Danault vs. Kadri vs. O'Reilly: Breaking Down the Canes' Center Options

A one-point gap at the top of the Metro. A power play finally finding a heartbeat. And a 2C question that just won’t go away. Erin, Katie & I take a clear-eyed look at the Carolina Hurricanes and ask what actually moves them from good to built-for-May in this special Mailbag episode.

We start with the truth on scoring and special teams, highlighting Seth Jarvis’s timely finishing and Shane Gostisbehere’s offense from the back end, plus why Jordan Staal’s net-front work has simplified the power play. Then we tackle the core choice the front office must make: commit to an Aho-led pace identity or fully embrace a Stahl-style, heavy, choke-the-neutral-zone game. That decision drives every roster move, especially at center.

From there, we get specific. If you’re solving 2C for playoff hockey, Philip Danault’s shutdown mastery could free skilled wingers. If you want edge and offense, Nazem Kadri brings snarl and scoring. Ryan O’Reilly’s faceoff dominance and savvy still tilt matchups. We examine wing options and the temptation to add size like an Alex Tuch type, but explain why center is the domino that must fall first. On the blue line, Jacob Slavin’s return would reset pairings—think Slavin–Gostisbehere to greenlight Ghost, and a punishing Walker–Nikishin duo to raise the physical tax for opponents.

Goaltending gets a reality check too. Brandon Bussi’s timely saves are buying belief and buying time; if that holds, the timeline for a crease decision stretches while management focuses assets where they shift series. Finally, we outline the special teams formula—shoot-first power play with traffic, pressure-first penalty kill—and preview a pivotal road stretch against true barometer teams.

Highlights:

• Current form, standings context, and scoring streakiness
• Power play simplification with Staal net front
• Jarvis’s surge and Gostisbehere’s dual impact
• Identity fork: Aho speed model or Stahl grind model
• The 2C problem and why Stankoven is miscast
• Realistic center targets: Danault, Kadri, Ryan O’Reilly
• Wing upgrades versus solving center first
• Tradeable assets and prospect depth on defense
• Goaltending stability with Bussi and timeline to decide
• Ideal D pairs when Slavin returns and minutes allocation
• Special teams priorities for a playoff build
• Road stretch stakes against Metro rivals and barometer teams

If you’re a Canes fan who wants substance over spin, this is your roadmap from “good” to “beats heavy teams in June.” Listen, share with a fellow Caniac, and drop your take: solve 2C with defense-first or go all-in on scoring? And,  don’t forget to subscribe and hit the bell so you never miss stormTRacker.

#canes #hockey #erictulsky #raiseup #stormtracker23 #rodbrindamour #lockedonhurricanes #Canescast #thestormsurge #AlexanderNikishin #carolinahurricanes #JaccobSlavin

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Episode Transcript

SPEAKER_02 (01:03):
Well, the Carolina Hurricanes are going through
their toughest stretch of theseason so far, going 5-4-1 in
their past ten, and losing tothe Sharks, the Leafs, and the
Sabres in the process.
Canes are currently sitting insecond place in the Metro, one
point behind leading WashingtonCapitals, but just six points

(01:25):
ahead of eighth place ColumbusBlue Jackets.
Is this Canes team good enoughto compete for the Cup?
Have the Canes solved thenagging two seat problem?
What about Golden?
I'm Tom Rain.
I'm joined today, as always,with our hockey aficionados,
Aaron Manning and Katie Burkle.

(01:47):
Ladies, lots to talk about.

unknown (01:51):
Okay.

SPEAKER_02 (01:52):
Marker.
All right, so I thought we spentjust a couple of minutes talking
about the current situation withthe Canes before we hit into the
uh the mailbag segment, which Ithink is going to be a lot of
fun.
And I want to thank all thefolks who sent in questions.
We've got lots of great ones, soit's going to be uh a spirited

(02:12):
discussion for sure.
But let's talk about some stats.
Uh Kane's offense right now isstruggling a little bit.
They seem to uh score a bunchone game and then go some games
with very few goals.
But here we are with our topscorer, Sebastian Ajo, sitting
at 47th, and he's got uh ninegoals, 17 assists in 29 games,

(02:34):
so way down the list.
And then, of course, next up isSeth Jarvis, and he's tied for
62nd with 17 goals and eightassists.
The power play, we talked aboutthat a lot, is 27th right now,
sitting at 15.7 percent.
Now, it's been better the lastfew games, and of course, we can

(02:54):
talk about the reason why, andthat's uh the big man who is
doing a great job in that story.
Strange place for the canes,sitting at 23rd, 78.6%.
And then finishing up on thestat line, the canes are 19th
with face-off acumen at 49.2percent, the leader is Trottle

(03:19):
at 57.1.
So these stats they don't lookso good, and yet the canes seem
to be doing okay.
Aaron, thoughts?

SPEAKER_01 (03:30):
Well, um, I'm gonna jump in with uh something I saw
from one of our uh frequentviewers uh goes by the Twitter
handle, Canes and Dogs.
And uh right before we startedthis, I happened to see a
comment that he made, which isthat um when you look at where
the canes were last year at thistime, and you look at, you know,
today, um, after 29 games,they're actually one point ahead

(03:51):
of where they were last year, at38 points overall instead of 37.
And again, uh shouting out canesand dogs, he um he pointed out
that uh we really should begiving more credit to Tim
Gleason because for them to bein this position, having had
Jacob Slavin for only two gamesof the 29 games that have been

(04:12):
played so far this year, that isa huge testament to what Gleason
has been able to do with therotating cast of defensemen that
have come in and out of thelineup to uh compensate for all
of the injuries because, ofcourse, not just Slavin, but uh
a number of the regulars havebeen injured.
So as as gloom and doom as wecan be about some things, and
and I think there are some areasof concern and some things we

(04:34):
definitely need to talk about,it's encouraging that their
regular season success has notum collapsed.
You know, they're not they'recertainly not in the position of
one of these teams that justkind of takes the regular season
off.
We see that a lot of times, Ithink, from both of the Florida
teams and uh some other teams inthe league.
Um they're there's certainthey're still battling through.
Um what's gonna happen um whenthey get Slavin back and they

(04:56):
start being able to coalesce asthe team that they need to be,
that's that's I think where ourareas of concern are what needs
to bolster that.
Uh one thing I will point out,you know, you were pointing out
the the scoring numbers uh justnow.
Um and even though it's truethat that uh Aho and Jarvis are
not you know top of the leaguein terms of total points
accumulated, right now SethJarvis is the ninth goal scorer

(05:19):
in the league.
He has he is at ninth in theleague for goals.
Um so he is, you know, he'sactually tied with a number of
people, um, Brendan Hagel, TomWilson, Leon Dre Seidel.
So um he is one of the top goalscorers in the league this
season, and he's on pace for aridiculous number of goals as
well, if he can keep it up.
That is a huge bright spot, andI think that that's another

(05:41):
thing that we can focus on whenwe look at where the Keynes are
right now.

SPEAKER_00 (05:47):
Uh to piggyback off of the that um that information
from Aaron, they're also verypositive that the Keynes are
tied for seventh among all teamsas far as goals scored, period,
across the board.
So while our individual starsmight not be producing at the
pace that we would be hoping forthem to produce, or even some of

(06:09):
our supporting cast as we getinto talking about that second
line, the team overall isgetting a lot of production from
all over.
And um, you know, sittingseventh in the league is nothing
to sneeze at with where they'reat um in the standings and and
how they're able to find a lotof contributions from different
members.
And I mean, just look at theseason that Jordan Stahl has

(06:31):
been putting together so far.
I mean, he he is scoring goalsat a pace that I haven't seen
him do uh for almost I guessalmost as long as I've been a
Keynes fan.
It's been great to see his umhis contributions and his
enthusiasm.
So there is plenty to like.
Um another big bright spot, Iwould say, is Chang Gostas Fair.

(06:53):
Oh, yeah.
Um we we all we all knew he wasgoing to be a positive force for
good, especially in theoffensive zone, and he has lived
up to that.
Um I think the the last time Ichecked the stats when it came
to points per game or points per60, he was behind only Kale
McCarr as far as that kind ofproduction.

(07:13):
So, I mean, phenomenal work fromGhost.
But not only that, but he hasdone a lot better in the
defensive zone than hisreputation um uh would suggest
on a typical season.
He's still not the stellarshutdown defenseman.
No one would ever accuse him ofuh playing like that, but he has
been really, really solid inbreaking up a lot of plays and

(07:35):
keeping the puck away from thegoaltender.
So between between the depthscoring that the team is
enjoying as well as theoffensive production from Ghost,
where where there are someconcerns in some areas, they are
being offset by positives inother areas, and we definitely
need to appreciate and enjoythose and not overlook them as

(07:57):
we move forward in ourdiscussions.

SPEAKER_02 (08:00):
For sure.
I mean, I think I mean some ofthe heavy scoring was earlier in
the year.
Um I think as things have gottentougher, we've seen that uh the
goals have been a little bittougher as well.
And we do have some players thathave gone extended periods with
uh with not much to show for it.
On the positive side, too, Ijust want to mention that the
Hurricanes sit at 38 pointsright now.

(08:21):
They're just one point behind uhthe Anaheim Ducks and the
Washington Capitals, who aretied for third in the NHL
overall, and the Canes have agame in hand.
If they won that game, ofcourse, they'd move up uh to
third place on their own behindthe Colorado Avalanche, of
course, and the Dallas Stars,the two top teams in the league
right now.
You know, so despite all theseconcerns, the Canes are getting

(08:45):
it done.
It's amazing.
And you think about the factthey're doing it uh without
Jacob Slavin, um, and that's atestament to uh to so much.
And you know, we have to talk alittle bit about the the uh the
young players on the blue line.
We've mentioned them over andover again, and I think uh
certainly Alex Nikish and uh ULNstrom have uh have done a great

(09:06):
job, and uh they just continueto do stuff.
And even last night, I thoughtNiedstrom did a great job uh
aiding that uh that goal lastnight that uh helped the Canes
get back into the game.
He's a guy that uh I think,again, uh tough decision what
they're gonna do with him.
Um if we look at the other thingthat I want to mention was as
you mentioned, uh Jordan Stahl.

(09:26):
Uh we talked about the Canesbeing way down in their power
play, but lately it's startingto click.
And I think a decision to putthe big man uh for the face-off
first and foremost, but now he'sturning out to be a guy that can
get in front of the net anddeflect goals.
And how long have we beentalking about, you know, get
someone in front of the net, youknow, cause some chaos.

(09:49):
And finally the canes end updoing it with a player that's
been there all along.
So a great story.
Uh, and uh, and so that's wherewe sit today.
Um lots of heavy lifting left.
So let's uh let's segue thisinto the uh some of these tough
discussions that Kaniacs havesent into us, and we really
thank you for that um as we moveinto the mailbag segment.

(10:12):
And uh let's kick it off withour first question from Tucker
Blankenship.
Tucker says, are the canescloser or further from winning a
cup than they were 12 monthsago?
Now, just to kick this off, someof the players who are no longer
here are Jack Roslovic, ofcourse.
He's uh he's headed to theOilers, and the Marty Natchez

(10:34):
and Drury move to Colorado.
That affects the forward side,and then of course, two big
defensemen, Brent Burns andDmitry Orlock.
So these folks are gone.
Do we think that the folks whoreplaced them have made the team
better or not?

SPEAKER_01 (10:49):
Aaron 12 months ago today exactly, um, the Canes
beat the San Jose Sharks, whothey just lost to the other
night.
So we could look at that.
Um they were 18-9-1 in theirfirst 28.
And um and as of beforeyesterday's game, they were
17-9-2.

(11:11):
And now they're 18-9 and 2.
So the the the they like I saidin the to start the things off,
the the comparison is similar,more similar than we think.
We're reacting to, I think, alot of the structural things
we're seeing that areproblematic down the road, and I
think that that is somethingthat we need to react to and
talk about.
But um, in terms of how closethey are to winning a cup, I

(11:32):
think when we started lastseason, most of us thought it
was gonna be kind of a damnseason that, you know, they
weren't gonna be as competitive,that they probably couldn't get
that far.
And then, you know, we had allof that wild shakeup with the
Rantan and trade and everythingelse that happened, and you
know, they ended up getting allthe way to the third round
again.
So the question is, can they getpast that?

(11:53):
I think when you look at thisseason's roster, it's a little
bit difficult to see themwinning the cup as they are
presently constructed for anumber of reasons.
Um, were they closer to thatlast year?
I think if they had not had someof the injuries they had in
going into the um playoffs andhaving two rookie defensemen,

(12:16):
they were probably closer tobeing able to beat Florida last
year than they are right thisminute had everyone stayed
healthy.
And of course, you know, that'sone of those things in the
playoffs.
You you can't, you we couldtheoretically, hypothetically,
we could stack the Keynes rosterwith all the people we would
personally like to see on there,and then half of those guys
could be injured.
You don't know how the playoffsare going to go in that regard.

(12:37):
And it's uh it's always afrustrating thing when teams are
you know right on the cusp andthey get in there and then they
just can't get far enoughbecause they don't have enough
healthy bodies by the time youget to the third round.
Um it's hard though to look atthe roster right now, right this
minute though, and say thatthey're better.
I think there's room to makeimprovements.

SPEAKER_02 (12:59):
Andy, do you think uh this team is closer or
further from winning the cup?

SPEAKER_00 (13:04):
I'm gonna say further, but for one reason
only, and that's the because Ifeel like last year's group was
more cohesive.
I believe that they had playedtogether for so long and they
knew each other's style and theteam's style overall, and they
just had they had a a foundationon which they had already built

(13:27):
so much that they were able toum to they already had an
identity, let's put it that way.
This team has an identity, butthere's still so many people who
are getting acclimated to it,plus having a big voice like
Slavin Out, which we havementioned, has um has affected
that as well as you know, a lotof people on on X want to say,

(13:49):
oh, it's good, you know, goodriddance, we don't have Brent
Burns anymore.
You can make that argument allday long when it comes to the
turnovers and that sort of thingthat that he committed or the
the foot speed that he playedwith.
But when it comes to a cohesivelocker room, I think the teams
really are missing Burns.
And they they are they arefinding their voice, they are

(14:10):
finding their um their identity,but it's coming at a slower
rate.
And so the fact that they haveachieved the same level of
success as last year's teamwithout that cohesion and
without those same locker roomvoices like the ones that they
lost with Burns, I think is areal testament to them.

(14:30):
And it shows that there is agood opportunity for them to
become a better team than lastyear's.
They are just going to need touh stop playing as individual
strong players and become moreof a collective unit that are
pulling together each in theirown way.

(14:51):
And once that clicks and thatsettles in, then we're gonna be
talking.

SPEAKER_02 (14:58):
Well, I mean, I think you've hit it on the head.
For me, uh losing Burns and evenDmitry Orlov, uh, those guys
played heavy, heavy, heavyminutes.
Uh, they were tremendous on thePK.
Uh, our defense is a differentlook and feel.
Yeah, we're missing Slavan, butnotwithstanding that, it is a
different look and feel.

(15:18):
And it's not nearly as heavy toplay against.
And I think that's somethingthat for sure uh the Canes have
found themselves victimized withuh, you know, grade A chances
that some of these goalies havehad to do circus saves on, more
so than we're used to.
Uh and I think that's a bigloss.
And of course, Marty Natchez, Imean, he's uh he's otherworldly

(15:39):
now.
So I I gotta say that we miss uhMarty for sure.
Uh my feeling on all of this, Idon't think the Canes are
closer.
Um I think they're I think theyhave some work to do uh to do to
get there.
So um let's move on, and this isactually part of the reason I
think that the Canes are alittle concerning.

(15:59):
Um and this is from Cain's time,and he says, Do you guys think
Stancoven is the right to seefit?
Now, this is uh one of thehottest discussions these days
for sure.
Um Katie, why don't you kickthis one off?

SPEAKER_00 (16:15):
No.
How's that work?
No, I I honestly I I didn't seeit at the beginning of the
season, and I was but I waswilling to give it a try, you
know, see how it works, see howit goes.
I just and it has less to dowith how effective I think he is
as far as creating time andspace for his wingers.
We've seen Jackson Blake do wellon that line, we've seen Ehlers

(16:40):
have his shining moments on thatline.
So he has facilitated, but weneed more from Steinkhoven than
to just be a facilitator.
He has an energy, he has a apassion, a fire with the way
that he plays.
And it's all really muted rightnow because of the pressure and
the stress and theresponsibility of trying to be
the Keynes 2C with all of theface-offs and with being the

(17:05):
defensively responsible one andall that's that entails in Rod's
system, particularly.
I think it is suppressing whatmakes Stan Coven such a special
player and such a good fit forthe Keynes.
So, no, I do not think that the2C experiment has worked at all,
and the Keynes number onepriority needs to be figuring

(17:26):
out how to move forward withthat second scoring line.

SPEAKER_02 (17:30):
Aaron, anything else, Chad?

SPEAKER_01 (17:32):
Um, I would agree with Katie.
I'm actually um, you guys knowthat back in the beginning of
the season when this was allfirst going on, I was a big
cheerleader and enthusiast forthe idea of Stenkoven at Twicy
because it was so obvious fromthe get-go, and it still is that
this is a player that is a RodBrindemore type of player.
They signed him for that reason.

(17:52):
They know he's gonna be along-term fit on the Keynes.
It doesn't, I think to the frontoffice, it doesn't really matter
whether his role is as um acenter or as a winger.
I don't think they are, youknow, necessarily committed to
this has to work out.
Um I I really wanted it to workout.
I thought that it could, youknow, given the right situation.

(18:14):
I think that part of what theright situation would be,
though, is if you wanted this towork, you'd have to bring in two
very big physical wingers.
Um, we saw what was happeninglast night um when Stank and
Jank got flipped.
And I think that part of thereason I had a little argument,
I had a little argument withsomebody on X about this
because, you know, I said thatthe probably the reason for the
flip was that Jackson Blake wasgetting so badly abused out

(18:36):
there.
And, you know, Stancoven can'tbe the guy to protect his
wingers.
He's too small himself.
Even though he's physicallysolid, even though he hits, he's
not gonna be the kind of guywho's gonna skate over, get up
in somebody's face, and say,hey, cut that out.
You know, he can't do that.
Now, I don't know that Jankowskican't either.
I do agree that he's not themost physical guy in the world
for as big as he is.

(18:56):
Um, his hit count isridiculously low for a centerman
of his size.
But that doesn't matter whenyou're playing against a team
that doesn't see you that often,they don't know anything
terribly much about.
I mean, I know they do theirtheir homework, but they're not
gonna know this, the exactstatistics on just how physical
Mark Jankowski is.
What they're gonna see is a bigguy skating over saying, hey,
quit pushing my winger around,you know.

(19:17):
That's all that it has to be.
It doesn't have to be anythingmore than that.
So I I look at that and I think,okay, the if the line was
constructed differently, youmight be able.
Um, and I haven't looked indetail at how Marco Rossi's line
is constructed in Minnesota.
I do know Rossi, he's a littlebit bigger.
He's not a ton bigger, he's likean inch taller, which isn't

(19:37):
much, but he's 20 poundsheavier.
And that makes for a differentplayer when you're talking about
somebody who can get pushed offthe puck or get pushed out of
battles and so on, you know.
So I just think that the way theCanes play, they're not gonna be
able to have a small winger, Imean a small center playing in
that role, and that, especiallywith not the biggest wingers on
either side of him.

(19:58):
So I wanted it to work.
I I really, really did.
And I think that Rod Rindemorehas a ton of patience for
Sankhovin.
He still says, you know, well,he'll get the face-offs, that's
gonna happen.
You know, he's been endlesslypatient with all of that stuff.
But the the flip last night mayhave been in the reality check
that says he can't do thisagainst these big physical
teams.

SPEAKER_02 (20:17):
And I think that's exactly it.
And and I think the other reasonis that uh, of course, uh
Jankowski is a much betterface-off guy.
And uh, so you know, get himmore opportunity to get draws
and and get uh control of thebuck for the canes.
Um, you know, the canes have uhit's kind of interesting because
they've been reluctant in thepast to uh to put these uh

(20:39):
wingers over to center, eventhough they're centers
naturally, bringing them intothe league.
Even Sebastian Aho started onthe wing, and of course we know
Marty Nate just never did lead.
Um so you know it's kind ofinteresting they gave Stankow a
shot.
Um, but I think a lot of folkshave said, hey, he was a lot
more effective with the dads,you know, with uh Stahl and

(21:00):
Martinouke, and that's probablywhere he should go because of
course.
They're big and they can theycan really handle whatever's
necessary on that that heavylifting side.
Um but it opens up some uh somebig questions now.
And I think the next question upfrom Canes and Dogs kind of
talks to it.
And he says, look, do we needmore of a physical 2C, or do we

(21:22):
think we need a more physicalwinger for the second slash
first line?
Um for sure, the canes aresmall, and you know, they do
have obviously on the first lineSpecs is there, Svechnikov, so
he brings some size, but you gofrom Spechnikov, and it's these
guys are all small players.
And the question is, we'restarting to see, you know,

(21:45):
because of the standings andbecause every game is a must-win
for teams playing right now, isso close that we're almost
seeing playoff style hockey.
And the result is that you knowit's tough slugging for these
smaller players, tough to getroom, tough to get uh able to do
what they do best when they canfreewheel.
So what are we thinking aboutthis?

(22:07):
Do we need a physical 2C or dowe need a physical winger?
Aaron, do you want to kick itoff?

SPEAKER_01 (22:14):
Um, can we cue the meme that says both is good?
Because honestly, the canescould use both.
They could use both.
We we know that.
And that the problem, of course,is that they have a lot of good
wingers that they really love.
So, you know, where are yougonna put these hypothetical
people that you bring in?
But um, there's certainly beensome conversations about some of
the big physical wingers in theleague who might be available.

(22:36):
And I know that you know, a lotof canes have Alex uh Tuck as a
target, and and that woulddefinitely be um that would
definitely be the kind of personthat you would be looking for,
you know, if you were lookingout there to try to acquire
someone like that.
Um I personally think, and I youI think you probably agree with
me on this, Tom, that that thethe center question has to be

(22:56):
addressed first.
It's it's not gonna be um theycan't continue on the way that
they are um for the entireseason when the games really
start getting tough.
You know, I know you're sayingwe're seeing some some of that
playoff style hockey, some ofthat's just Columbus, I think,
but um because they always playthat way.
How many times have we had amajor injury playing against

(23:19):
Columbus?
It's been more than a few.
But um I think that as we getpast, you know, especially in
the games leading up to theOlympic break, we're gonna
probably see an early elevation.
Uh, where usually you don't seethat kind of real physical
elevation of the games tillafter the All-Star break.
But because of the Olympics,because of all of that that's

(23:40):
gonna happen, and because thegames are being more condensed,
the schedule is more condensed,I think we are gonna see a lot
of battles.
And the Canes have to be in aposition where their center,
especially on Tuesie, it has tobe somebody that can handle the
toughness of that while stillfacilitating goals and points
for the team.
And the top six has to bescoring more than they are in
general.

(24:00):
Um because when it dries up, youknow, I know that the Kanes
pride themselves on being adepth scoring team, and that is
great.
But in those tight games whenyou just need one, those are the
kind of the most frustratingsituations.
I think we talked about that alittle bit the other day on on
uh X, you know, when whenthere's when they're down a goal
and they just need one to getback in.

(24:20):
Right now they have Seth Jarvisas the guy who can mainly do
that, and that's if the top lineis having that kind of game.
If they're not, who's doing it?

SPEAKER_03 (24:29):
Yeah, that's exactly right.

SPEAKER_01 (24:31):
Yeah, it it has to be you you're not gonna be able
to fix the wings without fixingcenter first.
That's my take.
Katie.

SPEAKER_00 (24:40):
Um, one thing I'm gonna I'm gonna say it depends.
And I'm gonna I'm gonna put itin this context.
Right now I feel like the Canesare playing with one leg in the
we are a Jordan Stahl style teamand one leg in the we are a
Sebastian Ajo style team.
And they haven't fully committedone way or the other.

(25:02):
And if they are going to havesuccess, they need to pick a
direction to go.
Are we going to be a JordanStahl, big, heavy, physical,
wear you down, just give you nospace, no time, stand you up at
the blue line, have you know, ifwe get the Brandon Busted style

(25:23):
goaltending we've gottenrecently, have that, you know,
strong goaltending to back us upwhen you do breakthrough.
Is it going to be that type ofidentity that is less about
scoring and more aboutpreventing scoring and then
finding the timely goals?
The goals from the dump andchase and the strong forecheck
and the cycling from low to highand the and the banging and

(25:45):
rebounds.
Is that the kind of hockey theyfeel like they are best equipped
to win with?
If so, that's the directionthey're going to go with the 2C,
where they do need to findsomebody bigger, um, somebody
who perhaps isn't the scorer butcan win the face-offs and
prevent a strong transitiongame, that sort of thing.

(26:06):
If they decide to go more of theAHO route, where they want to
play a stronger rush typeoffense, and they want to push
the pace and they want to maketeams react to their speed and
their playmaking, then you'regoing a different direction.
You then they need to find a 2Cthat has those skills, that has

(26:26):
that foot speed, has the sizeand reach and playmaking
abilities in order to be theplay driver on that line and
create time and space for hiswingers to uh find those soft
spots or get open for one-timeshots, that sort of thing.
So while we're kind of in thisindecisive middle, I don't think
there is a clear path for thecanes to travel.

(26:49):
There are a variety of options,but it really depends on which
way they're going to commit to,not only for the rest of this
season, but for the next one totwo seasons, at least as long as
Stahl's contract is still on thebooks.

SPEAKER_02 (27:03):
Yeah.
Well, I mean, one thing we'reseeing is that uh Jordan Stahl,
his contribution and andbasically his role is as
critical as it's ever been forthe Kanes.
And, you know, even though uh,you know, the clock ticks on for
him, he's continuing to be theguy and the go-to guy many
times.
Um, and you know, again, uhwe'll talk a little bit about

(27:26):
this whole center discussion,you know, just to preface that
uh Sebastian Aho, if he'swondering if he should be a
Jordan Stahl or Sebastiana Ahosome nights, I'm I'm not sure
because he definitely continuesto be a player that is not the
player we think he should be, orthat he has been at different
times in his career.

(27:46):
We talked a lot about this lastyear, and it's like a broken
record.
Um, you know, I watch him and Ikeep I just keep wanting more uh
and expecting more, and it'sjust not coming.
So I'm not sure what that'sabout.

SPEAKER_00 (27:59):
Part of it depends for me on where the messaging is
coming from Aho.
I'm thinking they're leaningmore towards being that Jordan
Stahl type, their style team,and they're asking Aho to play
more like Stahl, that they'reokay giving up some of that
offense in order to use thatline to shut down other teams'
top lines, especially on theroad when the teams, when those

(28:23):
teams have last um last change,and they're trying to avoid
Stahl and Martinook and Carrieror whoever else is that third is
that third player on that line.
So I that's kind of what makesme think they're going more in
that direction.
And if that's the case, that'sthe it's gonna frustrate fans.
It's gonna frustrate us all somuch because we want the the

(28:45):
Jake Gensel style trade or theMiko Rantnon style trade because
they they are flashy and theyare exciting and they have that
pop in scoring.
But it could be that the Canestrying to play like a Colorado
Avalanche or a Tampa BayLightning or an Edmonton Oilers
are putting themselves at adisadvantage.

(29:06):
If the Canes need to be theCanes, and if that turns out to
be more of a Jordan Stahl styleteam, then even someone like
Sebastian Aho is going to beasked to contribute in more of a
Jordan Stahl style way ratherthan a Nathan McKinnon, Jake
Gensel, um Connor McDavid styleway.

SPEAKER_02 (29:26):
Well, you know, if you think about the teams that
are ahead of the Keynes rightnow, and they're probably going
to be in the mix as we get closeto uh you know playoff time and
and whatever happens there.
I mean, you look at uh Colorado,and when you've got guys like
you know, uh Nathan McKinnon anduh and of course uh you know
Marty Neitchis and Kale McCarr,I mean you've got game-breaking

(29:49):
players.
Uh you look at Dallas, you know,Jason Robertson and and of
course uh Rantinen and so on,they've got you know
game-breaking players.
Um now the team that doesn't somuch is the Washington Capitals,
and they play a very similargame to the Kings, but the Caps
are big, they're a big team.

(30:11):
And I think that's the thebiggest single difference, and
of course they're goaltending aslights out with uh Logan
Thompson, but but they are a bigteam, and they rely on the whole
team to get it done, verysimilar to the Kings.
And I think they're the to me,they're the model of the type of
team that you have to have, andeven though we beat them last
year, I think it's gonna betough slow.

(30:32):
And they're so much bigger thanthe Kynes, and that's my biggest
concern.
So, as we go to the nextquestion by Kay Very the Kane,
he says the Kanes are indesperate need for larger
forwards, especially comeplayoff time.
So here we go.
Wondering what viable optionsyou have for winger and to see.

(30:54):
So, you know, we go out, wescour this, uh scour the rosters
and see what players might beavailable.
You know, the the challenge wehave is that so many teams are
in the playoff hunt that they'renot offering up players.
So you've got a very small groupof teams that you're likely
going to be able to, you know,try to make a deal with.

(31:16):
And of course, uh, we know thatthat's a buyer's market because,
uh, or at least a seller'smarket, because of course
there's so few players that youknow the price is going to be
high.
So let's talk about center icefor a minute.
And uh and Aaron, you've gotsome thoughts on on the whole
decision at center and how itmight look.
Why don't you kick off uh withthat?

SPEAKER_01 (31:37):
Well, this dovetails nicely with what Katie was just
saying about the Keynes tryingto decide are they going to be a
Jordan Stahl type of team or arethey going to be a Sebastian Aho
type of team?
Which direction are they goingto go?
You know, are we what what arewe going to do for the future?
Um I think if you um if you hadRod Brindamore in a conversation

(31:58):
right now and you said, what areyour plans for you know maybe
another year or two when JordanStahl decides, you know, hey,
it's it's time to hang him up.
And I think that Rod Bridemorewould probably challenge you to
a steel cage deat match for evensuggesting that Jordan Stahl is
ever going to retire becauseit's not happening in his mind.
He'll still be playing when he's45.

(32:18):
We know that's not going tohappen.
We know that Stahl isn't goingto be able to play as
effectively as he is right nowwithin the next couple of years.
Um, when things start todecline, they start, you know,
they can hit pretty fast.
And we just don't know how longhe has to be able to continue to
play these, you know, he's stillaveraging a little over 15
minutes a night.
He's taking heavy minutes on thepenalty kill.

(32:39):
Now he's also on the power play.
This is not sustainable for aplayer who is already 37.
He might be able to do it greatall of this year.
He may be able to do some of itinto next year, but really the
clock is ticking.
If you're going to continue tohave a team that plays this
style of play, to me, the centerthat makes most sense for them

(33:02):
to go after would be PhilippeDeneau.
I'm pretty familiar with Deneaufrom his years in Montreal.
Obviously, he's a little bitolder now, and the Kings have
not been uh as uh successful asthey want to be either.
Um, but uh and I mean I thinkthat Deneau's biggest um his
biggest issue with Montreal.
I think he felt like he neededto be in position to try to be a

(33:23):
more offensive center, and hewas given that opportunity with
the Kings, and it turns out thathe actually is an incredibly
skilled defensive shutdowncenter who does not produce a
lot offensively, and he knowsthat now it wasn't just his
usage in Montreal or anythinglike that.
He's not gonna be a staroffensive producer at any point
in his career, and certainly notgoing forward as he you know

(33:44):
gets a little bit older.
He's 32 now, still plenty youngenough to make an impact, but
he's not gonna put up bignumbers.
That's not what he does.
But what he can do and what hehas done when he's paired with
offensive wingers is he createsthat ability and that space for
them to work because he is sodefensively solid.

(34:04):
He's handling, he's capable ofhandling the defense for an
entire line.
I've seen him do it.
He is one of the two players inthe league that Connor McDavid
said was the most frustrating toplay against.
We know who the other one was.
Um, but yeah, Philippe Deneau atcenter, it was was when he was
in Montreal, was the player thatuh Connor McDavid found the most
frustrating to try to playagainst.

(34:25):
So that that right there putshim in the conversation for a
Jordan Stahl Keynes styleplayer.
He's not as physical as Stahl,he's not as big as Stahl, but he
could come in as, you know,because we don't number the
lines, right?
We don't have this, we have adefinite two C, right?
Right now we don't.
Even Logan Stankhoven right nowis splitting that role with
Stahl.

(34:45):
They are basically playing equalminutes.
So you could certainly havePhilip Deneau come in and do
that same thing, and he couldhave, he could have both
Stencoven and Blake as wingersif one of them wanted to play
the off-wing.
And I think it would beincredibly effective.
Deneau spent some of his bestoffensive years paired with
Brendan Gallagher becauseGallagher's goal scoring off of

(35:06):
Dano's uh chances andopportunities was incredible.
You you look at Blake, you lookat Stancoven, he would be fine.
He, you know, there would beplenty of offense generated.
Do the Canes want to go thatway?
That's the question.

SPEAKER_02 (35:17):
Yeah, and I just wanted to add this while you're
talking about Dano, and we'llmove on in a minute.
But Dano's an interesting one.
He's had 350 point seasons, soit's not like he always had 27
goal a year, so it's not like hecan't bring any offense.
He's having a decent year in theface-off dot.
He's a 53% guy this year.
He's not a small forward.
He checks in at 6'1 and 200.
Dano's Deneau checks a lot ofthe boxes, okay, for sure.

(35:41):
Uh, and he's not gonna be yourgame breaker, and he's not the
guy that's gonna fix 2C andeverything.
He is a responsible playerthat's not gonna hurt you, and
he's gonna be a better guy thanwhat you have now, okay?
So he is better than you know,Kokanyemi, he is better than you
know, Jankowski, and hecertainly would be better than

(36:02):
Logan Stanko.
So I think you're onto somethingwith the no one.
And and again, I think thequestion is do you go with
something that's short term ordo you try to do a home run?
You know, those are the kind ofquestions.
Now, anybody else on your radarat Center Ice under those
conditions?
Aaron, what else you got?

SPEAKER_01 (36:20):
Um, I think that you know, everybody is talking about
Ryan O'Reilly.
And I think that that is adirection the Keynes could
certainly go for that.
Again, you're looking for thatsame kind of, you know, this is
a Keynes style player.
Um I am I do not really believeseriously that someone like
Robert Thomas will be available.
That's just, you know, obviouslythat would be the kind of home
run that you'd try to, you know,land if you could, but that's

(36:42):
not gonna, you know, probably bethe case.
Um and I I think there's acouple others on the list.
Um Jenner is probably going tobe available.
I don't know for sure.
Um I but I've seen his name on anumber of trade lists, so I
think that the chatter is outthere.
Um, but I think you were the oneTom who mentioned he's got quite

(37:03):
a bit of injury history lately,and that that might be a good
turn.

SPEAKER_03 (37:06):
He does.

SPEAKER_01 (37:07):
Um But what uh what about you?
Uh what would you who would youpick?

SPEAKER_02 (37:13):
Maybe I'll hand it off to Katie first and see if
she's got some candidates, andthen I'll jump in.

SPEAKER_00 (37:17):
Well, I I'm I'm not gonna be all that original.
I'm gonna say the same personthat I have been saying for a
month that I honestly thinkwould fit whether they're going
a Jordan Stahl style way or aSebastian Ajo style way, and
that's Nasm Kadri.
I know that there's the reportout that the Canes are on his
no-trade list, but that's alwaysnegotiable, especially if the

(37:40):
the flames say, hey, we likethis deal.
Let's go to Codre and give theCanes permission to talk to him
and try and convince him thatthis would be a good spot for
him because number one, he hasthat leadership.
I think he would be a reallygood voice in the locker room.
Like I said, the canes aremissing Brett Byrne's voice.
Codry would be a positiveaddition to that locker room.
And he has the goal scoring tokind of go it more in the ajo

(38:04):
direction.
He also has the toughness to gomore in the stall direction.
He doesn't have the defensereally, but because of the way
he plays, especially if you puthim with wingers that have a
little bit more defensiveresponsibility.
So maybe put Jarvis with him andmove Blake up with Aho,
something along those lines,then that would offset enough

(38:26):
that he would be that he wouldstill be effective as that
second scoring line center.
And he also just he has a snarlto his game that just makes him
an absolute pain to playagainst.
And when you bring up teams likethe Washington Capitals, Cadre

(38:47):
isn't like a six-foot, six footone, but he plays like somebody
with the attitude of a six footthree, six foot four kind of
guy.
He gets in your face, he drivesyou crazy.
I think a lot of the reason thatthe ads were able to beat the
St.
Louis Blues back in their cupyear is because Cadre drove the
Blues absolutely batty with hisbehavior.

(39:09):
And uh, you know, he he gotinjured, he came back, he he
just he gets under people'sskin, but he doesn't just do
that, he follows through withthe scoring, with the
playmaking, with the other umpositive aspects of his play.
So until he gets tradedsomewhere else, and please do
not let it be the Dallas Stars,like it's been rumored all over

(39:32):
Twitter.
That cadre and ranting it on thestars together.
I I get no, please don't, pleasedon't.
But until he gets traded, that'swho I am going to be holding out
hope for because I really thinkthat he ticks so many boxes.

SPEAKER_02 (39:49):
No, I I don't disagree.
I mean, I think when he to me,the guys that would really make
a significant add to the Caneswould be Nasm Kadri or Ryan
O'Reilly.
I'm not a huge Ryan O'Reillyfan.
Uh he's a guy that uh again,he's 34 years old, sure, but
he's a tremendous face-off guy.

(40:09):
He's uh sitting at just about58% in the dot this year.
Uh he's had a number of bigseasons, of course.
Um he can still really make adifference.
And I've been watching himreally closely with uh some of
the Preds action, and and he'splaying, he's playing well.
So he's a guy that checks in at6'1 and 207, so he does check

(40:30):
the box of being a verysubstantial center ice.
And I think, you know, again, heplays a hard game too.
So those two guys I think wouldbe at the top of the list of
what I think might be available.
Um, and then you go down, andDanol again would be, I think
he'd be a solid ad.
He's not going to bring theoffense that those guys bring
for sure, but he's a solid ad.

(40:51):
Um, if you're just trying tofill in and get a centerman that
can do a little bit for now,maybe a guy like Alex Winberg,
uh, who I like a lot, um,currently playing with the
Sharks, Winberg.
He's a big guy, 6'2.
He's just under 200 pounds.
He's a guy that plays a solidgame.
He's good in the face-off dot.
He's not going to hurt youdefensively.

(41:12):
He's a great penalty killer.
He does a lot of good things foryou.
And he'll bring some offensetoo.
He works on the power play withthem, and he's a great setup
guy.
So he's another guy that, again,if you're trying to get someone
to fill in while you wait for,you know, is Charlie Serratto
going to be the next big centerfor the Kanes, or you decide
you're going to do a blockbusterat some point, that's the way
you go.

(41:33):
If they're going to do ablockbuster, we have to end up
back with EP40.
They've got to be looking atElias Peterson.
Because I think, I think there'san opportunity to do a deal with
Vancouver.
They're in a situation thattheir situation is going to
change dramatically because of alot of things that are going on
there.

(41:53):
And I think they would probablybe a team that would be looking
for a number of prospects andplayers that could come in and
make a difference.
And I think you can make a dealwith them.
So he's a guy that uh, again, uhnot the best face-off guy, but
boy, he he he can play.
And uh he brings size as well.
So the center ice situation is atough one.

(42:15):
We've talked about this a lot.
Uh, not a lot of options.
And I know some folks aretalking about Tage Thompson.
Uh Tage Thompson, I don'tbelieve, will be available.
Uh, and if he was, you'd have topay a King's ransom.
I'd be happy to get Thompson,and okay, if he switches over to
the wing, I can live with that.
Uh, because he's a guy that'sgoing to score 40 or some odd

(42:37):
goals for you.
But I don't think Thompson'sgoing to be available.
So I think that's uh that'sreally off the table.
Um if we go to the winger side,okay, and folks are asking, you
know, what do we see as viableoptions on the wing?
Games are loaded right now withwings.
They got a lot of a lot ofwingers that are solid players,
but they're smaller players forthe most part.

(42:59):
You know, is there anopportunity to change that up a
little bit?
Um, who do we see on the wingthat we kind of think, hey, if
this person could be added tothe Games, I think that would be
an improvement because that'salways the mantra of Eric
Tolski.
I want to improve this team.
So, anybody on that list?

SPEAKER_00 (43:17):
Katie, is there anybody on the wing that you
like that you'd say, go get himI mean, I'd be hesitant as far
as the wing until we know whatthe center, Pete what the second
line center looks like.
You I think that domino has tofall first.
Everyone likes to talk Alex Tuckout of Buffalo, and the longer

(43:38):
he goes without signing anextension, the more possible
that is.
But as you mentioned, they'refull-on wing.
So if they bring in Tuck, wheredoes he go?
And if he goes on the top lineor if he goes on the second
line, who gets displaced?
Um, you know, we talk about itbeing more leaning perhaps more
towards it being a Jordan Stahlstyle team.

(44:00):
So you're not benching Carrierlike we had talked about at the
beginning of the season.
That line has been so strongtogether.
And Carrier scored a magnificentgoal a couple games ago.
It was fantastic.
And so then who are you sitting?
Are you sitting Robinson?
Are you sitting Hall?
You just committed some term tothese guys.

(44:23):
Are you demoting Ealers down tothe fourth line?
I mean, so if you're trading forsomeone like Tuck, it probably
means there's a winger going theother direction.
And the winger going the otherdirection is somebody that
Buffalo has to see value into,which is gonna be someone that
they have committed to long termbecause all their wingers have

(44:43):
long-term, have had long-termcommitments given to them
recently, um, or they're in themiddle of one.
And you're not gonna switch outfetch for Tuck, you're just
switching size for size andsomebody who knows the Kane
system and has a proven trackrecord in the playoffs versus
Tuck who doesn't in eitherdirection.

(45:03):
Uh, you know, so does that meanyou're trading Blake?
I don't think any of us agree tothat.
Stancoven?
Doubtful, definitely not.
I mean, it it just creates thisbig conundrum of who goes out in
favor for these guys.

SPEAKER_02 (45:18):
Joe Katie that's the challenge here, I think, is that
the canes do need to get biggerand better.
So are you trading Stankhoven?
Well, we all love these guys,sure.
We love Nikola Eaters, we loveJackson Blake, you know, we love
Seth Jarvis, we love all theseguys.
So which one are you trading,Tom?

(45:39):
They're not getting you to thecow.

SPEAKER_00 (45:41):
Which small winger are you trading?
Which small winger are youtrading so the Kings?

SPEAKER_02 (45:45):
It depends on who I'm getting a return.
It depends on who I'm gettingaway.

SPEAKER_00 (45:48):
You're getting Alex Tuck.
Which winger are you sendingback to Buffalo or Alex?

SPEAKER_02 (45:52):
I'm not necessarily I I would send I would send Stan
Coven in that deal.
For sure.

SPEAKER_00 (45:59):
Yeah.
Yeah, that's who I would send.
That's who I would send.
I would send Stan Coven.
For sure.

SPEAKER_01 (46:04):
I don't think that they're gonna start dangling
Stancoven or Blake in tradesunless there's a really big fish
that they want to go after.

SPEAKER_03 (46:11):
That's what I'm talking about.

SPEAKER_01 (46:12):
None of these guys on the current list.
They're all guys that I wouldsay would be nice to have if the
Canes could fit them in and ifthey didn't cost the earth, but
they're not as necessary to theteam as the setters are, as a
center is.
You know, we we don't have thenecessity.

SPEAKER_02 (46:28):
Two years ago, Philip Forsberg scored 48 goals.
That was two years ago.
No, but he had 31 last year.
This guy is a tremendous player.
I mean, he is an outstanding,outstanding forward.

SPEAKER_00 (46:42):
And the other thing, if you if you get someone like
Philip Forsberg, it's worthparting ways with one of our
current roster players thatwould because he'd have to have
a Forsberg would have to have aroster spot.
And you have someone likeBradley Nadeau waiting in the
wings.
So if Forsberg gets older, it'sgonna get to is you're not
thinking about the prospectslater on, yeah, then you then

(47:02):
you can still fill with moreyoung guys because of the way
that the Canes have drafted.
They have the the Bradley Nadeauor the Felix Hungerstorm or
whomever that can come up and becompetitive the same way that
Stenkoven and Blake have beencompetitive.
So the the issue is right now,if you're bringing in a a winger
right now, there has to be aroster spot for him, which means

(47:23):
you have to make a roster playerdecision, not a prospect
decision.
Someone like Forsberg, I think,has a better chance of becoming
more of a Gensel style playerwith the cage than a Randy style
player with the cage.
And that's part of what they'regonna have to look at is when
they're modeling who they'regoing to try and get, you know,
because Gensel was successful.

(47:45):
I mean, every I think mostpeople fancy him as the one that
got away because of the thetransition between the GMs at
the time and the weird capspace.
So I I think I think there's anthere is a sweet spot out there,
but you've they've got to threadthat needle because if they miss
one way or the other, they'reeither they're gonna either have

(48:05):
an unhappy player or um or anunproductive line.

SPEAKER_02 (48:11):
But they could trade the player like they did with
Randon and get a bunch of youknow draft picks and prospects.

SPEAKER_00 (48:15):
If they do it soon enough, they gotta get it done
soon enough.

SPEAKER_02 (48:19):
No, I mean you're you're onto some good stuff, but
but I keep ending up in the sameplace.
We should probably keep going ifwe want to answer the question.
The team has to be better, ithas to be a better team.
And one of my concerns is we'vegot a pop gun offense.
We really do.
Um, and I think it can be shutdown.

(48:40):
That's my biggest singleconcern.
And I that's why I'm looking toget someone that can put the
puck in the net and do some ofit on their own, you know, kind
of admission.
But anyway, that's that's agreat discussion.
There's definitely going to be alot more coming up.
Okay, so let's let's move on.
We've got a number that we'veactually touched on through our
conversations.
Uh, the next one from Cody says,uh, should the Canes move

(49:01):
Svechnikov for an actual 2C thatcould replace some physicality?
Uh Jarvis is obviously off thetable, and I doubt Front Office
will want to move Ealers Blakeor Stanko and could have
packaged with Coke and Amy get a2C that could last us.
Um, I think the answer isclearly no.
Uh, if we're gonna go for a topcenter for a long time, yes, you
may have Svechnikov, you mayhave some of the other players

(49:23):
we talked about.
Uh, whoever it is that's doingthe deal is gonna want a player
that can come in and make adifference for them.
So I think that answers that onepretty quickly.
Um, Piper, you you were excitedabout this one, I think, uh
Katie.
Piper's question was who do youthink needs to be traded on the
Kings?
Um, I don't know if anybodyneeds to be traded, but who do
you think might be the folks whoshould go in a deal?

SPEAKER_00 (49:47):
Okay, so let's frame it this way.
Why were Natchez and Jack Drurythe ones traded last season for
Raymond?
Because they were the ones inthe past who had expressed
discontent with their role inRaleigh.
Both of them at one point hadasked for trades.
I think they both filed forarbitration as RFAs.

(50:09):
They they had that kind of leanalready out the door.
So, who are the Keynes playersthat you feel like have that?
The only one that I feel hasthat is KK, because he just
hasn't been given the leash andthe time.
And you you can say whatever youwant to about whether he's

(50:31):
earned it with the time he'sbeen given, yada yada.
That's a whole other discussion.
The only one for me that feelslike he needs to be traded is KK
because he and the team are noton the same page as far as who
he is as a player and his roleand his potential and his
contributions.
Um what that trade looks like.

(50:52):
I think most of us think that hewould be included in that 2C
package, center in, center out,but it could happen in a variety
of ways.
As far as on defense, I don'tthink there's anyone that needs
to be traded, but I think, as Imentioned with the Quinn Hughes
thing, Nstrom would be somebodywho would be a real um a real

(51:16):
target for a lot of other teamsbecause he's not established
either in play and contractuallywith the canes.
He is a little older and moremature, so he's not, you know,
he's got that developed, youknow, that kind of man stature
already.
He's not a kid and can can comein and really be a contributor

(51:39):
on a mid-level team.
So on the defensive side, Ithink that not necessarily that
he needs to be traded, but hewould be the best um asset that
the canes would have uh forthat.

SPEAKER_02 (51:50):
Yeah, I mean, there's a couple of other guys
that could be in that that groupbecause we do have a lot of uh
defense person prospects.
Of course, uh Dominic Pensori isa guy that a lot of teams would
be interested in.
He can run a power play, he's uhhe's getting pretty close to
being able to play in the NHL.
You've got uh Charles AlexisLegault.
Uh a lot of teams would loveCharles Alexis Legault, and

(52:11):
there's no room for him on theKings, frankly.
There's nowhere for him to go.
Um, and that's the problem withall these guys.
I mean, I think I if it was me,I'd want to keep uh Nistrom of
all those guys because I thinkhe's uh he's a guy that can come
in and fill in accordingly, andI think the other guys are gonna
want to play.
Um, you know, Charles AlexisLegault is almost ready to play

(52:31):
full time.
So he's a guy that uh would be anice ad to a trade, and I think
would be good for him becausehe'd get a chance to play as
well.
So lots of prospects we can pushout.
Um Kokani.
Yeah, I think you're right onit.
Um next one up from uh slow downand see clearly, he says
strategically from a rosterconstruction perspective, is

(52:53):
this a cup winning roster?
Well, we've already hit that.
I think it's very clear that wedon't believe it is.
Um and I think basically hisquestion is you know, what do we
do with that?
And we talked a lot about this,is trying to figure out, you
know, where do you try to solvethe concerns you have?
And the big one, of course, isthe second line center position

(53:15):
or whatever line you want tocall it.

SPEAKER_00 (53:17):
I will I I do think that we need to say, though,
that no as it stands, but it isin a really good position with
just a couple of tweets and alittle bit more time to gel
together, it could become areally good cup contending team.
We are not far away.
It might not be there yet, butwe are close.

(53:38):
And and I think that a lot ofKeynes fans are a little a
little on the panicky side ofthings where we don't need to
be.
This team is really good, a lotof good players.
Just need a little time to geland a tweak or two, and we're
gonna be very happy with theteam.

SPEAKER_02 (53:57):
Well, one thing we haven't talked about, Katie, and
it's it's kind of the elephantin the room, and that's
goaltending.
Um, I mean, the K's are ridingit with Brandon Bussey right
now.
But, you know, Freddie has nothad a particularly good year,
and Piotr has uh kind of been inand out of the lineup.
So, you know, you know, we'retrying to address the scoring

(54:19):
side and fix that 2C spot.
Uh, you know, they'll probablyadd another veteran D man along
the road as well.
But you know, we still got tothink about the goaltending.
And do we think the goaltendingis strong enough to get us deep
in the playoffs?

SPEAKER_00 (54:35):
I think we have time before we have to answer that
question.
I would I would I wouldn't havesaid no, except because Bussy
keeps surprising me.
I keep thinking he had he had,you know, he had a nice flash,
he had a nice game here orthere.
But he's I mean, it hasn't beenout of this world, but he has

(54:58):
played really well.
And Brenda Moore keeps makingthe comments game after game,
especially these last two orthree games, about how he's uh
he's making the timely saves.
Yes.
That's keeping the team ingames.
It's that's the goals that helets in are not the ones that

(55:18):
deflate the entire bench.
They believe in him and believethat he has their backs.
And so if he can keep doingthat, and that's not a
ridiculous ask, even for someonewho's a 27-year-old rookie like
he is, he could very well justseize this moment and have a

(55:40):
spectacular season and make itas the Kane's starting
goaltender, but we don't knowthat right now.
Now, exactly.
So we and Freddie and Piotr cansupport him in whatever roles
that they're given and seizewhatever playing time they're
given and make the case thatthey deserve more starts as

(56:03):
they're able, but we have time.
I think I think the goaliedecision is one that the canes
can afford to put off foranother month or two.

SPEAKER_02 (56:12):
Absolutely.
And and they clearly want to.
I mean, if Bussey's the realdeal, man, that solves a big
problem for them, uh, for sure.
And you know, we talked aboutthis before.
We talked a lot about BrandonBussey.
This guy he paid his dues in theAmerican Hockey League and was
rated.
I said, McKeynes were basicallysaid, this guy is one of the top

(56:32):
goaltenders outside the NationalHockey League and deserves to
play.
And it was very clear.
So, you know, now he gets achance.
And I don't know about you, buthe gives you a lot of confidence
back there.
Like he he makes saves that aretremendous saves that sometimes
our other goalies don't make.
And that seems to be thedifference.

(56:53):
And right now, I'm pleased tosee that Rod Brindemore is
actually riding this goaltenderand letting him play.
And he hasn't gone back to Fred,and he's not giving the handle
to side the you know theopportunity to somebody else.
So I I'm excited about Bossy.
I hope he is the real dealbecause two things.
Number one, that solves aproblem that we might have in
the future.
And second of all, the way he'splaying, he can win games for

(57:16):
you.
Absolutely.
And boy boy, I love having ahuge goaltender, you know, that
can uh can do the things hedoes.
So it's good.
Um, okay, so let's go to thenext one from DMD.
He says if you could craft aKeynes team to win a Stanley Cup
with Rod Bridemore as the coach,who would be on that team and
where would they play?

(57:36):
Well, I think we basically saidmost of this team's okay, right?
So do we think there have to bechanges or what?

SPEAKER_00 (57:44):
Yeah, I reached out to her to make sure that we were
answering the because I I couldhave taken this two different
ways.
And she said just in that, doyou think that the players that
we have now are slottedcorrectly in the positions
they're in?
And so, like you said, I thinkwe've we've answered that pretty
well.
That we would I still think thatAho is the team's 1C, that

(58:08):
Stankhoven would be moreeffective elsewhere, but
otherwise, you know, and and andthe defense, we haven't talked a
ton about the defense, but thedefense still has to get itself
sorted out, and it can't happenuntil Slavin's back and has been
back for a while.

SPEAKER_02 (58:23):
And that brings up an interesting question is uh,
you know, what does thatsix-person D Cor look like?
Who plays with whom?
I mean, this is one of thehighest.
We still don't even really know.
Who's gonna be with who?
When Slavin returns.
Aaron, what do you got?

SPEAKER_01 (58:40):
Oh, I think it should be I think it should be
Slavin and Ghost.
I think it should be uh Millerand Chatfield, and I think it
should be um Niketian andWalker.
I think that's how it should go.
I think that gives you your bestchance.
Um and I I mean Rod may haveother ideas, but I wouldn't be
surprised if we see somethingvery like that.
I don't I don't think it's gonnabe Sean Walker on top and uh

(59:01):
Ghost of Spear played pairedwith Nikishan.
I think that I think that we'llsee Ghost get a chance on the
top line.
He's just been so incredible.

SPEAKER_02 (59:08):
So I think that would be huge.
And he's playing bigger minutes,so he's definitely capable of
doing it.
I think that would be phenomenalbecause I think clearly that uh
Alex Nikkeishan plays his besthockey with Sean Walker.
So I think you've you've got toit's kind of a win-win because,
of course, uh, you know, Ghostwould get the green light having

(59:29):
uh Jacob Slavin with him, andthen you get you know uh
Nikishan working with Walker.
I I think that's the way to go.
I totally agree.
And uh Chatfield and and uhKandry Miller, they play well
together.
So it's good.

SPEAKER_00 (59:42):
A lot of people don't realize that Walker is one
of the most physical players theKeynes have as far as playing
the body and dishing out hitsbecause he's not the biggest
guy, but he is one of the mostphysical.
So you talk about Walker andNakeishan together on a pair,
that is gonna be punishing forteams to play against.

SPEAKER_02 (59:58):
No, I think it's a great pair, and and I think the
way that Walker's played thisyear, I mean, for sure.
And and I'd love those guys toget lots of minutes as the
season goes on because they uhthey're fully capable of it.
And you know, I've been talkinga lot about Alex Nikishian
getting a lot more minutes.
I think he's I think he's uh aplayer that and and he's gonna
make mistakes.

(01:00:19):
We know that for sure.
But he's a guy that I think themore he plays, the better he's
gonna play for the Kings.
And I think that's uh you know,to accelerate his uh his growth
with the with the hockey team, Ithink he needs to play minutes.
Um, okay, Ben has an interestingone.
He says, How different does thisteam look when it finally
reaches cup winning form?

(01:00:40):
Well, we kind of talked aboutthat.
Uh, you know, it's you kind ofend up in the same place on all
these questions that you know,what changes need to be made and
and where are the weaknesses inthis hockey club?
Aaron, any thoughts on that?

SPEAKER_01 (01:00:54):
Um I think you know, we've we've like you said, we've
covered it.
They need to be bigger, theyneed to be a little bit
stronger, they need to be moreaggressively um off uh in the
offensive zone.
They need to play moreaggressively and with more, you
know, purpose when they get thepuck and they're in the
offensive zone.
Um couple of wild things thatthat I'd all throw out there
just for fun, just taking thisin a little silly direction.

(01:01:14):
Um I would love for them toexperiment a little bit with the
kind of more of the hybriddefense system.
Um I I know that they areextremely good at man-to-man,
and I think that that's been oneof their strengths.
But again, this gets back toKatie's thing about are we
staying with the Jordan Stahlmindset with the team?
Are we gonna evolve a little bitdifferently?

(01:01:34):
I could see them, you know, andthis is not necessarily to get
them to a Stanley Cup, but thisis something that would, as they
build a you know, uh frequentcontender kind of form, you
know, is that something thatthey would evolve to maybe if
they if they end up going moreof the Aho direction?
Um and then, you know, I thinkthat if if the Canes do not win
a Stanley Cup in the immediatefuture, this year, next year

(01:01:57):
kind of thing, uh we will seethem win one for sure by the
time Jordan Stahl is playing 4C.
And that is kind of not really ajoke because if Jordan Stahl is
the 4C on this team, then thatmeans that the team has been
constructed just absolutelybrilliantly, and everybody above
is is able to pull that weightand do that job.
So you know, watch out to therest of the league when the day

(01:02:21):
that Jordan Stahl has to stepback to a 4C role or an actual
4C shutdown role, um, that isthe day that you you are gonna
have to watch out for the canesto to start winning cups because
they're gonna do it.

SPEAKER_02 (01:02:34):
Yeah, I think I think that's true.
Um I I think the canes areclose.
And I again it's to me, it'sgonna be the magic of uh general
manager Eric Tolski.
And uh, you know, he's a guythat's uh we know he's the
wizard, he's done someincredible things.
Um, and I think he's got somemore up his sleeve.

(01:02:54):
I think he's gonna come up withsome moves that uh are gonna
help the canes and and hismantra, as I said earlier, is he
just wants the team to getbetter.
And I think the canes need toget a little bit better.
I'd love them to have anotherforward that can put the puck in
the net and and add some realoffense to the squad.
Um, we got a lot of passers, aswe know, um, and we need some
folks that can actually shootthe buck and put it in.

SPEAKER_00 (01:03:16):
Uh, I I also I I want to include we we've got uh
the special teams.
We need to come back to thatbecause that you know, you you
can talk about different rolesand lines and stuff, but they
need to they need to really uhdrill down into those special
teams with the struggles they'vehad.
We like the way the power playis going.

(01:03:38):
A power play needs to besomething that continues because
I think he helps them simplifythe power play.
They were trying to do too much,that extra pass, that little
bit.
I mean, we saw why did his powerplay goal happen in the first
place against the Blue Jackets?
It's because Fetch shot thepuck.
That that simplification of winthe face-off, get it to the open

(01:04:00):
guy, puck on net.
We've got somebody there to takeaway the goalies' eyes, tip the
puck, get a rebound, whatever.
That simplification isbeautiful.
On the flip side with thepenalty kill, I don't want the
penalty kill to be simplified.
I want them to go full throttleagainst the other team's power
point.
I want them to be in their faceto create those turnovers to

(01:04:22):
say, we dare you to try and getthis puck through us.
It might happen once or twice,but it's not going to happen
often, and they are going to bean absolute menace to try and
deal with on the penalty kill.

SPEAKER_02 (01:04:35):
Let's go to the next one.
Just quickly, three quick onesuh before we get into closing uh
thoughts and remarks.
Um, this is from Caleb Herrera.
This one's for you, Katie.
Uh, just wondering about yourthoughts on Jack Rurry's season
in Colorado so far.
Do you think he's more effectivein Carolina or Colorado?
Uh is Colorado a better placefor him?

SPEAKER_00 (01:04:58):
Jerry definitely is a player who was grown in the
Carolina Hurricanes lab.
He his face-off acumen and hispuxty b board battle mentality.
I mean, he will always be aHurricanes player through and
through.
The problem is that there justwasn't a role for him on the

(01:05:19):
canes, and the Aves have neededthat play from him, and he has
filled in beautifully with thatparticular skill set.
The uh the big question rightnow, as far as Dre's concerned
on the Aves, is with his uhsmall production that he's had,
he only has 10 points on the in30 games so far on the season,

(01:05:40):
is is he enough as their three Cfor their cup host?
Or would they be better servedto have him be that uh elite
level 4C that they know he canbe and try and pursue a higher
scoring 3C that perhaps mightnot be as defensively

(01:06:01):
responsible, but would uhcompensate more than compensate
um when it comes to uh goals andassists and that sort of thing.
So that's the big debate.
It's not whether he fits inColorado, he fits great, and
Bednar loves him, absolutelyadores Jack Hurry.
But um, yeah, so we'll see.
Is he the three Clay?

SPEAKER_02 (01:06:20):
I hope that Colorado doesn't get another Brock Nelson
because uh they are that's allthey need is another guy in the
center ice flat.
Uh maybe it'll be uh NasmCatherine going back.
Um okay.
Uh Rachel Barkley, uh our goodfriend Rachel, uh Queen of the
Bucks, says, Who are y'all'sfavorite player no longer active
in the NHL?

(01:06:41):
I'll start with mine.
That's Bobby Orr.
He was incredible.
I used to watch Bobby when theBruins first started.
Uh they were a terrible,terrible team.
I watched them for years, andthen Bobby and some of the other
guys came on board, uh, and itwas incredible.
So, yes, he was mine.
Aaron?

SPEAKER_01 (01:06:56):
Well, I haven't been watching hockey as long as you,
but um I would say uh and he'suh he's not officially retired
yet, but it would have to beKerry Price.
Kerry Price was justunbelievable as a goaltender in
Montreal.
Um he is deeply missed rightnow, especially because they're
going through it a bit withtheir goaltenders.
Um but you know, just the calmpresence that he had in the net

(01:07:16):
that dragged that team fartherthan they probably could have
gone for a lot of years andculminating with the 21 Stanley
Cup final run that took them allthe way to the Stanley Cup
final.
Um, they would not have had achance of getting anywhere near
that without Carrie Price.
And just um I think that he'sjust been a great person just to
be around the team and hispresence and everything else as

(01:07:37):
well.
So um just that you know, hewill be officially retired one
of these days soon, and I thinkthat you know his impact on the
team was just incredible.

SPEAKER_00 (01:07:45):
So when when I became a fan of the Avs back in
1995, my guy was Peter Forsberg.
He will always be always myfirst um hockey player, number
one um player that I was a fanof.
I just I loved the way that hecombined toughness and skill,

(01:08:07):
the the reverse checks he couldthrow.
I mean, he was just thequintessential power forward
center.
He was so, so good and soskilled.
And I loved, loved watching him.
And it's also fantastic becauseanytime that the Aves have one
of those alumni games like theKeynes just had to celebrate a

(01:08:27):
milestone or whatever,Forsberg's one of the first ones
to sign up and say, I will bethere, I will play, or I will
participate, or I will dointerviews.
Um, when they had the games inin Sweden, he was on the
sidelines talking to people.
He's just been such a greatambassador for the game even
since he's retired.
And um, yeah, no matter how manyplayers I fall in love with, uh

(01:08:50):
Peter Forsberg will always be myfirst hockey love.

SPEAKER_02 (01:08:54):
Yeah, for sure.
And and uh great choices.
All good.
Okay, so let's wrap up with uh aquestion from our friend Adam
Gold.
And Adam said, should SebastianAho reprise Elf on the show?

SPEAKER_00 (01:09:10):
Yes, yes, like yesterday he needs to do this.

SPEAKER_01 (01:09:14):
Absolutely, absolutely I agree.
In fact, I I would I would takethis a little further.
I think as many canes aspossible should dress up as
elves for social media purposes.
I think that we need a buddy theelf.
I think we need Herm fromRudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer.
And if somebody, some guys outthere have more of the Lord of
the Rings vibe and they'd liketo go that direction, why not?

(01:09:34):
They're elves too.
But you know, we have you know ateam full of uh very elvish
personalities, I think.
And and uh why not capitalize onthat and and uh have them have a
little bit of fun.
So, but definitely Sylvester.

SPEAKER_00 (01:09:47):
We even need a Jarvis, dark, mischievous elf.

SPEAKER_01 (01:09:50):
Absolutely, absolutely.

SPEAKER_02 (01:09:52):
Oh, that's a good one, and uh thanks for that,
Adam.
That's good fun.
Um okay, so uh closing thoughts.
We're heading into the rest ofDecember now.
We've got uh six rogue gamescoming up out of ten.
Um not you know, we got ourhands full as as always.
All these games I keep sayingthe same thing are must-wins
because it's so tight.
Um why don't you kick it off,Katie?

(01:10:14):
Your thoughts.

SPEAKER_00 (01:10:16):
I just think they need to build on what they've
done so far.
You know, I would have loved forthis homestand to have gone
differently.
Really felt like there was anopportunity to for them to have
done better than the four andthree that they did, especially
considering who the competitionwas.
They have these next three gamesare huge because they're all
metro teams, and this is anopportunity for them to either

(01:10:40):
solidify um being, if not thetop one of the top two teams in
the metro, or put themselves atrisk at sliding down and and
letting uh Washington uh expandtheir lead or letting
Philadelphia catch up to them.
So um these these next games aregonna be crucial, but they they

(01:11:01):
have a lot to the good,especially with Busy, especially
with Stahl on the power play,especially with Jarvis scoring
goals.
So let's let's just hope thisthis next little run keeps them
where they're at and they don'tuh they don't backtrack too
much.

SPEAKER_01 (01:11:19):
I agree.
Um I think that yeah, this isnot this is not a stretch where
you can look at it and say,well, they should definitely win
this many of of the set that'scoming up.
You know, like you said, there'sum what there's really um
between uh Thursday and then the20th of December, um they have
five five road games altogether.

SPEAKER_03 (01:11:41):
Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 (01:11:41):
Yeah, and just one um at home in that stretch.
So and the the it's kind of aweird, that weird home and away
with the Flyers.
So um I just want to see themlook like themselves.
If there are some close one goallosses that where they were
really playing like you know, wewant expect the canes to play

(01:12:04):
like we want them to play, it'snot gonna feel as bad as some of
the losses that we've seenrecently where they just
couldn't ever seem to getanything going.
Um I agree that goaltending isgonna be key to keeping them in
these.
So it'll be interesting to seehow those decisions are made.
Um, you know, but uh I I wouldreally like them to hit that
mark um right before Christmasand be in a really good place um

(01:12:28):
before all of that, you know,transitions and we start the new
year.
So um that's what I'm hopingfor.
And um I mean there's no reasonwe we shouldn't hope for that.
I guess my only other um thingthat I'm looking forward to is,
you know, when in this group ofgames or early in January will
we see Jacob Slavin again?

(01:12:50):
Because it we are hitting atimeline where he should be
coming soon.
He took part in today's optionalskate, um, regular jersey.
So he's been doing that, youknow, lately.
We've seen him more and more uhon the ice, so I think it's just
a matter of time.
Um it'll be I think the biggestum boost to the team to have

(01:13:14):
Slavin back out there with them.
And it's gonna be I that couldchange their fortunes a lot
going forward.

SPEAKER_02 (01:13:20):
So yeah, and and you know, I I totally agree, and I
think it's time to bring Jacobback in.
Um if you look at that, youknow, this next 10 days and the
five games on the road, they'vegot some real barometer games
because they're up against theCapitals, they're up against the
Panthers, and they're up againstTampa Bay.
So they've got three games thatI think are, you know, obviously

(01:13:42):
they've got the games with theFlyers, but these are the games
that I think are really gonna bebarometer games for the Canes.
And, you know, they're they'regonna have their hands full, um,
for sure.
And uh, and I think once theycome out of that, we'll have a
better idea of you know whereare the canes right now.
Now, as you mentioned, JacobSlavon coming back would be
huge.
And uh, and I think at thisstage in time they could

(01:14:05):
certainly use that.
So, yeah, lots to look forwardto.
Boy, a lot of tough questionstoday.
We want to thank all of thefolks who sent in questions and
uh really, you know, challengedus to uh to do our homework and
be prepared and and uh and maybeput some light on some of these
uh tough decisions that GeneralManager Eric Polski is gonna

(01:14:25):
have to deal with.
I wanted to mention this too,from all of us here at Storm
Tracker, we just wish you'llhave a great holiday season.
Uh have a wonderful Christmasand and uh hope you can spend
time with friends and family andand take advantage of this
opportunity to uh to share thelove because it's a wonderful
time.
So, uh for those of you who'vebeen listening or watching, of

(01:14:49):
course, we're delighted you'vespent time with us.
We'd love to hear from you.
You know, if you want to putsomething in the comment box
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(01:15:13):
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