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Posts Tagged Carolina Hurricanes

Ottawa Senators Playoff Caliber?

Dec 23

Posted by EB in News, Soap Box | No Comments

The unlikely Ottawa Senators are making a push for the playoffs after winning three straight games. Playing tonight against the struggling Carolina Hurricanes, the Senators have a chance to go into the holiday break with winning four in a row and in a playoff spot.

The Senators had an overhaul in the off-season by hiring new Head Coach Paul Maclean. Maclean came from a much talented Detroit Red Wings to a rather depth deprived, lacking intensity Ottawa Senators. His intentions were to bring a Detroit style of play with an increased grit and toughness. So far, the change seems to be helping.

Jumping out of the gate this season the Senators won one game our of their first six. Bouncing back, the team won six in a row to close out October. November turned into be a little of a struggle, only winning five games of the twelve which the losing ways carried into December. The team seems to be righting the ship though with a possibility of winning their fourth game in a row, and close out three remaining games in December with wins.

Like every team in the NHL, the team’s success is directly tied to the play of the veterans. Captain Daniel Alfredsson is currently on a roll with 7 points in his last three games. Assistant Captain Jason Spezza still continues to be the backbone of the team with 37 points in 35 games and leading all forwards on the Senators with an average of 19:47 minutes of ice time a game. Young, but now considered a veteran, defender Erik Karlsson has an impressive 33 points in 35 games and a plus minus of zero with his team leading 25 minutes and 22 seconds average per game. That ice time happens to be 11th most in the league.

The Senators are on a roll and hope to continue that into the holiday and into the new year. Whether or not they are capable of doing so is another thing. The team continues to have injury problems from star players like Alfredsson and Milan Michalek, as well as a shaky 3.32 goals against average netminder in Craig Anderson. Will the Senators make playoffs? Not quite sure. Is it possible? Considering the Eastern Conference is all out of sorts with the Washington Capitals and the Tampa Bay Lightning both out of a playoff spot currently, you never quite know what can happen.

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Eric Staal trade could benefit slumping Hurricanes

Dec 17

Posted by Chris in Rumors, Soap Box | No Comments

In case you haven’t noticed, the Carolina Hurricanes aren’t doing too hot this season.

The team is 2-7-1 over their last 10 games and lingers near the bottom of the Eastern Conference standings. The team fired their head coach last week and then followed up that move by trading defenseman Tomas Kaberle to the Montreal Canadiens, a player they signed as a free agent over the summer to a three-year deal. With all this going on, it appears more and more likely that the Hurricane’s are gearing up for something big.

That something big could be an implosion.

The team traded away Kaberle to the Montreal Canadiens for Jaroslav Spacek in return. Carolina arguably got the short end of the stick as Spacek is older (37 as opposed to 33) and offers less offensively than Kaberle is capable of producing.  So why would Carolina want to take him on?

Trade bait.

Spacek is an unrestricted free agent at the end of the season. Despite his advanced age, he remains a proven NHL veteran and could add depth to the blue line of a team looking to make a deep playoff run. If a trade occurs, Carolina could stock up on draft picks and prospects in exchange for Spacek.

The Kaberle/Spacek trade could have signaled the beginning of a rebuilding process in Carolina. Spacek could be the first piece, and players like Alex Panikarovski, Tim Gleason and Tuomo Ruutu could also be trade bait come trade deadline time.

The real issue, however, is how far the Hurricanes are willing to go in their rebuilding process. Mainly, will they shop current captain Eric Staal?

Staal was drafted second overall in the 2003 NHL Entry Draft by the Hurricanes and has basically been the face of the franchise since. He has scored 30 or more goals in five of his seven NHL seasons, and twice tallied 40 or more. Not to mention that Staal, at 27-years-old, is right in the prime of his career and will be for several more seasons.

What could make Staal expandable is another young star on the Carolina roster. Jeff Skinner came into the league last season as an 18-year-old rookie and not only won a roster spot, but went on to contribute 31 goals and 63 points en route to winning the Calder Trophy as the NHL Rookie of the Year. This season, Skinner basically picked up where he left off and currently leads the Hurricanes in goals (12) and points (24).

Could the success of Skinner prompt the Hurricanes to trade away Eric Staal? After all, Staal makes $8.25 million a season while Skinner is only in his second season of an entry-level contract that pays him $1.4 million per year. After next season, Skinner will become a restricted free agent and Carolina could try to lock him up long term for a cap-friendly figure. A player of Staal’s caliber could warrant a significant return and help speed up the rebuilding process for Carolina.

Still, Staal trade speculation remains far-fetched. But the general likelihood that Carolina enters a rebuilding phase appears more probable with each loss this season. The team has two legitimate stars in Staal and Skinner and is set in goal with Cam Ward. The team needs to find a way to surround their stars with capable secondary scoring and a legitimate blue line. Carolina is second worst in the NHL in goals allowed per game with 3.38 and 20th in the league in goals scored per game with 2.5. It’s becoming clear that Carolina just doesn’t have the pieces of the puzzle to be a legitimate contender.

The Spacek trade may have been the first step, but it likely will not be the last move for Carolina this season. An implosion and a move toward rebuilding may be a necessary step now if Carolina intends to build a winner for the future.

 

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Alexander Semin Trade Rumors Growing

Dec 6

Posted by Matt in News | 1 Comment

Alexander Semin and the Washington Capitals

Alexander Semin has been scrutinized a lot by the coaches in Washington this season, now the trade rumors are getting hot

As it turns out, Washington Capitals winger Alexander Semin does not have a shoulder injury. Instead, new coach Dale Hunter has told media sources that Semin has been a healthy scratch the past two games. Semin has been practicing with the team, so news of his scratches has put fuel on the Alexander Semin trade rumor fire that has existed for a while now.

One possible suitor for Alex Semin would be the Detroit Red Wings. Rumors have swirled in the past with Jiri Hudler or Dan Cleary being involved in a deal for Semin. Hudler has not been the same since his return from the KHL. His off-season training program this past summer has gotten him off to a better start than last year, but he’s still not quite the 60 point player the Wings had before he left. Cleary has been struggling this season as well, and could potentially need a change of scenery. His grit and work ethic would be a good addition to a Capitals club looking to build for the playoffs. This trade would suit the Red Wings nicely as it would give them a scoring threat with huge potential, in addition to being surrounded by a mature team with plenty of Stanley Cup experience. Semin could thrive playing alongside fellow countryman Pavel Datsyuk, and all he would have to do is find open ice and wait for the pass. Beyond this season, the Red Wings would have additional salary cap space free to either re-sign Semin, or pursue a bigger free agent such as Shea Weber or Zach Parise.

Another rumored landing spot is Los Angeles. The Kings, however, have much less cap space available currently. They would be forced to make a pretty bold trade in order to acquire Semin. Nashville has been included in rumors as well, and would add a great scoring threat to the team. They have plenty of cap space available. The New York Islanders and Carolina Hurricanes are being thrown into the mix too. The Islanders have a lot of young talent they could offer to the Capitals, but Washington is probably looking for players who can contribute to a long playoff run. The Hurricanes are in a similar spot with plenty of cap space, but not a lot in terms of trade bait.

While it seems the Caps would love to unload Semin sooner rather than later, his $6.7 million per season salary will make him difficult to trade. However, it is possible that the team could waive Semin in an attempt to remove his salary. If no other teams claim him, Semin would join the Hershey Bears in the AHL where his salary would not count against the big club.

Where do you think Semin will land? Leave us a note in the comments with your thoughts on his future.

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Jarome Iginla trade makes sense for Flames

Dec 2

Posted by Chris in News | No Comments

In 14 years with the Calgary Flames, Jarome Iginla has only been to the Stanley Cup Finals once. That was also the only time he has been a part of a Flames team that advanced beyond the Conference Semi-Finals. Despite being a consistent scorer, the Flames have continually failed to provide Iginla with the proper supporting cast to make a legitimate run at the Stanley Cup. At 34-years-old, Iginla is on pace for one of his worst statistical seasons and the Flames will likely miss the playoffs for a third straight year. It’s time that the Flames do their star player a favor and trade him to a contender.

The problem with trading a player like Iginla involves how that move will impact his legacy in Calgary. Although not drafted by the Flames, Iginla played his first NHL game in a Flames sweater and has been with the club ever since. The fans adore Iginla thanks to his hard work ethic, his on-ice production and his humble nature. It probably doesn’t hurt that he will throw down the gloves for a good scrap every once in a while either. Needless to say, the thought of trading Iginla is viewed as a sacrileges act among the Calgary faithful.

But at some point, as a fan or as a general manager, you need to weigh the importance of building a winner versus keeping your star athlete. The payback on Iginla should certainly help the Flames begin building a winning franchise. After so many seasons where they just weren’t good enough, the Flames need to make the necessary moves to get themselves over the hump and begin seriously competing with the big guns in the West.

Besides, the Flames will have 12 free agents at the end of this season including Olli Jokinen, Scott Hannan, David Moss, Lee Stempniak and Cory Sarich. This season may provide the best time for Calgary to begin the rebuilding process as they can trade away a good number of players for draft picks and prospects and begin building for the future. Unfortunately, if that does happen, Calgary may be looking at a rebuilding process that could take a few seasons before they are truly a contender. Iginla is only signed through next season, but does he really want to go waste a valuable season at the end of his career with a rebuilding franchise?

The problem, as with almost any trade of a significant player, is finding a competitive team who can absorb his salary. And Iginla’s $7 million cap hit certainly doesn’t make that easy. Perhaps a team like the Nashville Predators could make a run at Iginla. The team needs more offense and a move of that caliber would be telling that the team is serious about building a winner, possibly providing incentive for free agents Shea Weber and Ryan Suter to stick around for longer. The Carolina Hurricanes have roughly $13 million in available cap space and would probably love to get their hands on a veteran scorer like Iginla.

Don’t count out a team like the Detroit Red Wings either. The Wings have roughly $5.5 million in available cap space and it’s been rumored that they would love to bring another scorer into their top-six. If Iginla becomes available, he could be a target for the Wings.

According to reports from Hockey Night in Canada, Iginla hasn’t outright asked for a trade, but he has stated that he is beginning to think about life with a team besides the Calgary Flames. That’s a huge step for someone who has been with the team for the better part of 14 years. With the amount of pending free agents in Calgary at season’s end, the Flames need to seriously consider selling assets and moving into rebuilding mode. Although Iginla’s contract doesn’t expire until the end of next season, moving him this year makes sense for the club and for Iginla himself.

What do you think? Should the Flames trade Iginla this season? Share your thoughts with us by leaving a comment or by visiting our Facebook page to join the discussion!

 

 

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Carolina Hurricanes fire head coach Paul Maurice

Nov 28

Posted by Chris in News | No Comments

Apparently the Washington Capitals aren’t the only team doing a little bit of housekeeping today as the Carolina Hurricanes have also fired their head coach.

This marks the end of the second stint with the team for Paul Maurice, who coached the Carolina/Hartford franchise from 1995-2003 and then was rehired to coach the Hurricanes during the 2007-08 season. Maurice led the team to the Eastern Conference Finals that season, but failed to make a playoff appearance since. His combined record with the team during both stints is 384-391-145.

Carolina currently sits last in the Southeast Division and 14th in the Eastern Conference. The team remains only five points out from a playoff spot in a tightly contested Eastern Conference race. However, Carolina has lost 10 of its last 13 games.

Former Montreal Canadiens assistant coach Kirk Muller will replace Maurice as the head coach. Muller spent five seasons with the Canadiens as an assistant coach under Guy Carbonneau. He left his post there to join the Nashville Predators organization as the head coach of their AHL affiliate, the Milwaukee Admirals. In his first season with the Admirals, Muller guided the team to a 10-6-1 record so far in 2011.  

 

 

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Justin Beiber and Selena Gomez Share Smooches in Box

Oct 25

Posted by Eddie in Media | No Comments

Taking in a hockey game just isn’t for country music stars and reality stars anymore. The biggest kid pop star on Earth and his main squeeze took in a Winnipeg Jets game Saturday night. 17 year-old Justin Beiber and actress girlfriend Selena Gomez each wore Jets jerseys as they were in town to watch the team formerly known as the Atlanta Thrashers take on the Carolina Hurricanes.

Once it became known the two were in the building in a suite, cameras were constantly panned on them. They even caught pictures of Gomez hanging all over Beiber like Tomas Holmstrom does the opposing goalie. The couple also got to skate at the MTS Centre after to the game.

Unlike the aforementioned at the beginning, Beiber actually has a hockey background. Growing up in the Stratford, Ontario area, Beiber played hockey until he realized a singing career might make him a few dollars much sooner than the long road of junior and professional hockey. One thing him and I have in common is we both have the same favorite player: Steve Yzerman. I once saw one of those Behind the Music specials when he talked about his hockey career and he was pretty good. Let’s hope he can put the biscuit in the basket off the ice as the couple were shown leaving in his and her’s 6-9 jerseys.

For those wondering, Winnipeg won the game 5-3.

Don't blame us for Justin Beiber and Selena Gomez each having a jersey that reads 69 when they stand together.

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2011-12 NHL Season Preview: Carolina Hurricanes

Sep 10

Posted by Eddie in Season Previews | 1 Comment

Offseason Losses: Erik Cole, Joe Corvo, Bryan Rodney

Offseason Additions: Anthony Stewart, Brian Boucher, Tomas Kaberle

Last Season Ranking: 9th in East

Expect Jeff Skinner to pick up right where he left off entering his second season.

Offense: The Canes are pretty stacked at the center position. The top three leading scorers from last season were all centers. Eric Staal returns as leader and face of the franchise. His offensive numbers were very impressive as he scored 33 goals and had 43 assists. But a byproduct of the awful defense the team had was his -10 rating. He will also quarterback the power play unit as he was the only player on the team with double-digit power play goals with 12 last season.

One of the breakout players from last season was rookie Jeff Skinner. The Calder Trophy winner led all rookies in the league in points with 63. He played a huge impact in them coming within a few points of making the playoffs. Just like with Detroit’s Jimmy Howard last season, I don’t expect a sophomore slump from Skinner.

The loss of Cole means there are 26 goals from last season that needs to be replaced. One player can’t fill his shoes entirely but expect a slew of young players to battle for limited spots on the team. They added Alexi Ponikarovsky and Anthony Stewart during the off season, but they can’t each be expected to score 20+ goals. Carolina could be playoff contenders just like last season if both players play within themselves ( 14 goals/35 points for Ponikarovsky and 16 goals/42 points for Stewart) they will have a solid first two lines.

This could be a make or break season for Zach Boychuk. Boychuk, 21, was the team’s first round pick (14th overall) in 2008 and the team is hoping can finally bust through and stick in Raleigh. In 23 games last season, Boychuk had four goals and three assists.

Defense: If there is anything the Canes need to an overhaul of, it’s the defense. They faced a league-high 33.2 shots per game and the addition of Kaberle should help keep the puck going the other direction because of his puck moving ability. The addition of assistant coach Dave Lewis should help strengthen their defense as he has many years of experience coaching stingy, sound defense while he was with the Detroit Red Wings. Carolina fans should still worry about the defense as Kaberle was the only addition and it appears the rest of the defensive depth chart will be filled from within during training camp provided they don’t make any other trades or free agent signings.

Goaltending: The addition of Brian Boucher is huge for the Hurricanes. They have someone who will give Cam Ward a few nights of rest without risking losing the game. That is what you need from a backup: someone who will give your team just as much of a chance to win as the starter. Ward started more games than any goalie in the league (74) and made over 200 more saves (2191 vs 1982) than the next goalie in the saves made list (Carey Price).

HWB Playoff Prediction: Not playoff bound. While the changes they made were good, they didn’t go enough to earn a playoff spot above the teams around them.

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Thrashers Beat Rangers: Rangers Playoff Bound?

Apr 8

Posted by EB in News, Soap Box | No Comments

It is that time of year, where either your team is in the playoffs and the excitement is not there, your team is not in and you’re playing spoiler, or perhaps the most fun of them all, your team is desperately fighting for a playoff spot. The New York Rangers are the last; desperately fighting for the playoffs.

The Rangers faced off against the Atlanta Thrashers last night in hopes of putting a little breathing room between them and 9th place Carolina Hurricanes. Unfortunately though their hopes were just that, hopes, and the Thrashers are trying to play spoiler with a 3-0 victory.

The loss has now put Carolina in the driver’s seat as Carolina is currently 2 points back with a game in hand. If it plays out that both teams win all of their remaining games (Rangers 1 and Carolina 2), they will be tied at 93 points a piece. At that point the Carolina Hurricanes have the tiebreaker and will advance to the payoffs.

If you recall last year, the Rangers finished in 9th spot, just one point out of the playoffs. As close as that may sound, it was even closer as their final game of the season was against the Philadelphia Flyers. Both teams were going into the game with 86 points a piece, both fighting for the last spot. The game ended in an excellent fashion, going into overtime and finally being decided by a shootout.

You know the ending, the Rangers lost last year in a shootout and this year they could lose to a tiebreaker. A question of debate has come up over overtime receiving a point. Rangers head coach John Tortorella has been outspoken against the extra point. Would his opinion change if his team made it last year? Who knows. Will he curse the NHL if his team loses to a tiebreaker? Most likely. Regardless, these last few games will be pretty fun to watch. My vote is with the Carolina Hurricanes.

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Hockey World Blog Season Previews 2010:Carolina Hurricanes

Sep 10

Posted by Eddie in Season Previews | No Comments

Key Offseason Losses: Ray Whitney, Rod Brind’Amour

Key Offseason Additions:Joe Corvo, Anton Babchuk

Last Season Ranking: 11th place, East

Offense: The top line of the ‘Canes is as good as any in the East. They are led by Eric Staal, who led the team last season with 70 points. He will be supplemented by Jussi Jokinen on the left wing. Both players are expected to carry majority of the scoring load. Not far behind will be linemate Tuomo Ruutu and the second line of Sergei Samsonov, Brandon Sutter, and Chad LaRose. In terms of prospects, Drayson Bowman is the prospect that is most likely to crack the roster after training camp. The 21-year-old left winger recorded 32 points in 56 games for Albany in the AHL last season. The top power play line of Staal, Jokinen, and Samsonov should score a lot of goals, but if there’s any injuries to them problems could arise due to a lack of depth.

Carolina center Eric Staal is expected to lead the team in points this season. Expect him to get close to 80 points for the Hurricanes.

Carolina center Eric Staal is expected to lead the team in points this season. Expect him to get close to 80 points for the Hurricanes.

Defense: Defense is one area where the Hurricanes did improve upon. Joe Corvo was traded at the deadline as he was in a contract year, but was able to re-sign during the off season. Anton Babchuk last appeared in the NHL during Carolina’s 2009 playoff run, but he bolted for the KHL last summer. He returns to Raleigh and the team is looking for the player who scored 16 goals and had a plus-13 rating two years ago. The Corvo-Babchuk duo is expected to form the No. 2 defensive pairing while Joni Pitkanen and Tim Gleason should see the most ice time at the blue line. Don’t be surprised of coach Paul Maurice will tinker and experiment with different combinations amongst the four. The third defensive pairing will feature young, inexperienced players at the NHL level. It could most likely be Bobby Sanguinetti and Jamie McBain.

Goaltending: This is the area that could be the X-factor for Carolina. Cam Ward has had a great start to his carer when he won the Stanley Cup and Conn Smythe Award as a rookie. It was a freak accident with Rick Nash and back problems that kept him on the sidelines more often than in goal last season. Which Ward will we see this season? The team can only hope for the player who won 30, 37, and 39 games in his career and not the one who went 18-23-5 like he did last season. Manny Legace was the backup season, but expect them to stay young and go with Justin Peters as the backup.

Season Outlook: One thing is for sure, they cannot afford the same type of start that they went through last season. After beginning the season 2-12-4, they were pretty much done before Thanksgiving. But they did end the season on a positive note when they finished 21-10-3. But it was too little, too late as it was only good enough to finish 11th in the conference. They have a lot to show and improve upon if they want to make the playoffs. They didn’t do enough in free agency to be considered a playoff contender, but if Ward can play the way he did two seasons ago anything can happen.

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NHL will open 2010-2011 Season Overseas

Sep 7

Posted by EB in News | 5 Comments

The Phoenix Coyotes and Boston Bruins will travel oversees for the beginning of the 2010-2011 season playing at O2 Arena Prague, Czech Republic. Phoenix and Boston will play their two first games against each other on Saturday, October 9th and Sunday, October 10th.

The Carolina Hurricanes and the Minnesota Wild will face off at Hartwell Areena in Helsinki, Finland on Thursday, October 7th and Friday, October 8th.

The Columbus Blue Jackets and the San Jose Sharks compete in a conference square off in Stockholm, Sweden. The two teams will play both Friday, October 8th and Saturday, October 9th at Ericsson Globe Arena.

The oversees games are a continuing business move to increase fans across the globe. Last season, the Chicago Blackhawks and the Florida Panthers opened in Helsinki. Sales on Friday and Saturday broke the Hartwall Areena record for highest merchandise sales ever for a hockey game at that venue. Merchandise sales also saw and increase of 52% from the 2008 numbers.

Be it that you are for or oppose the NHL’s move to attract more fans, it seems it is here to say and for the right reason. The move increases global audience as some competitors such as the NFL already have.

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