Hurricanes’ Thrilling Road Trip: Key Players & Intense Showdowns Ahead

The Canes opened the season with speed, layers, and a surprising dose of finish, and the timing couldn’t be better with a daunting West Coast swing underway. Erin, Katie & I (stormTRacker Podcast) unpack why the defense already looks different: K’Andre Miller’s glide and reach changing the rush math, Sean Walker fitting cleanly with multiple partners, and Shane Gostisbehere thriving on his off side next to Alex Nikishin. That pairing’s calm exits and complementary offense are turning defensive shifts into quick-strike counters, while Mike Reilly’s steady cameo without Jacob Slavin shows how well the front office matched skills to system.

Up front, we lean into the identity shift. Taylor Hall brought instant jump, first supercharging a fourth line with Eric Robinson’s straight-line pressure, then sliding beside Logan Stankhoven and Jackson Blake to form a north-south engine that wins pucks, draws penalties, and feeds the rush. The power play isn’t cashing at rate yet, but entries and shot locations are trending up; Ehlers’ speed, Jarvis’ trigger, and Stankhoven’s carry-ins are building the right habits. The top line with Aho/Jarvis/Ehlers is controlling play even as five-on-five finish lags, and we outline what needs to tighten to turn chances into goals.

We also face the hard calls. Andrei Svechnikov’s reset could unlock the rare blend of skill and force this lineup needs, while Jesperi Kotkaniemi’s early scratch raises real questions about fit, role, and timing for a move. In net, right-catching Brandon Bussi delivered a composed debut that buys recovery time for Pyotr Kochetkov and eases the burden on Frederik Andersen as the schedule stiffens. With Anaheim and LA ahead and the Vegas–Colorado–Dallas gauntlet waiting, we map the keys: keep four-line scoring alive, protect the slot off the rush, manage minutes for the heavy lifters, and let the mobile defense close early.

Highlights:

• early wins setting tone and expectations
• Slavin’s absence opening minutes for Reilly and Walker
• K’Andre Miller’s range and smooth exits transforming pace
• Gostisbehere/Nikishin balance on off side and heavy play
• fourth line reimagined with Hall and Robinson as real threats
• Hall/Stankhoven/Blake chemistry driving work rate and entries
• top line control strong while five-on-five finishing lags
• power play shot quality up, entries cleaner, patience needed
• Svechnikov simplifying to reset confidence and impact
• Kotkaniemi’s role uncertainty pointing toward a trade
• Bussi’s poised debut easing pressure while Kochetkov heals
• managing minutes and health through the west gauntlet

If this breakdown hits your hockey brain just right, follow the show, share it with a fellow Canes fan, and leave a quick review to boost us on the charts. What’s your biggest question heading into Vegas–Colorado–Dallas?

#canes #hockey #erictulsky #raiseup #stormtracker23 #rodbrindamour #lockedonhurricanes #Cansescast #thestormsurge #AlexanderNikishin #pyotrkochetkov #carolinahurricanes

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Episode Transcript

SPEAKER_04 (00:33):
Well, the Carolina Hurricanes got off to a strong
start at home with impressivewins against the New Jersey
Devils and the PhiladelphiaFlyers.
Next up, the Long State FairRoad Trip.
And the Canes started well, witha strong 5-1 win over the
Sharks, despite missing JacobSlavin, who didn't begin the

(00:54):
road trip with the Canes.
Canes have dominated the gamesthus far and have outscored the
opposition 15-7.
With the season now underway,what do we think of the Carolina
Hurricanes in these early days?
What areas are still a work inprogress?
And with five games of the longroad trip left, what do we want

(01:17):
to see from this year's Games?
Joining me as always to talkabout this and more, Aaron
Manning, Katie Bartlett.
Ladies.
Hello.
Okay, so uh great road trip sofar.
And we'll take it.
And of course, uh the gameagainst the sharks was a

(01:38):
must-win because we know that asthe road trip goes on, this is
gonna be some heavy lifting forthe Canes.
So, particularly wondering howJacob Slavin is going to surface
at some point or what's gonnahappen with him.
The Canes have definitely gottheir work cut out for them.
And talking about that, uh Ithought we'd kick it off and uh
maybe take a look at the decor.

(02:00):
Um Slavin and Walker puttogether to start the season.
I thought they looked prettygood, but with Slavin out, Mike
Riley is uh is in the lineup.
And he played a pretty stronggame, I thought, against uh
against the Sharks.
Um he had five shots, he was aplus one, he played over 18
minutes, did some good work onthe PK.

(02:24):
So are we gonna see anything uhin terms of concerns with uh
Slavin out, or what are wethinking about that defensive
pairing in the D corps?
Aaron?

SPEAKER_00 (02:35):
Um I like that um the both of the the pairings
with Walker.
I liked him with Slavin.
I think that we we all thoughtthat maybe he needed to get just
a little bit more, Walker did,and then you know we saw a lot
of that last night.
So um again, early in theseason, you're gonna see these
guys step up as theopportunities you know grow and
as they get more comfortableplaying with each other.
So I think that when Slavin andWalker are really comfortable

(02:58):
playing with each other, they'regonna be a great first pairing.
Um, unfortunately, because ofthe Slavin injury situation, and
we don't have a lot of detailsabout that yet.
I think that that's gonna besomething that unfolds and we'll
find out what's going on alittle further into the road
trip.
But um you never know whensomebody, your seventh
defenseman, has to come in.
And especially if you're gonnadraw him in and kind of give him

(03:18):
those kind of minutes, like yousaid, Tom, and and put him up
there with uh with Sean Walker.
Um, I thought he was outstandinglast night.
He was very noticeable, um, notjust with that tremendous flip
pass to Robinson for that goal.
That was just fantastic, butalso um just being very steady
in his own end.
He he didn't seem to be umhaving any issues with any of

(03:39):
that.
He's he brings a little bit ofphysicality, I thought.
Some nice touch there, you know.
Everything you want to see.
And I there there was a lot ofpraise on the broadcast from
Trip Chasey about what a greatveteran player he is and
everything that like that.
So, I mean, I think that this isone of those instances where you
bring in a guy who, you know,certainly nobody can replace
Jacob Slavin, nobody, you know,that the Kanes could could ever

(04:00):
acquire.
So for the time being, though,and especially this early in the
season with teams just startingto kind of feel each other out
and have those matchups andcompetition, he's doing great.
First game.
It's gonna be an ongoingprocess, but hopefully Jacob
Slavin will be back soon enoughthat you know we won't have to
have any second quick guesses oruh second questions.

SPEAKER_04 (04:25):
Well, and and I think uh one of the guys that
certainly has stepped up and isoff to a great start this year
is uh K.Andre Miller.
Um he uh he's averaging over 22minutes a game.
This is this is really somethingI think he's playing well.
Katie, thoughts on KayandreMiller?

SPEAKER_02 (04:44):
Well, especially under the circumstances of
Slavin being limited, he'sstepped up and really taken that
mantle, which is uh veryimpressive for somebody new to
the team.
Uh obviously love his size forhis reach.
He has a very Slavin-esque uhstick work when it comes to how
he positions himself.

(05:05):
And um from puck drop in theDevils game, you noticed his
reach, you noticed him tappingpucks away from players, and uh
working the angles to keep themfrom being able to get shots off
or to get at least somethingdangerous uh produced.
So he he's been very impressive.
And of course, we have the twogoals.

(05:25):
It's always the bright, shiny uhstats that people notice the
most.
But it was it was very cool tosee him uh produce immediately
as he joined the team.
And I think as he settles intohimself and settles into the
system, uh he's gonna reallyflourish.
There's so many comparisons thathave been made in many different

(05:47):
outlets to him being perhapslike Brady Shea, who was when he
came over from the Rangers, butperhaps better because he's got
the longer term deal and he'syounger and he has a little bit
more size and so on.
So been thrilled with him andthrilled with his ability to
step up and lead the decor inSlavin's absence.

SPEAKER_04 (06:09):
Well, when you watch Miller play, what is it that uh
that really impresses you aboutthe way he plays, Katie?

SPEAKER_02 (06:16):
I think just his positioning is what impr
impressed me the most is heseems to really understand and
see the ice so well.
He knows where to cut offangles, when to step up and deny
zone entries with his gapcontrol, when to angle himself
back a little bit to prevent abreak past him.

(06:37):
I mean, it hasn't been perfect,but it's been really good.
And as the season goes along, Ithink he'll tighten that up even
better and really be a dominantforce on the blue line for the
team.

SPEAKER_04 (06:47):
Yeah, and I mean one of the things about uh Canary
Miller that as soon as you watchhim, it just jumps out of you is
his wonderful skating.
I mean, he's smooth as milk outthere.
Yeah, um, it's almosteffortless.
And so uh, you know, it's kindof interesting when you've got
uh Miller and you've got uhChatfield out there.
These are two guys that canreally fly, and and uh and boy,

(07:10):
it's tough for teams to get muchspace against those guys.
So I'm with you.
I think uh I think Miller's offto a great start.
Uh he's like uh some of theother new guys out there.
You know, we've got three rightnow who are relative newcomers
to the Canes, if you count uhMike Riley out there, all trying
to figure out the system.
And we've talked a lot aboutthis in the past, where you

(07:31):
know, the new defense guys theytake a little while to get their
mojo.
And and uh, you know, the factthat these guys have certainly
had an impact early on, I think,is is a testament to uh Eric
Tulski and his ability to getpeople that he thinks really fit
the system, and of course theplayers themselves.
So great start.
Now, let's talk about the pairthat's really making noise, I

(07:54):
think, back on the blue.
And and I'm talking about uhShane Goss Despair and his
partner Alex Nikeshin.
Now, these guys are a combinedplus 12 right now, uh, let alone
anything else they've done onthe ice.
They have been very, very strongon the defensive side.
Uh Goss despair leads the NHLwith a plus seven.
Now, that's something youprobably wouldn't say at the

(08:16):
start of the season that uhGhost would be leading in the
plus-minus at some point.
Uh he is right now.
And of course, uh he scored abeautiful goal uh in that game
last night as well.
And of course, Alex Nikeshian,what can we say about him?
He's doing it all.
Aaron, what are your thoughts onthose two guns?

SPEAKER_00 (08:35):
Well, they've been so much fun to watch, first of
all.
I think that that pairing is,you know, sure there were some
conversations I know we had overthe summer about not wanting
Nikishan to be on the thirdpair.
I don't think he's gonna bethere forever.
But right now, I think ShaneGossespare is an excellent
partner to help him get umacclimated to the system.
And one of the things we didn'teven mention here is that Ghost

(08:56):
is playing on his off side.
And that's not the easiest thingin the world to do for a
defenseman, but he's beenabsolutely seamless with it.
There's been no issueswhatsoever there.
So it's just he's a testament tohis ability to be adaptable
because you know that is not askill that every defenseman in
the NHL has to be able to playuh on their opposite side.
Um for Nikishan, I think thatyou know, it's gonna be a little

(09:18):
time before he fully adapts tothe NHL game because you gotta
do that.
It's it's part of the process.
But we've seen some flashes ofabsolute brilliance already, and
that's without him, you know,having actually scored a goal
yet.
He came very close to scoring agoal last night.
But luckily, um, you know, thatthat rebound was available.
So um he's gonna get one.

(09:39):
It's gonna, it's a matter oftime, you know, before that
first goal hits.
So it's it's probably cominganytime in the next few games, I
think.
Um, but but beyond his offense,the other thing is that with
Slavin out, um, Nikishan isgetting penalty kill time, and
he was in the canes, we'reperfect on the penalty kill last
night.
So that's another testament tohis extremely big toolkit.

(09:59):
He's he's not even close toscratching the surface of what
he can do on the ice.
And this is all happening whilehe's adapting to a completely
different game and you know, thelanguage barrier and everything
else.
I think he's gonna be a star.
I really do.

SPEAKER_04 (10:16):
Katie, what about uh your thoughts on that pair?

SPEAKER_02 (10:20):
Uh I love them.
I love what um Aaron mentionedas far as ghost playing on his
offside.
But if you have noticed whenthey are in the offensive zone,
sometimes they switch up.
They switch because that allowsNikitian to get open for that
big booming slap shot of his.
And he has tickled 99 miles anhour on one of his shots.
So I can't wait until he finallybreaks that hundred mark.

(10:42):
That will be very, veryexciting.
Um, but I love the fact thatthey have that dynamic because
it forces defenses to have tokeep both to keep track of both
of them.
Gostaspare is more of the youknow, the the the let's see,
smooth operator, shall we say,where he's kind of floating
around and he's using hisskating and his stick handling

(11:03):
and his passing to createopportunities.
And Nikisha's just out thereripping it and and being the
strong man on that pair.
And they complement each otherso well in the O zone, and
they've been doing really wellin the defensive zone, too.
They're not fancy, they justplay the puck as they need to,
they work make sure to get itout, get it to safety, nothing

(11:25):
too risky, nothing too crazy,just good solid hockey 101
approach to to the D zone.
And so far it has worked greatfor them.
And other than that, you know,everyone has been posting if for
good reason that hit thatNikisha landed last night after
Glasses Fair got tripped.

(11:46):
And it means that's just thething of beauty.
You know, we're gonna have many,many more highlights like that.
And I I am here for it.

SPEAKER_00 (11:55):
Yes.
The Canes have needed thatelement in their lineup for a
long time.
It is one of the reasons I thinkthey've struggled so much in the
playoffs against a team like theFlorida Panthers that is gonna
beat you up and take your lunchmoney all over the ice.
So they need that.
They desperately do.
And I think that um one of thethings I really liked about that
hit that Katie mentioned is theaftermath when every cane on the

(12:17):
ice rushed to make sure thatthere wasn't going to be any
retaliation against Nikishianfor that, because that's another
thing that has been lacking inthe past, their ability to, you
know, come in and stand up foreach other.
And it's necessary, it's notsomething that, you know, yeah,
you don't want to in instigatefights all over the place, but
you can't let your teammateshandle that sort of thing on

(12:38):
their own if if they're you knowbeing unjustly challenged for
what was a really clean hit.

SPEAKER_04 (12:42):
So yeah, no, I I tend to uh feel the same way on
most of this.
I think you know, with Nikation,uh again, they're sheltering his
minutes, he's sitting around youknow, 14-15 minutes a game.
Um, but they throw him out nearthe end of the game last night.
They're putting him out onpenalty kill situations.

(13:03):
Uh they're bringing him alongnice and slow.
And and I think that's that's asmart thing to do.
And I believe that uh, you know,as he gets more ice time, we're
gonna see more of that thattalent that he has.
He just he makes plays thatfolks just dream about, and he
does it on a regular basis.
Uh the other thing that I'venoticed with him is he he's

(13:23):
definitely got the green lightto go deep into the zone in the
offensive side.
I've seen it many times, way inthe offensive zone.
And he knows that you know thereare other uh forwards that are
going to come back that uh thecanes are one of the best teams
for covering when the blue headsinto the offensive zone.
And the other thing I've noticedwhen he and um uh Gossespare

(13:45):
have gotten into some defensivechallenges in their own zone,
there's some heavy lifting beingdone by the forwards too.
They're coming in and helpingout.
The centers are tracking back,they're trying to pick up the
puck, get out of there in ahurry, and so on.
So lots of good things there.
Um, yeah, we're gonna see somebumps in the road for sure.
Uh, but boy, the first uh thefirst three games are are a good

(14:07):
indication of uh of someexciting stuff ahead for sure.
Okay, so um let's move to theforward side, and there's some
interesting stories up front forsure.
Um we were all kind ofwondering, you know, how is uh
Taylor Hall going to uh kick offthe season?
We talked a little bit about it.
He was on the fourth line.

(14:28):
How is he going to be?
Uh, what can we expect fromHall?
You know, he's getting older,you know, he's had some injury
problems.
I don't know about you, but itlooks like this is a
re-energized Taylor Hall.
He looks like Taylor Hall fromfour or five or six years ago.
He's flying out there, he'smaking smart plays, he's he's
constantly in on something.
And when he was uh patrollingthat spot on the fourth line, he

(14:51):
and Eric Robinson in particularuh really, really stood out to
me.
So um, Aaron, you want to pickthis up on uh those two guys?

SPEAKER_00 (15:02):
Sure.
Um, you know, I think that it'sit's interesting because this is
a very different construction ofa fourth line than you'll see on
most teams, and it's a differentconstruction than the Keynes
have seen in the past.
The idea here, I think, ispretty simple.
The Keynes have alwaysstruggled.
Um, again, we're looking at thepostseason.
They've struggled in thepostseason to put up enough

(15:22):
offense to get past some ofthese heavy offensive teams.
Um, and they need scoring, youknow, from everybody.
They can't, they can't reallyhave a fourth line that is just
there to, you know, hit peopleand and all that sort of thing.
But they need they need the theto back away from that
traditional fourth line, whichyou know they they seem to have
been comfortable doing at times,and get some offense from their

(15:45):
fourth because the matchups canbe arranged especially at home
to give them favorable matchups.
They can, you know, if you'vegot guys like Hall who can score
from anywhere, you know, youwant that from them.
Um and then Eric Robinson um wascomplimented by Rod Bridemore in
today's media presser for hisspeed.
And I think that that has beenthe key.

(16:05):
You know, Robinson may not bethe most gifted offensive player
on the team in terms of, youknow, the fancy moves or the or
the soft hands or something, buthe's by just virtue of being
able to get to the net quicklydrive that far post and be in a
position for a tap-in or adeflection, he can work very
well with Taylor Hall.

(16:26):
And they've already done that,you know, on a couple of
occasions.
So the two of them are veryfast, they're very agile getting
into the offensive zone, they'vetaken advantage of some
breakaways, and they're thefirst winger duo, I would say,
on the Keynes that when I seethem get a breakaway, I think
there's actually a chance, youknow?
Because we know that as dearlyas we love some of our um great

(16:50):
players, even Sebastian Aho, welove Aho, but you know, when Aho
streaks in on a breakaway,there's probably a 50-50 chance.
And then, you know, so oftenthose opportunities fall to
Jordan Martinook or JordanStahl.
And we know there again, theycan sometimes surprise us with a
great goal, but more often thannot, you see that breakaway and
you kind of sit back and go, oh,this will be cute.
You know, because you know it'sit's gonna sail over the net or

(17:12):
go wide, you know.
And and that's I think having apair that's actually a threat on
breakaways is really, reallyimportant for the Canes because
they are beginning with thedefensive players they have,
they're beginning to get thoseset up.
And we saw that, like, you know,we already mentioned Mike Riley
setting up Eric Robinson on thatbreakaway, but we've seen it
from uh Miller and evenNikishan, where they're finding

(17:34):
the forwards and helping themfly the zone.
And that's important.
You got to have that.

SPEAKER_04 (17:40):
Yeah, and uh and a couple things.
Um, now Robinson, interestinglyenough, he's got two goals and
one assist.
He's had a number ofopportunities of breakaways and
other chances uh in this shortseason, but he's only averaging
nine minutes, just over nineminutes.
I mean, it's it's hard tobelieve.
I mean, one of the things thatuh they were talking about last
night is Rob Brindemore wassaying, I've got to get more ice

(18:02):
time for for Robinson and Hall.
Those guys are are definitelyearning the rights.
So uh he's getting the message,and I think you're gonna see uh
hopefully a little bit more timefor Robinson.
And I think, you know, the thewe talked a lot about this when
he re-upped and did hisfour-year deal.
He's a guy that's justscratching the surface.
I mean, he he is gettingconfidence now, and that's one

(18:24):
of the things that you know withthese players, once they get a
little bit of confidence, you beas very surprised with what uh
comes out the other side.
It's amazing.
And I think he's starting to getthat.
And uh you can see him, he'she's more comfortable with the
puck.
He's he's definitely headingtowards the net, he's getting
into the dirty areas, he's doingall the heavy lifting.
So I'm really excited about him.

(18:45):
Now, Hall has now slipped on toanother line, and I think Katie,
I'd like you to talk a littlebit about uh this second group
now with uh Logan Stankhoven, ofcourse, at Santa Rice, and uh
we've got Jackson Blake on theright.
What do you see with those guysand now Taylor Hall in there as
well?

SPEAKER_02 (19:05):
Well, if there was a stat that we could create that
was called work ethic per 60, Ithink Hall, Stenkhoven, and
Blake would be the top line inthe league in that particular
stat.
They just work their tails off.
All three of them are constantlymoving and motoring.

(19:27):
Um, one of the ways that thatwork ethic per 60 would be
measured would be in all of thepenalties, especially that
Jackson Blake has drawn.
Right.
Just because he's driving to themiddle, moving feet, crossing
through the um crossing throughthe zone.
They are working really hard.

(19:47):
And we saw that beautiful goalthat Gostasper um scored um
against San Jose.
But what started the wholething, he didn't get a point on
it, but what started the wholething was Blake playing the body
along the walls in the defensivezone to get it out.
And then that creates the rushup the ice with Hall and

(20:09):
Stenkoven, who finally finds umGhost streaking in through the
middle for that goalie.
And that's about as easy a goalas Ghost is ever gonna have
because the the speed and thework ethic of the of the
forwards pulled the defense andpulled the goalie to where he
had an open net to shoot at.
It was a wonderful goal.
But that is just the bread andbutter of that line.

(20:32):
And if they are able to keep upthat energy and that work ethic
and that motor and thatdetermination, they are going to
be so successful this season.
Now they still need to work alittle bit.
I think they have some defensivedetails that can be cleaned up a
bit.
Stanhoven still needs to getstronger in the face-off dot.
So it is not a finished productby any stretch of the

(20:53):
imagination, but it is for threegames in in a very good place
right now.

SPEAKER_04 (20:58):
Well, and and we heard that uh, I mean, Logan
Stankhoven was saying, hey, whatI really want to do is improve
my defensive game and theface-off side of my game as
well.
So he put those as a priorityand said, you know, the offense
will take care of itself.
Um and I I kind of see that uhhe's sitting at, I think, just
under 47% in the face-off dots.

(21:19):
So that's a little bit light,but he's getting help from some
great ones.
I guess both Jordan Stahl andand Rod are spending a lot of
time with him, so it doesn't getbetter than that.
So those two guys, I'm sure,will get him going.
But I think the other thing yousee with with Stancoven in
particular, uh, driving thisline is that uh they're they're
really a north-south line.
They like to get the puck andhead out and go.

(21:41):
And uh, and I really like that.
They they definitely are gettingall kinds of opportunities.
Uh Jackson Blake, he's leadingthe team in shots.
He's had 15 shots already.
So, I mean, this guy is firingthe puck.
Every time he gets it, he had abeautiful goal.
Uh, you know, and he he youknow, he again um looking to go
to the next level this year.
And so many folks are thinking,you know, he could he could

(22:04):
definitely add a lot more pointsthis year as well.

SPEAKER_02 (22:07):
So his confidence is so high right now.
It is so high.

SPEAKER_00 (22:11):
His confidence out there that shot last night,
yeah.

SPEAKER_02 (22:15):
Yeah, he's motoring.
It's beautiful.

SPEAKER_04 (22:17):
He looks like a different player from you know
when he started last year, ofcourse, and and he finished the
year strong, but but he's nowfeeling like he's he belongs,
and and now it's can I get tothe next level?
Stankovern to me is a bit of arevelation.
I think he's got talent that'suh I don't know how high his
ceiling is gonna be.
Um, because he is such a fineplayer, and and he's learning

(22:41):
you know, some of the nuances ofof being a full-time center.
And once he gets that, I mean,offensively, we see what he does
all the time.
He's in on the game, he's alwaysin on the play, making something
happen.
And uh, and boy, he's gonna gethis points as well.
And one of the things that Ithink is a byproduct of these
two guys, particularly Hall andStankhoven, is that uh that

(23:04):
second power play unit, and Iguess Blake's on there as well,
has been showing a lot.
And you know, you remember thatHall last year, we've talked
about this in the past.
Hall last year seemed to reallyconnect with uh Stankhoven.
Those guys got some chemistry,and I'm sure, you know, as Rod
was watching the game the othernight, he thought, I'll just put
those guys back together.
Let's see what happens.

(23:25):
So uh great stuff with thatline.
And and you know, you talk aboutthe whole question of going up
against the Panthers.
And one thing the Panthers didis they threw four lines that
could hurt you.
Like they could score, theycould make things happen.
Even their fourth line was atough line to play against.
And I think you know, the Canes,if if Aho's line gets shut down,

(23:49):
you know, previously, you know,we're hoping that maybe Jordan
Stahl's line would chip in agoal or two and you might get
something else.
I think the intent this year wasto run four lines that could
could really have an impact.
And so far, uh that strategy byTolski is is paying off.
So one of the guys that wetalked about before, uh that you

(24:10):
know, we kind of I don't know,weren't so excited with him.
I wasn't.
I just wondered where he fit inall of this this year was Will
Carrier.
But I gotta tell you, so far sogood.
Katie, what do you think aboutwith Will?

SPEAKER_02 (24:27):
Oh, I've loved his game so far.
He is just in everybody's face.
It doesn't matter.
D zone, neutral zone, offensivezone.
Um, I actually picked himyesterday to uh in one of the
expos to be the first goalscorer halfway through the
first.
I was this close on myprediction, he was the second

(24:47):
goal scorer halfway through thesecond, and it was a rebound
goal because I think that'sgonna be where his bread and
butter is is he's not a puregoal scorer, but the people that
he is on the ice with, whetherit's Stahl, Martinook, the
defenders, like he was cleaningup that uh Nikitian rebound on
the chance that um that hecreated, he is going to have a

(25:08):
nose for the puck, and he is notgonna be afraid to get into the
crease and to be banging away atthe the loose pucks that there
he was gonna have just a ton ofopportunity to do so.
So it was very heartening to seehim get that because it felt
like he was so close those firsttwo games at cashing in, and he
got rewarded bus um last nightagainst San Jose, and that was

(25:29):
fantastic.

SPEAKER_00 (25:30):
Aaron?
Well, I think you're rightthere, and I think that, you
know, like you said, his breadand butter is gonna be those
kinds of goals.
It's he's never been a huge goalscorer, and he doesn't have to
be if he keeps playing like heis right now.
So it's great to see him getone, you know.
But I think where we weremissing some of that last year
is that um he was dealing withinjury, and you know, when you
come back from that, it's justnot and he still managed to be

(25:52):
impactful in the playoffs, justnot um enough.
It wasn't enough.
And and that's I think thatwhere the the challenge is gonna
be to keep him healthy for awhole season.
That has been a challenge in thepast, so it may take a while um
for them to figure out how bestto do that, you know, whether he
needs to maybe uh one of thethings I'm seeing from other
teams with some of these kindsof players is that they are

(26:13):
giving them practice days off,you know.
And they if it the canespractice like they play, they
practice hard, they work hard atall their practices, you know,
it's it's you don't come awayfeeling like you just skated up
and down the ice.
It's it's practically likeplaying a game.
And that is something thatplayers that have left the canes
have commented on, sometimes notso favorably.
But in if it's gonna be likethat, it might actually be as

(26:34):
the season wears on in an effortto keep Will Carrier, this
version that we're seeing rightnow.
It would be, I think, wellwithin their um range of good
options to consider letting himskip practices whenever there's
not anything particular for himto do, you know, because you
want to keep him healthy.
You want this version of WillCarrier when you get to the
playoffs.

(26:55):
So I'm hoping that that's gonnabe the way it is because he's
definitely showing better thanhe did last year.

SPEAKER_04 (27:00):
Yeah, and you know, he remember he uh he had a
16-goal season three years agowith uh with Vegas.
And he's a guy that, you know,when you watched him with Vegas
and in the playoffs, he alwayswas very impressive.
He was that one of those guysthat usually patrolled that spot
in the fourth line, but youreally liked what he did.
He brought a heavy game, he washe'd chip in with the odd goal

(27:21):
and he made something happen.
And I think, you know, coming toa new team last year never
really got as mojo with thecanes.
And I think this year he comesback fresh, he's feeling great,
and uh he's got a very clearrole alongside uh the two dads,
if you want to call them that,both uh Stahl and Martinuk.
Uh and I think as a line there,they've been really, really

(27:43):
effective.
So again, that's a line that allthree of those guys, you just
want to you you want to take iteasier with them because they're
gonna be critical as we headinto the playoffs, and we don't
want them uh, you know, uh tootired, that's for sure.
So um the line that we haven'ttalked about, kind of
interesting, is the top line ofthe games.

(28:04):
Uh and we had a lot ofexpectation for the line of uh
Sebastiana, Seth Jarvis, and ofcourse Nikolai Ehlers.
Um still finding their way.
Katie?

SPEAKER_02 (28:17):
Yeah, I think it's just gonna come with some with
highly skilled players, it justtakes a little bit of time, and
they their puck possessionnumbers are great.
Their underlying numbers lookfantastic.
They are creating and generatinga lot of chances.
Now they're giving up more thanyou would want to see from a
Sebastian Aho-led line,especially with Jarvis out
there.
So they I I'm more interested inthem tightening stuff up on

(28:39):
their defensive details becauseI think the offense is just
going to naturally proceed.
Um, I'd like to have seen Ahoscore by now.
I think Ealer's taking some timemakes sense, but um, at least
Jarvis has produced none,although none of his three goals
has been on five on five.
It's been in othercircumstances, but he's he's

(29:00):
feeling it.
He's ripping the puck, so he'sgetting those touches.
And I think it's just a matterof time.
It will come.

SPEAKER_00 (29:08):
I thought watching them last night, they they
frequently looked like the mostdangerous line on the ice.
They're just not a hundredpercent clicking yet.
And I think that we will seethem do that um over the course
of this road trip as things goon.
It's it's not gonna be um thatmuch longer before Nick Nikolai
Ehlers gets his first as a cane.
I don't think, you know, he hecame pretty close last night on

(29:29):
a couple of occasions.
Um Aho's definitely shooting thepuck more.
I think you said he has hadseven shots so far, you know,
and and um that's that's forAho.
I mean, over three games, that'sI mean not a lot, but for Aho,
that's still a lot.
It is for for someone who passesas instinctively as Sebastian
Aho does, taking seven shots onthe net over three games is not
something we can complain about.

(29:50):
Um, you know, he's not gonna beyour seven-shot a game guy, you
know, and uh Jarvis has beenactually taking that role.
He's been shooting a lot too.
So I think that it's just amatter of, you know, when I was
watching Ealers entering theoffensive zone last night, there
were a couple of times when hewould come in and he would start
circling uh in a way that's veryreminiscent of uh Martin His.

(30:11):
And I think that once they getthat in sync to where they know
how his speed is creating thatuh that rhythm for them, kind of
like how Ghost was on the threeon three the other night.
You know, when they see Ealersdoing those same things and they
can position themselves to takeadvantage of the fact that he is
confusing the defenders.

(30:32):
And they don't know where he'sgoing to end up or what he's
going to do if he's shooting, ifhe's passing.
You know, they don't they don'treally know because he's coming
in so fast.
So just getting getting all thatrhythm together.
I think that uh Ealer spoke ofas chemistry, but I really think
it's just the rhythm of playingwith a player who can move that
fast and you know control thepuck as long as he does.

SPEAKER_04 (30:51):
So yeah, I mean, uh for sure, they're getting their
opportunities.
Uh I think Jarvis looks likehe's gonna have a breakout
season this year.
I think he's he's definitelygonna be uh right right there in
terms of uh goal scoring.
Oh who I think he can hit 40goals this year.
So uh he's definitely he'sdefinitely in the game.

(31:11):
Um, you know, again, I think uhthey've got to find a way to you
know to start scoring five onfive.
And one of the luxuries thecanes have had, of course, is
that they've had lots of otherpeople doing that.
So they you know they've got tofind their way, and you can't
expect the other guys to keepscoring at the rate they're
scoring at.
So I think uh definitely the toplines got to start to find their

(31:33):
way.
And we'll uh we'll keep an eyeon that.
Um so uh you had someinteresting stuff too, Katie.
You had a hockey vis chart thatuh that you were kind of playing
with.
What did you see uh on thatchart?

SPEAKER_02 (31:47):
Well, that particular chart that I sent you
showed the power play shot umshots taken comparative to re
league average.
And I know that's been one ofthe gripes that's been going on
right now is that with all ofthe scoring the Canes have done,
it doesn't seem like their powerplay is producing like they need
it to, you know, tailing back tolast year.

(32:09):
But what that particular chartshows is they are generating a
lot of chances.
And so just like we talked aboutwith the top line, just needing
to get that familiarity togetherfive on five, they're also
needing to build thatfamiliarity together with the
power play.
And as they tweak and adjust andkeep the pressure on and keep

(32:30):
those good habits that they'vehad so far, the the chances will
come.
And it's been nice havingEalers.
The zone entries have not beennearly the difficulty that they
were in the past.
It is getting better.
And so I would not be surprisedwithin the next couple of games
if the power play starts toclick and starts to produce a
little bit more as they get morecomfortable with each other and

(32:54):
um and get more comfortable withuh with the system as it runs
now.

SPEAKER_04 (32:58):
Yeah, and you know, as you talk about zone entries,
uh we see uh frequently Aho andJarvis uh will bring the puck up
the ice and they'll get it intothe Ozone.
Occasionally it'll be Eaglers aswell.
And I think on the other, on theother power play unit, of
course, uh Logan's Tank Hovenhas been phenomenal uh bringing
the puck up and getting it intothe zone.
So I think that has not been theproblem.

(33:20):
Uh they're just they're just notuh able to finish off.
Now, one of the things that Iwanted to mention uh is as we
talk about this is that one ofthe guys on the power play, and
on that number one power play isuh Andrey Svechnikov.
Now, Svechnikov uh was kind ofdemoted to the fourth line, and
we talked about Taylor Hallslipping up beside Logan

(33:42):
Stankhoven.
And the other guy that I thoughtwe'd talk about along with uh
Svechnikov is Kokini, KasperiKokiniami.
These two guys are kind of, youknow, they're just not there
yet.
So what are we thinking aboutwith Svechnikov and Kokiniami?
Uh Katie, you want to kick thatoff?

SPEAKER_02 (34:02):
Yeah, I'll start with um Svech, because I think
Aaron has a few opinions as faras KG is concerned.
Um I think, you know, Ireferenced before that second
line in their uh work rate per60, and I think that Svetch
hasn't just gotten his motor upto that same level as the others
yet.
If he can find a way to maximizeall the other details, whether

(34:25):
it's the play off the puck orthe play with the puck in the
dirty areas, I think he'll comearound and he'll get there.
And it could be that playing onthat fourth line or third
scoring line, whatever you wantto call it, could end up being
good for him because it willhelp him simplify his game a
little bit more and focus onjust doing the things that he

(34:47):
knows how to do and can do welland not have to try and press
too much and overthink things.
Because when Svetch gets in hisown head is where he gets him
his own, he gets himself crossedup.
And then when he gets crossedup, he just limits himself as an
option either to distribute tohis teammates or to be a target
when his teammates have thepuck.

(35:07):
So you know, we'll see how itgoes.
I I hope this doesn't turn intoa long-term situation with him.
We really need him to be afactor on the team because he
pres he possesses a physicalpresence as well as a skill set
that nobody else on the teamdoes.
And the stall, the Martin, look,the carrier, they have the

(35:27):
physical presence, but not theskill.
A lot of all the other forwardshave a lot of skill, but they
don't have his size and physicalpresence.
It really feels like he's kindof the pivot point that if he
can get going, it's going toreally jump start the Keynes
offense to being even betterthan they've already been.

(35:47):
Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 (35:49):
Absolutely.

SPEAKER_04 (35:51):
Kokiniami, Sarah?

SPEAKER_00 (35:54):
Well, I have spent a few uh minutes here and there
the last couple of days talkingabout Kokiniami on on Twitter.
And I think people who've seenthose posts probably know where
I'm I'm what I'm thinking rightnow.
But um I think that his firsttwo games, uh, the first game
was good, the second game wasnot as good.
The first game was, you know,the first game he was he was

(36:14):
definitely um a factor in one ofthe goals and was, you know,
certainly not shying away fromthe play.
He had a hit, he had some otherthings too.
Um, second game, again, againstthe Flyers, a little bit less uh
involved than you want to see.
Um face-offs have been a littlebit of a struggle, um, but
uncharacteristically so, and Idon't think that that's a
long-term concern for the Kanesbecause he's never been, you

(36:37):
know, below 51, almost 52% umsince he's joined the
Hurricanes.
So, you know, knowing that hehad that eye injury before in
the preseason, you just thinkmaybe that's a factor and he'll
probably get back up to speed.
But the reality is that when youchoose to healthy scratch a
player who is making almost$5million a year, and you do it

(36:59):
two games into the season whenthere hasn't been any really
egregious problems, there hasn'tbeen anything that you would
say, well, he has to be out ofthe lineup because he did this
or he did that.
No.
Um, you're looking at a playerwho is a soon-to-be X-Kane, in
my opinion.
Um, I think that Rod Brindamorehas made his decision about who
he wants in the lineup, and Ithink that Kokaniami is not part

(37:20):
of that decision.
And I mean, I know that the thatfor the Canes, this is an
embarrassing situation.
They overpaid by a tremendousamount of money to acquire the
player.
They signed him to a long-termdeal, and they can't seem to
figure out what to do with him,you know, because he's not a
second-line center, and it's notthat's not his fault.
You know, that's a lot of peoplesay, oh, he should have stepped

(37:41):
up and he should have done this.
You can't make yourself play.
I mean, if every player on theteam could suddenly decide they
want to be a first-liner, thenthey, you know, then that would
be great, wouldn't it?
But they can't.
You can't do that.
You can't just decide you'regoing to be better than you are.
So he wasn't fit for that role.
And the third line center roleis going to be occupied by

(38:01):
Jordan Stahl for at least thenext two seasons because he
signed for those.
And I think it's realistic toexpect one, two, maybe even
three more.
So depending on how well hestays in condition and whether
he's willing as he ages to takea lower role.
All of that means there's noplace for Yasperry Kokeniami on
the Canes.
And it really has been that wayfor the last couple of seasons.

(38:24):
They just didn't have anyone totake the 2C role.
Now that they do, now that LoganStankoven is looking so good in
that role, they really need totrade him as of yesterday.
And putting him in the press boxfor one game, possibly two, we
don't know yet if he's going toplay against the Ducks, but I
highly doubt it.
It's just Rod Brindemore kind offorcing Eric Tolski's hand and

(38:44):
saying, This is not a player Iwant on my team.
So there are a number of teamsin the league that really need a
third-line center.
There are plenty that would bewilling to take Kokanyemi even
at his current contract.
It is not an overpay.
Look at how much ChristianDvorak is making with the
Flyers.
And Dvorak is no moreoffensively minded and has no
more skill set, you know, evenhis face-offs, which are have

(39:06):
been at times elite, have goneup and down over the last few
years.
So, and I've seen that inMontreal.
So you look at the comparable,you know, you say, okay, if
Dvorak can make$5.1 million,then there's really no reason to
shy away from a team that wantsa third-line center picking up
Kokinyami.
So I think a trade needs tohappen.
And if if they can't get it donequickly, then they need to

(39:29):
revisit what they're doingbecause you can't sit a player
who's making that much money inyour press box just for an
unlimited amount of time.
Especially when there isn't aspecific reason as far as his
play.
He was not bad in those firsttwo games.
He was not doing anything thathe shouldn't be doing.
There was nothing that hespecifically caused, you know,
alone in any way.

(39:51):
I think he was only on the icefor one goal against, and that
was a breakdown in communicationthat involved uh Kokanyami
Robinson and Nikishin.
So all three of them trying toget the puck out along the wall,
and nobody really knew who wassupposed to be standing back in
case it popped out the wrongway.
So those kind of moments aregonna happen early in the
season.
So I mean, I just look at thisand say, this has nothing to do

(40:12):
with how the player isperforming.
This has to do with the decisionthat has already been made.
So I'm gonna be looking forwardto seeing where he goes, and
that's fine.
But uh the canes don't need him,and it's high time they moved
on.

SPEAKER_04 (40:25):
Katie, are you uh of the same mind?

SPEAKER_02 (40:30):
Yeah, I think so.
If you're not gonna play him,what's the point?
They've got other guys that canstep in if needed, and if
somebody gets hurt, they've gotplenty of options down in
Chicago as well that are umprimed and ready to contribute.
So, you know, for for the goodof KK as much as anything else,

(40:50):
I I hope that they find a goodfit for him.
Hopefully they don't move onjust to move on, but they find a
place for him that will um thatwill actually be good for him.

SPEAKER_04 (40:59):
Well, it's interesting.
You mentioned Chicago.
One of the guys that hasimpressed us every time he's
been up has been Justin Robidah.
And uh boy, he uh he looks likehe's he's the real deal as well.
So I uh I'm sure that if theymake a move and don't bring in
another centerman that uh thatthey've uh they've got some
thoughts that Justin could be ahelp later on.

(41:21):
But you know, the other thingthat uh is a bit of a telling
point, we saw some of thecomments that Rod Brindamore has
been making.
He made after the game lastnight, and he's made some
comments today about uh MarkJankowski.
He he loves Jake.
He likes his face-off acumen, helikes his penalty kill work.
Uh he obviously likes his uh hisuh five-on-five work as well.

(41:45):
So he's definitely endearedhimself to to Rod, and that uh
further puts the nail in thecoffin, as you'd say, Aaron,
that uh that uh Kokinami'sprobably got very few days left
of the hurricane.
So we'll have to see how itplays out, but uh not a not a
great situation.
I think we were all kind ofhopeful that that uh Yesperry

(42:07):
would find his way and and startto be a key contributor to the
canes because he does have a lotof talent.
And uh and in the rightsituation, I think he can he can
contribute a lot.

SPEAKER_00 (42:17):
So quite frankly, he has too much talent to be
playing 10 minutes a night onthe fourth line.
And ultimately, even if he'stried to step up and change
things and be the guy, whatever,it doesn't matter.
You're playing 10 minutes anight and you're playing a role
that a guy that makes, you know,a million and a half or two
million can play.
So there's no point for theplayer's sake in dragging this

(42:39):
out any longer.
There's no point.
And that's where you know, thisis also a player who I am fairly
sure has hopes of making TeamFinland's Olympic roster, at
least as a backup.
I don't think he has high hopesof maybe making the actual team,
but they're gonna have someextras in case of injury.
He's not gonna get any looks atall if he's sitting in a press
box, and he's not gonna get verymany if he's playing 10 minutes

(43:00):
a night on the fourth line.
So he needs to be moved for hisgood, and the team needs to move
on from a situation that franklyhas become embarrassing for
them.
This is a failure.
They failed with the offersheet.
And they need to just like theyfailed when they took on Miko
Rantenden without signing him,making sure he would sign
long-term, you have to get outof those situations.

(43:20):
And the fact that it's draggedon really two more years than it
needed to, at this point, youhave to wonder why.
What was the reason that theydidn't move on last season be
when they really should have?
So, whatever the case might be,it'll happen now and it's it's
overdue.

SPEAKER_04 (43:35):
Yeah, no, and and and you're right.
And and I think, you know, it'sa good point on the team Finland
because we've talked about thatbefore, is that that could have
been the ultimate kind of uhencouragement for him to uh to
really and the catalyst for himto really go and play his best.
Uh, because you know, he had anopportunity to be one of those
extras on that squad for sure.

(43:56):
Um, yeah, look, the decisionthat was made to bring him in at
the time, look, he was thirdoverall uh the year that he was
drafted, right behind uhSveshnikov.
So this guy was highly rated.
Sure, he was drafted higher thanjust about anybody who would
have picked him, but but still aplayer that that over time he
had some attributes that youdefinitely love in the
centerman.
He's a big guy.

(44:17):
He he boy, his first few yearswith Montreal, he showed a lot.
So, you know, I I understand thedecision to bring him in.
I don't think that was a baddecision.
It just didn't work out.
And the same thing with Ranton.
You take a swing, you know,sometimes it just doesn't work
out for you.
And I think you're on the rightside of this, though, is that
what you've got to do is find anelegant way out.
They certainly did that withMiko Rantinen, and I think uh

(44:39):
did an outstanding job of uhturning what could have been a
very difficult situation intosomething that worked out very,
very well for the Keynes.
They have not done that with uhYusperi Kokaniami yet, and maybe
that's what the problem is.
They haven't found the deal thatthey want.
And uh we're just gonna have towait and see what that looks
like.
But I think at this stage, acouple of draft picks would be

(45:00):
just fine.

SPEAKER_00 (45:01):
In any case, the Keynes are low on draft capital,
so yeah.

SPEAKER_04 (45:05):
Yeah, exactly.
We're a little bit light nextyear, so we could we could
definitely fill the cover.
In any case, uh lots going onwith the team right now.
We look at uh, you know, we'vetalked about the forwards, the
defensive core.
Just wanted to mention one thingon the goaltending side as we
finish this part of the uhpodcast.
Um, Brandon Bussey, you know,he's interesting.

(45:25):
Uh, didn't know a lot aboutBrandon when he came over.
He had been very highly rated uhwith the uh the Boston Bruins
and in their chain.
He uh he was outstanding asrookie year, and he was on the
all-rookie team.
Uh, he played in the All-Stargames.
McKeynes, heading into lastseason, said this about Bussey,
and they said he needs to be inthe conversation as among the

(45:48):
top young net minders outside ofthe NHL.
His strong play with Providenceis the reason why Boston felt so
comfortable moving Linus Omark.
The big six foot four Bussey hasa pendant for the highlight reel
save.
His play tracking ability andincreased movement are terrific.

(46:10):
So, this guy, incredibly highlyrated.
We didn't know much about him,of course, because we had no
reason to play pay attention tohim.
Um, I was concerned when we lostCaden Primo, but uh gee, maybe
it's gonna work out great forus.
Um, Aaron, any thoughts on uhBrandon Bussey?

SPEAKER_00 (46:29):
I liked watching him play last night.
I thought that he was, you know,you you always kind of braced
yourself for those first coupleof shots against when it's a
brand new goaltender on the ice,and he just was very calm and
made the saves with no troubleat all.
Um, you know, give itconsidering how many breakaways
the Kanes gave up, especially inthe first period, you know, he
was very solid in tracking allof those and making sure that
those pucks did not go in thenet.

(46:50):
And that was really importantbecause you start out down a few
and you don't get any maybe onyour end, and then all of a
sudden it's a very differentgame.
So he kept them in it until theygot settled down and figured out
what they were doingdefensively.
And that's you can't overratethat.
Um, he's I think about a yearolder than Primo.
I if I than Caden Primo, I thinksomething like that.

(47:10):
Um something like that.
So so you know, we're talkingabout somebody who's very much
in the same um group of as faras how old they are and and
their their potential tocontinue to develop.
I think in a perfect world, thecanes would have wanted to keep
uh Primo, but they were not umyou know, you can't always you
can't always control that at thebeginning of the season when
goalies are being placed onwaivers.

(47:31):
So they they they made acalculated move.
There were a lot of goaltenderson waivers the day that uh they
lost Primo to the Maple Leafs.
So they did their best, but itdidn't work out.
And uh Primo did, by the way,get his first win last night
also with the Maple Leafs.
So so they both have have uh youknow a win.
I mean, it wasn't his first NHLwin, but it was his first win as
a member of the Maple Leafs.

(47:51):
So I thought I'd mention that.
But yeah, if the Canes could getPrimo back, if if uh if the uh
Leafs end up bringing, you know,getting their injured guys back
up into the lineup, you know,they may decide that they want
to bring him back in.
But in the meantime, um Busylooks great, and I don't see any
reason why he shouldn't continueto be their third goaltender
because right now withKachetkov's injury and not

(48:11):
knowing the timeline on thatagain, they definitely need
somebody there backing upFreddie.

SPEAKER_04 (48:16):
Okay.

SPEAKER_02 (48:18):
Yep, pretty much.
I mean, don't want to go crazywith one game against one of the
NHL's worst teams.
Um, and that this is this is asmuch a Keynes issue as a busy
issue, but you give up all ofthose grade A chances against uh
to Vegas or Colorado or Dallas,and more than one of them is

(48:40):
going to end up in the back ofthe net.
Um so the you know, got gottatemper expectations a little
bit.
But for the task he was givenfor his first game, I mean,
phenomenal start.
Glad to see that his parentswere in the stands.
I always love those stories whenthey cut to the parents and see
the parents all smiling.
I think his fiancee was theretoo.

(49:01):
And those are always reallyheartwarming stories.
And when you hear the wholebackstory of how he was on the
road to Charlotte to check inwith the AHL team for the
Panthers and got the phone calland had to reroute to Raleigh
and you know, and you getpictures of him in a stall and
it says new guy up above hishead instead of having his name
on the placard.
I mean, it it's a makes for avery charming story, and I'm

(49:24):
glad that the win was added toall of the fun narrative behind
him, and I hope he gets at leastone more chance um to man the
net before Kochekov uh returns.
But the the the one nice thingis that seeing him be that solid
means that there's not going tobe a rush trying to get Piotr
back, that they know that theycan take their time and they can

(49:46):
really let him get to 100%, thatyou don't have to try to bring
him back at 85 or 90 percenthealth, that you can really
trust Kochekov, trust that theycan give Kochekov all the time
he needs to not re-aggravate it.
Because he came, he played inthat one preseason game and he
had been injured before, playedin the preseason game, and
apparently re-aggravatedwhatever the problem was to

(50:09):
begin with.
So having Busy really will letthem say, okay, we don't have to
rush Kochekov back again.
Let's get him 100% and letBussey take care of business
behind Freddie for the timebeing.

SPEAKER_04 (50:22):
Yeah, and I mean, as I mentioned, I mean Bussey
extremely highly regarded.
And the other thing we heard isthat Paul Schoenfelder uh was uh
very interested in BrandonBussey.
And uh so definitely wasinfluential in uh the decision
to pick him up and uh and knew alittle bit about him and felt he
was a great uh great younggoaltender as well.

(50:43):
So I think this is great.
Um again, uh one of the raregoalies that catches with his
right hand, so that was kind offun to go.

SPEAKER_00 (50:51):
So fun to watch, yeah.

SPEAKER_04 (50:53):
So fun to watch that.
He he caught a couple that mighthave been challenging if he was
uh uh using his uh left hand inthat situation to catch it.
In any case, uh you know, that'sgonna help.
We've got to count on uhFreddie, of course, through this
tough road trip, and that leadsus into our final thoughts.
Um, you know, as the Canescontinue this long grueling road

(51:17):
trip, what uh what should we bewatching for with the canes?
And also, are there anydeveloping stories?
And we kind of picked one ofthem up, or maybe a couple, that
uh we got to keep an eye on overthis next uh period of games.
What are we thinking as they uhthey continue this uh this
incredible road trip out west?

(51:37):
Katie?

SPEAKER_02 (51:40):
Um I mean it's just gonna get harder from here,
right?
You've got Anaheim and then LosAngeles and then the gauntlet
that is Vegas, Colorado, andDallas.
And so for me, the storyline I'minterested in is can they
maintain the high level ofscoring from the top to the

(52:00):
bottom, uh getting contributionsfrom lots of places?
Because if if those teams canturn the canes one-dimensional,
it's going to be a rough uhremainder of the road trip.
But if the canes can staydynamic and they can have their
D-play solid, don't needout-of-the-world Jacob Slavin

(52:21):
level stuff, just good lunchpale defense.
I think they have a really goodshot at coming home with a
winning road trip.
And that would be fantastic tosee because I think almost every
Canes fan looked at thisschedule and went, ooh, just
please come home 500 and we'llbe happy.
And they they are they arepoised where they could come

(52:42):
home a lot better than that, butthey're gonna need to continue
the good habits that they havestarted over these first three
games of the season.

unknown (52:50):
Okay.

SPEAKER_04 (52:50):
And are there any uh players or stories that you're
gonna be watching closely as uhthey continue this road trip?

SPEAKER_02 (52:59):
Um I think I still there's something about the way
that Carrier has been playing,and I want to see how that Stahl
Martinlook Carrier linecontinues to work together
because you we're talking aboutfirst line scoring, second line
scoring, contributions from thefourth line, as though Stahl's
line is just kind of eh, and Imean they have been in the past,

(53:22):
you know.
I I always joke that Stahl andMartinook have cement in their
myths.
It's what makes them so hard toplay against, but it also what
makes them look like they're youknow confused on what to do with
the puck when it's time to shootit.
But the the energy that they'reCarrier is just such an
interesting X factor on thatline and the way that he crashes
the net and works in thecorners, that if he can continue

(53:45):
that level, I I love I'm veryintrigued in that storyline of
that kind of almost forgottenStahl line when it comes to the
offensive side of things.
We're never going to take forgranted their defensive work and
the penalty killing that Stahland Martinuk do.
But that that carrier X factoron that line and how it's going
to um going to impact the teammoving forward.

SPEAKER_04 (54:08):
Well, and how many breakaways has Martinook had?

SPEAKER_02 (54:15):
Again, again, cement cement in the mitts on that sort
of thing.
Sometimes every now and againthey surprise you.

SPEAKER_04 (54:20):
Yeah, he had his best year last year.
So, you know, he can scoreanother if he gets 14 goals, 15
goals this year, that'sfantastic.
So anyway, Aaron, what are youthinking as uh as the Canes
continue this grueling roadtrip?

SPEAKER_00 (54:35):
I think that one of the things that's going to make
this road trip really, reallychallenging, and we've already
touched on it a little bit.
Um, typically when they've gonewest, they have finished against
Anaheim, against the Sharks, youknow, they're starting against
those teams, and that is greatfrom a you know continued team
development cohesion level, youknow, because they're still
trying to come together as ateam with some new guys on.

(54:57):
And that's that's reallyimportant to them to have this
time.
But that means that when theyare, you know, tired and living
out of a suitcase for over aweek already, that's when they
face those last three monsterteams.
I think that, you know, and youknow, there's other things that
are a factor in that.
Um with Vegas, it's the factthat, you know, just the way

(55:18):
they play and their physicality.
I think um with Colorado, weknow from Katie that it's the
speed that that team is capableof.
But also at times, and this wemight come back to someone like
Carrier, I don't really know,but altitude can be a factor for
the teams that aren't used toit.
And, you know, that's it's oftenthe bigger, heavier guys that
feel that the most.
So that's gonna be somethingwhere they're gonna have to be

(55:40):
really careful about managingthose minutes and making sure
that they don't have exhaustedguys trying to combat, you know,
McKinnon out there or McCarr.
Um, and then the final trip, ofcourse, is the Dallas trip.
I'm not able to attend thatgame.
I thought about it, but it's notgonna work.
But um, the the the Dallas gameis going to be um the Miko
Ranton and, you know, the firsttime that they face Rantan after

(56:02):
this trade.
There's a lot of narrativesbeing built around that.
I don't think the average Keynesfan is really paying that much
attention.
But there is a group of seasonticket holders who will be at
that game.
It is their season ticket travelgame this year.
So that's gonna be interesting.
And I think that that that gamecoming at the time when they are
at their most exhausted is gonnabe a little bit of a struggle.
Um, so the other narrative, theother story, developing story, I

(56:25):
think that we need to keep aneye on is that, and this is
league-wide, there have been anumber of unexpectedly impactful
and very serious injuries to keyplayers in these early games.
You don't typically see thatbecause player teams aren't
always going that, you know,pedal to the metal against each

(56:46):
other.
They're not always doing theheavy hitting and the heavy, you
know, all of that heavy physicalstuff that leads to some of
these injuries.
But that's not the case thisyear.
There have been a number ofpeople that are out for
significant amounts of time.
There were more reports today ofplayers being out for
significant amount.
Vincent Trochek will be out forseveral, he's on LTIR now, you
know, and and I mean thatthere's there's just it you keep

(57:08):
seeing these injury reports.
And I feel like that's somethingthe Keynes are gonna have to be
careful about because they havesome players that have had a
history of of you know being alittle bit banged up and not
being maybe not out of thelineup, but that really affects
their play.
So just keeping everybodyhealthy is gonna be a really big
concern, I think, over thesenext five games.

SPEAKER_04 (57:29):
Yeah, and and you know, the following the story of
uh what's gonna happen withKokanyami and what what are we
gonna see with Fashnikov, thosetwo guys could be helpful in an
injury injury situation forsure.
Sure.
Uh the Canes have lots of depth,and uh they're in a position
where we hope that uh JacobSlavin is able to rejoin the

(57:51):
team.
Uh and it'd be great if uh PiotrKochakov could too.
Um both of those guys couldcould add something to the mix
for sure.
But right now, Freddie's theman, he's gonna be carrying the
load and goal, and it's gonna beuh it's gonna be by committee.
Uh they're gonna have to workhard to make this happen.
And uh, and of course the decor,um they're just they're all

(58:12):
gonna have to come through.
It's gonna be uh it's gonna be achallenge.
But I think a good situation tooin this regard is that uh some
of these players are gonna getthrown into situations that they
might have faced later on in theseason.
I don't think that's bad.
Um, you know, giving them someextra minutes and tough minutes.
We even saw Gostas Bear killingpenalties as well.
So we've seen a little bit ofeverything.

(58:35):
Uh and I think I think that's agood situation that the Canes
can uh can throw these guys outthere.
They're they're uh they'remaking it happen, and and so far
the success uh speaks foritself.
But yeah, lots coming.
We've got a big game against uhAnaheim uh tomorrow night.
Uh a lot of folks talking aboutAnaheim.
They think that uh this team inAnaheim has a shot at the

(58:58):
playoffs.
I'm not sure they're there yet.
Their defensive core to me isjust not quite as good.
They do have a lot of young,very talented players, but uh,
but I think I think the Canescan top them and and I think
it's a critical game for them.
They must win that game as asthey did uh and and had to with,
of course, uh San Jose.
So um we'll be looking forwardto that tomorrow night and we'll

(59:21):
check it out.
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(59:42):
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