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GDT: Canes v. Rangers 4/12 3:00

Great game, fun time at Lenovo Arena last night. I recognize this team over whatever it was we watched the previous 4 games. I especially loved quieting the Ragheads in the stands and hearing the chants of "Igor, Igor" (who wasn't great - but the defense around him was truly awful). It was also nice to see Blake move into the list of highest scoring rookies for the franchise. I wasn't sold on him when he was the rookie selected to make the team, but he has been very good and looks like he'll get better over time.

Hard to believe one more home game is left in the regular season. Hopefully, we'll see a good effort against a really good team.
 
I walked out behind a couple of Rangers fans. One said to the other “maybe next year”. The other guy said “with a new coach”. I asked about Drury and one guy said “him too“.
Apparently Dolan's renewed interest in the Rangers has been derailed by his growing feud with the NBA over regional TV rights fees. They might clean house this summer, but I suspect it's just going to be a coaching change/roster turnover kind of deal. Usually, if they start from scratch, it's driven by Dolan
 
Good for Kooch. He fought off enough to win one. Learn to like how that feels & get your mind there again.
I mean, I guess. I thought he was still fighting the puck something fierce yesterday and his glove was MIA all game. He DID battle for the loose stuff though, which was an improvement.
 
Still fighting it in game 80 is no bueno. That becomes a tendency/trait instead of an easy fix.
I'm still waiting for whatever traits Kooch has that you'd want to keep. His puck tracking and decision making are all over the place, his glove is erratic at best and his positioning is also erratic. He's a pretty good puck handler, I guess and some people would put that stupid atomic poke check he does in the plus column. He's also pretty agile for his size. But the sloppiness in the details ain't going anywhere at this stage of a goalie's career. All of this is the basis of my continuing argument to move on from the guy or to relegate him to actual backup duty.
 
I'm still waiting for whatever traits Kooch has that you'd want to keep. His puck tracking and decision making are all over the place, his glove is erratic at best and his positioning is also erratic. He's a pretty good puck handler, I guess and some people would put that stupid atomic poke check he does in the plus column. He's also pretty agile for his size. But the sloppiness in the details ain't going anywhere at this stage of a goalie's career. All of this is the basis of my continuing argument to move on from the guy or to relegate him to actual backup duty.

He’s a backup in my opinion. He can steal a game or 2 and is exciting I guess. But he is way too inconsistent and his fundamentals are for shit. But that’s his game. Don’t see it changing much as he gets older. We need to find a legit number one and I’m completely comfortable with Kooch as a backup in Raleigh for the next few years
 
With the newbies we picked up at the deadline and Boom in the wings, I hope the organization focuses on finding a #1 goalie.
Askarov and Knight were both traded in the past 12 months so there are young guys out there that can be had on the trade market that you could take a flyer on as a future number one. Not saying anyone is a slam dunk from those two but the Canes have to find someone new.
 
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