Canes Country

Who are Carolina's best shot blockers?

2012-05-16T01:18:08Z

Shot blocking is something that is always fawned upon by media members as a vital skill to have if you want to go far. The recent playoff series between the Rangers and Capitals has magnified this point since both teams have limited the opposition's scoring chances by crowding up the areas in front of the net and not allowing any shots to get through. No one will doubt the importance of shot blocking, especially for teams who aren't good at controlling possession. It provides a way for a team to possibly make up for not having forwards capable of driving the play at a high rate and make things easier on their goaltenders. However, teams who block a lot of shots do have their issues.

Teams that end up blocking a lot of shots usually means that they are spending most of their time in their own zone, which isn't a good thing. If you were to look at the top shot blocking team's in the league, you'll probably notice that most of them aren't exactly good at driving possession. Another thing you will notice is that seven of the top ten teams in the NHL missed the playoffs, as well. It shows that while shot blocking is very important, it should be the only thing that is relied on to win games.

With that in mind, shot blocking is often used to judge how good a player is defensively but there are a lot of times when a team's leading shot blocker just ends up being on ice for a lot of shots against and is forced to get in the way of a lot of them. A better way to find out who is the best at shot blocking is to see how many shot attempts a player was on ice for and see what percentage of them he blocked. Thanks to Derek Zona and George Ays, we can do that. Although, there aren't many surprises with Carolina's players.

More after the jump

What we are going to do is look at the sum of goals, shots on goal, missed and blocked shots that a player was on ice for and look at a player's even strength blocked shots. This will give us an idea of which players are doing a better job at preventing shots against and which ones are just on ice for a lot of shots and are forced to block a lot out of necessity. Let's see how the Canes defensemen look through after applying this method.

Player	ES BLK	Attempts/60	Block %
Bryan Allen	145	59.23	11.0%
Jaroslav Spacek	61	59.08	10.2%
Jay Harrison	120	60.4	9.9%
Jamie McBain	93	61.55	7.5%
Tim Gleason	92	60.06	6.5%
Joni Pitkanen	31	62.3	6.2%
Justin Faulk	67	59.34	6.0%
Derek Joslin	24	64.27	5.4%

Remember how I said that there wouldn't be a lot of surprises? Well, it shouldn't surprise anyone that Bryan Allen is Carolina's best shot blocker. He was also one of their better players at preventing shots against, too. What might surprise people is that Allen isn't only Carolina's best shot blocker, he is one of the best in the league. If you refer to the NHL Numbers link I posted in the introduction, you will see that Allen ranks as one of the league's best defensemen in ESBS% (even strength blocked shot percentage) and he is also fourth in the NHL in blocked shots. He was rock solid last year...just don't let his agent find out.

One surprise on here might be Jaroslav Spacek being at #2 because he didn't have many even strength blocks, but that was because he wasn't on ice for many shots against and when he was, he got in the way of a good chunk of him. It is easy to forget that he was used in a shutdown role with the Canadiens a couple years ago. The other surprise might be Tim Gleason not blocking as many shots at even strength as one would expect. He has 112 blocks on the year, but it appears that a good chunk of those might be coming on the PK. He also isn't blocking as many compared to the amount he is on ice for.

Jay Harrison had a career year and the fact that he was one of the team's better shot blocker is a nice bonus for him. However, his partner, Justin Faulk, was not very good in this category but he also didn't allow as many shots against so it isn't that big of a deal. Faulk isn't expected to block as many shots because of the more offensive role he is normally used in, though.

As for the forwards? Against, the #1 spot shouldn't surprise many people.

Forwards

Player	ES BLK	Attempts/60	Block %
Brandon Sutter	64	61.43	5.42%
Patrick Dwyer	48	60.9	5.05%
Tim Brent	30	60.29	4.34%
Jiri Tlusty	46	63.22	4.30%
Jussi Jokinen	39	59.46	3.82%
Riley Nash	1	48.6	2.78%
Zac Dalpe	4	66.29	2.63%
Anthony Stewart	15	58.71	2.57%
Tuomo Ruutu	22	60.86	2.23%
Andreas Nodl	14	58.25	2.18%
Drayson Bowman	9	56.35	2.11%
Eric Staal	26	59.35	2.04%
Jeff Skinner	14	57.41	1.58%
Chad LaRose	12	61.26	1.28%
Zach Boychuk	1	47.89	0.97%
Brett Sutter	0	58.96	0.00%

Brandon Sutter and Patrick Dwyer come out on top here and Sutter also has one of the spots on the league leader board in Derek's article. It is hard to believe how good he is defensively at such a young age. I have always considered him and Dwyer the team's best defensive forwards and this does nothing to change my opinion. If Sutter could get some more recognition then maybe we can start talking Selke for him. Kidding....sort of.

I have mentioned that Tim Brent was giving up a lot of shots in his own end and struggling to create many shots and scoring chances on his own, but this shows that he was slightly better defensively than I gave him credit for. Tlusty is another guy that is on ice for a lot of shots against but doing a good job of at least getting in the way of a portion of them.

It also isn't shocking to see some of the more offensive players towards the bottom of the list, namely Jeff Skinner, Tuomo Ruutu and Eric Staal. One surprise is Chad LaRose, who was the worst regular forward on the team at blocking shots and was on ice for a fairly high amount of the opposition's shot attempts, too. I wouldn't pay attention to the numbers from the call-ups because they didn't play in that many games.

This is something to remember the next time you think about shot blocking or are thinking about signing a player for this particular skill. It's a vital skill to have, but a player must be well-versed in other areas, too. Like being able to prevent shot attempts.

Stick tap to Behind The Net for the data.

Unrestricted Free Agents: The Northeast Division

2012-05-15T01:01:58Z

As promised, here is the second group of UFA's, guys from the Northeast Division. There are virtually no big names in this group, but there could still be a few good role players that might be able to help the Canes out next season. There are also a few "project" players that could interest JR, but most of these guys are bottom 6 or bottom pairing guys. Come July 1st, I don't expect to see many of these guys on the Canes radar, but surprises can happen. Especially if we have any trades this offseason and lose some role players, we might have to find a guy to play a certain role.

Again, what I did was break down the UFA's by team with a small blurb on each player. If the UFA played in less than 20 games in 2011/2012, I listed them without any blurb. The next Division on my list will be our own, the Southeast Division, which I will post on Thursday before starting on the Western Conference. Please take a look and let me know your thoughts on these potential free agents.

Boston Bruins

Brian Rolston - LW/RW - Rolston actually played well after being traded to Boston. He had 15 points in 21 games, but he is on his last leg in the league. He's 39 and requires a particular system to excel, so I doubt JR would take a chance on him.

Chris Kelly - C - Kelly is an interesting player. He is a solid 3rd line player that can score a little and contributes on the PK. If the Canes were looking for a good 3rd liner to play with Sutter, Kelly would be a very good option.

Daniel Paille - LW - Paille is a good 4th liner and/or PKer, but we probably have guys that are close in comparison.

Joe Corvo - D - A familiar face, Corvo definitely didn't have one of his better seasons. This is twice that he left Carolina and his game suffered. I don't think JR will bring him back again, but you never know for certain.

Greg Zanon - D - Zanon is probably one of the more interesting Northeast UFA's to me. He doesn't provide much offense at all and he isn't exactly big, but he is a solid defensive defenseman. He blocks a lot of shots and is positionally sound. He might also be a good mentor for one of the young defensemen.

Mike Mottau - D - Mottau is a typical veteran depth defenseman. He'll work in a pinch, but he's no longer a NHL full-timer.

Players with less than 20 games this past season - Marty Turco G, Josh Hennessy C, Zach McKelvie D, Nathan McIver D

Ottawa Senators

Jesse Winchester - C/RW - Here's another 4th liner/penalty killer. He's not going to be more than that, but he's solid in those roles.

Zenon Konopka - LW/C - Konopka is a really interesting player. He's a good faceoff guy and someone who will stick up for his teammates, but that's all. He doesn't provide any offense and isn't great defensively. If we're looking for a fighter, he would work. But he would be healthy scratched a lot because he doesn't provide much else.

Filip Kuba - D - Kuba is a decent defenseman with some size, but he doesn't really use his size to his advantage and he is getting older. If we experienced a long-term injury, he might be a good fill-in, but I can't see much advantage in signing him.

Matt Gilroy - D - Gilroy has a little bit of offensive abilities, but he's not very strong defensively. He's a little older than one might expect. He's a bottom pairing guy and we have guys that can do what he does.

Matt Carkner - D - He's a Konopka type of player on the blueline. He's willing to fight and isn't a defensive liability. He's not really a full-time player, but would be a good 7th defenseman and someone to use against more physical teams.

Players with less than 20 games this past season - Rob Klinkhammer LW, Alex Auld G, Mark Parrish RW, Tim Conboy D, Corey Locke C/LW, Francis Lessard RW/LW, Mike McKenna G

Buffalo Sabres

Brad Boyes - C/RW - Boyes is the definition of a "project". He has 50+ point ability, but has struggled at times. He could be a big reward or a big waste of money. He usually performs well when he first joins a new team and he is a right shot. If the price is right, I think JR might take the gamble for 1 season.

Jochen Hecht - C/LW - Hecht is a solid two-way player, but he's getting old and has some injury history. I don't see the Canes going after a long-time Slug.

Alexander Sulzer - D - He's an offensive defenseman that has never gotten a full season to prove himself. He has ability and is decent enough in his own end. I think he would be a nice pickup if we weren't so heavy with offensive guys on the blueline.

Players with less than 20 games this past season - Shaone Morrisonn D, David Leggio G, Derek Whitmore LW, Colin Stuart LW, Travis Turnbull RW/C, Michael Ryan LW/RW, Drew MacIntyre G

Toronto Maple Leafs

Joey Crabb - RW/LW - I sort of view Crabb as a Tim Brent type of player. He could be a good 3rd/4th liner for us, but he would probably get more money elsewhere and we have some guys that can play in the bottom 6.

Jay Rosehill - LW - Another enforcer that pretty much provides nothing else. If the Canes are looking for this type of player, there are others that could help out a little more in other areas.

Jonas Gustausson - G - Once the hottest goaltender outside of the NHL, "The Monsters" stock has really dropped. He still has some potential, but he has a lot more flaws now.

Philippe Dupuis - C/W - He could fill-in on the 4th line, but isn't really anything special. Not trying to be mean, but a dime-a-dozen forward.

Players with less than 20 games this past season - Jeff Finger D, Mike Zigomanis C, Matt Lashoff D, Ryan Hamilton LW

Montreal Canadiens

Travis Moen - LW/RW - Moen has good size and a great work ethic. He won't provide much offense, but can be a solid checking winger and penalty killer.

Mathieu Darche - LW/RW - Another hard worker that can play in the bottom 6. His problem is consistency, you just don't know what level of production you'll get from him. He's got nice size, but he's on the older side.

Brad Staubitz - RW/LW - Staubitz is another enforcer type, but smaller than most. He will be a great teammate, but doesn't provide much more.

Chris Campoli - D - Campoli is a offensive defenseman with some speed. He's extremely inconsistent and not very good in his own end. I can't see him working for this team.

Players with less than 20 games this past season - Brian Willsie RW, Garrett Stafford D, Joe Callahan D, Nathan Lawson G, Alex Henry D

So do any of these players interest you? Do you think that JR will go after any of these guys come July 1st? Let me know what you think. Up next: The Southeast Division.

Sunday Speculation: Who Says Goodbye?

2012-05-13T12:00:12Z

So far this offseason, we Caniacs have been treated to a couple of juicy rumors. We have heard that the Canes are expected to make pitches to Zach Parise & Ryan Suter and we also have heard that the Canes could be interested in acquiring Jordan Staal. Even JR has publicly said that the Canes are in the market for a top-tier player and Peter Karmanos has given the ok to spend some money for the "right" player. But the Canes currently have 11 forwards, 6 defenseman, and 2 goalies under 1-way contracts for next season. We also have 2 or 3 forward and 2 or 3 defensive prospects that might be on the cusp of becoming full-time NHLers and this doesn't even include any draftee that may come in ready to compete for a roster spot. So given all of these things, it seems likely that 1 or more of our current players/prospects may have a new address next season.

So the question is; which current Cane player/prospect will be on the move this summer? And if they are moved, where do they end up and what do we get back in return? For all of the potential exciting news that comes with acquiring a new player, also comes the sad news that a player we have supported we will be wearing a different sweater next season. After the jump, I will list a couple of players that could be moved this offseason and why. Let me know who you think is the most likely to leave the organization and where they may end up..

Zach Boychuk - The former 1st round pick that was destined to take Ray Whitney's place has yet to live up to expectations. You could even say that each year his light was gotten dimmer & dimmer. He went from player in 31 games in 09/10, producing 3 goals & 6 assists to 16 games in 11/12, producing only 2 assists. Even his AHL numbers took a dip from the 10/11 season. Boychuk has the skill to be a NHLer, but his work ethic or desire seem to be what is keeping him from reaching the top level. He is a RFA this summer and he might be one of those players that benefits from a change of scenery. His size and defensive abilities are two of his biggest questions, so he needs to find a home where those weaknesses are hid and his playmaking abilities are allowed to shine. I don't think the Canes let him go for nothing, but I don't expect them to get a whole lot in return either.

I suspect that Boychuk will probably be traded for a 4th round pick or part of some package deal as added "sweetener".

Jussi Jokinen - It would be tough for the Canes to give up Jussi because he really he a good player with versatility and is a person that everybody just loves. But if the Canes do end up trading for a top-tier player, Jussi could be part of the deal going back the other way. While his goal scoring has dropped the past 2 seasons, he's still an effective offensive player and has average more than 0.60 PPG during his career. And to that, he can play any forward position up & down the lineup and he has one affordable contract and teams would like the flexibility he offers. If Jussi is dealt this summer, it would have to be for quite a return as only Eric Staal has more points for the Canes over the past 3 seasons.

I suspect that Jussi remains a Hurricane unless someone like a Bobby Ryan comes available.

Derek Joslin - Joslin is a real interesting case for me. When he first came to Carolina, he was somewhat impressive and looked to be a player that could give us some toughness & offensive on the blueline. But last season, he started out by seeing very little ice time and when he did, he did not look all that good. He was switched to a 4th line forward by Muller, but I wouldn't say the experiment went as well as expected. He obviously wasn't good enough in practice to displace any other defender and with 2 or 3 prospects trying to make their case, does he really have a shot at being anything more than an injury fill-in? I know a lot of posters here like Joslin, but it just doesn't appear that he has a place on this team.

I suspect the Canes might try to trade him, but find no takers. I think he sits in the press box and is eventually put on waivers before being sent to Charlotte.

Jamie McBain - Surprising enough, McBain is the top point producing defenseman for the the Canes over the past 2 seasons. But while his offensive has been there, the defensive side & physicality from Jamie have not progressed as quickly as hoped. McBain is a RFA this summer and with prospects like Ryan Murphy, Bobby Sanguinetti, and Brian Dumoulin chomping at the chance to make the squad, McBain might become expendable. Puck-moving defensemen seem to be hot commodities in the NHL, so he might bring back a decent return and the Canes should have plenty of options to easily replace him. He's a good, young player, but the Hurricanes are in need of something different and McBain doesn't seem like the player that will produce that.

I suspect that McBain will be packaged with someone or something else for a pretty decent return, maybe a top 6 forward. If that doesn't materialize, I think McBain will be traded at the draft for a high 2nd Round Pick.

Anthony Stewart - I believe that Stewart is the most likely player not to be on this team come next season. While you could argue that Stewart produced pretty well for his limited ice time, but he never was able to gain much traction and become more than a 4th liner. He was signed to a 2 year contract with the opportunity to play in the top 9, but didn't come to camp in the best condition and was never able to recover. He doesn't really contribute on either special team and it doesn't appear good enough to take over a top 9 role with the Canes. He was placed on waivers at you point last season and he had no takers. With his escalating contract (typical of JR contracts), the Canes could save some money by buying out Stewart's remaining contract.

I suspect that the Canes will make another attempt to see if any other team wants Stewart, but will end up buying his contract out. I do believe that some NHL team will pick him up, but his NHL career is likely coming to an end unless he really blows the doors off next season.

So, these are the players that I think are the most likely to moved before next season. What do you think? Is there someone else that you feel is more likely to be moved? Please let me know.

Poll

Which Current Player Will Not Be Back for the 2012/2013 Season?

What role does Jamie McBain play next season?

2012-05-12T10:14:26Z

One of my favorite players to analyze this year has been Carolina's young defenseman Jamie McBain. When I say that, I mean that his season has been a pretty wild ride and following it has been interesting to say the least. He may have been in the press box on opening night, but over the year, he was used in just about every role on the defense corps. McBain spent a lot of his time playing in both the top-four and the third-pariing while contributing to both special teams units, which showed how versatile he is at such a young age. His performance in these roles, however, is what made this season such a roller coaster for him.

Statistically speaking, McBain had a decent year with 8 goals and 27 points, which is three fewer than he had last year but still solid for a defenseman. McBain also had the highest even strength scoring chance ratio among Carolina defensemen who were on the team for the entire season, which looks like an impressive feat at first glance but you have to dig a little deeper to see why McBain was seemingly able to outperform most of the defense this year. McBain had a solid year overall, but I think some of the credit for his success should be attributed to both Kirk Muller and Jaroslav Spacek, which is something to keep in mind when it comes time to renew his contract in a couple months.

I have little to no doubt that McBain will be qualified and retained, but where he fits in the lineup next season is something that is up in the air. Find out why after the jump.

A coach's impact on a player's performance might not always show up in counting stats, but they almost always do in the underlying numbers. For instance, a player who the coach regularly sends out in the offensive zone is likely going to be on ice for more scoring chances than he gives up (unless he completely stinks) and vice versa. This, in turn, has an influence on a players counting stats because more scoring chances equates to more goals most of the time.

Now, let's think about what I just said in the last paragraph and apply it to Jamie McBain this season. Both coaches seemed to use McBain all over the lineup but one thing that can be agreed on is that his most frequent partners were Joni Pitkanen and Jaroslav Spacek. Both of those two have completely different roles on the team; Pitkanen is expected to be an all-around defenseman and play 20+ minutes a game while Spacek was used in a sheltered third-pairing role. McBain would either be playing 20+ minutes against somewhat tough competition or be used in a protected role depending on who he was partnered with. His performance in these roles were a pretty sharp contrast from one another.

McBain was sort of forced into a third-pairing role in the middle of the season because Pitkanen missed a lot of time and the coaching staff felt that he wasn't quite ready for a shutdown role just yet. Placing McBain on the third pairing turned out to be the right call as he thrived in this role, but only when he was playing with Spacek.

Partner	TOI	CF/15	CA/15	Diff/15
Spacek	261.73	5.273	4.356	0.917
Pitkanen	324.35	3.885	4.44	-0.555
Gleason	268.58	3.519	3.965	-0.447
Joslin	158.36	2.652	3.599	-0.947

TOI = even strength time on ice, CF/15 = even strength chances for per 15 mins, CA/15 = even strength chances allowed per 15 minutes, Diff/15 = Chance differential

This table shows McBain's scoring chance numbers at even strength when he was on ice with a certain defenseman and you can see that Spacek was the only one of his regular partners that he had a positive differential with. Those two gave up quite a bit in their own end but they made up for it by producing a strong amount of offense, which essentially means they were playing their role on the third pairing. Keep in mind that McBain was getting sheltered minutes when he was playing with Spacek, too. Another defenseman who McBain received sheltered minutes with was Derek Joslin and they were not effective at all. I don't know how much that has to do with Joslin, though.

The one thing that should stick out to fans is McBain's numbers with Pitkanen because the general belief has been that those who are a solid pairing but the numbers beg to differ. Pitkanen and McBain are given a lot of responsibility when they play together, so it isn't a good thing that they are giving up more chances than any other of the defense pairings sampled here. I am thinking that it might be a good idea to separate them next season because both of them are more offensive-minded defensemen and mistakes are bound to happen when two players of that style are on the same pairing. Pitkanen might benefit from having a more defensive-minded partner but this could also help McBain.

	Chances For	Chances Against	Chance%
w/Pitkanen	87	95	0.478
w/o Pitkanen	245	238	0.508

You can see that McBain played a lot better when he was away from Pitkanen, or at least he did in terms of producing and preventing scoring chances. Some evidence against this is that McBain was being used in easier situations when he wasn't with Pitkanen or Gleason, which likely resulted in him having stronger numbers. One also has to wonder if McBain can succeed in a third pairing role with someone who isn't Jaro Spacek, because he appeared to struggle with that this season.

Player	Chances For	Chances Against	Chance%
w/Spacek	92	76	0.548
w/o Spacek	240	257	0.483

McBain's performance away from Spacek isn't terrible, but it isn't particularly great either. McBain and Spacek did just about everything that a third defense pairing is supposed to do. They were able to play at least 12-16 minutes a night, kept play in the offensive zone and put up a decent amount of offense. That's about all you can ask out of guys playing that role. Whether or not McBain will play in this kind of role next season is a good question, though.

The coaching staff has shown that they trust McBain with top-four minutes and aren't afraid to use him in different situations but the way he's responded to them has been a mixed bag to say the least. I think that if McBain is going to succeed, he is going to need to play with someone who plays a much safer, conservative game compared to him. I think this is what made he and Spacek such an effective duo, they played relatively different styles but one was able to cover for the other if they made a mistake. McBain likely won't have Spacek to fall back on next year, so it is going to be interesting to see how Muller & the coaching staff uses him, especially with a lot of young defensemen looking to make the team out of camp. In the end, I think he will likely make the team before others and be a starter on game 1 but where he is in the lineup probably won't be determined until the last few days before the season.

Poll

Who do you think Jamie McBain's defense partner should be next year?

NHL Numbers Mock Draft

2012-05-11T04:42:49Z

NHL Numbers Mock Draft

Derek Zona of Copper and Blue and the new stat-site on the Nation's Network, NHL Numbers, released his mock draft yesterday and he has the Hurricanes taking Teuvo Teräväinen of Jokerit at #8. Any thoughts or opinions on this?

Unrestricted Free Agents: The Atlantic Division

2012-05-11T02:00:43Z

I know it's still early, but I thought it might be fun for us to start looking at some of the UFA's that might be available come July 1st and discuss which one's might be right fit for the Canes next season. As you can guess, the sheer number of UFA's is huge, so I decided to break them down per Division. While there isn't a large amount of big names available this summer, there still could be some interesting targets. Even though JR has stated that he is looking for a top-tier player, he is known for getting second-tier or project players and there are plenty of those available this offseason.

What I did was break down the UFA's by team with a small blurb on each player. If the UFA played in less than 20 games in 2011/2012, I listed them without any blurb. I've started off with the Atlantic Division and will break down the other Divisions over the next couple of weeks. Please take a look and let me know your thoughts on these potential free agents.

New Jersey Devils

Zach Parise - LW/C - Parise is obviously the prize of the UFA market this season. I think everyone would agree that Parise would be exactly what the Canes needs in a true 1st liner, but the Canes would be only one of the few teams vying for his services.

Alexei Ponikarovsky - LW/RW - Poni didn't do badly in Carolina, but he didn't necessarily fit either. While his game has improved with the Devils, I highly doubt that JR will try to resign him.

Ryan Carter - C/LW - He's a good 4th line/energy player, but he's really not what the Canes need at all.

Petr Sykora - LW/RW - Sykora had a nice return to the NHL, putting up 21 goals. But he is in the backside of his career, so I doubt JR would take a gamble on him.

Cam Jansen - RW - If JR is looking for someone to protect Skinner, Jansen has those skills. But other than his fighting ability, he really doesn't offer anything else.

Steve Bernier - RW - He has a little bit of size and has skill, but he can't seem to put it together. He seems like one of those potential JR projects if the price is right.

Bryce Salvador - D - He's a stay-at-home defenseman that is pretty consistent, but he's not very quick and is getting up there in age.

Martin Brodeur - G - While Brodeur is a free agent, he is most likely not available. He will either resign with the Devils or retire.

Johan Hedberg - G - Hedberg has been pretty decent the past couple of seasons and has always played well against the Canes. If we are looking at a backup, he might be a good candidate.

Matt Taormina - D - A younger offensive defenseman that is not really for full-time duty; not something we need.

Brad Mills - C/W - Pretty much a career AHLer, I think I would pass.

Players with less than 20 games this past season - Stephen Gionta C/W, Peter Harrold D, Tim Sestito C/LW, Jay Leach D

New York Islanders

Jay Pandolfo - LW/C - A player on the downside of his career. He's gritty, but that's pretty much all he'll provide.

PA Parenteau - RW - Probably the best available distributor, but will he make it to free agency? He would look nice in the Canes top 6, but I think he ends up staying put.

Mark Eaton - D - He's a solid, veteran defenseman, but doesn't do anything particularly well and has a long list of injuries.

Steve Staios - D - A gritty defenseman that has plenty of experience. But he's old and is at most a 3rd pairing guy.

Milan Jurcina - D - Looking at Jurcina and you would think he would be a great defensive defenseman. He's HUGE, but doesn't really play that way. He also just doesn't seem to have the drive to succeed in the league.

Dylan Reese - D - He looks like a tweener, good enough for the AHL, but not enough for the NHL.

Al Montoya - G - Former 1st round pick has shown glimpses, but can't put it together for extended periods.

Players with less than 20 games this past season - Michael Haley W/C, John Grahame G, Trevor Gillis LW, Trevor Frischmon C, Jeremy Colliton RW/C

New York Rangers

Ruslan Fedotenko - LW/RW - Fedotenko seems to be a good complimentary player that shows flashes every now and then.

Steve Eminger - D - Somewhat a solid player that plays a pretty effective game. He's probably a lower pairing guy, but could work in the right situation.

Jeff Woywitka - D - A nice sized defenseman, but is probably more of an 8th defenseman than a full-time player.

Stu Bickel - D - A big, young defenseman that has a lot of limitations.

John Scott - D/LW - A HUGE presence at 6' 8", 270 lbs. He is in the NHL for one reason and one reason alone.

Martin Biron - G - An experienced goaltender that is still putting up decent numbers in a backup role. If the Canes are looking for backup help, then Biron could be an option.

Players with less than 20 games this past season - Andre Deveaux RW, Chad Johnson G, Brendan Bell D, Mike Vernace D, Chris Chappell LW, Kris Newbury C/W

Philadelphia Flyers

Jaromir Jagr - RW - Jagr was a true superstar and still still pretty darn good now. But age and nagging injuries seem to be catching up to him, so you couldn't rely on him for a whole season. But I have to admit it would be interesting to see what he could do in a Carolina sweater.

Pavel Kubina - D - A solid, but inconsistent all-around defenseman. His age are a concern, but could still be an effective defender in the right situation.

Matt Carle - D - Carle is a very interesting player. His game reminds me a lot of Pitkanen with a few differences. He doesn't provide quite the offensive as Joni, but is mobile and a good passer. Carle's a little better positionally and should get a decent contract due to the shallow free agent pool.

Players with less than 20 games this past season - Blair Betts C, Michael Leighton G, Johan Backlund G, Dan Jancevski D, Jason Bacashihua G

Pittsburgh Penguins

Steve Sullivan - LW/RW - A very skilled winger that is getting up there in age. He still contributes, but would not help the Canes getting any bigger.

Aaron Asham - RW/LW - He seems a lot like a later years Scott Walker. He's not huge, but is gritty and shows some skill every once in a while. He might be a decent protector, but some consider him a "dirty" player.

Richard Park - W/C - Park is basically a 13th forward. He can play in the bottom 6, but he's not blowing the doors off anyone. He could contribute a little more a few years ago, but his best days are behind him.

Players with less than 20 games this past season - Steve MacIntyre LW, Brent Johnson G, Jason Williams W/C, Colin McDonald RW, Scott Munroe G, Brad Thiessen G, Ryan Craig C/LW

So do any of these players interest you? Do you think that JR will go after any of these guys come July 1st? Let me know what you think. Up next: The Northeast Division.

2011-12 Canes Exit Reviews: Drayson Bowman

2012-05-07T13:00:32Z

Continuing our look at the individual performances from the Carolina Hurricanes players last season, we move onto one of the team's more impressive call-ups from Charlotte, Drayson Bowman. There were some people, myself included, who thought that Bowman had a decent shot to make the Hurricanes out of camp but he would start the season in Charlotte and was eventually called up in November. After not making much of an impression in his first call-up, Bowman would get another shot in mid-December where he was immediately given top-six minutes and had an impressive two goal performance against the Vancouver Canucks.

Bowman would go the next 22 games without scoring a goal and spent most of the month of January in the AHL but he did a lot of good things away from the puck and was impressive enough for the coaching staff to play him in 37 games while giving him top-nine minutes. He settled into a third line role with Brandon Sutter toward the end of the year and made a strong case to be on the Hurricanes to start next season. Similar things were said about him at the end of last season, but he appears to have found a role on this team and the fact that he scored a little bit should help, as well.

After the jump, we will review the ups and downs of Bowman's season and discuss whether or not he will find a permanent spot on the Hurricanes next season.

	GP	G	A	Pts	+/-	PIM	PPG	SHG	S	S%
Drayson Bowman	37	6	7	13	2	4	0	0	70	8.6%

The Good: Even though Bowman was not scoring much, he gave the Hurricanes exactly what they needed which was players who could push the puck into the opponent's end and keep it there. The Canes were outshooting their opponents 29.8 to 28.6 at 5-on-5 when Bowman was on the ice and he also had one of the strongest corsi relative ratings on the team. Puck possession and is something that the Hurricanes struggled with all season and Bowman helped a lot in that area during his time in Carolina.

Bowman was also one of the team's better players in terms of controlling scoring chances as the Canes were controlling 52.8% of the even strength chances with Bowman on the ice, which was the second highest ratio on the team. To make things even better, he wasn't giving up a lot at the other end, either. It shows that Bowman was definitely getting his opportunities and was a solid contributor in areas that may have not shown up on the scoresheet. Bowman was also averaging 1.8 shots per game with the Hurricanes.

The Bad: The biggest issue with Bowman was that he didn't score much at all at the pro level. He went all of 2010-11 without a goal and had only six goals in 37 games this year. For a call-up, that isn't bad at all but I think people were expecting a little more from him. His scoring looks a little worse when you consider that four of his six goals came in two games and he had long stretches where he didn't score at all. Now, this isn't completely out of his control because he had 35 shots on goal in those 22 games and was creating plenty of chances, he just couldn't seem to finish them.

This isn't to say that all of Bowman's scoring troubles can be traced to bad luck, but I it is fair to say that the had a good amount of bounces that didn't go his way. It is also tough to judge Bowman's overall potential and future because he played only 37 games this season, which is big enough of a sample size to say that he had a positive impact on the team but too small to make predictions about his future performance.

The Money: Bowman is in the final year of his entry-level contract which has a cap hit of $845,833 after factoring in performance bonuses. He is set to become an RFA in July but the Hurricanes have the option to qualify him before that and it shouldn't be too hard for them to keep him around. GM Jim Rutherford has been impressed with Bowman's performance this season so it is hard to imagine that he will let him walk in a couple months.

As for Bowman's value, he wasn't exactly a huge bargain but he was only on an entry-level deal so money isn't a huge concern with him at the moment. I am interested to see what kind of deal he gets this off-season but it probably will not be anything above what he made this season.

The Final Word: Is Bowman a top-six player or a third liner? It is looking more like the latter now, but he showed this year that he can at least be a solid contributor at the NHL level and has a very good chance of making the team next season. One thing that is a little concerning is whether or not Bowman can hold his ground against the tough competition that comes with playing on the third line & Brandon Sutter. He did a decent job this season, but can he do it over 82 games? That is a good question.

The Vote: What grade would you give Bowman on the season? Give him an A if he surpassed your expectations, a C if he met them or an F if he completely let you down. Were you impressed with what you saw from Bowman this season, or were you expecting him to score more. What role do you see Bowman playing on the Canes in the long-run? Tell us in the comments.

Poll

What grade would you give Bowman's performance this year?

Sunday Speculation: Who Would Have the Biggest Impact?

2012-05-06T12:00:39Z

While the offseason is still relatively new, we have already experienced plenty of rumors involving our Hurricanes. Jim Rutherford has pretty much stated that Canes are looking for a top line player and are willing to do whatever it takes to acquire this talent. Darren Dreger said via Twitter that he expects the Canes to be strong bidders for Zach Parise & Ryan Suter. Bob Mackenzie tweeted that he wouldn't be shocked seeing Jordan Staal ending up in Carolina. And even our own C-Leaguer has suggested a potential way for us to get the #3 overall pick & Scott Gomez. We also still have the #8 overall selection in this year's draft and depending on who we select, maybe they will turn into another Jeff Skinner.

So my question for you is: Which one scenario would positively impact the Canes the most, both short-term and long-term? Would signing Zach Parise to big money finally give us a legitimate 1st line and put us over the top? Would signing Ryan Suter improve what many consider is the weakest part of our game, defense? Would trading for Jordan Staal make us a Playoff team and serious contender? Would trading for the #3 pick & Scott Gomez set this team up for the future? Or should we just stay the course and select the best player available at #8? I'm not saying any one of these things will happen, but I'm asking which one would have the most impact to this organization if it did happen. I will give a few more details about each scenario after the jump.

Signing Free Agent Zach Parise - There is still no guarantee that Parise will even make it to free agency. The Devils are doing well in the Playoffs and Zach might believe his best chance of winning the Cup will be as a Devil alongside Ilya Kovalchuk. If he does make it to the free agent market, there will be plenty of suitors for his services. The only 2 things that COULD be going for the Hurricanes would be the contract amount they would offer Parise and the possible relationships he has already in place in Carolina (Muller, MacLean, & Staal). If he signs here, it will be with the hope that he is the answer for getting us over the hump and we become a consistent Playoff team. It would likely take $7.5 million + and a sizable contract length. He would take over the left wing spot beside Eric Staal and should help create a seriously dangerous top line. Both Staal & Parise are in the neighborhood of PPG players and they might be able to reach 90 points playing together.

Signing Free Agent Ryan Suter - This is another case of who even knows if he will get to free agency. Nashville is a consistent Playoff team and has one of the strongest defensive cores in the NHL. What they need is a legit scoring forward to help the team. The Predators have plenty of cap space to acquire that type of player, but are they willing to spend to get it. If Suter doesn't believe they will, then he might explore his options. He also will have plenty of teams chasing him. He currently plays in a small market, so he could move to Carolina without much shock. And in Carolina, he would be playing second fiddle to Shea Weber. I'm thinking the Canes would have to offer around $6.5 million a season to entice Suter to come here, but his price could even be higher than that. He is an excellent two-way defenseman and would help to solidify a Canes defense. Imagine him playing with and teaching Justin Faulk, it would be nice. I honestly think though this is the most unlikely option of all these scenarios (even the Gomez one).

Trading for Jordan Staal - Are the Penguins really considering traded Jordan? This seems to be the question of the week. Staal would definitely be interesting to many teams, but with only 1 year remaining on his contract, any team that would trade for him would want to be pretty sure he will sign long-term. There is strong indication that he would like to go to Carolina to play with his brother, so if Pittsburgh does decide to trade him, they probably won't be dealing from a position of huge strength. The Pens would probably prefer a stay-at-home defenseman, but that's not something the Canes have a lot of. My guess is that it would take the #8 pick + a prospect (maybe Dalpe) for Jordan. He would definitely add to the Canes top 6 and would also bring some much needed size. If Eric switched to wing, the Staal boys could make an interesting 1st line or Jordan could center the 2nd line with Skinner and Ruutu. He is an huge talent that can play in all situations, but if the Canes picked him up, they would with the hope that his offensive production would increase with the increased role.

Trading Anthony Stewart & the #8 Pick for Scott Gomez & the #3 Pick - This is an interesting scenario brought to you by your local, neighborhood C-Leaguer. This proposed trade is really about acquiring the #3 Pick more than Gomez, but Gomez could help during the transition period. Gomez's salary is almost $2 million less than his cap hit, but it is still $5.5 million next season and $4.5 million the season after. That's $10 million dollars for a forward that has less than 10 goals over the past 2 seasons. The #3 Pick could turn into an elite talent, but the draft is always filled with uncertainty. The Canes would also jettison Stewart and his $1 million salary. This is an unlikely option, but this might be an interesting backup plan if everything else falls through.

Stay the Course and Select the Best Available Prospect at #8 - Some people might believe the Canes are on the right path, they just need a little more development time. The #8 Pick should become a very good player, but you never know for sure and it might take a season or two for the pick to even make it to the NHL. The Canes could go after a forward or defenseman and this would be the most affordable option. If they choose to do this, they wouldn't have hardly any concerns about resigning Skinner after next season and still should have money to go after a free agent next offseason. Most years, this would be the most likely path the Canes would take, but I believe this is going to be a different offseason in Raleigh.

So, what scenario would have the biggest impact for the Hurricanes organization? Let me know your thought and why you believe your choice would help the Canes the most.

Poll

Canes Country

Who are Carolina's best shot blockers?

Unrestricted Free Agents: The Northeast Division

Sunday Speculation: Who Says Goodbye?

Which Current Player Will Not Be Back for the 2012/2013 Season?

What role does Jamie McBain play next season?

Who do you think Jamie McBain's defense partner should be next year?

NHL Numbers Mock Draft

NHL Numbers Mock Draft

Unrestricted Free Agents: The Atlantic Division

2011-12 Canes Exit Reviews: Drayson Bowman

What grade would you give Bowman's performance this year?

Sunday Speculation: Who Would Have the Biggest Impact?

Which scenario would have the biggest impact for the Hurricanes?