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2017-18 Miscellaneous Canes News Thread

My understanding is that the offer Carolina had for Darling was indeed from Chicago. That probably means that it would have been tied up in a scheme to dump Hossa's salary, so it's not likely Carolina would have gotten much if anything back in terms of assets. If so, then we would have been paying for nothing one way or the other and I completely understand the reluctance to do that.

And look. If Darling follows the conditioning program, comes into camp in great physical and mental health and THEN bombs again ... fine. You figure out Plan B, bury him in the minors and buy him out next summer. At least then you've exhausted your options to avoid dead money, which is a thing any savvy businessman will tell you is to be avoided like the plague. I'm good with that. I just wish we could have brought in a better goalie to challenge him on the ice than Mrazek. One reclamation project at a time, please.

I think that all adds up JB and likely the reasoning behind giving Darling another kick at the cat next season. If I'm the Canes GM, I still have to be thinking about finding another young goaltending prospect or option as a future plan B via trade...even if an asset like that is part of a future Skinner or Faulk trade package. Philly has an interesting dynamic in goal...Carter Hart is the future in net for Philly and Alex Lyon had an amazing year in the AHL, a guy like Lyon might be an interesting young prospect to add to the system with hopes he is ready to play in the NHL in a year or less.
 
Yeah ... one hopes that we're no longer putting all of our goalie eggs in one basket. Ned seems like a 50/50 proposition at best to me. Helvig and Booth are both long shots with next to no pro experience. We're a LONG way from any of that lot manning an NHL crease. And while Mrazek and Darling are both still young-ish, relying on one of them to dig themselves out of their career ditches is also FAR from smart. If the Canes were wise they'd be spending the summer turning over every single rock in the minors and Europe looking for a guy who might be close to ready to emerge.
 
I just have to wonder how it is that a player can show up clearly out of shape and nothing happens, he still gets to be the go to guy in goal when the season starts. Isn't there som kind of acountability when it comes to the players or can they just show up like that and still get payed as if it was nothing?
 
Well, he stunk. No doubt. He's getting paid low starter salary. He never took over as the starter. No one else wanted his contract, and I don't see Dundon as a buyout kind of guy. So you give him a 2nd chance. With a short leash. He surely won't be allowed to lose a ton of games early on, and keep playing. They really didn't have many options.
 
Isn't there som kind of acountability when it comes to the players or can they just show up like that and still get payed as if it was nothing?

Well, I think the bottom line here is as many have said above....giving Darling another go was the best of a bunch of crappy options. Darling in theory has a higher upside than the other options.

Now, to answer the specific question here about accountability, the NHL Standard Player contract has this in Section 2:

2. The Player agrees to give his services and to play hockey in all NHL Games, All Star
Games, International Hockey Games and Exhibition Games to the best of his ability under the
direction and control of the Club in accordance with the provisions hereof.

The Player further agrees,
(a) to report to his Club's Training Camp at the time and place fixed by the Club, in
good physical condition,

(b) to keep himself in good physical condition at all times during the season,

That is right there under section 1 of the SPC, where trivial matters such as salary and term are inked. Statement 14 in the SPC makes as statement about terminating SPCs for material breach of the contract by the player.

If a team was really really really motivated and felt they had a tremendously strong case they could defend, coming to camp horribly out of shape is a violation of the SPC and in theory could allow a team to simply terminate the contract. Good physical condition of course is nice and vague, so you can bet that the NHLPA would be ready to defend a player if a team tried to invoke that statement to terminate an SPC.

Anyhow, that is full force CBA and SPC accountability I am talking about above. I highly doubt the Canes thought for second about going nuclear on Darling's SPC, that really just doesn't happen hardly at all (Mike Richards is the most recent case I can think of, that was for 'conduct' though, not for being out of shape). In Darling's case, I think the only reason he is being given a second chance is he has the most potential to be an average to above average NHL goalie compared to all of the other options the Canes looked at. And of course, there would have been cost just to get rid of Darling using any method (player/asset costs, financial costs). BUT I do trust that Darling is not going to be handed anything. He has to earn a job on the NHL roster to start with by showing in camp and preseason games that he looks like an NHL goalie. Then from there, if he passes that test, his leash is going to be really really short. It has to be for this organization to have any creditability.
 
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But JB's assertions that the Hurricanes never stepped up on their end to ensure their major signing and key piece was in shape, especially given his history. There truly does seem to have been a ball or two dropped by the management, coaching and training/conditioning staff. There's is also an accountability on the part of the player and this off season, there seems to be that commitment.
 
I just have to wonder how it is that a player can show up clearly out of shape and nothing happens, he still gets to be the go to guy in goal when the season starts. Isn't there som kind of acountability when it comes to the players or can they just show up like that and still get payed as if it was nothing?

Well, the excuse being given is that "we didn't know him or know what was a normal approach for him." Going unsaid in that is the issue that goalies are their own breed. Some of them play better with a bit of weight on 'em ... it's different for each guy.

My conclusion ... yet again the Hurricanes traded for or otherwise acquired a player based on solely on-ice evidence and without doing their homework in a professional manner. Once again, nobody's really minding the store in the off season as they just sit passively on the sidelines hoping everybody is professional and comes to camp in whatever the best physical shape for them might be. This isn't the first example of this ... the Canes not understanding what or who they just acquired (just rattling off a few highlights ... we didn't know John Grahame had a drinking problem or that Kovalenko still smoked a pack a day or that Kevin Hatcher was 30 pounds overweight, etc), but I hope to God it'll be the last.
 
Canes promote Darren Yorke and Eric Tulsky. Yorke is Director of Player Personnel, involved in all personnel decisions. He had been Manager of Scouting, but started his Canes career and an analytics guy. Tulsky is promoted to VP of Hockey Management and Strategy. He is the primary analytics guy in the organization. The release doesn’t note any additional responsibilities, so this appears to be a promotion in place.

https://www.nhl.com/hurricanes/news/canes-announce-hockey-operations-promotions/c-299456294
 
If the fitness clause were enforceable, Pavel Brendl would not have made it out of his rookie year.

P.S. Autocorrect turns that into Patel Brenda. I'm trying to figure out if that's funny.
 

Thanks for sharing this - it is an interesting perspective and one that we've commented on many times before - our defensive play has been pretty bad far too many times. But let's be clear: even though Darling saw many more high-quality shots than other goalies, he often performed terribly early in games - giving up goals that could easily be stopped by an average goalie. He lost confidence in himself and his team lost confidence in him. Let's hope his emphasis on conditioning (I WISH I KNEW THIS LAST SEASON!) and a more seasoned defensive squad in front of him will make a difference in 2018-19. Otherwise we're doomed.
 
Carolina's number of quality chances allowed was definitely an issue last season, especially on the kill. And as noted, this is something we have discussed in depth on this board for awhile. Some of that is system related, specifically the chances allowed up the middle of the ice as a result of poor attempts to stand up wingers at the blue line. But the bulk of it is just poor quality of play and poor matchups ... which, again, is a reason I'm not all that sad to see the back side of Steve Smith, who I consider to be an utterly unremarkable coach.
 
Interesting article from the SB Nation's Vegas page, Knights on Ice. It's the Vegas Knight's version of Canes Country.

Shepard Price suggests we trade them both Faulk and Skinner for Cody Glass, Colin Miller, Oscar Dansk and a first round pick.

I don't think we need a first round pick, and Oscar Dansk does not intrigue me. He's a better goalie prospect than we currently have, but then again so am I.

Cody Glass was a 2017 round 1 #6 overall pick by Vegas Golden Knights and gets high marks from Elite Prospects. They call him a dangerous two way centre.

Oscar Dansk 2012 was a round 2 #31 overall pick by Columbus Blue Jackets. He's undefeated in the NHL! (He's 3-0)

Colin Miller looks to be similar to TVR.

I'm thinking Vegas will take a big step back next year, but they'll still pick in the late teens.

I say No thank you. While I'd love to get a good goalie, prospect even, I would only move Faulk and/or Skinner for a top six centre, a goalie of course, and a fourth line centre. I don't even see a reason to move Skinner. I hope we can move Faulk and get top six help. Be nice if we could also get a goalie prospect or three.
 
Meh ... that nonsense is not even worth discussing. Typically blog crap ... make my team better while we off load random stuff in return.
 
Adding Colin Miller to the trade shows a lack of understanding of the Canes roster. We wouldn't want another right hand shot Dman back making almost $4 million per.

That proposal would give the Canes no NHL player back that is immediately useful. Adding Faulk for Miller is a wash for Vegas. And Miller is signed for longer and for less money. That is pointless for Vegas. If we really wanted Oscar Dansk we could just claim him off of waivers before the season starts when Vegas sends him to the AHL. His trade value is just about nil. Glass and a 1st round pick is quite a lot to trade for Skinner.

Yeah, lot of holes in that trade idea. How about Skinner and Wallmark for Glass and Haula? We could come up with dozens of trades with Vegas for Skinner, none of which will ever happen.
 
Honestly ... Miller is just flat out a better player than Faulk right now anyway. The whole thing is pointless. I hate garbage "content" like that.
 
Pretty solid and sober assessment of the Faulk trade possibilities from the gang at Canes Country...

https://www.canescountry.com/2018/7...kadri-toronto-maple-leafs-ryan-nugent-hopkins

Hard to argue with much of that. If it's me, I'm waiting out Edmonton (the Nuge) and Toronto (Khadri) presuming there's a possibility in both cases, because those are the deals that best fit Caroina's current need for a serviceable center. Otherwise I think everything they put on the table would represent fairly good value.
 
Brandon M. Cain, another SB Nation 'blogger' is reporting:

The Chicago Blackhawks are “in talks” to acquire two top-end talent left wingers in Montreal Canadiens’ Max Pacioretty and Carolina Hurricanes’ Jeff Skinner, reports David Pagnotta of The Fourth Period. Jay Zawaski of 670 the Score also says the Hawks have discussed Skinner, but his source hasn’t heard the same about Pacioretty.

Saad?

It must be correct since they were savvy enough to label Roland McKeown as Jeff Skinner. I get those two mixed up all the time too.
 
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