It also bears noting that Bokk (Faulk trade), Rees and Gunler were all on Corey Pronman’s list of under 23 players at The Athletic today.Its just been crazy to me how many Canes fans and non-followers have been willing to rip the Canes for not being willing to give Ned a multi year deal for more than $3 million per like he was a definitive solution in goal, a "no doubter" that you turn over the keys to this Cup contender to and know you can rely on.
I know we talked about it a few times here now, but again, the Canes have a very simple and clear message to all of our RFAs and pending UFAs. The Canes (Dundon/Waddell/Tulsky) have a value assigned to everyone that rolls through this organization. If you want to continue to play for the Carolina Hurricanes, that value is going to set the salaries that the Canes might be willing to pay you. If your agent comes in 'hot' when sitting down to discuss terms of an extension (ie Ned at 2 years $7 million, with the threat of arbitration being used), or if you are Elias Lindholm or Noah Hanifin asking for $5 million per on a long term deal (Lindholm has overplayed that contract for the Flames, Hanifin not so much) or Dougie at $9 million per (what was his lowest number to stay with the Canes?). Bottom line is that the Canes just are not going to overpay what they think a player's value is. (KK and that offer sheet are not in that same realm, a successful offer sheet MUST be an overpay to work, and note its a 1 year overpay (ignore all of the nonsense about setting QO floors, that is playing checkers and not chess)).
The media and some fans spin all that 'cheap', but 'cheap' would do what the Canes do AND be 5-15 million under the cap. The Canes are not cheap, they are being strategic about their spending. EVERY team in the NHL does that. But when the CANES do it, well, they are cheap, or stupid or both. "Dundon is calling all the shots and running the team into the ground" so we are told (3 straight trips to the playoffs, 4 series wins). Dougie Hamilton is the guy you should give every penny do, the Canes are stupid not to have done so (umm...playoff Dougie?) Freddie Andersen sucks, how could the Canes blow up their goaltending?
Again at some point the Canes will 'get it all wrong', and the naysayers will finally get their due. But we've heard from many of these same folks before, be it trading Skinner for picks and Pu, or trading Justin Faulk away for Joel Edmunson and a prospect. Or trading away 2 former 5th overall picks in Lindholm and Hanifin for Dougie, a 3rd line grinder, and Adam Fox (who we were able to turn into Jamieson Rees, Antonni Honka and Noel Gunler). Canes seem to somehow get most of these moves right. Unconventional? Yep. Clueless, stupid, and "dumpster fire offseason"? Sure, could end up that way, but this group seems to be getting it right most of the time, even when its might look like an unusual approach.
Mrazek will most likely give you better than that, but there seems to be narrative that Mrazek is better than the .905 goalie he has been in the regular season over the last 5 years (he's really not) or the .901 goalie he has been in the playoffs over the last few years (which of course is not good at all). I know about Freddie Andersen's warts (especially the penchant for untimely bad goals in the playoffs), but until last season, he was consistently putting up better Sv% numbers than Mrazek (even the season prior to this past one) and that is even more so in the playoffs.
Lots of people seem to be slamming the Canes for completely changing their goaltending, but then missing the part where Mrazek really wasn't that good in the playoffs and had a Meh season in year 2. Then those folks slamming the Canes goaltending moves double down on letting Nedelkjovic go, a goalie who was not very good for quite a while, suddenly had one good short season run, effectively blew game 1 in Round 2 of the playoffs with an inexcusable 3rd period goal and came back at the Canes asking for $3.5 million per like he was some sort of sure thing 1B split goalie.
The Canes elected to move on from Mrazek and the complete unknown that was Ned (and Reimer as a backup) and brought in 2 vets for the same money. One of those vets had a bad but injury plagued season (Andersen) and the other of course is just injury prone (Raanta). I have no idea how that will work out, but just about every goalie the Canes bring in does better than they did the seasons before they got here (save for Scott Darling, which was just a disaster from the get go).
My points are simply:
Petr Mrazek is an average NHL goalie who by no means is a certainty to be any better than Freddie Andersen in any given season.
Freddie Andersen had a bad season last year, but the reality is that season was an outlier to his career numbers (yeah he could be done, but that isn't a certainty).
The Nedeljkovic decision cannot really be fairly evaluated until he plays this season. Lots of folks seem absolutely certain that the Canes just let a great goalie go for nothing. Well they waived him multiple times and no one claimed him, and for the CANES to pay him $3+ million for 23 regular season games with great numbers played against just 7 other teams, not knowing if he is really that great goalie or the guy who looked average for his entire career up to that point, was something they didn't feel was the right move. (Detroit can take that chance and pay that money, they are not a Cup contender at the moment).
The Leafs HAD to move on from Freddie Andersen (no doubt)
It seems that some on the Leafs board are convinced that every move the Canes make is a bad one. At some point, yes, you have to think some of these really bold/against the grain moves will bite us in the ass. But the Canes have 3 straight trips to the playoffs an
If I could “like” this post 10 times I would.Its just been crazy to me how many Canes fans and non-followers have been willing to rip the Canes for not being willing to give Ned a multi year deal for more than $3 million per like he was a definitive solution in goal, a "no doubter" that you turn over the keys to this Cup contender to and know you can rely on.
I know we talked about it a few times here now, but again, the Canes have a very simple and clear message to all of our RFAs and pending UFAs. The Canes (Dundon/Waddell/Tulsky) have a value assigned to everyone that rolls through this organization. If you want to continue to play for the Carolina Hurricanes, that value is going to set the salaries that the Canes might be willing to pay you. If your agent comes in 'hot' when sitting down to discuss terms of an extension (ie Ned at 2 years $7 million, with the threat of arbitration being used), or if you are Elias Lindholm or Noah Hanifin asking for $5 million per on a long term deal (Lindholm has overplayed that contract for the Flames, Hanifin not so much) or Dougie at $9 million per (what was his lowest number to stay with the Canes?). Bottom line is that the Canes just are not going to overpay what they think a player's value is. (KK and that offer sheet are not in that same realm, a successful offer sheet MUST be an overpay to work, and note its a 1 year overpay (ignore all of the nonsense about setting QO floors, that is playing checkers and not chess)).
The media and some fans spin all that 'cheap', but 'cheap' would do what the Canes do AND be 5-15 million under the cap. The Canes are not cheap, they are being strategic about their spending. EVERY team in the NHL does that. But when the CANES do it, well, they are cheap, or stupid or both. "Dundon is calling all the shots and running the team into the ground" so we are told (3 straight trips to the playoffs, 4 series wins). Dougie Hamilton is the guy you should give every penny do, the Canes are stupid not to have done so (umm...playoff Dougie?) Freddie Andersen sucks, how could the Canes blow up their goaltending?
Again at some point the Canes will 'get it all wrong', and the naysayers will finally get their due. But we've heard from many of these same folks before, be it trading Skinner for picks and Pu, or trading Justin Faulk away for Joel Edmunson and a prospect. Or trading away 2 former 5th overall picks in Lindholm and Hanifin for Dougie, a 3rd line grinder, and Adam Fox (who we were able to turn into Jamieson Rees, Antonni Honka and Noel Gunler). Canes seem to somehow get most of these moves right. Unconventional? Yep. Clueless, stupid, and "dumpster fire offseason"? Sure, could end up that way, but this group seems to be getting it right most of the time, even when its might look like an unusual approach.
I think we're all old enough to know that once a goalie has a certain number of professional games under his belt, the overall course of their career is simply a matter of variations from the mean average. Ned is MUCH more likely to post numbers in keeping with the rest of his pro career going forward than he is to continue to be the guy he was in that 29 game run this past season. That doesn't mean he won't have another hot run, but it also doesn't mean he won't have another season like he had in 2019-20 when he was fairly terrible in all situations. Heck, Ned wasn't even really all that great the year he won the Calder Cup and was named the best keeper in the AHL. He split time with a veteran the entire regular season and then was erratic AF in the playoffs when he was handed the crease ... wildly alternating between being a brick wall and being a blocking dummy. But in the lore, he's the great hero of the championship team. In reality ... he averaged out OK.I was never sold on Ned. Has flash in the pan written on him kinda like Jonas Gustavsson.
I'll take them at their word, but I wonder if we're actually including guys who haven't ever reported in that 100%. There's one player in particular that I'm thinking about here, and we all know who I'm talking about.Dundon was on SN590 The Fan on Tuesday to talk offer sheet. He also noted that all of the Canes players have been vaccinated (I will assume that is definitive until someone or some event tells us otherwise).
Tom Dundon on the Hurricanes' offer sheet for Kotkaniemi - Sportsnet.ca
Owner of the Carolina Hurricanes Tom Dundon shares his thoughts about the Jesperi Kotkaniemi offer sheet and the organization's mentality behind the offer, assures that the deal was not solely based on revenge for the Canadiens previous offer for Sebastian Aho, before discussing the NHL's return...www.sportsnet.ca
It's my Dad's birthday. Clearly they're planning something specialAlso Sat Apr 4 (vs. Minnesota) is a premium priced game. That seems very odd and random to me given the opponent (since when is Minny a draw for the Canes?), so I'm wondering if there is something special planned for the night that we don't know about yet?
Also Sat Apr 4 (vs. Minnesota) is a premium priced game. That seems very odd and random to me given the opponent (since when is Minny a draw for the Canes?), so I'm wondering if there is something special planned for the night that we don't know about yet?
Can't wait to see what, it would have to be pretty special for Saturday to last all the way from April 2 to April 4It's my Dad's birthday. Clearly they're planning something special
training camp should start next week but maybe it's the week after .
Good catch...but still, something doesn't add up.Can't wait to see what, it would have to be pretty special for Saturday to last all the way from April 2 to April 4
A joint retirement ceremony for Eric Staal?Good catch...but still, something doesn't add up.
Could be that. If they were waiting for an Alberta team to show up on the schedule it might just take for freaking ever. And Ward was only in Chicago the one year so there's no real point in doing it during a Hawks visit.They still have to retire Cam Ward's number, that is inevitable.
Calgary is here on 1/7, Edmonton on 2/27.Could be that. If they were waiting for an Alberta team to show up on the schedule it might just take for freaking ever. And Ward was only in Chicago the one year so there's no real point in doing it during a Hawks visit.
That's what I get for not taking the time to actually look at the freaking schedule :0)Calgary is here on 1/7, Edmonton on 2/27.