  Speaker 1: He was very responsible defensively what else would you expect from a Brindamore?
• 4:55
  Speaker 1: And he started to show a little bit of offense as well.
• 4:58
  Speaker 1: So Skyler gets a deal.
• 5:00
  Speaker 1: He's on a two-way deal.
• 5:02
  Speaker 1: He'll be down in Chicago, it appears right now.
• 5:05
  Speaker 1: So that's good news and I think he earned it.
• 5:08
  Speaker 1: I don't think this was anything related to the fact that the coach is his father, but in any case, good to see Skyler on board.
• 5:17
  Speaker 1: Some other players, of course, of note.
• 5:25
  Speaker 1: We had some movement with Wavers.
• 5:26
  Speaker 1: The guys all made it through Wavers.
• 5:27
  Speaker 1: Ty Smith was there, josiah Slavin, I thought, was also interesting in camp.
• 5:29
  Speaker 1: I'm not sure what you felt about Josiah.
• 5:30
  Speaker 1: I thought he did a good job and Ryan Suzuki heading down so fun to have the Slavins together.
• 5:35
  Speaker 1: I don't know if you saw he scored a pretty nice goal.
• 5:38
  Speaker 1: So what do you think about Josiah?
• 5:43
  Speaker 3: That was a pretty cool moment for him and you know his brother being there on the ice when he scored, so that was really neat.
• 5:50
  Speaker 2: Yeah, and it's interesting, I think he had a really solid camp, especially considering where he was coming in at, and he'll be a really good depth forward for them and somebody who can, you know, move up if necessary.
• 6:05
  Speaker 2: In case the canes call one of the top prospects up to the team for a while, he'll be there to hold down the fort and keep things moving in the right direction for the wolves yeah, and I think you know, as we, as they tried to finalize everything with the roster and there were a lot of moves all at once.
• 6:23
  Speaker 1: You know, they came up with a creative way to move some dollars around and one of them was that they signed Bryce Montgomery to a three-year entry-level deal.
• 6:34
  Speaker 1: That's kind of interesting.
• 6:35
  Speaker 1: He hadn't been signed previously.
• 6:37
  Speaker 1: He's a guy that, again, I think he looks strong in the prospect showcase.
• 6:42
  Speaker 1: He did last year as well.
• 6:43
  Speaker 1: He's a big player.
• 6:44
  Speaker 1: He plays big.
• 6:46
  Speaker 1: I think he's a good, solid defenseman Again, right-hand shot.
• 6:49
  Speaker 1: So he's a guy that he gets a deal.
• 6:52
  Speaker 1: Finally, not sure where he's going to end up.
• 6:56
  Speaker 1: This is going to be kind of interesting because, of course, the Chicago Wolves are loaded on the blue line so much that Anthony Honka ended up going over to Switzerland.
• 7:05
  Speaker 1: So kind of an interesting situation for the Hurricanes in terms of their defensive depth.
• 7:11
  Speaker 1: He gives them more depth and we'll have to see where he ends up as well.
• 7:15
  Speaker 1: So the final roster kind of coming together and the big question, of course, as the roster came together, is what about Jackson Blake?
• 7:22
  Speaker 1: So we're going to talk a lot about Jackson Blake today, but he was the guy that was left off the roster and that shocked some of us because we thought he had a great camp, both with the prospect showcase and also with the Canes camp and had earned a spot.
• 7:37
  Speaker 1: So a lot of gyrations going on.
• 7:40
  Speaker 1: But here we are today and I guess more moves happening today, so it sounds like the Canes put Tyson Jost on waivers.
• 7:53
  Speaker 3: Yep, that news came out earlier today and it was kind of a surprise because we had already heard that Brendan Lemieux was injured in a way that doesn't look like he'll be back quickly.
• 8:04
  Speaker 3: So this wasn't necessarily the only move they could make.
• 8:08
  Speaker 3: But certainly you don't want to rely on somebody being on IR and then you have to make that waiver happen.
• 8:14
  Speaker 3: Later in the season there might actually be more of a need for somebody to snap up that player.
• 8:20
  Speaker 3: So I'm sure this timing is partly their hope that they'll, that he'll make it through.
• 8:24
  Speaker 3: So we'll see what happens with that.
• 8:27
  Speaker 1: Yeah, yeah.
• 8:27
  Speaker 1: Again, they're probably anticipating he's going to make it through waivers that will give them flexibility.
• 8:32
  Speaker 1: He'll probably stay with the club right now and act as the extra forward and again can be sent down to Chicago without any concern.
• 8:42
  Speaker 1: So that's you know, again a smart move by the Canes.
• 8:45
  Speaker 1: If he is picked up, of course, then they'll be out scouring the waivers or trade market as well, to try to shore that up for sure.
• 8:53
  Speaker 1: I'm not sure about your thoughts on Joe's team camp.
• 8:57
  Speaker 1: I mean, that's an interesting question.
• 8:59
  Speaker 1: We'll talk a little bit about that in a few minutes perhaps, but you know, again, this was an opportunity for some players that the Canes had signed in the offseason to come in and kind of make their point, try to find a way into the lineup, and we'll see how that plays out.
• 9:15
  Speaker 1: I wanted to, though, hit some of the youngsters that we've seen through the Prospect Showcase and, of course, the Canes Camp, and there were a number of, I guess, the top prospect group that really showed well, certainly in the Prospect Showcase and, to some extent, in the Canes Camp.
• 9:35
  Speaker 1: Anybody jump out to you either, one of you in the canes camp?
• 9:37
  Speaker 1: Anybody jump out to you either?
• 9:38
  Speaker 1: One of you in terms of, uh, you know the players that you thought of, these young players that were of interest and showed some cool stuff?
• 9:47
  Speaker 2: I really, really, really enjoyed watching under storm, and part of why that was is because they announced that they were trying him out at center.
• 9:57
  Speaker 2: So for me that became readily apparent.
• 10:00
  Speaker 2: They were not intending for him to be up with the Canes.
• 10:02
  Speaker 2: They want him to develop in Chicago and they want him to learn a position.
• 10:06
  Speaker 2: I believe he said he hasn't played since he was 12 or 14 or something like that.
• 10:11
  Speaker 2: So that's the Canes putting a lot of trust in them.
• 10:15
  Speaker 2: It's also a bit of a sign that they are a little weaker at center when it comes to their depth.
• 10:20
  Speaker 2: They need to train somebody who hasn't played center to play the position.
• 10:27
  Speaker 2: But he really stepped up to the plate.
• 10:30
  Speaker 2: It looked like he was taking in all the tutelage, from the face-offs to the defensive responsibilities, and yet still using that high hockey IQ to create plays and to make things happen.
• 10:42
  Speaker 2: And that last game against Nashville he's made the most beautiful setup for a tap-in goal.
• 10:48
  Speaker 2: It was phenomenal.
• 10:49
  Speaker 2: So I really am excited and encouraged by what I saw from Ungersorm, and he will be on the Canes roster in the very near future, that's for sure.
• 11:00
  Speaker 2: Just, we got to give him a little bit more time to grow up.
• 11:03
  Speaker 2: He just turned 19.
• 11:05
  Speaker 2: So he's got to grow into himself a little bit more, get a little bit more muscle and get used to being center playing in the Canes system getting used to North American ice as well, used to being center playing in the cane system, getting used to north american ice as well, and I think he he could really just fit the cane system beautifully within the next probably what two to three years yeah, that's right yeah absolutely.
• 11:29
  Speaker 3: And I mean for me, uh, being that I'm here in texas and didn't have a way to watch some of these games, especially some of the ones with the prospects, unfortunately.
• 11:37
  Speaker 3: I was still listening on the radio and listening to the various commentary and hearing people talk about them.
• 11:43
  Speaker 3: But the commentary about Unger Swarm that really struck me was when Rod was talking.
• 11:48
  Speaker 3: Rod Brendamore was talking about trying him at center and putting him at center.
• 11:51
  Speaker 3: It was interesting to me that he said we want to do this now.
• 11:57
  Speaker 3: We want to have him, you know, try to develop at this Now.
• 12:01
  Speaker 3: We can always move him back to the wing if it's not working out, but we don't want to wait two years and you know when he's ready, to come up to the big club and then start trying to play him at center.
• 12:12
  Speaker 3: And the person I thought of when I heard those comments I'm sure you did too is Martin Martin Natchez, because Natchez always wanted to play center but he did not play center.
• 12:21
  Speaker 3: He wasn't developed as a center.
• 12:23
  Speaker 3: He did play center for the Checkers, but only for that one year that he was there and then he was immediately with the big club and even in Charlotte he was only playing center part of the time.
• 12:33
  Speaker 3: So I think they see that talent in Ungersorum, they want to develop it and they don't want to wait.
• 12:39
  Speaker 3: They don't want to have him come up to and be trying to learn the speed and pace of the NHL game at the same time that he's trying to learn to play center.
• 12:46
  Speaker 3: So it's just interesting that after the one experience they've gone a completely different route with Ungersorum.
• 12:53
  Speaker 1: Well, ungersorum to me again.
• 12:56
  Speaker 1: I think you're right both of you right on with your comments.
• 12:59
  Speaker 1: He's got the talent.
• 13:01
  Speaker 1: There's no question.
• 13:02
  Speaker 1: The Canes are definitely thin at center ice in terms of their farm system.
• 13:06
  Speaker 1: The guy that had the chance to show something and kind of disappointed at the end was Ryan Suzuki.
• 13:13
  Speaker 1: I was hoping he started off reasonably well but he kind of ended a little bit soft, and so he's been the guy and I think that's one of the reasons why Skyler Brindamore was signed on as well to give the Canes a little bit more depth at center ice, because it's definitely an area that right now needs some attention in terms of the prospect base.
• 13:33
  Speaker 1: And Unger Sorem has.
• 13:35
  Speaker 1: Admittedly, he has the kind of skill he sees the ice extremely well, seems like he's a 200-foot player, so he would be a nice possible player to come in at center ice.
• 13:46
  Speaker 1: A couple of other guys that I thought were interesting.
• 13:48
  Speaker 1: Of course, gleb Trikazov got a hat trick in one of the games in the prospect showcase and I think he scored in the Canes game.
• 13:56
  Speaker 2: He's a guy that has elite offensive skill.
• 13:58
  Speaker 1: There's no question.
• 13:59
  Speaker 1: If you watch him, he's just a guy that knows how to do something with the puck.
• 14:02
  Speaker 1: Whether he sets somebody up or whether he's shooting the puck, he's dangerous.
• 14:06
  Speaker 1: And I think for Gleb, the big challenge for him, of course, is to be working on that defensive side of the game.
• 14:15
  Speaker 1: But this guy has skill that you just can't teach, and we saw that in Spades.
• 14:18
  Speaker 1: I think he's going to be a nice player.
• 14:20
  Speaker 1: And how about Bradley Nadeau?
• 14:21
  Speaker 1: He started to come on at the end of camp and scored a beautiful goal.
• 14:25
  Speaker 1: What do you think about Bradley?
• 14:29
  Speaker 2: That shot is amazing.
• 14:31
  Speaker 2: We had heard so much about it and I know there were highlights and stuff floating out around there, but until you see it, especially in those last couple of games that he played in where he got each of his goals, it's like okay, I see.
• 14:47
  Speaker 2: I see now where all of the hype was and I do think a bunch of us got a little ahead and over our skis a bit when it came to the predictions of him making the canes this year, he definitely needs to fill out some more.
• 15:01
  Speaker 2: Especially towards the beginning of camp, when they were going up against some more NHL style rosters, you could tell that there was a size and strength difference between him and some of the prospects and the NHL guys.
• 15:14
  Speaker 2: They were just getting muscled off the puck with way too much ease and way too much frequency.
• 15:20
  Speaker 2: So you know, yeah, it's okay, we got.
• 15:24
  Speaker 2: We got a little ahead of ourselves, but still plenty to be excited about with him, especially with that shot.
• 15:30
  Speaker 2: And I mean, if that's how strong his shot is now, imagine once he gets a little older, a little stronger, a little you know.
• 15:37
  Speaker 2: Now, imagine once he gets a little older, a little stronger a little you know, a little surer in his skates and it's going to be even better in the near future.
• 15:44
  Speaker 1: Well, I saw him come along quite a bit during camp.
• 15:48
  Speaker 1: You're right, he started he was struggling a little bit.
• 15:52
  Speaker 1: As you say, bigger players, a little bit of a different style game than the college game.
• 15:57
  Speaker 1: But I got to tell you as the camp went on, and certainly towards the end of the camp, I thought he started to really show some of his true colors.
• 16:04
  Speaker 1: I don't think it'll be long before Nadeau is going to be ready to come up and play for the Hurricanes and you may even see ice this year.
• 16:11
  Speaker 1: He's a guy that's got elite skill again.
• 16:19
  Speaker 3: So yeah, a little bit behind where we thought he was, but that's okay, he's very young.
• 16:22
  Speaker 1: Yes, he's definitely doing the right things for sure On the blue line.
• 16:26
  Speaker 1: A couple of quick comments there before we go to the next section.
• 16:30
  Speaker 1: I wasn't so impressed with Scott Morrow A little bit, but again he missed part of camp and I think that was part of the challenge for him.
• 16:40
  Speaker 1: He shows offensive skill for sure and he showed that in the showcase.
• 16:44
  Speaker 1: He's a guy that can really move the puck.
• 16:46
  Speaker 1: He's dangerous with the puck but defensively saw him running around a little bit and I guess you know he's still got to figure out this man-to-man system the Canes have and that's not the easiest thing.
• 17:00
  Speaker 3: No, and for a young player, I mean, we've seen seasoned defensemen come into the Canes and be very, very nonplussed by Very recently even.
• 17:13
  Speaker 3: I mean we could think of him as recently as Orlov last year, so we know that it's not easy, but, yeah, I didn't think he was NHL ready and he definitely doesn't look like he is.
• 17:26
  Speaker 3: That doesn't mean he won't be, though.
• 17:27
  Speaker 3: It's just a matter of where he's going to fit in their structure, so, and he should get lots of uh, lots of opportunities with the wolves.
• 17:37
  Speaker 2: So he, yeah, give him a year down there to learn the system and, as a lot of people have have mentioned, there are a couple of positions earmarked for a certain russian defenseman and then most likely morrow to take.
• 17:56
  Speaker 2: To take the other side, nikitian, because Nikitian plays on the left and I believe Morrow plays on the right, or do I have that backwards Either way?
• 18:06
  Speaker 1: Well, interestingly enough.
• 18:09
  Speaker 2: I think if he shows well in Chicago, I think the Canes are looking to have him be in the lineup come 25-26.
• 18:17
  Speaker 1: Yeah, he's not far behind, for sure, but we'll talk about another guy.
• 18:21
  Speaker 1: Just a quick point on Nikitian.
• 18:24
  Speaker 1: So Nikitian has on occasion been playing alongside Tony D.
• 18:29
  Speaker 1: So Tony D'Angelo yes, oh man, tony D'Angelo with SKA, which is I just had to mention that because I thought that was so incredible.
• 18:41
  Speaker 1: But yes, he of course on the same team as Nikitian and both of them can play on occasion.
• 18:48
  Speaker 1: They do play together so it's kind of funny to hear.
• 18:50
  Speaker 1: I wanted to mention, though, a guy that I think might push Morrow for a spot with the Carolina Hurricanes soon is Charles Alexis Legault.
• 19:02
  Speaker 1: He and Dominic Fensori I thought looked really good.
• 19:06
  Speaker 1: Interestingly enough, last year in the Prospect Showcase, I was all over Dominic Fensori, all over that guy.
• 19:16
  Speaker 1: He had come under the college ranks.
• 19:19
  Speaker 1: I think he was with Boston U or somewhere.
• 19:22
  Speaker 1: Anyway he was phenomenal on the camp, like in the Prospect Showcase.
• 19:26
  Speaker 1: He's a smaller player but, boy, he's smart and he can really move the puck.
• 19:31
  Speaker 1: And one thing I noticed in some of the action this year they didn't have any reluctance to get him out there, killing penalties and in tough you know minute situations, which I thought was really a telling point.
• 19:44
  Speaker 1: But Charles Alexis Legault, along with him, was rock solid and showed a lot.
• 19:50
  Speaker 1: Did you, did you like what he did as well?
• 19:53
  Speaker 1: Katie, did you like?
• 19:54
  Speaker 2: what he did as well, katie oh, guy definitely did, and he showed no fear, whether it was going toe-to-toe in the corners with guys or you know, there's that one time he dropped the gloves with that huge enforcement I think it was with Nashville.
• 20:09
  Speaker 2: I mean, he has some grit and some snarl to his game that I have to think that Brynden Moore is just dreaming about the day that he's ready to join the Canes, because he's a Brynden Moore-style player with just that toughness both mentally and in his game itself.
• 20:31
  Speaker 1: And I thought he was sharp with the puck as well.
• 20:33
  Speaker 1: He was shooting the puck hard.
• 20:37
  Speaker 1: He reminded me of Brent Burns a few times.
• 20:38
  Speaker 1: You know he'd get the puck, it would be on his stick and gone instantly.
• 20:42
  Speaker 1: And he showed some good offensive moves.
• 20:45
  Speaker 1: He was in on the rush a number of times.
• 20:48
  Speaker 1: He did some really great stuff and I think he's a guy that's a late bloomer.
• 20:53
  Speaker 1: As I see it, he just seems to get better all the time.
• 20:57
  Speaker 1: And can you imagine, you know, bringing in a guy like Charles Alexis Figo he's a big player, he's in 6'3", 6'4", 200-plus pounds and bringing in Alexander Nikitian, the Canes are going to have a couple of very large, tough defensemen that they can bring in.
• 21:13
  Speaker 1: They are going to be frightening, seriously.
• 21:16
  Speaker 1: I mean they're just sitting there thinking, goodness, if we get these guys in the lineup next year, we're going to be looking pretty good.
• 21:23
  Speaker 1: So good stuff on the blue.
• 21:25
  Speaker 1: You know, when you've got players like, you know, charles Alexis Legault, you've got, you know, scott Morrow.
• 21:33
  Speaker 1: Even Alexei Himasolny showed some good things in camp as well.
• 21:38
  Speaker 1: They got some great young defensemen.
• 21:41
  Speaker 1: So lots of excitement there.
• 21:42
  Speaker 1: And again, they still have the veterans that will be available this year.
• 21:47
  Speaker 1: We talked about them previously Joaquin Ryan and, of course, riley Stillman, who's been injured a little bit.
• 21:55
  Speaker 2: We haven't seen much of him.
• 21:56
  Speaker 1: He's a solid D, and Ty Smith as well.
• 21:58
  Speaker 1: So canes deep on the blue.
• 22:01
  Speaker 1: Chicago's going to be loaded.
• 22:02
  Speaker 1: They're going to be dynamite this year, so it's going to be a lot of fun to watch what the Wolves do as well.
• 22:07
  Speaker 1: So, yeah, I think a lot of interesting things in the prospect showcase and in camp with the young players.
• 22:15
  Speaker 1: Clearly, the decision this year was to play the young players a lot in the exhibition games.
• 22:21
  Speaker 1: In fact Brendan Moore was saying that you know.
• 22:23
  Speaker 1: He went to the veteran players and said how much would you like to play?
• 22:26
  Speaker 1: And they said just a couple of games, that's enough.
• 22:30
  Speaker 2: So he didn't want anyone getting injured.
• 22:32
  Speaker 1: Well, and you think about Drew Downey, right?
• 22:34
  Speaker 1: So he got injured in an exhibition game he's out for looks like the season.
• 22:39
  Speaker 1: Um, so we've got I mean, this is the kind of thing that can happen kind of inadvertently.
• 22:45
  Speaker 1: Uh, they're trying not to hit people too hard and they're trying not to do too much, but but that's the kind of thing you want to make sure, and I think, uh, brendan moore's thinking was very smart to say let's not get these guys out there and put them in harm's way.
• 22:58
  Speaker 1: Anyway, good camps.
• 22:59
  Speaker 1: They've actually had camp, they've got the lineup together, and the big question that we've been mulling over, which seems to be getting resolved a little bit as we go, has been that whole fourth line.
• 23:10
  Speaker 1: So through camp it was pretty clear.
• 23:13
  Speaker 1: Obviously, jack Roslevic has earned his right to get up on the top line.
• 23:19
  Speaker 1: For now We'll talk a little bit about that with Sebastian Ajo and, of course, seth Jarvis.
• 23:26
  Speaker 1: So they formed the number one line for the Canes.
• 23:28
  Speaker 1: And of course we've got Sveshnikov.
• 23:30
  Speaker 1: Natchez and Kokaniemi have been put together as number two, and Jordan Stahl, as we mentioned earlier, with William Carrier and, of course, jordan Martin.
• 23:42
  Speaker 1: Those guys pretty well locked in for most of camp.
• 23:45
  Speaker 1: Now, having said that, brenda Moore was saying the other day that he, you know, things will change over time.
• 23:55
  Speaker 2: He was pretty clear about that in an interview, so I think we can expect more of the same right but that's where we start.
• 24:03
  Speaker 1: That's where we start, and I think the questions we were really mulling over were what about that fourth line?
• 24:09
  Speaker 1: You've got Jack Drury.
• 24:11
  Speaker 1: Where do you go from there?
• 24:13
  Speaker 1: And I thought it might be interesting for us to talk about the candidates, right?
• 24:18
  Speaker 1: So the candidates as we saw them were, of course, brendan Lemieux, who you know, great guy for the team last year.
• 24:25
  Speaker 1: He really, you know, whenever called upon, he was a guy that was a gamer, did some good work for the Canes.
• 24:32
  Speaker 1: So he's back.
• 24:34
  Speaker 1: They signed Eric Robinson and they signed Tyson Jost and, of course, the youngster that I think showed the most in camp, of course, was Jackson Blake.
• 24:44
  Speaker 1: So who wants to kick this off and talk about those four guys?
• 24:49
  Speaker 1: What about?
• 24:49
  Speaker 1: Let's talk about Jackson Blake first.
• 24:52
  Speaker 1: What did we think about Jackson and what's the situation with him?
• 25:05
  Speaker 3: Sorry, you were breaking up just a little bit there for me, tom.
• 25:08
  Speaker 3: I'm not sure why, but no, jackson, I think Jackson Blake, you know, again, I didn't get to see a whole lot of Jackson Blake, but I was hearing plenty and it did seem.
• 25:20
  Speaker 3: It was interesting because, you know, I think, like Katie referred to, a lot of us had thought, well, maybe Bradley Nadeau would be the one of these young prospects who would have the best shot at making it.
• 25:30
  Speaker 3: But over the course of the games, what we saw, what we heard from Jackson Blake was just tremendous, just being implicated in the play all the time, making things happen whether he had the puck on his stick or not, which is something really important to look for in young players.
• 25:46
  Speaker 3: And then you know, the defensive responsibility not perfect Robert Morissette himself.
• 25:51
  Speaker 3: Of course he made mistakes, like all the other guys, but he was just so much closer to being that NHL ready player that you're looking for.
• 26:00
  Speaker 3: And you know, in fairness to the other kids, jackson Blake is 21 years old, you know.
• 26:05
  Speaker 3: So there there's that little difference of maturity between 18, 19, and you know somebody who's 21.
• 26:12
  Speaker 3: So I don't think it was surprising that they wanted him to start with the Canes.
• 26:18
  Speaker 3: I don't think it's surprising that he's going to.
• 26:21
  Speaker 3: I think that's exciting and I think that the main thing that some people were saying could swing the balance one way or the other was would he get anything above fourth line time?
• 26:30
  Speaker 3: It would just be.
• 26:31
  Speaker 3: You know you don't want to take a player like that, play him nine minutes a night and have him on the bench, but he's going to get power play time.
• 26:37
  Speaker 3: From the what we saw today's practice and because of the way things are in Carolina just with the Roger to more being willing to scramble up his lines and also the reality of injuries and things, I think he will eventually get some time higher up in the lineup too.
• 26:53
  Speaker 2: Yeah, I really enjoyed Jackson Blake over camp.
• 26:56
  Speaker 2: We saw him a bunch.
• 26:57
  Speaker 2: I believe he played it in four or maybe even five of the preseason games.
• 27:02
  Speaker 2: So lots of touches and they moved him all over the place and I think that was part of the plan is see, how well does he play with this type of line, that type of line, that sort of thing.
• 27:13
  Speaker 2: And I think he's going to bring a little bit more finishing to that fourth line than the other options would have created.
• 27:21
  Speaker 2: And I wouldn't be surprised if that fourth line gets played a little bit more than what we consider typical fourth line minutes.
• 27:27
  Speaker 2: We know Rod has lots of trust in Drury as his center there.
• 27:32
  Speaker 2: Drury's really worked hard to earn that trust and so as long as the wingers aren't creating a big problem, I wouldn't be surprised, especially at the beginning of the season, to not put too much wear and tear on the top guys if Brendamore doesn't distribute his minutes a little bit more evenly and especially in games where the Canes have a comfortable you know two, three-goal lead, something like that he really deploys that for a fine to go out and check and work that puck possession and that sort of thing to keep the keep the play moving in the right direction.
• 28:09
  Speaker 1: Yeah, I think a couple of things.
• 28:10
  Speaker 1: Here's what Brendan Moore said, which I think is kind of telling and echoes your comment as well.
• 28:13
  Speaker 1: He's been maybe one of the better players, if you're being honest about it, which I think is kind of telling and echoes your comment as well.
• 28:17
  Speaker 1: Aaron, he's been maybe one of the better players, if you're being honest about it.
• 28:21
  Speaker 1: He's very noticeable every shift, it's not just shifts here and there.
• 28:25
  Speaker 1: He had the bulk of the scoring chances and was around it.
• 28:29
  Speaker 1: It felt like when he was out there that something good might happen.
• 28:33
  Speaker 1: And you know, that's exactly the thing that I was thinking as I watched him.
• 28:36
  Speaker 1: He was involved, like he was around the puck, something was happening.
• 28:40
  Speaker 1: He was a guy on the ice Like, as opposed to Nadeau, who was kind of on the fringe, some of the other guys, this guy was in the mix.
• 28:46
  Speaker 1: And the other thing I noticed with Jackson Blake, which I love, he didn't have any reluctance going to the net, like he was heading right in there.
• 28:57
  Speaker 1: If you saw, he had a beautiful goal that he basically went in, picked up the puck just inside the blue line, made a great move, went in and scored and that's a goal, scorer's goal.
• 29:05
  Speaker 1: Uh, this guy, as we know, had a phenomenal, phenomenal college uh tour with uh university of north dakota.
• 29:12
  Speaker 1: He was.
• 29:14
  Speaker 1: He had 102 points in 79 games in his two seasons and this is the first time somebody has done this in, I think, 30 years that they've had over 100 points for UND forward and again fourth rounder.
• 29:27
  Speaker 1: For goodness sakes, this is again the wisdom of you know, the crew, darren York and everybody else you know know working on that draft crew.
• 29:38
  Speaker 1: So I like the guy a lot.
• 29:40
  Speaker 1: Uh, I agree with you totally, katie.
• 29:42
  Speaker 1: This is an offense guy that can help maybe bring some scoring from the fourth line uh, and I think you'll mix nicely with jack drury.
• 29:50
  Speaker 1: The other thing about blake, which I watched very closely and I was watching him like anything throughout the games he is responsible defensively, it's not like he's just floating around trying to get the puck.
• 30:02
  Speaker 1: He is definitely responsible defensively and I think, as Prendamore has said, he's really earned the right.
• 30:09
  Speaker 1: He was a guy that was really making his case and I'm excited about that.
• 30:14
  Speaker 1: So I think Blake again happy to have him on the team to start.
• 30:19
  Speaker 1: He brings more offense, maybe a little bit more fun on that fourth line uh, than uh, tyson Jost or or Brandon Lemieux.
• 30:25
  Speaker 1: Um, let's move on to, uh, a guy that I was really impressed with in that, in that Nashville game, and that was Eric Robinson.
• 30:33
  Speaker 1: So Robinson's a big player.
• 30:35
  Speaker 1: He comes in at six, two, 200 pounds um, his best year, I think.
• 30:40
  Speaker 1: Uh, you know, he's like 25 points, 28 points.
• 30:43
  Speaker 1: He's not a big point guy.
• 30:44
  Speaker 1: He did have a 12 goal season a couple of years ago with columbus, so that's good news.
• 30:48
  Speaker 1: Uh, so he can't score a little bit.
• 30:51
  Speaker 1: Here's what eric tulsky said when they assigned him uh, he's an experienced board who will add speed and physicality to our lineup.
• 30:58
  Speaker 1: He is also showing that he can contribute offensively and we're glad to have him.
• 31:03
  Speaker 1: He's a guy that, if you watch him, he's got blazing speed.
• 31:06
  Speaker 1: Okay, there's no question.
• 31:08
  Speaker 1: Right, this guy can fly.
• 31:09
  Speaker 1: And in the game the other night against Nashville he showed some really cool things.
• 31:14
  Speaker 1: He got a nice tip-in goal on that play with, of course, ungersor, but he also made some good work and he scored an empty net goal.
• 31:23
  Speaker 1: He was out there making things happen.
• 31:24
  Speaker 1: He's a penalty killer as well.
• 31:25
  Speaker 1: He's defensively definitely responsible.
• 31:28
  Speaker 1: So I was looking at some of his highlights, some of the previous year's highlights, and a lot of his goals are kind of rush goals, where he he gets the puck and just gets away from everybody and goes in and scores.
• 31:42
  Speaker 1: So he's a guy that I think he can chip in with some offense and uh, and I like what I saw.
• 31:48
  Speaker 1: What do you think about, uh, eric robinson there?
• 31:53
  Speaker 3: um, unfortunately again I didn't get to see the game, so I did hear them that was exciting to cheer him on when, when he was having those moments, um.
• 32:02
  Speaker 3: But uh, you know, for me it's it's more about um.
• 32:04
  Speaker 3: What we talked about I think we talked about this briefly during the um one of the um preseason uh podcasts that we did.
• 32:12
  Speaker 3: You have to have some guys like eric robinson when you get to the playoffs.
• 32:17
  Speaker 3: You know, whether you they do a lot in the regular season or not, it doesn't um, you know, sure they're going to chip in, like you said.
• 32:25
  Speaker 3: I would expect to see him, you know, get some goals here and there and I would expect to see him get some of that rush offense going too.
• 32:30
  Speaker 3: Whether it results in a scoring chance or just really hard for checking, it doesn't really matter, because that's what the fourth line is out there to do.
• 32:38
  Speaker 3: But you can't have a fourth line in the playoffs.
• 32:40
  Speaker 3: That is all aging veterans and kids and the Canes have tried to do that a few times where they've had, you know, maybe a couple of kids and a and a.
• 32:49
  Speaker 3: You know we had getting his nuts off centering the fourth line last, last year.
• 32:54
  Speaker 3: You know it doesn't work that way when the opposing team's fourth line is three guys who are basically there to make you not want to be on the ice with them.
• 33:04
  Speaker 3: So Eric Robinson to me fits the pattern of a guy who makes the other players not want to be on the ice with him, and I think that's going to be really good for them when they get to that point.
• 33:15
  Speaker 3: Katie, what do you like, katie?
• 33:20
  Speaker 2: Yeah, I mean, it's a little bit of everything, right, jack of all trades, master of none.
• 33:25
  Speaker 2: He has a bunch of areas in which he can contribute, but he's not going to jump out at you in one particular area.
• 33:34
  Speaker 2: I think the key, though, in what in that description that you read about him, is the physicality, and I think that's what really won him one of those roster spots over the other veterans that were competing with him.
• 33:47
  Speaker 2: Is he really has that size and that physicality, because otherwise that fourth line would perhaps trend a little too small, especially when compared to other fourth lines that fourth line would perhaps trend a little too small, especially when compared to other fourth lines, and he gives them a little bit more weight on the ice, I think Not necessarily literal weight, but with his presence they'll be a little.
• 34:07
  Speaker 2: Like Aaron said you know be miserable to play against, because you know if you're out there against him you're going to be feeling it once you head back to the bench, so I definitely think he earned his spot for sure.
• 34:22
  Speaker 3: To Katie's point, I'm just reminded that the Canes did put out this year they had the roster heights and weights on the official 23-man roster that was released the other day and there's some changes that were made and I believe one of those changes is that I think Jack Drury's height is now listed at 5'11", which is interesting because I think he's been listed at six feet before.
• 34:43
  Speaker 3: So I think Eric Telsky wanted to get some exact numbers.
• 34:46
  Speaker 3: That's my suspicion.
• 34:50
  Speaker 3: But yeah, whether it's 5'11 or six feet, the problem is that then when you put someone like Jackson Blake next to him too and you have, you know, I mean you've got to have somebody on that line that's going to kind of carry the weight and make it even just as a protection for someone.
• 35:06
  Speaker 3: If Blake is going to be the other winger on that fourth line, as it looks like he might be, to start the season, then you don't want to have a small winger on the other side of Jack Drury too.
• 35:16
  Speaker 3: And then somehow we all know Jack is perfectly willing to be physical and fight and protect the kids, but we don't want that to be.
• 35:23
  Speaker 3: We don't want him to be doing that every game.
• 35:27
  Speaker 1: We definitely don't.
• 35:29
  Speaker 1: Yes, no, for sure, no, and I agree with you, I think, robinson, it looks to me like the Canes' direction and we've talked a little bit about this previously.
• 35:42
  Speaker 1: On that fourth line is again to change the tenor of it a little bit from a traditional fourth line, if you will, and I think the Canes can do that because they have a line that's almost a fourth line with Jordan Stahl.
• 35:56
  Speaker 1: Stahl's line is, you know, it's kind of more built like a fourth line, not a big offensive line, kind of makes things happen, gets in on the forecheck, the usual stuff.
• 36:06
  Speaker 1: And I think, because you've got Jack Drury, who you know is centering this line and a really, I think, a growing talent for the Canes he's going to get better and you've got now Blake, who definitely brings the ability to score, and having Robinson, who can get out there and make things happen and maybe open up some space for those guys.
• 36:27
  Speaker 1: I think that line's interesting and it's the line that I hope they put together.
• 36:31
  Speaker 1: And, boy, through a lot of these gyrations, you wondered about it as we looked at the other two guys who were, of course, tyson jost and we talked a lot about tyson earlier in the summer discussion around santa rice.
• 36:44
  Speaker 1: I liked him a lot when he first came up with the avalanche.
• 36:47
  Speaker 1: I thought he got off to a good quick start.
• 36:50
  Speaker 1: He had a 12 goal year.
• 36:51
  Speaker 1: He had a 26 27 point year after that and again he was a top draft pick.
• 36:57
  Speaker 1: He was 10th overall in 2016.
• 37:00
  Speaker 1: This guy looked like he had a lot going for him and you remember that we had the comparative to Bradley Nadeau.
• 37:07
  Speaker 1: Both of them, of course, had torn up a junior with Penticton Vs and then had an outstanding first year in the college ranks.
• 37:17
  Speaker 1: But again, we hope that Nadeau doesn't go the route of Tyson Jost and then have an outstanding first year in the college ranks.
• 37:21
  Speaker 1: But again, we hope that Nadeau doesn't go the route of Tyson Jost.
• 37:23
  Speaker 1: Jost, to me in camp, was given a lot of opportunity.
• 37:25
  Speaker 1: He was given a lot of ice.
• 37:28
  Speaker 1: I think one game he played 20 minutes, so he was seeing a lot of ice.
• 37:31
  Speaker 1: For the Hurricanes they were trying to see if this guy could really step up.
• 37:35
  Speaker 1: They tried him at center ice.
• 37:37
  Speaker 1: They had him on the wing as well, but again, he's just not grabbing it and I didn't see that.
• 37:43
  Speaker 1: I didn't see him really step up and take hold of a position because it was there for him.
• 37:49
  Speaker 1: He could have won a spot, I believe, but again he, I think, did not come through that strongly, so he's been put on waivers.
• 37:58
  Speaker 1: I expect he'll stay with the Canes if he passes through, but it's a good move to give him flexibility in the future.
• 38:04
  Speaker 1: And of course, brendan Lemieux again, he's really an ideal 13th type forward.
• 38:11
  Speaker 1: I think he's not a guy you want playing every night for you and I think those two moves kind of made sense.
• 38:18
  Speaker 1: So in the end I'm a happy camper with Robinson and Jackson Blake on board and how do you feel about the line in general?
• 38:27
  Speaker 1: I mean, I've just made my comments and my thoughts, but what do you think about this idea of you know the youngster Blake on a fourth line with Robinson and, of course, jack Drury Katie?
• 38:39
  Speaker 1: You got some thoughts.
• 38:42
  Speaker 2: I think as far as the canes are constructed, it's perfect because a lot of the work that Stahl's line does is what other teams' fourth line, their fourth lines do as well.
• 38:55
  Speaker 2: Even though he obviously sees more minutes and has more, more trust from the coaching staff, a lot of their function is kind of in that fourth line spirit and so the way that it's constructed because there are there is the, the playmaking of jury, the talent on the rush with Robinson, the finishing ability with Blake it's going to be kind of a dual fourth line.
• 39:22
  Speaker 2: They're going to be able to be good defensively when they do need to get out there and perform a grinding roll, a dump and chase roll that sort of thing.
• 39:30
  Speaker 2: But when there's a little bit of ice and they're given a little bit of space, they also have enough talent to actually create threats and scoring chances up the ice that other teams fourth lines might not be able to defend too well and be able to anticipate.
• 39:46
  Speaker 2: So I'm I'm really optimistic the first 10 games or so, provided things don't get shuffled around really quickly at the beginning of the season With the blender going.
• 39:58
  Speaker 2: Good indicator.
• 39:59
  Speaker 2: Yeah, the Blendamore.
• 40:00
  Speaker 2: But as long as he keeps them together to see what kind of chemistry they're able to work on together, I think there's a lot of potential in that line.
• 40:08
  Speaker 2: Just need to give it some time to Joe.
• 40:11
  Speaker 2: Let them learn each other, let them feel comfortable with each other, and there's plenty of potential there.
• 40:17
  Speaker 2: We'll see whether that potential gets transformed into production.
• 40:21
  Speaker 2: But hey, that's what we're all here for, Right?
• 40:27
  Speaker 3: If nothing else, they're going to be a lot of fun, and I think that that's something that you know it's necessary.
• 40:36
  Speaker 3: I think in a year like this, where there's some uncertainties and some naysayers out there, you know it's necessary.
• 40:38
  Speaker 3: I think in a year like this, where there's some uncertainties and some naysayers out there, you know you want to have at least something going on that fans can just wholeheartedly cheer for without having any reservations about what's coming down the line.
• 40:50
  Speaker 3: So it's always so much fun to cheer for a rookie who's made the team, and I think that that's going to be something everyone's going to be enjoying and looking forward to.
• 40:59
  Speaker 1: Well, of course, Eric Tolsky had kind of preannounced this earlier this summer, talking about the fact that the Canes had not made some additional moves because they wanted one of the prospects to grab a spot.
• 41:11
  Speaker 1: The other thing about that line, just to conclude it, jack Drury was outstanding in the face-off dot last year, so he's a guy that can help kill penalties.
• 41:20
  Speaker 1: He obviously can fill in on the power play and he's a great face-off guy, so he's uh, he gets some flexibility when he's sitting on that fourth line.
• 41:28
  Speaker 1: He can come up and help in a number of different ways.
• 41:30
  Speaker 1: So I think that's good stuff.
• 41:32
  Speaker 1: Um, you know, when we look at the lineup in general forwards we talked about them I think they're pretty well set, not just sure how the situation with Jack Roslevic is going to play out.
• 41:45
  Speaker 1: We know that in the past Roslevic has started off quite nicely and then leveled off a little bit later on in the seasons.
• 41:54
  Speaker 1: This will be an opportunity, a fresh start for him, and I think he's a guy that given the chance to get on that big line with now the guy that says, bring me the money or show me the money I guess it is, of course, seth Jarvis and Sebastian Ajo.
• 42:13
  Speaker 1: It's an interesting line.
• 42:14
  Speaker 1: They're a small line, and that's a bit of a concern for me.
• 42:18
  Speaker 1: What are your thoughts about that first line?
• 42:24
  Speaker 3: I think that putting Rostovic on the first line is primarily about not having Rostovic and Natchez on the same line.
• 42:31
  Speaker 3: You know we've talked about I think Katie's talked about this before too you don't want too many of the same kind of players on any one given line, except for the stall line, because they can all be exactly like Jordan Stahl, and that's fine.
• 42:45
  Speaker 3: But we know that with the other lines you want some balance and you have two extremely fast, extremely offensive-minded wingers who both struggle a little bit more defensively than most of the other players in Raleigh.
• 43:01
  Speaker 3: So you don't really want them playing together.
• 43:04
  Speaker 3: So I think what we might see throughout the season we might see Roslevic Ajo, jarvis and then Svec KK and Natchez.
• 43:13
  Speaker 3: Like we are right now, we might see Svec Ajo, natchez and Roslevic KK and Jarvis.
• 43:19
  Speaker 3: I don't think we're ever going to see Roslevic and Natchez on the same line, unless it's just a wild experiment.
• 43:25
  Speaker 3: So I think that's kind of where they've ended up so far.
• 43:28
  Speaker 3: So we'll see how that goes.
• 43:30
  Speaker 3: I know that Sebastian Ajo can more than cover defensively for anything that Jack Roslevic needs to learn as far as being a brand new Kane, so I think he's going to create opportunities with his speed that Seth Jarvis may be in a really good position to capitalize on, so I'm looking forward to seeing that.
• 43:52
  Speaker 2: I totally agree, erin.
• 43:53
  Speaker 2: Honestly, I think the bottom six are more or less set in stone, unless they really can't score at all.
• 44:00
  Speaker 2: But the top six perhaps are a little bit more fluid, and I will be interested to see where Rostovic fits into that, because he is the big question mark.
• 44:11
  Speaker 2: He's the new guy.
• 44:13
  Speaker 2: His game isn't as well-known, not just to the fans but to the coaches and to the players, as far as how they're going to feed off each other, but indications are good that it's at least trending in the right direction and that there is going to be some opportunity for success.
• 44:30
  Speaker 2: I will still plant my flag on my soapbox that I think that it should be Ajo and Natchez together on a line, and then whoever else you think fits best, and I would say Svetch, because you have somebody defensively minded on the first line with Ajo, and then that would put Jarvis on the second line.
• 44:49
  Speaker 2: You have that and then you have more balance on the size.
• 44:52
  Speaker 2: You know, tom, you mentioned that that first line, as it's constructed now, is a little on the small side.
• 44:57
  Speaker 2: Are they going to be able to be pushed around, especially, you know, for the regular season?
• 45:01
  Speaker 2: Probably fine, no big deal.
• 45:03
  Speaker 2: But when you get to the, to the playoffs, then it gets to be more of an issue.
• 45:08
  Speaker 2: So if you have, if you have spetch up on that top line, then you have some size on that top line and kk's still there on the second line and that gives more balance that way on the size.
• 45:18
  Speaker 2: So it'll just be interesting to see how the season plays out, but I wouldn't be surprised after a couple months if the top two lines look different than they do right now.
• 45:29
  Speaker 1: But I.
• 45:31
  Speaker 2: I hope them all of the success in the world.
• 45:33
  Speaker 2: Obviously it would be great If what is planned at the beginning of the season is what works out for the entire season.
• 45:38
  Speaker 2: I'm just realistic enough to know that that is probably not the case.
• 45:46
  Speaker 3: What's our over-under on it?
• 45:47
  Speaker 3: Taking more than 30 games to see first-line Martin again?
• 45:50
  Speaker 1: Yeah, that's always a big question, right, and that's something we do not.
• 45:57
  Speaker 1: Yeah, I mean Rosler-Bick to me again, watching him closely in camp, certainly in the games that I could see he can skate.
• 46:07
  Speaker 1: He's very smart with the puck.
• 46:09
  Speaker 1: He's definitely offensively gifted.
• 46:11
  Speaker 1: There's no question he can make great moves.
• 46:13
  Speaker 1: The guy scored 20 goals before, so he knows how to put the puck in the net.
• 46:17
  Speaker 1: And I think it's a question of can he learn this Kane system?
• 46:21
  Speaker 1: And that's always the big challenge.
• 46:25
  Speaker 2: And is he going?
• 46:26
  Speaker 1: to be comfortable on that top line as the number one line winger.
• 46:30
  Speaker 1: So he, you know, again he's vacillated between center and the wing, so we'll have to see how this plays out, but I like the guy.
• 46:36
  Speaker 1: I think he's got potential.
• 46:38
  Speaker 1: Hopefully we can strengthen later in the year at the trade deadline and continue to build on that.
• 46:45
  Speaker 1: I think we need a little bit more strength up there, but I think to start the season he's fine.
• 46:49
  Speaker 1: The second line I think it's fine.
• 46:51
  Speaker 1: Special cough natures kokanemi.
• 46:55
  Speaker 1: We've talked about kokokenami a lot.
• 46:57
  Speaker 1: I think they're going to be fine to start the season.
• 46:59
  Speaker 1: They didn't show anything exceptional in camp.
• 47:02
  Speaker 1: They didn't play that much in the game, so we didn't see much.
• 47:07
  Speaker 2: So again we'll see right One of the things that I found interesting from some of the commentators is just their success as a line is going to depend on them learning how to play together.
• 47:20
  Speaker 3: If they have lone wolf syndrome and they're just.
• 47:24
  Speaker 2: You know, natchez is doing his thing expecting them to keep up with him, or Coke and Yemi's trying to do his thing expecting his line mates to read his mind, or whatever.
• 47:34
  Speaker 2: It's not going to go well.
• 47:35
  Speaker 2: So they need to avoid that lone wolf syndrome and find a way that they can anticipate each other and play together and be able to trust each other as a unit, instead of trying to make things happen on their own.
• 47:49
  Speaker 2: And I think you're right.
• 47:52
  Speaker 1: Yeah, I think you're absolutely right too.
• 47:54
  Speaker 1: That's something that, again, is not the easiest thing to do, and that's one of the reasons why Rod constantly says Kokuniemi and Natchez have played a fair bit together and had some success.
• 48:21
  Speaker 1: Remember they had Tara.
• 48:22
  Speaker 1: Bynum on their line and they had some pretty good success.
• 48:24
  Speaker 1: I don't remember if Sveshnikov and Natchez have had much success together.
• 48:30
  Speaker 1: I'm trying to.
• 48:31
  Speaker 1: I'm not sure about that.
• 48:35
  Speaker 2: I think two seasons ago they did because there were some injuries.
• 48:38
  Speaker 2: There was a time that Ajo was out for a while, and that was the season that Svec was selected to the All-Star game.
• 48:44
  Speaker 2: And then there was the big campaign push for Natchez to be voted in to the All-Star game so.
• 48:50
  Speaker 2: I think there was a small window in which they played together and produced a lot of success, especially when Ava was out injured, okay, but it was like I said, it was two, three months, something like that, it wasn't long.
• 49:06
  Speaker 1: Well, the good thing that I noticed on the power play and he had a fair bit of power play activity was that Natchez was getting into his wheelhouse and was getting opportunities to fire the puck, and that's on the top power play unit.
• 49:18
  Speaker 1: That's exactly what you want.
• 49:19
  Speaker 1: But that's a nice segue into the final part on the lineup I wanted to talk about, and that's the defensive core, and I really wanted to focus in on Shane Goss' spare.
• 49:30
  Speaker 1: I think Shane had a great camp.
• 49:33
  Speaker 1: He scored the overtime winner, of course, in one game.
• 49:35
  Speaker 1: Shane had a great camp.
• 49:36
  Speaker 1: He scored the overtime winner, of course, in one game.
• 49:38
  Speaker 1: But he's a guy that he is fitting in to me like a glove.
• 49:42
  Speaker 1: He just didn't miss a beat.
• 49:44
  Speaker 1: He's right in there, smooth as silk, back on the blue, making things happen a lot when he's on the ice offensively and, of course, you know the way that Sean Walker has been supporting him and working, I think, really focusing on the D side a little bit more, because giving Shane the opportunity to ramble, I think that pair is going to be great.
• 50:06
  Speaker 1: But I was really, really pleased with Goss Despair's work on the power play and I think you know obviously this is why Tulsky out to get him was to strengthen that part of the game.
• 50:19
  Speaker 1: Did you have similar thoughts on Shane?
• 50:23
  Speaker 2: Oh, definitely, I thought they looked great and I'll be the first to admit I was the one who was saying okay, you've got to move Walker up with Slavin and Bernstein with Ghost.
• 50:33
  Speaker 1: Yeah, I won't go again.
• 50:34
  Speaker 1: That was our lineup.
• 50:36
  Speaker 2: You had me convinced.
• 50:39
  Speaker 2: I was really worried that Goss' despair and Walker were going to be too samey-samey A left-handed version and a right-handed version of the exact same player and they were going to get caught in pinches and they were going to give up a lot going in the other direction.
• 50:54
  Speaker 2: And there was just no indication of that in the preseason.
• 50:56
  Speaker 2: They looked like they had instant chemistry with each other and really feel balanced.
• 51:02
  Speaker 2: I mean, in interviews you would hear Ghost talking about how much he's enjoyed playing with Walker and how they're on the same wavelength.
• 51:09
  Speaker 2: And then you get an interview with Walker talking about how he feels that Ghost really compliments his offensive game and they both have a lot of freedom to really be the type of players that they want to be and feel that they can be.
• 51:21
  Speaker 2: So that's encouraging.
• 51:22
  Speaker 2: So I will definitely uh say I at least early indications are that I did not give them enough credit, uh, as far as being a pair together, because they look great and they could end up being one of the top third pairs in the entire league if the trends from preseason carry on over into the regular season.
• 51:42
  Speaker 3: Absolutely.
• 51:43
  Speaker 3: And it seems like the players that were here when Ghost was here before are just so delighted to have him back.
• 51:50
  Speaker 3: And that's always a good thing when you see that from the room that they're just thrilled that this signing happened, when you see that from the room that they're just, you know, thrilled that this signing happened and that even in the midst of losing guys like Shea and Pesci that they've been playing with for a long time you know this was such a bright spot for them to get somebody in who's kind of familiar with the system already and just picking up right where he left off.
• 52:10
  Speaker 3: So I think that's cool to see that.
• 52:14
  Speaker 1: Well, you know, when I was watching was watching brady shea, um, in the uh, the nashville game and of course, uh and I'll say this about um a couple of other guys too.
• 52:25
  Speaker 1: Uh, shea, to me uh did not look nearly as dynamic as a, uh, shane goss despair, okay.
• 52:34
  Speaker 1: So, so he brings the puck up, he gets involved yes, he does, but he doesn't give you that kind of that excitement that Shane can do.
• 52:42
  Speaker 1: He can really go and take the puck up and make things happen in a hurry.
• 52:46
  Speaker 1: He sees the ice extremely well, but it was weird to see Shane in a Nashville uniform, as it was to watch Tebow Terabainan score the goal for Chicago last night.
• 52:58
  Speaker 1: So it's kind of odd to see these guys in other uniforms.
• 53:03
  Speaker 1: But, yeah, but I thought that was funny and but.
• 53:09
  Speaker 1: But the point being, if we look at you know, we talked a lot about this earlier in another podcast about that defensive core and to me, kind of watching them through camp, you know, watching Walker, watching Goss despair and together and doing their jobs separately, you know, I don't feel really that bad about losing Shea and Pesci.
• 53:34
  Speaker 1: In fact, I like the look of RD right now.
• 53:37
  Speaker 1: I think it's going to be, I think they're going to be very, very strong.
• 53:44
  Speaker 3: I would agree, and I think that one of the big keys is that we're going to have to be paying attention to and tracking a little bit maybe for a future conversation as the season gets going.
• 53:54
  Speaker 3: It'd be really interesting to start tracking the scoring from the blue line, because that was one of those areas that it's always been really important to the canes and it's one of those areas that last season it just seemed like they weren't getting enough from the defense in terms of goals and assists.
• 54:11
  Speaker 3: So you know, and you could, you could look at the different charts out there and compare one season to another, but it was a significant enough drop to be noticeable that they weren't getting that secondary scoring and all of that from the defensive guys.
• 54:25
  Speaker 3: And that will tell us a lot when we start seeing those numbers come in after 20, 30 games how much are the Ds contributing?
• 54:34
  Speaker 3: How many goals, how many assists, how much is happening on the power play?
• 54:38
  Speaker 3: When we see those numbers, especially the power play numbers, I think we're going to have a good sense of how well this defensive core is contributing to wins, because that's the important thing.
• 54:53
  Speaker 1: Yeah, and again.
• 54:53
  Speaker 1: I think two years ago Brady Shea had 18 goals and I think Brent Burns had something like 18 or so or whatever.
• 55:01
  Speaker 1: I mean, that's huge scoring from your defensive core for sure.
• 55:05
  Speaker 2: And you can't.
• 55:06
  Speaker 2: I don't think you can sustain that that's.
• 55:08
  Speaker 1: That's kind of incredible.
• 55:09
  Speaker 1: But now we've got a much more balanced group because of course Jalen Chatfield started to come on.
• 55:15
  Speaker 1: Last year he had eight goals.
• 55:17
  Speaker 1: I think he'll do that or more this year, and certainly you can hope for.
• 55:21
  Speaker 1: You know Burns will contribute.
• 55:23
  Speaker 1: Whatever he does.
• 55:24
  Speaker 1: I think double digits is probably reasonable for him as well.
• 55:26
  Speaker 1: And then I think we're going to see some good offensive work from the third pairing, and you know, you realize that.
• 55:36
  Speaker 1: You know both Gossespierre and Walker are going to be up against weaker opponents.
• 55:41
  Speaker 1: Because you know if they're working on that third pairing.
• 55:43
  Speaker 1: The chances are that they're going to face, you know, units that aren't quite as strong, so that could be an advantage for them and again both of those guys are happy to motor and go right in on that.
• 55:56
  Speaker 1: So we'll see a lot of that.
• 55:59
  Speaker 1: We'll see a lot of these guys picking up the puck and running with it, and I think the thought behind the Canes this year is that the defense is going to contribute more.
• 56:07
  Speaker 1: So I fully subscribe to what you're saying as well, ann.
• 56:13
  Speaker 2: How long do you think it will be until we hear the announcer say and there's a two-on-one for the Canes up the ice, it's Ghost and Walker together.
• 56:21
  Speaker 3: That would be pretty good.
• 56:25
  Speaker 2: I think that could happen.
• 56:26
  Speaker 2: You know, line change is going on and the two of them just decide to go for it together.
• 56:29
  Speaker 2: Why not?
• 56:31
  Speaker 3: You know, and you know honestly, when we see those things happening and when we see those numbers, that's going to put a lot of this in context about, well, how the Canes are going to do this year.
• 56:40
  Speaker 3: Everyone's focusing on, you know, maybe, some weaknesses in the forward core, but I don't think people, the pundits out there, I don't think they're really looking at what our defensive core might be contributing offensively and that's going to be a huge key to the Canes' success this year, Absolutely.
• 56:56
  Speaker 1: Big time.
• 56:56
  Speaker 1: Well, that's a great segue, I think too, erin.
• 56:59
  Speaker 1: I wanted to kind of wrap up the discussion by talking a little bit about what the pundits are saying and what do we think about that.
• 57:07
  Speaker 1: I mean, of course, the first volley which kind of caught us a little bit off guard was PSPN saying they're going to miss the playoffs, so that was okay.
• 57:15
  Speaker 1: That's a little bit straight.
• 57:17
  Speaker 1: End saying they're going to miss the playoffs, so that was okay.
• 57:19
  Speaker 1: That's a little bit straight.
• 57:24
  Speaker 1: But we've then seen several different analysis come out.
• 57:26
  Speaker 1: We've seen folks like the Athletic with their analysis and saying that the Canes' chance of winning the Cup is 7%.
• 57:30
  Speaker 1: We saw Don LeCition, who's with the Athletic, come out and he wasn't so impressed with the Hurricanes.
• 57:35
  Speaker 1: He had them well down and you know, you had some other folks that also had things to say about the Canes in terms of evolving hockey.
• 57:43
  Speaker 1: I think had them third, fourth, fifth.
• 57:46
  Speaker 1: You know a lot of these folks are seeing them kind of middle of the pack.
• 57:49
  Speaker 1: They are suggesting they're going to probably fall out in the first round.
• 57:52
  Speaker 1: So they're clearly seeing this as a Canes team that isn't as strong.
• 57:57
  Speaker 1: Now I've listened to some of the folks on the NHL network and other places, and some of them still believe the Canes are going to be serious and they're putting their weight on, of course, rod Grindemore and what he can do with his team.
• 58:11
  Speaker 1: So you know, interesting kind of differing views here.
• 58:17
  Speaker 1: So what do we think from our side?
• 58:20
  Speaker 1: Do we think any of those folks have really got it right?
• 58:22
  Speaker 1: Or what do we think that we might expect the Canes to do this year in the Metropolitan, and how deep do we think they're going to go?
• 58:31
  Speaker 1: Who wants?
• 58:32
  Speaker 2: to kick it off.
• 58:34
  Speaker 2: I'll go, because I've been posting about this by like crazy I go around the different, the different sites and I clip the, the, the takes from people and I mean somebody's got to get it right.
• 58:47
  Speaker 2: There's somebody who's predicted the canes just about everywhere, from being top of the division to second the division to maybe wild card to the espn take.
• 58:57
  Speaker 2: Now, granted, it wasn't their bold prediction, so they understand that this is a pretty bit of a stretch take, but, you know, to the canes not even making the playoff.
• 59:07
  Speaker 2: So someone's got to be right.
• 59:08
  Speaker 2: But, um, I'm definitely leaning more in the direction that the analytics people are taking and that the canes are going to be one of the top two teams in the Metro and still be be a be a threat in the playoffs.
• 59:23
  Speaker 2: And how much of a threat they are of course depends on all the normal variables and also how, how things go with the trade deadline and what their identity looks like at that point.
• 59:33
  Speaker 2: But, as I mentioned at the beginning of the podcast, the foundation of this team is really, really strong.
• 59:39
  Speaker 2: So whatever they build on it throughout the season is just going to make them better and better.
• 59:48
  Speaker 3: I think that's a good prediction.
• 59:49
  Speaker 3: I'm going to say that I want to agree with you about second in the Metro.
• 59:55
  Speaker 3: And the reason I want to agree with you about second in the Metro and the reason I want to agree with you about second in the Metro is because I think that the wild predictions of success for both the Rangers and the Devils can't all be right.
• 1:00:06
  Speaker 3: You know, you have half the league thinking the Devils are going to end up first in the Metro and half the league thinks the Rangers are going to end up first in the Metro, and I'm thinking one of them will end up first in the Metro, but I'm not convinced that they're both quite there and I think that there's some vulnerabilities that may be revealed as the season unfolds.
• 1:00:25
  Speaker 3: You know, for at least one of the teams For me, that team is the Devils.
• 1:00:29
  Speaker 3: I just think that they're too right now.
• 1:00:33
  Speaker 3: They're too centered or focused on how, you know, this new goaltender of theirs of Jacob Markstrom is going to do for them, and he is very, very good and there's no question.
• 1:00:42
  Speaker 3: But I'm just not sure that that's enough by itself to make them beat the Rangers.
• 1:00:48
  Speaker 3: So we'll see what happens with that.
• 1:00:50
  Speaker 3: I don't see them going any lower than third.
• 1:00:52
  Speaker 3: Let me put it that way the people that have them down in fifth place are just crazy.
• 1:00:55
  Speaker 3: As far as I'm concerned, you know, I think they'll be third in the Metro at the lowest.
• 1:00:59
  Speaker 3: You know, under the most optimistic and I like to be optimistic, so under the most optimistic prediction I can make, if the kids are all taking that next step, if Jackson Blake ends up energizing, you know, just everybody.
• 1:01:18
  Speaker 3: You know, if Brett Burns, you know, has a sword fight with Father Time and banishes him to a closet, all of those things happen.
• 1:01:25
  Speaker 3: I think the Canes make the Eastern Conference final and I think they win at least one game this time.
• 1:01:30
  Speaker 3: So I'm going to go with that Okay.
• 1:01:34
  Speaker 1: Well, that's yeah that's a bold prediction, for sure.
• 1:01:38
  Speaker 3: That's my bold prediction for sure.
• 1:01:40
  Speaker 1: That's my bold prediction.
• 1:01:40
  Speaker 1: Yeah, I'm still trying to figure out the Devils.
• 1:01:44
  Speaker 1: For sure They've got a lot of power up front.
• 1:01:48
  Speaker 1: They've strengthened their blue line, they've got Dougie back, they've got some good pieces with Brett Pesci joining, and so on.
• 1:01:55
  Speaker 1: There's no question that they are a team that are going to have to be reckoned with.
• 1:02:01
  Speaker 1: There's no question about it.
• 1:02:02
  Speaker 1: And the question you raised properly is can they do this all season?
• 1:02:07
  Speaker 1: We're going to wait and see about that, but they are definitely a team that, on paper, is capable of definitely competing for the top spot in the division.
• 1:02:16
  Speaker 1: The Rangers had very few changes, so they're a team that we know what they are, and Shusterkin, who is really the anchor of that team, was looking for a monster deal.
• 1:02:28
  Speaker 1: I think he was offered $88 million recently, eight years, and $11 million a year and turned it down, so he's probably looking for a $100 million deal, which is fine.
• 1:02:38
  Speaker 1: He's one of the best in the game and as long as they have Igor Shostakovich, they are going to be tough, there's no question.
• 1:02:45
  Speaker 1: So, yeah, not going to be easy.
• 1:02:50
  Speaker 1: No, not at all, I think the chair is going to be tough, yeah, but again, I think the Hurricanes are definitely going to be in the mix.
• 1:02:57
  Speaker 1: I hang my hat completely on Rod Brendamore.
• 1:03:01
  Speaker 1: I think he is one of the top two or three coaches in the league and I think he can take any cast of players and get them into the playoffs and compete.
• 1:03:12
  Speaker 1: So I agree with you.
• 1:03:14
  Speaker 1: On the other point, I think this will be the interesting thing that happens as the season goes on.
• 1:03:18
  Speaker 1: We know the brilliance of Eric Tulsky.
• 1:03:21
  Speaker 1: Okay, this guy keeps doing it, he does it, we see it continuously.
• 1:03:26
  Speaker 1: He's got some plans for the trade deadline this year and guess what.
• 1:03:32
  Speaker 1: We may also see Alexander Nikitian prior to the playoffs.
• 1:03:35
  Speaker 1: So there's every opportunity to strengthen the team.
• 1:03:41
  Speaker 1: Yes, so I think that's.
• 1:03:46
  Speaker 1: I think there's.
• 1:03:47
  Speaker 1: The Canes just have to be in the mix at the deadline.
• 1:03:51
  Speaker 1: They'll make some key moves.
• 1:03:52
  Speaker 1: They're going to be ready to go.
• 1:03:54
  Speaker 1: I have every expectation that tom dundon is expecting this team to go deep again.
• 1:04:00
  Speaker 1: Uh, he's a guy that, uh, he has only one interest and that's to win the stanley cup.
• 1:04:05
  Speaker 1: So he won't be a guy sitting on the sideline saying, hey, that's okay, guys, don't worry about it, we'll get there next year.
• 1:04:11
  Speaker 1: He's going to be saying, whatever it takes, we've got to get there now.
• 1:04:15
  Speaker 1: So yeah, so yeah, lots of change, and actually that's made it fun, uh, and made it interesting.
• 1:04:22
  Speaker 1: Yes, and we've got some different things that are going to happen.
• 1:04:25
  Speaker 1: As we look at, uh, you know, blake uh joining the team, of course, uh, looking at robinson, what can he contribute?
• 1:04:31
  Speaker 1: Will kokanemi uh, step up this?
• 1:04:34
  Speaker 1: I mean lots of questions, and we could keep turning and peeling the onion back, but I'm excited.
• 1:04:41
  Speaker 1: I think we've got a great season ahead, and boy we're going to have lots to talk about throughout the season, I'm sure and let the folks stay on top of what's happening with the Canes and how we see this all unfolding.
• 1:04:54
  Speaker 1: Again, thanks so much for your time, ladies, and we'll catch up real soon.
• 1:05:02
  Speaker 2: Great to be here again.
• 1:05:02
  Speaker 2: Yep, can't wait.
• 1:05:04
  Speaker 2: Let's get this season started.
• 1:05:06
  Speaker 1: Absolutely All going this weekend.