I'm not really impressed with the Canes going into next year, honestly.
They'll contend better for the SE, certainly. Doesn't mean they're contenders, at least not yet, but it could put them into the division race and if failing that, they're another one of the umpteen bubble teams in the East.
Their top six is very good, but I don't think their bottom six is good (c'mon, Tlusty/Dweyer/Larose are fine when one of them is on a roster, but for them to be a third line...?) and their defense is still below average, especially defensively. Gleason is their only top four defensive defenseman. Harrison is a steady, but bottom pairing guy, Corvo blows, Faulk/Pitkanen are average or below in their own end and Murphy graduating wouldn't help that either.
What'll be interesting is if they continue to stack their first two lines for a whole season or go back to what they were doing for the past two years, with Staal-Skinner/Jokinen-Sutter and slot Staal in on the "third" line.
It's way easier to get a #4 defensive defenseman between now and the deadline than fill Buffalo's holes at center, so yeah, they're definitely in better shape for now, but they haven't risen above bubble team status yet either.
Their top six is very good, but I don't think their bottom six is good (c'mon, Tlusty/Dweyer/Larose are fine when one of them is on a roster, but for them to be a third line...?) and their defense is still below average, especially defensively. Gleason is their only top four defensive defenseman. Harrison is a steady, but bottom pairing guy, Corvo blows, Faulk/Pitkanen are average or below in their own end and Murphy graduating wouldn't help that either.
What'll be interesting is if they continue to stack their first two lines for a whole season or go back to what they were doing for the past two years, with Staal-Skinner/Jokinen-Sutter and slot Staal in on the "third" line.
It's way easier to get a #4 defensive defenseman between now and the deadline than fill Buffalo's holes at center, so yeah, they're definitely in better shape for now, but they haven't risen above bubble team status yet either.
(don't underrate Tlusty and Dywer)
yes, their defense has holes... but... i think Pitkanen is better then you suggest. and I think Faulk is just scratching the surface...
I forgot to mention Welsh...
I think Dwyer is a darn good shut down winger (better then Gerbe/Kaleta)
Minus the whole "turning into a relevant defensive defenseman" part? I'll give you Faulk though, he played harder minutes than I initially gave him credit for.
I'm interested to see how losing Allen affects that defense. He played some tough minutes last season...
I think Sabres fans tend to have an irrational opinion of Carolina... they'll never forget 06
Staal, Staal, Skinner, Semin, Ruutu, Jokinen.... is a good mix of skill, size, and 2 way play for a top 6... incredible depth at center
Tim Gleason is the most underrated defensemen this side of Andrej Sekera...
Pitkanen, Faulk, Harrison isn't a shabby group of dmen... and Ryan Murphy could definitely jump to the NHL this year...
Dwyer, Tlusty, Larose provide depth/energy
Ward is as good as any other goaltender with a good team around him...
Carolina is in better shape THIS season, than Buffalo is
Their forward group is above average, their D is below average, their goalie is inconsistent. The division is pretty much up for grabs as there isn't an 'elite' team there anymore. I really don't like any team in the Southeast to make any noise.
There will probably be a 3 seed and a 7-8 seed
If I had to compare them to Buffalo:
Forwards: The proven center depth is greater than Buffalo's. Buffalo is probably a bit more skilled on the wings. But, given Buffalo doesn't have any centers even close to the proven production of the Staal-Staal-Skinner trio, big edge to Carolina
Defense: Buffalo's is just better. Gleason is a great 2nd pairing. But he's the #1 down there. Pitkanen is a good puck mover but very one dimensional. Also he isn't a guy who is going to win any wars. They have some young guys with potential, however, I just don't see it gelling enough
Goaltending: Ward can certainly get hotter than Miller can, but Miller over the course of a season is just more consistent.
The big advantage that both teams have is that they don't have to play in the Atlantic. Boston, if Horton is healthy and Seguin continues to move forward, is the best team in either division. Both teams will probably be contending for the last 3 spots in the east (If you assume that the top 5 will be Boston, Philly, Pittsburgh, NYR, and whoever wins the SE). Carolina could probably contend for the SE title.
I think the inexperience and softness on D is going to cause problems for Carolina. Plenty of similar caliber teams in their division. Right now they project out to be a bubble team.
Their top 6 is excellent. Bottom 6 is average. Their defense is indeed bad to terrible. Their goaltender is an NHL goaltender.
6-12 finish.
Last season they were 12th in the East offensive;ly, 11th in the East defensively, and 12th in the East with a -30 GD.
Obviously the Jordan Staal trade was their big move of the off-season. But, will that be enough to make a huge difference next season? I think their lack of depth will bite them in the end.
As for Skinner's deal, not quite sure why they felt the need to go big right now. Was an offersheet looming?
Perhaps they wanted to lock him in to the 6 year deal before the CBA deal gets done with potential contract length limits making that long of a deal not an option.
i was quoting the fact that they extended him (poms) long term with 1 yr remaining on his deal, and JJ commenting that that same scenario made the extension "make even less sense"... does the same logic apply to the pommer extension?
Pominviller was given a 5 year extension, with 1 full year remaining on his deal while he would still be a RFA (just like Skinner)
in that sense, i don't think the difference between it being his 2nd/3rd contract makes a difference
i was quoting the fact that they extended him (poms) long term with 1 yr remaining on his deal, and JJ commenting that that same scenario made the extension "make even less sense"... does the same logic apply to the pommer extension?
Pominviller was given a 5 year extension, with 1 full year remaining on his deal while he would still be a RFA (just like Skinner)
in that sense, i don't think the difference between it being his 2nd/3rd contract makes a difference
Hard to find the info, but I believe Pominville was going to be UFA at the end of his 3-year $3.1M contract. So they bought 5 years of UFA with Pominville, with 1 year left on his second contract.
