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How the Metro Can Hurt: The Carolina Hurricanes' Staal Attack

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With the Carolina Hurricanes bringing some "Southleast" cooking to the expanded Patrick Metropolitan Division, many Islanders fans count on it being a fall-off-the-bone, pushover kind of feast.

But there is the small matter of the Hurricanes sweeping the Islanders in two of the past three season series.

The teams have oddly alternated sweeps, with luck briefly swinging back the Islanders' way to go 4-0 in 2011-12 (including one OT win and one shootout win) before the Hurricanes resumed their sweeping ways with three wins (one shootout) in the lockout-shortened 2012-13.

The Hurricanes have compiled only a 39% winning percentage against all their Metro foes over the past three seasons, so they'll need that to improve and they'll likely hope to count on more success against the Isles to do so.

How have the Hurricanes done it? In truth, the games have been closer than the records indicate, and in multiple instances the Canes have won games where the Isles dominated.

One area where the Canes have won the battle is with the Staals. Eric Staal has always been a successful threat against the Islanders, compiling 35 points in 34 career games versus the Islanders. Last season Eric was a force even when the rest of the team faltered, but he welcomed his brother Jordan to the fold to create two problems for the Isles.

As Canes blog Shutudown Line observed after the disappointing loss in Kevin Poulin's start last February:

As a team, the Canes seem to have much less of a problem gaining the blue-line with control whenever they play the Islanders. Jordan Staal, Alex Semin and Patrick Dwyer didn't have much of a problem when it came to entering the Islanders zone and setting up plays because they always had enough room to enter their territory with possession of the puck.

Ah, but to be fair, the same post notes Jordan looked awful for the first two periods. Which gets to the crux of the matter, which we'll revisit in a moment...

Meanwhile, Eric Staal and Jiri Tlusty have enjoyed dangerous games against the Isles since their partnership formed, but have also suffered when the Isles were at their best. From Shutdown's look at the teams' meeting last April:

One of the reasons why the Isles top-six performed so well defensively was the play of their shutdown defense pairing of Travis Hamonic& Andy MacDonald. These two logged well over 20 minutes of even strength ice time and surrendered only one scoring chance when they were together. They also spent most of their ice time against Eric Staal's line, which was held in check and crushed defensively for most of this game.

John Tavares is getting better and better as a all-zone player, so it won't make sense for the Canes to have Eric Staal's line against him when they can avoid it. However, if they can reasonably mitigate Tavares with, say, Jordan Staal in a defensive role, it would free Eric to log points against easier competition.

Ultimately, however, Isles fans welcoming Carolina to the division are right to be optimistic: This is a beatable opponent, one from whom the Isles should be taking the majority of points. The biggest risk of that not happening comes from a familiar sore spot for Isles fans, one who would enable the Staals to do their damage: In February, it was Kevin Poulin giving up some bad goals, while in April it was Evgeni Nabokov's turn to let in some softies.

In both instances, the Islanders controlled play for large and early parts of the game but did not get the offensive bounces and/or saves to carry the day. Essentially, the Isles are fully capable of getting the better of the Canes, but when they slip up, even if just briefly, the Staals are dangerous enough to make them pay.

Now, hockey is a game of generally narrow margins and the outcome of any game is as liable to be influenced by luck (flukes, officiating, bounces) as by one factor declared in preseason. (And the Hurricanes have other worries, like the health of Joni Pitkanen.) But if Carolina passes the Isles this year, it will likely come via winning the season series. And if they win the season series again, it will likely come via the Staals getting opportunistic production in the rare moments when the Isles aren't controlling play.


Hurricanes Over Rangers, 4-3 In Game One At Traverse City

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The Hurricanes prospects started off the Traverse City tournament with a 4-3 win over the New York Rangers prospects on Thursday.  The Canes were out-shot early, but took a 1-0 lead on a goal by Victor Rask.  Sergey Tolchinsky, Zach Mitchell, and Brock McGinn scored the other goals for Carolina.  (Mitchell was a last minute invitee.)

Daniel Altshuller made 36 saves for the winning team.

You can check out more details at Carolina Hurricanes.com.  The Rangers have posted video highlights of the game.  You can check that out here.    (glove tap to "Resonated" for the link.)

The team will take on the Columbus Blue Jackets prospects today, (Friday) at 3:30 p.m.  There are no streaming options for this game.  The Buffalo Sabres are providing radio broadcasts of their games and they will be playing Carolina on Sunday, at 3:30 p.m.

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Still waiting on Joni Pitkanen news

Hurricanes GM Jim Rutherford sent out news on Twitter yesterday that the team was waiting for the physician on the results of Pitkanen's CT scan and that was not expected until Monday.

Joni Pitkanen had a CT scan today. His doctor will return to the country on Monday and we will get a prognosis at that time.

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Puck Daddy with Hurricanes preview

Some good stuff as always from Puck Daddy, who portrays an accurate rendering of the Hurricanes off season.  They include a video of "the pass" from Alexander Semin to Jiri Tlusty but when the third best thing listed about Carolina is that the new jerseys look "pretty good", that might not be a positive sign of what they think about the team's chances.

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Tickets go on sale today at 10 a.m. for the home opener against Detroit.  You know the game is going to be a sell out, so do not procrastinate on this one.  Carolina Hurricanes.com

Jason Karmanos Let Go, Traverse City Update

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The Carolina Hurricanes sent out a press release on Sunday saying that the team's Executive Vice President and Assistant General Manager Jason Karmanos had been relieved of his duties. Ron Francis and Darren Yorke would be assuming his responsibilities.

The club's owner and Jason's father, Peter Karmanos, was quoted as saying that he and his son had a disagreement and there would be no further comment.

Chip Alexander was able to catch up with Jason Karmanos a bit later and got a couple of quotes from the son.

"The disagreement I had with my father had nothing to do with the direction of the team or the business of the team," Jason Karmanos said. "This has nothing to do with my job performance.

"It's an unfortunate situation and it's extremely disappointing. My emotions are still raw. A big chunk of my life has been devoted to working for the team and I will miss it very much, as well as all the great people that I have worked with on a daily basis."

Jim Rutherford called the situation a "family matter."

Read more at Canes Now.

Jason Karmanos quit his position with the Hurricanes back in the fall of 2007 citing "personal reasons". He then returned to the team and his old position about nine months later, (June 2008.)

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Carolina's prospects are giving up goals in bunches in Traverse City this tournament. After posting a 4-3 win against the Rangers, they lost two straight games, 7-5, and 7-4 to the Blue Jackets and Sabres respectively. They will close out the tournament with a 4 p.m. game against the Blues on Monday.

The Canes have been out-shot each game, 34-25 against the Rangers, 35-30 against the Sabres, and 45-18 against the Jackets. That is a total of 114 shots allowed versus 73 shots taken so far in this tournament.

The good news is that first round pick Elias Lindholm played on Sunday and reportedly performed well. He earned two assists in his first game.

There has been a lot of chatter about Victor Rask, Sergey Tolchinsky, and Brock McGinn, who reportedly have played very well. We will see who gets invited to training camp shortly.


RCanes Nowead more here: http://blogs.newsobserver.com/canes/jason-karmanos-disagreement-with-father-led-to-firing#storylink=cpy

Canes Television Schedule Released

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Remember the old days when 10, 12, or even 20 Carolina Hurricanes games would not be televised?  Those days are apparently over.

The Hurricanes along with Fox Sports Carolinas released their television schedule for Hurricanes games this season and it is great news for fans.

All Hurricanes games will be televised in one way or another this coming season.

One game was picked up by the NBC Sports Network, (November 5 against the Flyers), 64 games will be carried by Fox Carolinas, and the other 17 contests will be on SportSouth.

John Forslund will provide the play-by-play while Tripp Tracy will remain his side-kick and provide analysis.  Chantel McCabe will return for the second year to add side-line reporting as well as the 30 minute pregame.

Click and save the attached schedule if you wish.

2013-14 Hurricanes Television Schedule

The team's press release follows:

HURRICANES, FOX SPORTS CAROLINAS ANNOUNCE 2013-14 TELEVISION SCHEDULE

FOX Sports Carolinas and SportSouth to televise 81 Hurricanes’ games

RALEIGH, NC – FOX Sports Carolinas and the National Hockey League’s Carolina Hurricanes today announced that 81 of the team’s 82 regular-season games during the 2013-14 season will be televised by the regional sports network. Of the 81 televised games, 64 will be carried on FOX Sports Carolinas, while 17 will be carried on FOX Sports Carolinas’ sister station, SportSouth.

John Forslund will handle the Hurricanes’ play-by-play duties for the 19th straight season, and former professional goaltender Tripp Tracy, who is entering in his 15th season in the broadcast booth, will provide analysis. Chantel McCabe returns for her second season with Forslund and Tracy as sideline reporter. McCabe also will host the network’s 30-minute pregame show, Hurricanes LIVE, which will include appearances from Forslund and Tracy.

The complete Carolina Hurricanes television schedule is attached to this release. Overflow channel information for carriers that do not carry SportSouth on their regular lineup will be widely distributed via CarolinaHurricanes.com, social media and during Hurricanes telecasts prior to each SportSouth game.

The FOX Sports regional networks serving the Southeast – FOX Sports South, FOX Sports Tennessee, FOX Sports Carolinas and SportSouth – collectively reach more 13 million cable and satellite households in seven states across the Southeast.  They are the television home of the Atlanta Braves, Atlanta Dream, Atlanta Hawks, Carolina Hurricanes, Charlotte Bobcats, Memphis Grizzlies, Nashville Predators, Cincinnati Reds, Indiana Pacers, New Orleans Hornets, and St. Louis Cardinals, as well as the Atlantic Coast Conference, Conference USA, Southeastern Conference, and Big 12 Conference, and offer expanded coverage of the University of Kentucky, University of South Carolina and University of Tennessee.  Combined, the four networks produce more than 800 live local events and televise more than 1400 live local events each year. For more information, please visit FOXSportsSouth.com, FOXSportsTennessee.com and FOXSportsCarolinas.com.

The Carolina Hurricanes open their 2013-14 season on Oct. 4 at PNC Arena against the Detroit Red Wings (7 p.m., FOX Sports Carolinas, Hurricanes Radio Network). Individual game tickets for all Carolina Hurricanes exhibition and regular-season games will go are currently on sale at the PNC Arena Box Office and via Ticketmaster. For information on 2013-14 Hurricanes ticket packages, please visit www.CarolinaHurricanes.com, or call 1-866-NHL-CANES.

Hurricanes Training Camp To Start Thursday, Physicals Wednesday

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How far has Sergey Tolchinsky come in the past couple of months?  The winger went from the disappointment of not being chosen in the NHL Entry Draft to earning himself an NHL contract.

Most recently, he led the entire Traverse City Tournament with eight points, (5G 3A) and has now earned himself a spot on the Hurricanes training camp roster.  What's next?

Tolchinsky will join Traverse City teammates Ryan Murphy, Brody Sutter, Victor Rask, Brendan Woods, Elias Lindholm, Brock McGinn, Danny Biega, Trevor Carrick, Austin Levi, Keegan Lowe and Beau Schmitz in Raleigh this week.

In all, 27 forwards, 17 defensemen, and four goalies will start out in camp, including tryout invitee Radek Dvorak.

The players will undergo physicals and have photos taken first thing Wednesday morning and will then start out their on ice sessions Thursday, as training camp begins.  The team will start out with two sessions per day, leading up to the scrimmage on Sunday afternoon.

The preseason will begin with a game at the PNC against the Blue Jackets next Wednesday, September 18.

You can view and/or download the training camp roster at the following link.

2013-14 Training Camp Roster

The schedule is as follows:

2013 Carolina Hurricanes Training Camp Schedule

DATE            TIME                           EVENT                          LOCATION

Sept. 11        7 a.m.                          Team photos and physicals           AIHF, Raleigh, NC

Sept. 12        9 a.m.-10:30 a.m.        Team A practice                       PNC Arena, Raleigh, NC

12 p.m.-1:30 p.m.        Team B practice                       PNC Arena, Raleigh, NC

Sept. 13        9 a.m.-9:45 a.m.          Team B practice                       Raleigh Center Ice, Raleigh, NC

10 a.m.-10:30 a.m.      Scrimmage                      Raleigh Center Ice, Raleigh, NC

10:45 a.m.-11:30 a.m. Team A practice                       Raleigh Center Ice, Raleigh, NC

Sept. 14        9 a.m.-9:45 a.m.          Team A practice                       PNC Arena, Raleigh, NC

10 a.m.-10:30 a.m.      Scrimmage                      PNC Arena, Raleigh, NC

10:45 a.m.-11:30 a.m. Team B practice                       PNC Arena, Raleigh, NC

Sept. 15                             CANIAC CARNIVAL

11 a.m.-12 p.m.           Autograph session                        PNC Arena, Raleigh, NC

1 p.m.                          Red/White Scrimmage                   PNC Arena, Raleigh, NC

Sept. 16        9:30 a.m.-10:30 a.m.   Team B practice                       PNC Arena, Raleigh, NC

12 p.m.-1:30 p.m.        Team A practice                       PNC Arena, Raleigh, NC

Sept. 17        9 a.m.-10:30 a.m.        Team A practice                       PNC Arena, Raleigh, NC

12 p.m.-1:30 p.m.        Team B practice                       PNC Arena, Raleigh, NC

Sept. 18        10:30 am.                    Game group pre-game skate         PNC Arena, Raleigh, NC

11:30 a.m.                   Non-game group practice              PNC Arena, Raleigh, NC

7 p.m.                          vs. Columbus                       PNC Arena, Raleigh, NC

Sept. 19        10:30 a.m.                   Game group pre-game skate         PNC Arena, Raleigh, NC

11:30 a.m.                   Non-game group practice              PNC Arena, Raleigh, NC

3 p.m.                          Flight to Buffalo

7 p.m.                          vs. Buffalo                        First Niagara Center, Buffalo, NY

Sept. 20        11:30 a.m.                   Pre-game skate                          Colisée Pepsi, Quebec City, Que.

7:30 p.m.                     vs. Montreal                       Colisée Pepsi, Quebec City, Que.

Sept. 21        11:30 a.m.                   Pre-game skate                          Bell Centre, Montreal, Que.

7 p.m.                          vs. Montreal                       Bell Centre, Montreal, Que.

Sept. 22        Off

Sept. 23        8 a.m.                          Team practice                       PNC Arena, Raleigh, NC

11 a.m.                        Kids ‘N Community Golf Tourney   Prestonwood Country Club, Cary, NC

Sept. 24        11 a.m.                        Team practice                       PNC Arena, Raleigh, NC

Sept. 25        11 a.m.                        Team practice                       PNC Arena, Raleigh, NC

Sept. 26        10:30 a.m.                   Pre-game skate                          PNC Arena, Raleigh, NC

3 p.m.                          Flight to Columbus                      

7 p.m.                          vs. Columbus                       Nationwide Arena, Columbus, OH

Sept. 27        11:30 a.m.                   Pre-game skate                          PNC Arena, Raleigh, NC

7 p.m.                          vs. Buffalo                        PNC Arena, Raleigh, NC

Sept. 28        Off

Sept. 29        11 a.m.                        Team practice                       PNC Arena, Raleigh, NC

Sept. 30        11 a.m.                        Team practice                       PNC Arena, Raleigh, NC

Oct. 1            11 a.m.                        Team practice                       PNC Arena, Raleigh, NC

Oct. 2            10 a.m.                        Team practice                       PNC Arena, Raleigh, NC

12 p.m.                        We Love the Canes Luncheon      PNC Arena, Raleigh, NC

Oct. 3            11 a.m.                        Team practice                       PNC Arena, Raleigh, NC

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Canes Prospects finish tournament with loss

After a nice start and a 4-3 win over the Rangers, the Hurricanes prospects finished with three straight losses and allowed 22 goals in those three games as well.

The team jumped out to a 3-0 lead in yesterday's game, (Tolchinsky scored twice), but ended up allowing eight straight goals to the Blues as they lost, 8-3 in the tournament finale.

Tolchinsky was the only plus player for the Hurricanes and he finished with a (+/-)+3. The Russian led the team and the tournament with eight points.

Ryan Murphy was next up with six points, all assists.  Brock McGinn was third with three goals and an assist.

Check the team stats here.

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Still no word on Pitkanen

As of the posting of this article, there is still no update on the status of Joni Pitkanen.

Getting to know your enemy: The Carolina Hurricanes

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Welcome to hump day Wilderness. We continue our journey through the NHL previews by taking a look at a team that can boast of having one of our own chosen sons, Justin Faulk. A native of the southeast suburbs, it's only a matter of time before he realizes his true calling is to play back in Minnesota (that entire sentence is dripping in sarcasm by the way).

Thanks to Bob Wage from Canes Country for taking some time to give us a little preview.

Offensive threats
Carolina's first line of Eric Staal, Alexander Semin, and Jiri Tlusty are rated near the top of the NHL in even strength scoring. Semin and Staal scored a point a game and Tlusty scored the most goals in his career last season. If they can stay healthy, they will be tough to stop.

Defensive threats

Justin Faulk is most likely the most complete defensive player on the team. He is positionally sound and has a cannon for a shot. He does not do anything flashy, but he is solid and led the Hurricanes blueliners in average time on ice last season.

Un-sung heros

Patrick Dwyer kills penalties, will fill in wherever needed, and hustles non-stop. He doesn't get a lot of attention but earns his pay every night.

Goaltending

Cam Ward is one of the highest paid goalies in the NHL and will see most of the time between the pipes for the Canes.

Coaching

Kirk Muller now is in his third season as head coach and will be under some pressure to produce since the team has not made the playoffs for four straight seasons.

Prospects

Ryan Murphy on defense, Elias Lindholm on offense. Both could/should make the team this training camp. Both are high draft picks whom the team is counting on to produce, sooner rather than later.

How do you feel about the depth of your team?

Depth has been weak. The prospects of the system are rated in the lower half of the league by Hockey's Future and Hockey Prospectus. Last season after several key injuries, there was no answer from the team's depth.

Who are your fan favorites, and why are they favorites?

Alex Semin seems to be a fan favorite because he has ridiculous skill and he can be fun to watch. Tuomo Ruutu is also a favorite. Fans will yell "ruuuu" when he lays a good hit on an opponent.

Who are must follow writers on twitter for your team?

@ice_chip (Chip Alexander, beat writer) @MSmithCanes (Michael Smith, team writer) @CanesCountry (of course!)

Who are must follow fans? (preferably non-crazy fans)

too many good ones to list

First Full Training Camp Important One For Kirk Muller

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This is the third season for Carolina Hurricanes head coach Kirk Muller, but this will be his first full season as well as first full training camp and it could not be more important for the coach and for the team.

The Canes have not been in the playoffs now for four straight years and it is vital that the team gets off to a decent start this season.  But it won't be easy.

In the first five games of the campaign, Carolina will face Detroit, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Washington, and Los Angeles.

Still, the Hurricanes and the coaching staff are looking forward to the challenge.

In a recent interview, Muller was asked what he was looking forward to the most in his first full training camp.

Well, am I looking forward to it as a coach, yes I am, but looking at it from another way, if I'm a player, certain guys, they are the ones who should be excited that they finally get a chance to come in and make the team.  Everyone is going to get a good shot at a different role and have an opportunity to play.  One, two, three years, wherever they are in their situation, it's now their opportunity to say, okay I'm coming into camp. I know there are openings, I'm going to get a chance, and I can play myself onto the team.  That's all you want as a player and I think for the first time, this is the chance these players will get to prove they can play, through training camp and the exhibition games.

It seems like the hot players, the ones scoring goals at the right time, are the ones who usually make the team.  But Muller said that might not be the case this season.

Bottom line, they have to show they can contribute.  If they are not scoring goals, then they need to contribute in other ways.  On the forecheck, on defense, killing penalties, whatever, they have to contribute.

When asked if he was happy with his current defensive corps without the services of Joni Pitkanen, Muller went on to say that a decision to replace Pitkanen, (from outside the organization), might not come until during or after training camp.

Maybe we can slip in Corrente, maybe Bellemore, who played well last year, then we have Komisarek and Sekera.  We have more depth in our organization right now, also with Murphy and other guys.  The coaching staff is thinking that maybe we should just let training camp take off, ride through it, and then let's see where everybody is at.

With still no official word about Pitkanen as of this article and just a day before camp, it does not seem as though the news will be good when it does come.  Regardless, training camp will go on and competition on the blueline will be tough.

Muller was previously quoted once as saying there was no such thing as a "defensive defenseman" in today's NHL.  Everyone had to be able to jump in and contribute.  Watch for that philosophy to be preached in training camp.

As tight as things are on the blueline, competition is wide open for the forwards.  We will look more closely at the specific battles for those spots soon.

Joni Pitkanen injury: Hurricanes defenseman will miss 2013-14 season, Olympics

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Carolina Hurricanes defenseman Joni Pitkanen will miss the entirety of the 2013-14 NHL season, the team announced on Wednesday afternoon.

Pitkanen sustained a broken left calcaneous bone (his heel) while racing for an icing call against the Washington Capitals on April 2 and was forced to miss the remaining 13 games of the 2013 season. As of this week, it was speculated that the 29 year old might miss the beginning of this season and was scheduled to undergo a CT scan of the injury on Tuesday to determine the prospects of his return.

Unfortunately, such an occurrence will be delayed for far longer than expected. In addition to impacting the Hurricanes defense corps, the injury will also impact Finland's Olympic team as Pitkanen seemingly would have been on the roster.

Icing has been a heavily debated topic over the years, as the dangers of the play have become increasingly more evident. The NHL has decided to proactively look for alternatives as the league will experiment with a hybrid-icing system during the 2013 exhibition portion of the schedule. At the conclusion of the exhibition season, the NHL and the NHL Players' Association will vote on whether the rule change will be adopted for the regular season.

Hybrid icing is a combination of the current icing policy and no-touch icing. Linesmen will be allowed to determine whether to allow an icing race to continue based upon who the official believes is more likely to touch the puck first. In the event of two (or more) players having equal opportunity to touch the puck, the official will side with the defending player if a tie still exists by the time the players reach the faceoff dots.

The desired goal is to eliminate injury, although some take issue with the gray area that can occur by giving the linesmen discretion in making the call.

Ultimately, we will see how it plays out during exhibition.

The American Hockey League previously used hybrid icing over the span of approximately 600 games before disbanding the rule in 2013. The league was pleased with hybrid icing, but felt developing players were not properly being prepared for the NHL, as the rule didn't exist at the next level.

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Hurricanes Defenseman Joni Pitkanen To Miss 2013-14 Season

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Bad news about Carolina Hurricanes defenseman Joni Pitkanen became worse Wednesday when the team announced that the 29-year-old blueliner will miss the 2013-14 season. Pitkanen was injured April 2 on an icing play that resulted in him breaking his left heel (calcaneus bone).

It initially seemed Pitkanen's recovery was going as scheduled. But with training camp looming, word began to circulate last week that Pitkanen was not only not skating but unable to put weight on his left foot. The team administered another CT scan on Pitkanen Thursday, the results of which led to Wednesday's announcement that puts Pitkanen’s future both with the Canes and in professional hockey in serious doubt.

The absence of Pitkanen leaves a huge hole on Carolina’s defense: the Finnish defenseman had averaged at least 22-plus minutes a night since coming to the Hurricanes, including leading the NHL in ice time in 2009-10 when he logged 27:22 in 71 games.

Pitkanen was set to earn $4.5 million this season, the final year of a three-year contract he signed before the 2011-12 season. The Hurricanes will be able to move Pitkanen to the long-term injury list, freeing up that cap space and allowing them to search for a replacement. Among those still available on the free agent market are defensemen Tom Gilbert and Ron Hainsey. Gilbert spent last season with Minnesota after being dealt from Edmonton in 2012, while Hainsey just finished up five seasons with the Atlanta/Winnipeg organization.

Hainsey and the Hurricanes reportedly discussed a contract this summer, however nothing ever came of the negotiations. Now, with Pitkanen sidelined and Hainsey’s minute-munching abilities (21-plus minutes in four of five seasons with the Thrashers/Jets) available, the sides could revisit those negotiations.

There are also several teams with a surplus of defensemen — Toronto comes to mind — that Carolina could strike up trade discussions with. For now, rookies Ryan Murphy and Brett Bellemore— who both saw limited time with the Hurricanes last season — are the top candidates to fill the void on the Carolina defense.

Here is the release from the Hurricanes announcing Pitkanen’s loss for the year.

JONI PITKANEN TO MISS 2013-14 SEASON
Defenseman suffered a major heel injury on April 2

RALEIGH, NC – Jim Rutherford, President and General Manager of the National Hockey League’s Carolina Hurricanes, today announced that defenseman Joni Pitkanen will miss the entire 2013-14 season.

Pitkanen, 29, suffered a broken left calcaneus (heel) bone on April 2 against Washington, and missed the Hurricanes’ final 13 games of the season. The 2013-14 season would have been his sixth with Carolina and 10th in the NHL. The Oulu, Finland, native has scored 57 goals and earned 225 assists in 535 career NHL regular-season games with Philadelphia, Edmonton and Carolina, since beginning his NHL career in 2003-04. Since the team’s relocation in 1997, Pitkanen (6’3", 210 lbs.) ranks third among defensemen in assists (116) and points (140), tied for fourth among club defensemen in goals (240) and eighth among team blueliners in games played (266).

2013-14 Burning Questions: Second Line Right Wing

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Barring injury, the majority of Ottawa's top two lines are filled out. The five forwards who will soak up the most minutes are, in some combination, Jason Spezza, Kyle Turris, Bobby Ryan, Milan Michalek, and Clarke MacArthur. The sixth player was supposed to be Daniel Alfredsson, but as has been beaten to death by now, he chose to take his talents to Detroit--and that leaves a hole that needs to be filled.

Who the candidates might be to fill that spot have also been beaten to death, so we're not going to re-hash those either.

Instead, let's look at what that player needs to replace. It's unlikely they'll be able to fill the leadership hole created by Alfredsson's departure, but what about production?

In the 2013 season, Alfredsson was Ottawa's third-highest scorer, behind only Turris and the departed Sergei Gonchar. His 26P (10G, 16A) in 47 games is a pace of around .55 points per game. Over 82 games, that would result in a winger scoring 45 points.

More important than production, though, is awareness. The kind of winger Alfredsson was for Turris does not always translate to the scoresheet, but much as he did for Erik Karlsson in his first two years, Alfredsson played the role of safety blanket for the young center. Consider this example:


That sequence bears careful examination. It begins with a decent pass to the blue line by Gonchar. The pass hits Turris' stick, but Turris is forced to turn his back to center ice to receive it on his forehand, meaning he's lost any real forward momentum. Turris is lucky there are no defenders close by, or else he would have gotten laid out. Regardless, in the time it takes Turris to turn around and begin his stride, the Carolina Hurricanes' Chad LaRose is able to close the gap and initiate a check. Turris does not have any momentum to escape it and no space to build up any speed, so he does his best to fight off the check (his offseason strength training coming in handy) while spinning away from LaRose through the neutral zone. The end result is that Turris is able to maintain possession of the puck while sacrificing speed and position, leading to him being knocked off his skates.

This is a turnover waiting to happen, though Turris' options were severely limited. He was not in a position to safely advance the puck to Mika Zibanejad, waiting on the opposing blue line, and he can't pass the puck backwards to either Gonchar or Chris Phillips--both passing lanes are filled with Canes players staring their backchecks. There's not much for Turris to do except try to fight through the check and advance the puck himself.

However, Alfredsson, from his own half wall, recognizes this, and joins the rush--which is his job as a winger. But Alfredsson doesn't over-commit to the play. He's mostly gliding, matching Turris' momentum so as not to go offsides should they cross the blue line, and leaving himself in position to either initiate a forecheck or quickly wheel around and backcheck should a turnover occur.

Of course, there's a third option as well: Alfredsson is in position for Turris to relieve the pressure on himself with a pass--which is exactly what happens. The ridiculous goal that follows is just the kind of thing that makes us agonize over Alfie's departure, so we're not going to talk about it, but it's essentially a free assist for Turris, and Gonchar gets a point for doing nothing more than clearing the puck. Whatevs, Sergei.

The key here is that Alfredsson positioned himself to support his center no matter the outcome of the play. Compare that with Zibanejad, who upon not receiving a pass and seeing Turris in trouble, skates directly towards him in what appears to be an attempt to help out. This isn't a knock on Zibanejad--helping his center is obviously the right instinct, and a blind backhand pass is unlikely since Turris isn't wearing #19--but his decision leaves an open lane should a turnover happen, and should the Canes be able to hit that lane, the result would be a one-on-one situation between Eric Staal and Phillips.

Winger_1_medium

To his credit, Zibanejad sees Alfredsson on the other wing and immediately breaks off his angle in order to move up the ice to drive the net. It's not what you'd call a major mistake by any definition, and the ending is a happy one for Sens fans. But it could have gone much differently. It didn't because of two things: Turris' upper-body strength and Alfredsson's awareness. The outcome of the check is nearly irrelevant--Alfredsson was going to be able to support Turris no matter what.

Now, this play happened later in the season, as evidenced by the date, and also the fact that Turris is facing the opponent's top line. Life on the second line should be easier for both Turris and his teammates. But it's important to remember that Turris is still young, and behind in his development. There will be times when he gets into trouble, and the best player to play alongside him is not necessarily the one who can put up the most points, but the one who is able to complement and support him in all situations.

For the last open spot in the top six, complete game awareness might be more valuable than pure offensive prowess.

More from Silver Seven:

No Time To Panic For Carolina

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Now that the "worst case scenario" has come to fruition regarding Joni Pitkanen and the Carolina Hurricanes, the natural inclination would be that management should be on the phones 24/7, desperately searching for a minute munching defenseman to replace the Finn.

But slow down just a bit, Caniacs...not so fast.

It might do the Hurricanes more harm than good if they bring in the wrong player, at an over-priced contract.  As a matter of fact, a bad contract could hurt the team for years to come.

And you can believe that other teams know full well that the Hurricanes are in need and will be hoping to take advantage of a desperate trading partner, if the organization looks to make a trade.

Of course, there are a few free agents still on the market who have yet to sign with a team.  The Canes should be careful not to overpay in this regard as well.

There has been much conjecture around the league that Ron Hainsey has not been signed by anyone because of his outspoken nature during the lockout.  But, it could just be that Hainsey wants too long a period at too much money and is taking a hard stand.

He is a strong union guy, it would not be out of the question to imagine him taking a hard stand regarding his contract.

The defenseman played a lot of minutes for Winnipeg last season, but his numbers don't necessarily validate him getting a long term contract, which is what he might be holding out for.

He has not scored a goal in two seasons.

2012-13  47GP 0G 13A -8

2011-12  56GP 0G 10A +9

He is not necessarily physical, (36 hits last season and 33 the year before) but he does block a lot of shots, (123 and 133 respectively).  Hainsey might be a good pick up, but the question remains.  At what price and for how long?

The same goes for two other defensemen still on the market, Ryan Whitney and Tom Gilbert.

Whitney has good size at 6'4 and scored four goals with nine assists in 34 games last season.  But he has not played a full season in three years, (34 games last year, 51 the year before, and 35 previous to that).  He would be a high risk signing.

Gilbert is also still available.  In 43 games last season he had three goals and 10 assists but was -11.  The Minnesota Wild wanted to go in another direction, so he is another player who is not a slam dunk signing.

At the right contract length and price, any of these players might be worth the risk.  But none of them seem worth a long term deal, a deal that the Canes could end up having to give away draft picks later on, just to be rid of the contract.

It is easy to say, sign this guy or sign that guy, but we are not privy to the negotiations and what these players are demanding.

Speaking of free agents, Chad LaRose remains on the market as well.

It has been a tough offseason for many players.  Mason Raymond and Brad Boyes are both attending camps on a tryout basis.  Who would have thought that?  Both were productive players last season.

Daniel Cleary was offered the same in Philadelphia, but has not shown up yet.

With these vets still scrambling to find a team, it will not be easy for LaRose.

Ron Hainsey signs 1-year contract with Hurricanes

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The Carolina Hurricanes have come to terms on a one-year contract with unrestricted free agent defenseman Ron Hainsey, the team announced on Thursday afternoon. Hainsey will account for $2 million against the salary cap.

Hainsey spent the last five seasons as a member of the Winnipeg Jets franchise after he signed a five-year, $22.5 million contract with the Atlanta Thrashers as an unrestricted free agent in 2008. In 47 games during the 2013 season, Hainsey averaged 22:52 of ice time per game and registered 13 points (all assists).

Many wondered why Hainsey remained a free agent for such an extended period of time. Some have even questioned whether his position with the NHL Players' Association during the collective bargaining negotiations "blackballed" him among the league's 30 teams.

Ultimately, that's no longer an issue since Hainsey has since found employment.

Carolina's decision to sign Hainsey comes one day removed from the club announcing that Joni Pitkanen would miss the entire 2013-14 season due to a broken heel he sustained last season. It has been reported that Pitkanen's injury is so severe that it might end his career.

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Dallas Stars Training Camp Update: Rich Peverley Sidelined With EKG "Blip," Aaron Rome Out Until October

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It's the first day of training camp across the NHL, a day unique for the unified sense of optimism across fans of all teams. After all, it's time for a fresh start. New faces, shiny new rookies and prospects and 164 possible points are all in the immediate future.

At least, of course, until injuries strike. The Carolina Hurricanes got terrible news yesterday when they learned Joni Pitkanen was out for the season, and while the Stars situation isn't quite as dire, there were two slightly concerning notes out of the first day of training camp.

The one that's garnered the most attention is the fact that Rich Peverley missed the first day of practice after a "blip" showed up on his EKG. Although quotes have yet to trickle out from the players or coaching staff, general manager Jim Nill has already stopped to address the media. One of the things he addressed was the Peverley situation.

"The EKG showed up something and you know we're very sensitive to that and we've got him getting checked over some more," Nill said. "If everything's OK he'll be back tonight and back on the ice tomorrow."

Before everyone goes and panics, this is very likely an overabundance of caution on the part of the Stars and team doctors. EKGs (also called ECGs) track the electrical activity in your heart, and the readings are extremely sensitive. The downside of that sensitivity is that many times when something "shows up," it's nothing of any medical significance.

There's a really good article from the Journal of Athletic Training that reviews why EKGs are used in athletic screening. It gives summaries of the underlying conditions trainers and team doctors are looking for as well as goes through several studies about the accuracy and usefulness of EKG screenings.

The takeaway from that article, at least in this case, is that EKGs have a very high rate of false-positive results when it comes to sports physicals, meaning there is something abnormal on the test that doesn't correspond to an underlying syndrome or structural change. The American Heart Association actually doesn't recommend EKGs as part of high-school athletic physicals because of the high false positive (as well as false negative) rate.

All that said, the professional sports leagues have the resources to easily go to the next step of screening to rule out anything serious. In a situation where the cost of further testing is no concern, there's no reason not to do it other than a day or so of anxiety in the false-positive cases. The NHL (or at least former NHL players) has had a string of deaths from heart-related issues, from Sergei Zholtok to Alexei Cherepanov to Brett MacLean's near miss last summer. Given the potential consequence, going the extra mile to rule things out makes sense.

Still, this will more than likely resolve with nothing more than a day or two of anxiety. Assuming the rest of the tests check out, Peverley will be on the ice with his new teammates soon.

A player who won't be on the ice soon is defenseman Aaron Rome. Rome, who played 27 games for the Stars last season, had offseason hip surgery to remove some bone growth on his femur and still needs time to heal.

"Close to the start of the season," Nill said, when asked when Rome would be ready. "I don't want to give any definite times because I know how injuries are and all that, but he'll be ready some time in October."

So other than that drama, how are things going at the first training camp under new coach Lindy Ruff?

"It was a great pace," Nill said. "Lindy is a very great coach as we all know. I loved the crispness of the practice. It's a high pace. You know we just came back from Traverse City and the pace was fast there. Those are younger kids and you come here and it's amazing to watch the pros, the guys who have been around a long time and just watch how they approach business. It was all business out there. They worked hard and that's what we're looking for."

As far as in-person observations, our very own Taylor Baird is out at the Fort Worth Convention Center and was live-tweeting from the practice sessions earlier today. Check out her Twitter feed @taylordbaird and tune into DBD later today for a full write up.

Hurricanes Sign D Ron Hainsey To One-Year Deal

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A day after announcing that Joni Pitkanen would miss the 2013-14 season due to a left heel injury, the Hurricanes acted by signing veteran defenseman Ron Hainsey to fill his spot on the Carolina blue line. Hainsey, 32, had discussed joining the Canes this summer, and the news that Pitkanen would miss the year led to Carolina pulling the trigger on a one-year, $2 million deal.

Hainsey — who is now currently the oldest player on the Carolina roster — spent the last five seasons with Winnipeg/Atlanta, logging more than 21 minutes a night four out of five seasons with the organization. He also played a vital role in CBA negotiations as part of the NHLPA’s negotiating team. New teammate Kevin Westgarth was also very active in those negotiations.

Hainsey was the 13th overall pick in the 2000 draft by Montreal and has 591 games of NHL experience in eight NHL seasons but has never played in the postseason. In that time he has 34 goals and 158 assists for 192 points. Hainsey is mobile for his size (6'3, 210 pounds) and capable of logging big minutes, but isn't known for being physical and is a jack-of-all-trades-master-of-none type tat won't replace Pitkanen’s offensive abilities but should help supply stability to Carolina’s defense corps.

Here is the release from the Hurricanes.

HURRICANES AGREE TO TERMS WITH RON HAINSEY
Veteran defenseman has totaled 192 points in 591 NHL games

RALEIGH, NC – Jim Rutherford, President and General Manager of the National Hockey League’s Carolina Hurricanes, today announced that the team has agreed to terms with defenseman Ron Hainsey on a one-year contract. The deal will pay Hainsey $2 million.

"Ron is an experienced, two-way defenseman," said Rutherford. "He was very interested in joining our team this summer, and was patient as we waited for updated information about Joni Pitkanen’s injury. We are happy to be able to solidify our defense with a player of this caliber at this stage."

Hainsey, 32, completed his 10th NHL season in 2012-13, earning 13 assists in 47 games for the Winnipeg Jets. The Bolton, CT, native led Winnipeg in blocked shots (123) and was second among Jets defensemen in assists (13).

Selected by the Montreal Canadiens in the first round, 13th overall, of the 2000 NHL Entry Draft, Hainsey (6’3", 210 lbs.) has totaled 34 goals and 158 assists (192 points) in 591 career NHL games with Montreal, Columbus, Atlanta and Winnipeg. He has led his teams in blocked shots in three of the past four seasons, ranking second in the other. A product of the United States National Team Development Program, Hainsey spent two seasons at the University of Massachusetts-Lowell prior to turning professional. His career statistics are below.

Intense First Scrimmage On Friday

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According to multiple sources on Twitter, Friday's practice/scrimmage was an intense one.  (I was unable to attend myself but will be chiming in this weekend.)

Mike Komisarek dropped the gloves with Nicolas Blanchard and Brendan Woods had a go-round with Matthew Corrente.

Jared Staal got some good hits in and Woods nailed Jiri Tlusty along the boards which stunned the first line winger.  Tlusty left the scrimmage and did not return for his squad's practice time after the scrimmage.  (Reportedly, his is fine and should return tomorrow.)

The scrimmage ended up in a 1-1 tie.  Zac Dalpe and Drayson Bowman scored the goals.

Head Coach Kirk Muller was very pleased and Chip Alexander as well as the other attending media got some good quotes.

"We're not a team that made the playoffs or the Stanley Cup finals last year. We don't have our 20 set guys. We're looking for guys who want to play a certain style and play hard."

Muller went on.

"I've been in some camps where people say, hey, no fighting, let's just play," Muller said. "That's great if you're at a certain level. But for me and the staff we just said we didn't make the playoffs last year, we've got to get a more competitive group.


Read more here: http://blogs.newsobserver.com/canes/canes-frst-scrimmage-intense-feisty-physical#storylink=cpy

Read more here: http://blogs.newsobserver.com/canes/canes-frst-scrimmage-intense-feisty-physical#storylink=cpy

Most fans would tend to agree with the coach's sentiment.  One of the complaints about the team last season was that they were an easy group to play against.

Chip has more quotes and details on Canes Now.

The team has been split into two groups for now as follows:

Group AGroup B
Andrej SekeraMike Komisarek
Eric StaalTim Gleason
Jared StaalRyan Murphy
Jiri TlustyKevin Westgarth
Riley NashJordan Staal
Drayson BowmanNathan Gerbe
Jeremy WelshTuomo Ruutu
Justin FaulkElias Lindholm
Alexander SeminRadek Dvorak
Zach BoychukZac Dalpe
Matt CorrenteMark Flood
Pat DwyerAaron Palushaj
Danny BiegaBrett Sutter
Keegan LoweJay Harrison
Michal JordanTrevor Carrick
Brody SutterBrock McGinn
Victor RaskJeff Skinner
Justin ShuggBrendan Woods
Austin LeviSergey Tolchinsky
Chris TerryRasmus Rissanen
Nicholas BlanchardBeau Schmitz
Brett Bellemore
Anton KhudobinCam Ward
Justin PetersMike Murphy

-----

In case you missed the news, the annual Caniac Carnival is this Sunday, September 15.  There will be activities until the headline event, a red/white scrimmage which starts at 1 p.m.  The Eye will be open at 9 and will be selling the new style jerseys.

For more specifics, check out Carolina Hurricanes.com.

-----

NOTES:

Ron Hainsey traveled today and should be at the rink for the first time to practice tomorrow.  Nathan Gerbe has missed camp so far due to personal reasons.


Nic Kerdiles expected to move from wing to center this season

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Wisconsin head coach Mike Eaves has always preferred his teams to be strong down the middle, and that's not expected to change this season. As of right now, it appears sophomore Nic Kerdiles will move from left wing to center this season to bolster the depth down the middle.

I had a chance to get a sneak peek at an interview Benjamin Worgull from Badger Nation did with Eaves this week, and he noted the early plan is for Kerdiles to make the transition to center. Eaves added that Mark Zengerle, Jefferson Dahl and Keegan Meuer are tentatively penciled in as the other three centers.

In the interview with Worgull (which will be featured in the hockey preview in Badger Nation Magazine), Eaves notes they understand how effective the line of Kerdiles, Zengerle and Tyler Barnes was at the end of last season. Eaves also added that this gives the Badgers a better look right now, but they can always go back to Kerdiles on the wing if need be.

Kerdiles will step into a role vacated by departing senior Derek Lee, who played in just 27 of Wisconsin's 42 games last year. In his absence, sophomore Brendan Woods filled Lee's shoes admirably as the Badgers made a run through the WCHA playoffs. Woods is gone now too, however, after he signed a contract in the off-season with the Carolina Hurricanes, forfeiting his last two seasons of eligibility in the process.

While he played all of last season on the left wing, Kerdiles grew up playing center, and was one of Team USA's top pivots at the IIHF U-18 World Championships in 2012. Kerdiles carries strong size at 6-foot-2, 196-pounds, and can play a physical two way game required in Eaves' system.

The strategy makes sense on paper. Moving Kerdiles to the middle takes the pressure off red-shirt freshman Morgan Zulinick, who can focus more on offense on the wing. It also gives the Badgers as significant advantage of having veteran centers in Dahl and Meuer in the No. 3 and No. 4 positions.

With that in mind, here is my early projected lineup for the Wisconsin forwards:

Morgan Zulinick -- Mark Zengerle -- Tyler Barnes

Already being nicknamed the BuZZ line by some fans, this unit brings a lot of flash and a ton of play-making ability to the table. Zulinick might have the best hands on the roster, and is one of the most creative players I've seen at this level, even in a small sample. After missing almost the entire season last year, people forget how dominant he was in the BCHL on a very mediocre Salmon Arm club as a 17-year-old two years ago. Zengerle is an elite passing center who people forget put up 50 points as a sophomore two years ago, and Barnes is an absolute bull on the ice who really came into his own down the stretch last season.

Joseph LaBate -- Nic Kerdiles -- Michael Mersch

This group could check in as one of the biggest lines in college hockey this season with LaBate (6-foot-4, 200-pounds), Kerdiles (6-foot-2, 196-pounds) and Mersch (6-foot-1, 215-pounds). This line should be able to manhandle most opponents, and has the gives the Badgers two serious scoring lines. Mersch not only led the Badgers in goals last year, but he was fourth in the country in that category. Not bad for a "second line" winger. Kerdiles doesn't get enough credit for his passing ability, and LaBate and Mersch should be able to benefit.

Grant Besse -- Jefferson Dahl -- Jedd Soleway

Dahl is the only 37-year-old playing college hockey this season (I kid, I kid), and his veteran presence in the faceoff circle allows Eaves to play his line against any team Wisconsin will face. Besse is a goal scoring threat any time he's on the ice, and Soleway brings a physical presence to this line that should create opportunities for Dahl and Besse to make plays offensively.

Brad Navin -- Keegan Meuer -- Sean Little

Meuer and Little have each played about 1,000 games in a Wisconsin uniform, so this is another group that can play against any line if they have to. Both Meuer and Little go full-tilt at all times, so they should be able to provide an energy spark every time they touch the ice. Navin isn't a prototypical fourth line guy, so don't be surprised to see Paape get plenty of opportunities here as well. With his shooting ability, it also wouldn't be a surprise to see Navin given an opportunity on Dahl's line either.

Extras: Corbin McGuire, Aidan Cavallini, Matt Paape

For more hockey coverage, follow Andy on Twitter --
You can also reach Andy via e-mail (AndyJohnsonB5Q@gmail.com)

Training Camp Weekend Update

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It was a busy weekend for the Carolina Hurricanes as they had another two-session practice along with a mini-scrimmage on Saturday, then played a full scrimmage in front of a large, boisterous crowd on Sunday at the PNC Arena.

Zach Boychuk scored twice in the scrimmage on Saturday, once when he stole a blind pass made by Kevin Westgarth, the next time as he battled his way past the defense, with someone all over him.  Boychuk says that he has worked hard this offseason and is ready to prove critics wrong.

If he keeps playing like he is, it will be tough to send him to Charlotte.

Boychuk's two goals were enough as "Team Eric" beat "Team Jordan", 2-1.  Jeff Skinner had the only goal for "Group B" when he broke into the clear and made an open move on net.

There was not as much physicality in this scrimmage as the one on Friday, but it was very competitive.

Sunday's official Red-White scrimmage was in front of an estimated crowd of 9,000 plus.

Drayson Bowman got the scoring started early when he made a goal at the doorstep of Cam Ward when Alexander Semin made a perfect set up pass.  (Bowman had taken Jiri Tlusty's spot, who was sitting this one out.  Tlusty has been out since the awkward hit by Brendan Woods in Friday's scrimmage.)

Zac Dalpe tied things up when he was set up by Jeff Skinner on an odd man rush, but the red team would score twice more, one time by Semin off a nice feed by Chris Terry and the last one by Eric Staal from Bowman.

Coach Muller was happy with the effort after the game and was also pleased that the veterans took the game over.  Semin and Staal were dominating at times, just as they were for much of last season.

Muller also noted that while he was happy with several of the players battling for open spots, the true test would come in the upcoming exhibtion games.

"The key will be the preseason games," said the coach.

Scrimmage notes:

  • Jared Staal has been finishing his checks all training camp and Tim Gleason has been on the receiving end of many of them.  Gleason apparently took exception to one and went to challenge the younger Staal at the end of the first period.  After the game, Gleason had praise for Staal and said that is what the team needs more of.  Muller was happy to see the blueliner riled up and said, "Gleason needs to play with an edge."
  • Muller also had praise for Chris Terry and Bowman.  Terry took turns playing with Semin and Staal, as did Bowman.
  • Ryan Murphy showed a quick step and skated the puck up the ice and into the offensive zone smoothly.
  • Boychuk hit the post on one scoring chance and was a bit of a pest.  He continues to make his presence known.
  • Overall, the goaltending looked good as most of the goals scored were set up nicely and were not cheap ones.
  • Sergey Tolchinsky and Trevor Carrick were both returned to their junior teams.  Tolchinsky did not play in any scrimmages because of a sore knee he suffered while playing in Traverse City.
  • This contest was tightly checked for the most part and well defended and there were few breakaways or odd-man rushes.  Although, Eric Staal did break into the clear once while short-handed but Mike Murphy shut the door as the captain tried a deke move.
  • Muller said the team would begin working more on systems as they prepare for this week's preseason games.

Muller Looking For Shorter Shifts

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Last season, it seemed that the Carolina Hurricanes had more than their fair share of breakaways and odd-man rushes against them.  Of course, some of these can be attributed to poorly timed pinches or a blocked shot where the puck bounces toward the Carolina end.

But it seemed like many of them resulted from slow or poorly timed line changes.

I recently asked Kirk Muller about how his team could reduce the odd-man rushes against.

"Basically, it comes to our shifts being too long," the coach said.  "We have to get our shift length down so players can get to the bench quicker and the line changes can be faster".

The coach went on to explain.

"The style that we play, you have to keep your shifts under 40 seconds.  It's impossible to play at a higher tempo style at over 40 seconds.  Obviously, you get caught sometimes by accident but if we can do that and we have confidence that the next guy that jumps on the ice can do the same job, then I think that it becomes an easier thing to take and respect."

A quick look at NHL.com will show that most of the Hurricanes average shift lengths last season were more than 40 seconds.

2012
NameAverage
Shift
(seconds)
Semin50
Murphy50
E Staal48
Faulk48
Skinner48
Bergeron48
Pitkanen47
J. Staal46
Harrison46
Corvo46
Tlusty45
McBain45
Ruutu45
Gleason44
Sanguinetti44
LaRose43
Dwyer42
Jokinen42
Bellemore42
Nash41
Dalpe41
Bowman40
Brent40

Obviously, every shift cannot be the same and some shifts will be longer, especially during the powerplay or shorter during the penalty kill.

We talked a bit more about how he could get his players to reduce the time of their shifts.

"I think it's like other parts of the game, it's discipline.  They have that internal clock, they know the time frame by playing their whole life.  But I also think you will see in training camp a lot of drills that emphasize that at the end there will be a quick change to get it into their thought process of how important it is.  So I think you will see some of this in practice, just to instill the discipline of how important it is."

While some of his player's shifts might be longer than the coach likes, they are still shorter than many other players in the league.

For instance, last season Mike Green and Kris Letang both averaged 60 seconds per shift.  Alex Ovechkin was at 59 seconds, while Ilya Kovalchuk and Jack Johnson were both at 58 seconds. (NHL.com)

But the Carolina coach is not alone in his thinking.

The following article written after the 2008 Stanley Cup Finals at least partially attributes the Red Wings win to shorter line shifts.

The Sense Behind Short Shifts

The following quote is taken from the article.

Five- time Norris Trophy winning defenseman Nicklas Lidstrom played more than 28 minutes a game, but his shifts averaged 44 seconds in length. Henrik Zetterberg’s shifts ran about 43 seconds while Pavel Datsyuk was on the ice for an average of 39 seconds before grabbing some pine. Conversely, there were several noted situations where Evgeni Malkin of the Pittsburgh Penguins was on the ice for more than a minute and was clearly out of gas by the end of his shift.

Another article follows which emphasizes the value of shorter shifts while teaching youth hockey.

Appropriate Hockey Shift Length

A quote from that article follows:

If a player is on the ice for 40 seconds and competes at 100% of his physical capacity he should be exhausted at the end of the 40 seconds or even sooner.  A hockey shift combines aerobic with anaerobic (short bursts) activity – the longer the shift the less likely the player is competing at maximum capacity during those most important short bursts.

Will Kirk Muller be able to shorten average shift length and quicken up the line changes?  Look for work on this to come during the preseason and later in training camp.

Hurricanes vs. Blue Jackets: Preseason Game Preview 9-18-13

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Carolina Hurricanes vs Columbus Blue Jackets
Wednesday, September 18, 2013 - 7:00 pm EDT
PNC Arena - Raleigh, NC
Radio - 99.9 The Fan

SB Nation Rival Blog: The Cannon (twitter @cbjcannon)

The Carolina Hurricanes kick off their 2013-14 season tonight with an exhibition match against one of their new Metropolitan Division rivals, the Columbus Blue Jackets. With four games on the schedule over the next four nights, the Canes' training camp roster will be split among veterans and new-comers and there will be plenty of story lines on a game-by-game basis.

Eric Staal may have said it best when he described the team as "chomping at the bit" to get the season rolling. Throughout the start of training camp, and in the weeks leading up, there has been a sense of restless anticipation and a resolve to put some distance on the failed 2012-13 season. Here are a few things to watch heading into tonight's game.

1. After twenty-two months as head coach, Kirk Muller finally gets the chance to imprint his philosophy and high tempo style with a full formal training camp. By all accounts, the intensity shown during his first camp has not disappointed. Tonight will be the first opportunity to see how that translates into game readiness.

2. Assuming Jiri Tlusty's injury is a minor setback, five of the top six forward spots appear to be a lock, but opportunities exist up and down the rest of the forward ranks. 2013 first-round draft pick Elias Lindholm has looked solid in camp and will face NHL competition for the first time tonight. Jeff Skinner's landing spot will continue to be evaluated as he is tested in different roles. Tweeners who impressed in Sunday's intra-squad scrimmage (Drayson Bowman, Zac Dalpe, Chris Terry among others) see another opportunity to prove they can stick with the big club.

3. Veteran defenseman and off-season acquisition Mike Komisarek has drawn a few comparisons to Bryan Allen, and he'll get a look as that big body presence in front of the net tonight paired with Tim Gleason. Meanwhile Ryan Murphy, who impressed when called up from Kitchener for four games last season, will have his quick skating and puck-moving on display and will likely see power play duty.

4. Last but never least, Cam Ward finally returns in net after suffering an MCL sprain that cut short his last season and pushed him down the list for Team Canada Olympic consideration. Ward comes into the season with a fire in his belly and will want to set a confident tone early. He'll have plenty of chances to build up for the regular season, as Muller stated he intends to play Ward in four out of the six preseason games.

Canes lines (per CH.com depth chart):

Forwards
Drayson BowmanEric StaalAlexander Semin
Jeff SkinnerElias LindholmNathan Gerbe
Chris TerryJeremy WelshZac Dalpe
Nicolas BlanchardBrett SutterKevin Westgarth
Defensemen
Tim GleasonMike Komisarek
Michal JordanBrett Bellemore
Jay HarrisonRyan Murphy
Goaltenders
Cam WardJustin Peters

Tonight's rival, the Columbus Blue Jackets, will be worth watching closely as they move East this year and join the Hurricanes in the new Metropolitan Division. The Canes and Jackets will meet again next week in Columbus as the preseason draws to a close, and will face each other five times during the regular season.

The Blue Jackets arrive in Raleigh having already played three games in their preseason schedule, including a two-fer last night with a squad in Columbus facing the Sabres (3-1 loss) while another squad traveled to Minnesota to face the Wild (3-1 win). They also defeated the Penguins 5-4 in an overtime win on Sunday night. Likely line-up (per Blue Jackets website):

Forwards - Alex Aleardi, Sean Collins, Ryan Craig, Brandon Dubinsky, Nick Foligno, Marian Gaborik, Boone Jenner, Ryan Johansen, Andrew Joudrey, Derek MacKenzie, Kerby Rychel, Jack Skille

Defensemen - Tim Erixon, Jack Johnson, Thomas Larkin, Nikita Nikitin, David Savard, Fedor Tyutin

Goal - Curtis McElhinney, Mike McKenna


There is no television coverage for tonight's game, so either get thee to the arena or listen to the dulcet tones of ChuckandtheletterK on 99.9 The Fan.

The game thread will open at 6:30 pm. See you at the rink.

Game Preview #4(x): Blue Jackets vs. Hurricanes

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Columbus Blue Jackets at Carolina Hurricanes

September 18, 2013 - 7:00pm EDT
PNC Arena - Raleigh, North Carolina
Radio - None - TV - None
Opponents Blog: Canes Country
SBNation Game Page

The Jackets' camp contingent plays its third game in two nights, going up against the Hurricanes who are making their preseason debut. The Jackets cut their roster down by five, sending Oliver Bjorkstrand, Dillon Heatherington, Oscar Dansk, Josh Anderson, and Nick Moutrey back to their junior clubs.

Carolina will ice several of their bigger names, including Eric Staal, Alexander Semin, Jeff Skinner, and Cam Ward. Also playing will be top draft pick Elias Lindholm. For Columbus, Brandon Dubinsky and Marian Gaborik are back in action. Curtis McElhinney will get the nod again tonight, backed up by Mike McKenna.

Of note is the Columbus defense contingent, which features four of the likely regulars in Fedor Tyutin, Nikita Nikitin, Tim Erixon, and Jack Johnson.

This game isn't on TV or radio, but it appears the Jackets' website will stream audio via their game blog.

Projected Lineups

Columbus Blue Jackets
(2-1-0 in pre-season)

*Note: there weren't line combinations, so much as a list of skaters sent to Carolina

Forwards
Alex Aleardi
Sean Collins
Ryan Craig
Brandon Dubinsky
Nick Foligno
Marian Gaborik
Boone Jenner
Ryan Johansen
Andrew Joudrey
Derek MacKenzie
Kerby Rychel
Jack Skille

Defense
Tim Erixon
Jack Johnson
Thomas Larkin
Nikita Nikitin
David Savard
Fedor Tyutin

Goaltenders
Curtis McElhinney
Mike McKenna

Carolina Hurricanes
(0-0-0 in pre-season)

Drayson BowmanEric StaalAlexander Semin
Jeff SkinnerElias LindholmNathan Gerbe
Chris TerryJeremy WelshZac Dalpe
Nicolas BlanchardBrett SutterKevin Westgarth
Tim GleasonMike Komisarek
Michal JordanBrett Bellemore
Jay HarrisonRyan Murphy
Cam Ward
Justin Peters

Game Notes

This is the first of two preseason matchups for these two squads, who will get to know each other quite well in the new divisional format.

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