Finally, the Carolina Hurricanes are home.

It’s been more than three weeks since their last game at the RBC Center, a preseason tilt against the Atlanta Thrashers on October 1st.  It’s been eleven days since they were able to sleep in their own beds.  It’s been 15,710 miles since they first took off for St. Petersburg the night after they played the Thrashers.

And, improbably, the Canes return from their sojourn over .500, with a 4-3 record after an overtime win against Phoenix on Saturday night.

It’s certainly too early for these statistics to mean anything of consequence, but it should be noted that the Canes currently sit eighth in the Eastern Conference.  Of the seven teams below them in the standings, five have played more games than the Canes’ seven.  And every team in the league has played at least two home games, which is two more than the Canes can claim for themselves.  (Yes, the Canes have technically played a “home” game, but when that game is played 4,500 miles away you can’t really say there was any home-ice advantage.)

In other words, the Canes should be very, very proud of what they’ve accomplished in the first two-plus weeks of the season.

Paul Maurice said before the team left Raleigh that the long road trip to open the season could be viewed as either a good or a bad thing.  If the Canes went out and came back with heavy legs, poor play and only a few points in the bank, it would be a deep hole for such a young team to recover from and would make the job that much tougher.  But instead, the Canes seemingly gained confidence in every game.  Yes, there were some stumbles.  The games in Vancouver and Los Angeles proved that.

But no one expected this team to steamroll through the early portion of the schedule.  Coming home over .500 is a significant accomplishment, and it gives the Canes the confidence to know that despite being one of the youngest teams in the NHL, they can hold their own with anyone in the league. Even when they’ve flown enough to qualify for frequent-flier upgrades for the rest of their lives.

On this date last year, the Canes were six games into a club-record 14-game losing streak, while playing a normal schedule with one of the oldest teams in the NHL.  This year, they’re over .500 after seven games, not one of them at the RBC Center, with one of the youngest rosters in the league.

Go figure.

Brian LeBlanc
NHLHS Hurricanes writer
bleblanc@nhlhotstove.com
Twitter: @puckdrops

If the last few NHL seasons were any indication as to what we can expect if we are discussing an NHL head coach, one situation that is certain is that someone will be fired prior to the 2010-11 NHL All-Star game.

This off-season alone we have already witnessed transition throughout the league at the head coaching position.

Rich Tocchet was relieved of his duties with the Tampa Bay Lightning for Guy Boucher. The Atlanta Thrashers and Columbus Blue Jackets both appointed new soldiers to man the fort as bench bosses as well.

However, we do not feel that will be the only movement made from NHL teams.

When looking around the league, outside of Barry Trotz and Lindy Ruff – the longest tenured coaches remaining within the NHL – there are many new faces in many new places.

This season, expectations are high for many clubs not considered a team in transition.

One team in which a window – or time frame if you will – has been placed upon to win a Stanley Cup are the Washington Capitals.

Bruce Boudreau – Three straight Southeast Divisional titles and that’s right, the head coach of the Presidents’ Trophy-winning Washington Capitals could possibly find himself on the unemployment line.  Since taking over the helm in Washington early in the 2007-08 season, Boudreau has established himself as one of the top regular season bench bosses.  His .664 winning percentage is tops of any NHL coaches over that time period.  Washington’s decision to not sign unrestricted free agent goaltender Jose Theodore leaves the Capitals with two 22-year-old net minders in Semyon Varlamov and Michal Neuvirth.  The two young backstops have a combined 54 NHL regular season games to their credit, so experience could be an issue.  Boudreau’s problems have come in the postseason, where all four series that he has coached have gone the full seven games, and his Capitals have won just one of those series.  And remember Washington owner Ted Leonsis’ blog after last year’s seven-game first round loss to the Montreal Canadiens that seemed to question some of Boudreau’s tactics.

However, even with his .664 winning percentage something seems to be missing either from the on-ice product or from coach himself. The window has begun to close, and at this point it is not too far from being closed and locked.

John Tortorella – Despite leading his team to a 7-1-2 mark over the course of the season’s final 10 games, the 50-year-old New York Rangers head coach saw his Broadway Blueshirts miss the postseason in a shootout on the last day of the 2009-10 campaign.  Even though the most significant off-season signing may well be forward Alexander Frolov, Tortorella may be in trouble if the Rangers appear that they cannot make any postseason noise after the team has missed the playoffs in two of the past three seasons.

The common factor here – Tortorella was the coach of this club for the past two seasons after taking over for Tom Renney. Though he did help an already talented club enter the playoffs in ’08-’09, they exited as quick as they entered.

Say what you will about the supporting cast for Marian Gaborik and Henrik Lundqvist but this Rangers club, again on black and white, is capable of being a constant threat within the Eastern Conference each year. If the season begins and there are more L’s over W’s, expect yet another change in New York.

Ron Wilson – After four consecutive 40+ win seasons with the San Jose Sharks, Wilson’s first two years in Toronto were forgettable, non-playoff efforts.  But with GM Brian Burke’s retooling of the Leafs over the past nine months, adding players like defenseman Dion Phaneuf, goaltender J.S. Giguere, and forwards Kris Versteeg, Colby Armstrong, and Clarke MacArthur, Toronto will definitely have higher expectations heading into the 2010-11 season.  And that means that if the club is not performing to the level that Burke feels it should, Wilson could have good reason to be looking over his shoulder. Also, believe what you will about the Tomas Kaberle reports that he and coach Wilson simply are not on the same page and this adds salt to the wounds.

Yes the team was blundered by injuries last season, but is it truly Wilson to blame here or do we need to point the finger directly at Burke? The tricky situation is figuring out just that. Burke has attempted to re-tool his team by the signings and trades mentioned above and feels confident enough to be a competitive club this year which in turn puts all the pressure on Wilson to make this team gel and perform up to Burke and company’s expectations.

Claude Julien – After last season’s playoff collapse, one must wonder how long of a leash Julien has attached to his name. After completing his third full season as head coach of the club, adding three straight playoff births, it might not be as short of a leash as some of the other coaches but something has to give.

Since taking over the team at the start of the 2007-08 season, Julien and his Bruins have not had a losing record. However, though plagued by injuries last season, it was his worst season with the club as they posted a record of 39-30-13.  Add to that the historic playoff blunder and assume as we are that Peter Chiarelli is keeping a close eye on Julien and his progress to start the season.

The Bruins have not been to the Conference finals since the 1991-92 season and have not earned the chance to play for the Stanley Cup since 1989-90. Teasing their fanbase for the past three years, last season plunged the knife through the hearts of the organizations faithful.

Julien, at one time, helped a disgruntled forward in Michael Ryder re-ignite his scoring touch, only to have it disappear the next (last) season. As we have been creating a common theme within this writing, sometimes the players just lose touch with their coaches and their ears no longer truly hear what the coach has to say. If such is the case in Boston, there could very much be a change as soon as January. Would we hold our breathe on this one? No, but stranger things have happened, especially around the NHL.

Todd McLellan – The San Jose Sharks – on black and white – for years have been considered a powerhouse and dominant team throughout the regular season.  However, their playoff failures have been the only consistency in their game. McLellan stepped in, replacing Ron Wilson, and has had the same success…err…situations arise. Yet no one points the finger at the coaching in San Jose.  Most use Joe Thornton as the scape goat when such is not the case, especially this past playoff season.

In two full seasons with the Sharks, McLellan has a record of 104-38-22 which is good for a winning percentage of .634 – during the regular season. He has coached his team to the quaterfinals in 2009 and the conference finals in 2010. But it was these very same Sharks that were – according to the experts – on the Stanley Cup path both years under McLellan and prior.

With two major player personnel changes from the organization this season, Rob Blake‘s retirement and Evgeni Nabokov bolting for the KHL, there are new faces swimming with the regulars.  Stanley Cup Champion goaltender Antti Niemi as well as goaltender Antero Niittymaki will be called upon in likely a #1a/#1b type scenario to attempt to carry this team to the promise land yet again this season. If there is another early playoff exit by the Sharks again this season, the finger will need to be pointed and the axe dropped.

Paul Maurice – It may come as a strange situation for some of you readers to see Maurice on this list. It’s not that Marucie is a bad coach, it seems to be more of the fact of the matter that with the team in transition, the players ears may be closing to the coaches mouth.  Anytime you lose the confidence of your team – they simply can not follow a simple game plan or the thoughts of the head coach – there needs to be a change.  Although last season the ‘Canse were plagued by injuries and issues, there is going to be a close eye on Maurice to start the season. Will he be able to have his team respond from an off year and show positives and signs of life throughout the first portion of the season?  Of course, only time permits the answer to that question.

The season is right around the corner. Thus far, it truly has the makings to be a very exciting season at that.  Who will be the first NHL coach axed in your opinion, if any? Here is to hoping for solid seasons all around and know that we do not wish any ill will among any of those employed by the National Hockey League – from staff, to players, to coaches, to upper management and beyond.

Anthony Curatolo
NHLHS NHL Writer
acuratolo@nhlhotstove.com
Twitter: @HockeyGuy_AC

Dave Strehle
NHLHS NHL Writer
dstrehle@nhlhotstove.com
Twitter: @PhilaDAVEia

Every year, the Hurricanes graciously host the local media in a “getting-to-know-you” setting that, for some, includes a day on a local golf course with Canes players, coaches and executives.  That group, unsurprisingly, does not include yours truly, and will not unless they decide to hold the outing on a local miniature golf course.  (I’m mean with a putter, but more of my golf balls hit off a tee wind up on local highways than they do on greens.  I’m not sayin’, I’m just sayin’.)

To no one’s surprise, GM Jim Rutherford’s group finished first (for the third year in a row) among about twelve foursomes, and I have a feeling the Canes stashed an intern at the back of each green to always give the big boss a good lie á là a Simpsons episode from years ago, with Rutherford playing the role of Mr. Burns and the unsuspecting intern in the role of Smithers.

Anyway, rather than recapping the golf game of various players and media members, I figure you care more about what those players and their coaches and executives had to say about the upcoming season.  Last year, the general sense among the attendees was that the Canes were well on their way to reprising their appearance in the conference final.  Then, last year happened.

So it’s rather unsurprising that the mood this year was upbeat for a different reason.  Instead of having great expectations, there’s almost a carefree sense throughout the organization.  They still feel that the team will be competitive and, if everything goes right, perhaps sneak into the postseason.  But where last year the scuttlebutt was that the playoffs were all but assured, by contrast this year the P-word was never even mentioned in six interviews I conducted.

So what was mentioned?  Youth, for one.  I got the sense that coach Paul Maurice in particular is relishing the chance to have the ability to mold the young players that will comprise most of the roster this year.  It was a shock for a couple of us when I realized that fully three-quarters of the roster is younger than me, and a writer for the Associated Press who is only a couple of years older than I am is now older than the entire team.  It’s going to be incumbent on the likes of Eric Staal, Tim Gleason, Cam Ward et al. to take the mantle of leadership; indeed, when we thought about it for a second, we realized that Staal is the only player left in the locker room to have worn a captain’s letter for all of last season.

Obviously, the early-season trip to Finland was a topic of conversation as well.  Given how last year started, a good start is imperative to begin the 2010-11 season.  But since the Canes will not play a game at the RBC Center until the season is three weeks old, just keeping the team’s collective head above water will be a challenge.  (Paul Maurice said that he’s figured out that he will spend just four nights the entire month of October in his own bed.  Sounds like fun, right?)

One minor bit of news: Rutherford says he anticipates one or two NHL veterans attending training camp, either on a tryout basis or on a two-way contract that he will finalize in the next week or so.  He was very clear, though, in saying that no one would be gifted a roster spot, and to that end he will not be handing out one-way deals with open invitations to claim a spot.  In other words, don’t expect a Stephane Yelle or Josef Melichar-type signing this season.

It was a great time in a very relaxed setting, with plenty of opportunities for candid commentary from all sorts of folks within the organization.  Click below for the audio files from today’s event:

Paul Maurice (5:21)

Chad LaRose (3:11)

Joe Corvo (2:45)

Cam Ward (2:16)

Eric Staal (4:51)

Jim Rutherford (14:33)

One more week until training camp starts.  The Canes will report on Friday, September 17 for physical testing, and they hit the ice for the first time at the RBC Center the next day.

Brian LeBlanc
NHLHS Hurricanes Writer
bleblanc@nhlhotstove.com
Twitter: @puckdrops

The Carolina Hurricanes, currently clawing and scratching their way out of the cellar within Eastern Conference, face some tough decisions down the road. From now until March 3rd, one of two things will happen.

Either the Hurricanes perform a miracle on ice similar to the St. Louis Blues of last year, or they pull the trigger on sending veteran players to playoff bound teams.  In return the Hurricanes will acquire pieces, whether it be picks or prospects, to build their future.

One player takes precedence above the rest, Ray Whitney, who at 37 years of age still plays an effective, playmaking role.

A comparable scenario to a Whitney caliber player would be to revisit the trade made between the New York Islanders and Pittsburgh Penguins for Bill Guerin.  An older UFA who can support a top six role on any team but whose age restricts his immediate value.

The Islanders received a conditional pick for their captain, which would be fair value for the Canes. Depending on where the Penguins finished the season determined the round of the pick. If the Hurricanes moved Whitney to a legitimate cup contender, a conditional pick would be almost necessary.

Hurricanes GM Jim Rutherford needs to figure out what brings more value to this team and what direction they want to go next year.  Do they need the sentimental pick, a returning 38-year-old winger, or a potential 2nd or 3rd round draft pick.

Current rumors list Vancouver, Philadelphia, Boston, Pittsburgh and Los Angeles as interested parties.  The most recent rumor, circulating on various outlets, would send him to Vancouver for a second round pick.

This trade would be a welcome addition for the Canucks and their second line, as Mason Raymond fights inconsistency.  Ryan Kesler could use a playmaking wing to boost his offensive output.

From NEWSOBSERVER.COM:

Chip Alexander reports Carolina Hurricanes owner Peter Karmanos is now looking ahead to next season, expecting the Hurricanes roster will be younger and the team’s budget to be leaner as the club rebuilds around Eric Staal and Cam Ward. Karmanos said at the end of the season they’ll sit down with aging captain Rod Brind’Amour, who has one more season remaining on his contract, to discuss his future. Karmanos also said head coach Paul Maurice won’t be replaced.

These words from Chip Alexander almost ensure Matt Cullen, Ray Whitney and probably Joe Corvo will wear different jerseys come March 3rd. With that, expect a trade over the next couple of weeks.

Anthony Curatolo
NHLHS Senior Writer
acuratolo@nhlhotstove.com
Twitter: @ACHockeyGuys

How does a team know their investment will pay off?  Better yet, What would inspire a team to devote a large percentage of their cap space to one single player? This article plans on analyzing the production from “top-tier” forwards based on a seven million dollar cap hit or higher.

As of this writing there are 14 forwards making this salary or higher, with most of these players filling the scorecard adequately.  These 14 forwards discussed are Jason Spezza, Joe Thornton, Marian Gaborik, Brad Richards, Sidney Crosby, Jarome Iginla, Alexander Ovechkin, Scott Gomez, Evgeni Malkin, Vincent Lecavalier, Thomas Vanek, Dany Heatley, Chris Drury and Eric Staal.

A quick glance at this list screams Drury and Gomez as the noticeable busts.  Coming into a weak free agent year for centers the two cashed in on GM Glen Sather’s ludacris spending.  However, a deeper look into their 2009-2010 season makes other players current production look similarly as bad.

In addition, this article will identify the best of the bunch showing exactly if and why the top salaries are actually worth it.  Impending free agent Ilya Kovalchuk believes his worth to be 20 percent of the current cap, an enormous 11 plus million cap hit. With his current production, not to mention countless intangibles would you consider the 27-year-old worth it?

Similar to our first Cost Efficiency article discussing the value of Rich Peverley amongst others, we use our points-per-cap-hit or PPC to measure the value of each player discussed. PPC simply measures the money paid by the team for every point scored, so the lower the number the better.  Of those listed, here are our top five picks for most cost efficient point producers thus far.

As you can see Big Joe leads the scoring race and thus the PPC race.  At a more than reasonable 7.2 million rate, the veteran center proved his contract extension to be more than worth it. In addition, Sather proved his signing of Gaborik to be rather beneficial to his team.

Health plays a strong contributing factor to these ratios as the more time missed means less points put up, explaining how much it hurts for a team to miss their top player.

Looking at those numbers reveals an incredible disparity from the lower end of the PPC race.  The top five producers above show leaps and bounds why they are stars and the following are busts.

So maybe we lied.  A little.  By all accounts Drury’s play invokes nothing positive, even with his impressive resume and general “winning” ability.  As the old saying goes, “Past performance is no indication of future return.”  Regardless, due to injury and ineffectiveness Staal, Vanek and Spezza enter the bust category.  I doubt one would put those players in the same category as the two Ranger flops when the season began.

So in short, Thornton worth it and Drury not, but is Thornton the best playmaker of the bunch?  The answer is yes, and by a large margin.

The healthy and returned to form Richards comes in a not-so-close second while both Lecavalier and Gaborik surprisingly carry more assists than those two centers in Pittsburgh.  In this light Lecavalier looks like less of an albatross while Gaborik shows his worth in more than one aspect.  Higher salaries combined with Malkin missing a few weeks and Crosby becoming more of a scorer allows them to fall further down this list than expected.

Speaking of Gaborik, Would it surprise you that he is the most efficient scorer?  The 27-year-old sits directly middle of the 14 with a 7.5 million cap hit yet he leads the League in scoring as of this writing. Other top scorers include:

Heatley comes in at second in the League in goal scoring and in cost-per-goal analysis, a mirror image of one another.  Iginla quietly maintains a stand in the goal scoring race with Crosby and Ovy bringing up the rear.

So in short, we learned a few things. Yes Drury and Gomez make way too much money, but Spezza and Vanek sport questionable salaries as well if they continue their lackadaisical play.  Staal while battling injuries continues to disappoint in Carolina forcing Paul Maurice to move him off his natural position to left wing.  For this year, I feel Staal simply has no business taking 8.25 million of cap space and his injury and ineffectiveness combined with a long term injury to Cam Ward hampered almost all hope of a postseason berth.

I hope you enjoyed our latest edition to our Cost Efficiency series, please help keep NHLHS going by visiting our sponsors to the left.

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-Alexander Monaghan
NHLHS Founder
thehotstove@gmail.com

TSN’s Bob MacKenzie reported a trade of former first rounders.  The last place Carolina Hurricanes moved their most recent first round selection, Phillipe Paradis, to the Toronto Maple Leafs for Jiri Tlusty.

The Hurricanes get an NHL ready player who can be inserted in their lineup immediately.  Similar to their deals last year for Jussi Jokinen and Eric Cole the team gets a player who has shown flashes of offensive ability but fallen out of favor with their teams.  Considering that Tlusty is only three years removed from his 13th overall selection giving up a young prospect like Paradis does not hurt as much.

Held scoreless in his two games with the Leafs, the 21-year-old put up 15 points in 18 games with their AHL affiliate.  In 66 games last year in the A, the Czech native averaged a point per game with the Marlies.  At his age, his production at the AHL level translates to the ability to hold a regular shift.  Partner that with familiarity with coach Paul Maurice and the youngster should make a seamless transition to the Canes

Currently playing on the Shawnigan Cataractes of the QMJHL, the Hurricanes clearly saw Paradis as a project a few years away from the NHL.  Drafted with the 27th overall pick this past June, he is a top prospect in their system but expendable with Eric Staal and Brandon Sutter already on the roster.  See his full scouting report here.

The move should also show that Carolina thinks they can still contend and thus temporarily alleviating speculation over who they will trade away.  With Cam Ward expected back soon the team would still be two defensemen short of last year’s cup contenders.

Bruce “Malkin to Kings” Garrioch reported yesterday Aaron Ward is on the block with the Blue Jackets interested. If this proves correct it would be entirely contrary to the move made today.  In response to some rumors, Aaron Portzline stated yesterday GM Scott Howson did not make any calls and is not actively pursuing a deal leading us to believe this is simply a bunk rumor from someone with a reputation to do so.  Although the Blue Jackets remain in need of a defender they seem willing to wait out their injuries and see how kids like Kris Russel and Anton Stralman will adapt to added playing time.

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Follow me on Twitter for up-to-the-minute updates

-Alexander Monaghan
NHLHS Founder
thehotstove@gmail.com