The flurry of trades by the Carolina Hurricanes at the trade deadline necessitated some call ups from the Hurricanes American Hockey league affiliate, the Charlotte Checkers. One of those call ups was 29 year old center Derek Ryan. Ryan made his National Hockey League debut against the New Jersey Devils. Ryan has toured the globe playing hockey from Spokane, Washington to Canada, Austria, and Sweden before getting into his first NHL game. He has been a scorer at every stop he has made and was the leading scorer (17 goals and 25 assists) with the Checkers when he was recalled.
You do not hear of too many professional athletes making their professional debuts in any sport at 29 years old. It is probably more common in baseball than in any other sport and even then, it is a rarity. Derek Ryan scored a power play goal in his first NHL game and is the oldest player to score a goal in his debut in Hartford Whalers/Carolina Hurricanes franchise history according to the Elias Sports Bureau.
I do not know if hockey has a fictional equivalent like the Natural in baseball but Derek Ryan would have to come very close. The Hurricanes could use a feel good story about now especially after trading long time Hurricane and captain Eric Staal and Ryan is off to an excellent start.
Showing posts with label Eric Staal. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Eric Staal. Show all posts
Wednesday, March 2, 2016
Tuesday, March 1, 2016
The Smoke Has Cleared
The smoke has cleared on the NHL trade deadline and the Carolina Hurricanes were one of the most active teams out there. Hopes for the playoffs this season began to slip away as the Hurricanes have lost four out of five and economic circumstances dictated that the Hurricanes trade a few of their high priced veterans including Captain Eric Staal. Staal, Kris Versteeg, and John-Michael Liles were all unrestricted free agents at the end of the season. Staal was traded to the New York Rangers for Finnish prospect Aleksi Saarela and two draft picks, Versteeg was traded to the Los Angeles Kings for prospect Valentin Zykov and two draft picks, and Liles was traded to the Boston Bruins for prospect Anthony Camara and two draft picks.
The down side to these trades is that the Hurricanes are on the outside looking in at the playoffs for one more season and their fans are waiting for next year one more season. It has been a long playoff drought for the Hurricanes and their fans. The Hurricanes have stockpiled draft picks and payroll so it should make for an interesting next several months.
The down side to these trades is that the Hurricanes are on the outside looking in at the playoffs for one more season and their fans are waiting for next year one more season. It has been a long playoff drought for the Hurricanes and their fans. The Hurricanes have stockpiled draft picks and payroll so it should make for an interesting next several months.
Sunday, February 7, 2016
Make Or Break February
The Hurricanes are in a familiar position as they regroup after the All-Star break. They are on the outside looking in at the playoffs, sitting in tenth position in the standings with 58 points in the Eastern Conference, two points out of a playoff berth. The Hurricanes are close enough to where they could leap frog a couple of teams into sixth place.
The month of February will decide whether the Hurricanes are contenders or pretenders in the race to the Stanley Cup playoffs. They have 13 games in the month of February, eight of those at home. The Hurricanes lost the first game in of the second half to the Calgary Flames 4-1 and rode a four goal first period to a 5-3 win over the Winnipeg Jets in the second game. The Hurricanes face the Montreal Canadiens this afternoon in the final game of a three game road trip.
If the Hurricanes fall out of the playoff picture, will they be willing to deal at the trade deadline? The most marketable players they have are Eric Staal, who is in a contract year, Jordan Staal, and Kris Versteeg. If it comes to that point, hopefully the Hurricanes would not be willing to deal Justin Faulk or any of their other young talent.
The month of February will decide whether the Hurricanes are contenders or pretenders in the race to the Stanley Cup playoffs. They have 13 games in the month of February, eight of those at home. The Hurricanes lost the first game in of the second half to the Calgary Flames 4-1 and rode a four goal first period to a 5-3 win over the Winnipeg Jets in the second game. The Hurricanes face the Montreal Canadiens this afternoon in the final game of a three game road trip.
If the Hurricanes fall out of the playoff picture, will they be willing to deal at the trade deadline? The most marketable players they have are Eric Staal, who is in a contract year, Jordan Staal, and Kris Versteeg. If it comes to that point, hopefully the Hurricanes would not be willing to deal Justin Faulk or any of their other young talent.
Friday, January 1, 2016
Coming Together
Things seem to be finally coming together for the Carolina Hurricanes under Coach Bill Peters. They finished a solid December with a 4-2 win over the team with the best record in the NHL, the Washington Capitals. The Hurricanes went 8-5-1 in December. The once floundering offense that was only averaging 1.8 goals per game has come to life and scored 41 goals in December bringing their average up to 2.4 goals per games, good for 24th in the league.
Winger Jeff Skinner has rediscovered his scoring touch with a team leading 15 goals, Defenseman Justin Faulk has scored 12 of his 14 goals as the quarterback of the Power Play and leads the team with 30 points, and Victor Rask, Kris Versteeg, and Captain Eric Staal have all been scoring consistently. Goalies Cam Ward and Eddie Lack have been consistent in the net and the Hurricanes have a 16-17-5 record and seventh place in the Metropolitan Division.
The season has not quite reached the halfway point and the playoffs are still a possibility for the Hurricanes. The Hurricanes need to continue their offensive improvement and consistency in their goal tending.
Winger Jeff Skinner has rediscovered his scoring touch with a team leading 15 goals, Defenseman Justin Faulk has scored 12 of his 14 goals as the quarterback of the Power Play and leads the team with 30 points, and Victor Rask, Kris Versteeg, and Captain Eric Staal have all been scoring consistently. Goalies Cam Ward and Eddie Lack have been consistent in the net and the Hurricanes have a 16-17-5 record and seventh place in the Metropolitan Division.
The season has not quite reached the halfway point and the playoffs are still a possibility for the Hurricanes. The Hurricanes need to continue their offensive improvement and consistency in their goal tending.
Saturday, October 17, 2015
First Win
The Carolina Hurricanes got their first win of the season while handing the Detroit Red Wings their first loss with a score of 5-3. Rookie Brock McGinn got his first NHL goal in his first NHL shift as he scored the first goal of the game as Carolina jumped out to a 3-0 lead. The Hurricanes once again took a 3-2 lead over the Red Wings into the third period but made it hold up this time around.
The Hurricanes set a season high for goals scored as Eric Staal and Kris Versteeg had a goal and two assists and Brock McGinn also added an assist. Justin Faulk had a goal, his second, and has scored a point in all four Hurricanes games this season. This was the start of a seven game road trip for the Hurricanes.
The Hurricanes set a season high for goals scored as Eric Staal and Kris Versteeg had a goal and two assists and Brock McGinn also added an assist. Justin Faulk had a goal, his second, and has scored a point in all four Hurricanes games this season. This was the start of a seven game road trip for the Hurricanes.
Thursday, October 15, 2015
Third Period Unkind
The Third Period has been unkind to the Carolina Hurricanes in their 0-3 start. The Hurricanes gave up three third period goals to the Florida Panthers in a 4-1 loss. Eddie Lack was in goal for the Hurricanes. The Hurricanes offense is struggling to score goals (only five in three games) and they needed to get off to a fast start this season and avoid a repeat of last season's 0-6-2 start.
This is Bill Peters second season as the coach of the Hurricanes. I have to wonder how much leeway that General Manager Ron Francis is going to give him to turn the Hurricanes around. For that matter, I have to wonder how much leeway Francis is going to be given. The Hurricanes still have a good young nucleus of players. Eric Staal is in a contract year, Jeff Skinner has never been able to match his rookie success in large part due to injury, Justin Faulk is starting to come on strong and has a point in each game this season, and this season's top draft pick Noah Hanifin is off to a solid start. It will be interesting to see what kind of personnel moves the Hurricanes will make, front office and players, in the next few weeks.
This is Bill Peters second season as the coach of the Hurricanes. I have to wonder how much leeway that General Manager Ron Francis is going to give him to turn the Hurricanes around. For that matter, I have to wonder how much leeway Francis is going to be given. The Hurricanes still have a good young nucleus of players. Eric Staal is in a contract year, Jeff Skinner has never been able to match his rookie success in large part due to injury, Justin Faulk is starting to come on strong and has a point in each game this season, and this season's top draft pick Noah Hanifin is off to a solid start. It will be interesting to see what kind of personnel moves the Hurricanes will make, front office and players, in the next few weeks.
Tuesday, June 9, 2015
2015 NHL Draft
The Carolina Hurricanes needs are too many to be able to fix in one draft but their most glaring need is on offense. Free agency can help address some of those needs as the Hurricanes have $20 million in cap space. The Hurricanes were 27th in the NHL in scoring last season only averaging 2.2 goals per game. Their leading scorer Eric Staal only had 54 points in 77 games. Their second leading scorer was a Defenseman, Justin Faulk, who also led the team in Assists with 34.
The Carolina Hurricanes have the #5 draft pick. The Hurricanes need a player that is NHL ready like Jeff Skinner was in 2010. The Hurricanes need a forward with some size. The Hurricanes got pushed around by the more physical teams last year. I am not saying they need to turn into a reincarnation of the Broad Street Bullies, but someone who can go into the corners with bad intentions would help free up some of the offense.
Connor McDavid and Jack Eichel will go one and two. That is a given. What happens after that is debatable. I think that Left Wing Lawson Crouse will be available when it comes time for the Hurricanes to pick. He is listed at 6-4 and 212 pounds and is seen as the best, if not only, power forward in the draft. He spent the last two seasons with the Kingston Frontenacs of the Ontario Hockey League. He also played his way onto the Canadian World Cup Junior team where he had one goal and two assists in seven games.
The Hockey News has Lawson Crouse as the number eight prospect. The International Scouting Services has him at number four. Several of the mock drafts I have seen has Crouse going to the Philadelphia Flyers at number seven. He is on the Hurricanes radar. It depends on what happens before the Hurricanes get to pick will dictate who they select. Here is hoping the hockey gods are good to the Hurricanes for a change.
The Carolina Hurricanes have the #5 draft pick. The Hurricanes need a player that is NHL ready like Jeff Skinner was in 2010. The Hurricanes need a forward with some size. The Hurricanes got pushed around by the more physical teams last year. I am not saying they need to turn into a reincarnation of the Broad Street Bullies, but someone who can go into the corners with bad intentions would help free up some of the offense.
Connor McDavid and Jack Eichel will go one and two. That is a given. What happens after that is debatable. I think that Left Wing Lawson Crouse will be available when it comes time for the Hurricanes to pick. He is listed at 6-4 and 212 pounds and is seen as the best, if not only, power forward in the draft. He spent the last two seasons with the Kingston Frontenacs of the Ontario Hockey League. He also played his way onto the Canadian World Cup Junior team where he had one goal and two assists in seven games.
The Hockey News has Lawson Crouse as the number eight prospect. The International Scouting Services has him at number four. Several of the mock drafts I have seen has Crouse going to the Philadelphia Flyers at number seven. He is on the Hurricanes radar. It depends on what happens before the Hurricanes get to pick will dictate who they select. Here is hoping the hockey gods are good to the Hurricanes for a change.
Sunday, June 7, 2015
Tanking It
A good draft can make or break any professional sports team's next season. The higher the draft pick, the better your chances of getting that franchise player that can help you turn the corner or get you into the playoffs the next season. That player can put fans in the stands, jerseys sell, and put some excitement back into the faithful. This is true of just about all of the professional sports.
The idea of deliberately trying to lose or "tanking it" to ensure that high draft pick when it is obvious a team is not going to make the playoffs has been a big issue in just about all of the professional sports over the course of the past several seasons. From some fans perspective, if you are going to be bad you might as well be the worst so you can get that high draft pick. #2 draft pick Marcus Mariota of the Tennessee Titans had the #1 selling NFL jersey in the month of May. From my perspective, I hate losing more than I love the high draft pick and if I am going to spend money on my team, I want to see them doing everything possible to win.
The NBA is the only professional sports league that has a lottery style system, although it is weighted, to determine the draft order of the teams that did not make the playoffs. In the NFL it became the "Jameis Winston Sweepstakes" and in the NBA there is not a clear cut #1 Draft Pick. In the NHL it is thought to be Connor McDavid or Jack Eichel. The Edmonton Oilers have the #1 Draft pick this year. This is the fourth year in six seasons they have had the first draft pick. No one can intentionally stink that bad can they?
The Carolina Hurricanes have the #5 pick in this year's draft so they should be able to draft a player that can help immediately. They were able to do that in the past with Eric Staal and Jeff Skinner.
The idea of deliberately trying to lose or "tanking it" to ensure that high draft pick when it is obvious a team is not going to make the playoffs has been a big issue in just about all of the professional sports over the course of the past several seasons. From some fans perspective, if you are going to be bad you might as well be the worst so you can get that high draft pick. #2 draft pick Marcus Mariota of the Tennessee Titans had the #1 selling NFL jersey in the month of May. From my perspective, I hate losing more than I love the high draft pick and if I am going to spend money on my team, I want to see them doing everything possible to win.
The NBA is the only professional sports league that has a lottery style system, although it is weighted, to determine the draft order of the teams that did not make the playoffs. In the NFL it became the "Jameis Winston Sweepstakes" and in the NBA there is not a clear cut #1 Draft Pick. In the NHL it is thought to be Connor McDavid or Jack Eichel. The Edmonton Oilers have the #1 Draft pick this year. This is the fourth year in six seasons they have had the first draft pick. No one can intentionally stink that bad can they?
The Carolina Hurricanes have the #5 pick in this year's draft so they should be able to draft a player that can help immediately. They were able to do that in the past with Eric Staal and Jeff Skinner.
Wednesday, January 28, 2015
Off To A Good Second Half Start
The Carolina Hurricanes beat a pretty good Tampa Bay Lightning team last night 4-2. That is 4 goals in each of their last two games for the Hurricanes. Eric Staal and Justin Faulk had a goal and an assist and Jordan Staal had two assists. That was Eric Staal's 9th goal in 12 games and Jordan Staal has 8 points in 11 games since his return from injury. The Hurricanes improve to 17-25-5.
Sunday, January 25, 2015
The Hurricanes At The All-Star Break
The Carolina Hurricanes carry a 16-25-5 record (37 points) into the All-Star break. They have been playing much better of late going 6-3-1 over their last ten games. They only have more points than the Buffalo Sabres and the Edmonton Oilers amd are tied with the Arizona Coyotes.
The Carolina Hurricanes biggest problem all season long has been goal scoring. They are 29th in the National Hockey League in Goals Scored ahead of only the Buffalo Sabres. Eric Staal leads the team with 28 points but has been hot of late scoring 8 goals in his past 11 games. The Hurricanes and Eric Staal's recent hot streak coincide with the return of Jordan Staal from a preseason leg injury. He returned 10 games ago and has 6 points. Jordan Staal's return and getting other players such as Jeff Skinner back on track will be key for the Hurricanes in the second half of the season.
The Hurricanes best unit has been the Penalty Kill where they are 4th in the league at 87.0%. The unquestioned leader of the Penalty Kill Unit is Justin Faulk. He has the Hurricanes only two short handed goals on the season.
The Hurricanes goal tending tandem of Cam Ward and Anton Khudobin are only allowing 2.5 goals per game and rank 11th in Goals Against Average.
In the games that I have seen, the Hurricanes have had trouble getting the puck out of their own zone. They are consistently out shot by their opponents, and although they rank 13th in the NHL on the power play, they are not getting as many opportunities with the man advantage. They need to be able to put more pressure on the other team's defense and create more opportunities. That is as simple as it can get. Is it puck handling? Team speed? Decision making? not having an offensive mind set?
It will be interesting to see if the Hurricanes can carry the momentum of the last ten games into the second half of the season.
The Carolina Hurricanes biggest problem all season long has been goal scoring. They are 29th in the National Hockey League in Goals Scored ahead of only the Buffalo Sabres. Eric Staal leads the team with 28 points but has been hot of late scoring 8 goals in his past 11 games. The Hurricanes and Eric Staal's recent hot streak coincide with the return of Jordan Staal from a preseason leg injury. He returned 10 games ago and has 6 points. Jordan Staal's return and getting other players such as Jeff Skinner back on track will be key for the Hurricanes in the second half of the season.
The Hurricanes best unit has been the Penalty Kill where they are 4th in the league at 87.0%. The unquestioned leader of the Penalty Kill Unit is Justin Faulk. He has the Hurricanes only two short handed goals on the season.
The Hurricanes goal tending tandem of Cam Ward and Anton Khudobin are only allowing 2.5 goals per game and rank 11th in Goals Against Average.
In the games that I have seen, the Hurricanes have had trouble getting the puck out of their own zone. They are consistently out shot by their opponents, and although they rank 13th in the NHL on the power play, they are not getting as many opportunities with the man advantage. They need to be able to put more pressure on the other team's defense and create more opportunities. That is as simple as it can get. Is it puck handling? Team speed? Decision making? not having an offensive mind set?
It will be interesting to see if the Hurricanes can carry the momentum of the last ten games into the second half of the season.
Tuesday, January 20, 2015
The Captain To The Rescue
The Hurricanes had quite a game last night against the Toronto Maple Leafs. Four goals, two fights, and a statement making empty net goal at the end of the game by Captain Eric Staal.
Brad Malone started it off for the Hurricanes by scoring a goal for the second game in a row and he also dropped the gloves with Maple Leafs David Clarkson later in the game. Elias Lindholm scored the second goal and the Hurricanes were comfortably in front 3-0.
Captain Eric Staal scored the final two goals, both on assists by his brother Jordan Staal. Those were his 14th and 15th goals on the season and he has 8 in his last 11 games. After his first goal of the game and with the Hurricanes holding a 3-0 lead, Maple Leaf Dion Phaneuf leveled Jordan Staal with a questionable blind side hit, and Captain Eric Staal immediately challenged Phaneuf and they both dropped the gloves. Fighting is not Eric Staal's strong suit but I think he held his own. Sometimes it is all about standing up.
With under two minutes to go and the Hurricanes holding a 3-1 lead, Eric Staal gained posession of the puck and all that was between him and an empty net was Dion Phaneuf. Staal wound up and fired a slap shot that was aimed more at Phaneuf's family jewels than it was at the empty net. I believe the puck went between Phaneuf's legs and luckily for both, the puck went into the empty net.
Brad Malone started it off for the Hurricanes by scoring a goal for the second game in a row and he also dropped the gloves with Maple Leafs David Clarkson later in the game. Elias Lindholm scored the second goal and the Hurricanes were comfortably in front 3-0.
Captain Eric Staal scored the final two goals, both on assists by his brother Jordan Staal. Those were his 14th and 15th goals on the season and he has 8 in his last 11 games. After his first goal of the game and with the Hurricanes holding a 3-0 lead, Maple Leaf Dion Phaneuf leveled Jordan Staal with a questionable blind side hit, and Captain Eric Staal immediately challenged Phaneuf and they both dropped the gloves. Fighting is not Eric Staal's strong suit but I think he held his own. Sometimes it is all about standing up.
With under two minutes to go and the Hurricanes holding a 3-1 lead, Eric Staal gained posession of the puck and all that was between him and an empty net was Dion Phaneuf. Staal wound up and fired a slap shot that was aimed more at Phaneuf's family jewels than it was at the empty net. I believe the puck went between Phaneuf's legs and luckily for both, the puck went into the empty net.
Friday, December 19, 2014
Where Is The Offense?
The Carolina Hurricanes are only ahead the Edmonton Oilers by one point when it comes to having the worst record in the National Hockey League. The Hurricanes are 9-19-3 for 21 points and have a solid hold on last place in the Metropolitan Division.
The Hurricanes are only averaging 2.1 Goals Per Game, good for 28th place in the NHL. Injuries have hit the Hurricanes hard as they lost Jordan Staal before the regular season and Eric Staal, Jeff Skinner, and Jiri Tlusty have all missed extended time and the offense has had a hard time jelling under new Head Coach Bill Peters.
Defenseman Justin Faulk leads the team in scoring with 19 points in 31 games and Jiri Tlusty leads the team in Goals with 10. Only three players that have played in games for the Hurricanes have a + rating and that is Andrej Nestrasil with a +3 in 8 games played.
I do not know if an element of toughness would help the Hurricanes or not but they traded away team tough guy, Defenseman Jay Harrison, to the Winnipeg Jets yesterday for a 6th round draft choice. Harrison had two of the Hurricanes five fighting majors this season. The Hurricanes last fighting major the Hurricanes logged was a month ago when Brad Malone went against Brayden McNabb of the Los Angeles Kings. The Hurricanes need someone to protect the top scorers.
The big question is how do the Hurricanes open up their scoring? I would love to see the Hurricanes develop "Fast Break" hockey like the NHL had in the 1980's with almost every team having a scorer that topped 100 points. I don't see that happening anytime soon especially with the Hurricanes.
The Hurricanes are only averaging 2.1 Goals Per Game, good for 28th place in the NHL. Injuries have hit the Hurricanes hard as they lost Jordan Staal before the regular season and Eric Staal, Jeff Skinner, and Jiri Tlusty have all missed extended time and the offense has had a hard time jelling under new Head Coach Bill Peters.
Defenseman Justin Faulk leads the team in scoring with 19 points in 31 games and Jiri Tlusty leads the team in Goals with 10. Only three players that have played in games for the Hurricanes have a + rating and that is Andrej Nestrasil with a +3 in 8 games played.
I do not know if an element of toughness would help the Hurricanes or not but they traded away team tough guy, Defenseman Jay Harrison, to the Winnipeg Jets yesterday for a 6th round draft choice. Harrison had two of the Hurricanes five fighting majors this season. The Hurricanes last fighting major the Hurricanes logged was a month ago when Brad Malone went against Brayden McNabb of the Los Angeles Kings. The Hurricanes need someone to protect the top scorers.
The big question is how do the Hurricanes open up their scoring? I would love to see the Hurricanes develop "Fast Break" hockey like the NHL had in the 1980's with almost every team having a scorer that topped 100 points. I don't see that happening anytime soon especially with the Hurricanes.
Taking Care Of The Leafs
The Carolina Hurricanes easily handled the Toronto Maple Leafs at home last night 4-1 to break a six game losing streak. The stars were many for Carolina. Justin Faulk had a Short Handed Goal and an Assist, Andrej Sekera had a Power Play Goal and an Assist, and Eric Staal and Nathan Gerbe had two assists a piece. Elias Lindholm finished off the scoring with his 8th Goal late in the Third Period. It was an impressive win and a badly needed win for the Hurricanes and came over a hot Toronto Maple Leafs team.
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