The Carolina Hurricanes missed the playoffs for a fifth consecutive season, prompting an organizational re-shuffling that resulted in Ron Francis being
named General Manager.
Latavius
Murray Womens Jersey . Off-Season Game Plan looks at Francis challenge:
finding a way to take this top-heavy team and make it a playoff contender. The
second order of business for Francis figures to be finding a replacement for
head coach Kirk Muller, who was fired in Francis first order of business as the
new GM. All of the Canes problems cant be laid at Mullers doorstep, but its low
risk to try a new approach when the past two seasons have yielded a .481 points
percentage (125 points in 130 games). Francis former teammates Kevin Dineen and
Ulf Samuelsson have both been rumoured as possible fits for the job. In addition
to someone new calling the shots behind the bench, Francis has some complicated
personnel decisions. The Staal brothers, Alexander Semin and Cam Ward each come
with a cap hit of at least $6-million and that kind of ticket can always get
moved out if it doesnt come with results. Its one thing to pay your marquee No.
1 centre more than $8-million if youre making the playoffs regularly, but when
youve been on the outside for five straight seasons, its not inconceivable to
consider trying something different. Same goes for paying a goaltender more than
$6-million per season; only it gets more challenging to find takers when that
goalie has struggled to stay healthy and played poorly over the past couple
years. At one time -- much closer to 2006 -- it would have seemed sacreligious
to consider trading Eric Staal or Cam Ward, but those are some possibilities
that Francis may have to consider as he takes over the reigns of a
budget-conscious team. To be fair, its not impossible for the Hurricanes to turn
what they have into a competitive team. In addition to their high-priced
forwards, the next generation is represented by Jeff Skinner and Elias Lindholm
and their defence at least has a legitimate first pairing in Andrej Sekera and
Justin Faulk. Its going further down the depth chart that causes more concern,
as the Canes have been attempting to get by with bargains in those final roster
spots. "I dont know if youre ever ready for this job," Francis told the Raleigh
News & Observer after taking over from Jim Rutherford. "One thing Ive
learned is there are no easy decisions. There are a lot of tough decisions." He
may not be ready for it, but it sounds like Francis has some idea what hes
getting himself into. The TSN.ca Rating is an efficiency rating based on
per-game statistics including goals and assists -- weighted for strength (ie.
power play, even, shorthanded) -- Corsi, adjusted for zone starts, quality of
competition and quality of teammates, hits, blocked shots, penalty differential
and faceoffs. Generally, a replacement-level player is around a 60, a top six
forward and top four defenceman will be around 70, stars will be over 80 and MVP
candidates could go over 90. Sidney Crosby finished at the top of the 2013-2014
regular season ratings at 87.12. Salary cap information all comes from the
indispensable www.capgeek.com. CF% = Corsi percentage (ie. percentage of 5-on-5
shot attempts), via www.extraskater.com. GM/COACHRon Francis/Vacant Returning
Forwards Player Rating GP G A PTS CF% Cap Hit Jeff Skinner 74.48 71 33 21 54
51.2% $5.725M Eric Staal 73.38 79 21 40 61 52.4% $8.25M Alexander Semin 73.10 65
22 20 42 55.2% $7.0M Jordan Staal 68.53 82 15 25 40 54.0% $6.0M Patrick Dwyer
62.71 75 8 14 22 48.4% $900K Riley Nash 61.45 73 10 14 24 50.6% $575K
Elias Lindholm 61.08 58 9 12 21 49.6% $925K Free Agent Forwards Player Rating GP
G A PTS CF% Class 13-14 Cap Hit Nathan Gerbe 66.34 81 16 15 31 51.8% RFA $550K
Jiri Tlusty 66.09 68 16 14 30 51.2% RFA $1.6M Andrei Loktionov 60.82 68 7 15 22
55.1% RFA $725K Manny Malhotra 60.35 69 7 6 13 41.4% UFA $600K Drayson Bowman
58.61 70 4 8 12 45.5% RFA $600K Radek Dvorak 57.67 60 4 5 9 42.7% UFA $600K
21-year-old Jeff Skinner has had some ups and downs already in his career, but
after scoring a career-high 33 goals last season, he now has 97 goals in 259
games through his first four years. Since 2000, the players to have more than 97
goals through their age 21 season are Steven Stamkos, Sidney Crosby,
Ilya Kovalchuk and Alex Ovechkin. He could be a premier offensive threat, though
if thats the case, it probably makes sense to give him more ice time -- he
played more, per game, in each of the previous two seasons. For the first time
since his rookie season, Eric Staal finished a full season with fewer than 70
points and, coming off a knee injury suffered at the World Championships, it
contrasted with a percentage-driven 2012-2013 season during which he put up 53
points in 48 games. There were rumblings during the year that Staal (or Skinner)
might be available and that isnt necessarily a crazy idea. The cap hit for the
two seasons remaining on his deal is $8.25-million, but the actual cost is
$18.75-million and while turning 30 isnt a hockey death sentence, Staal will
turn 30 in October and hes put on a lot of miles -- since coming into the
league, in 2003-2004, he ranks fourth in games played with 769. This doesnt mean
shipping Staal out at the first possible moment, and he does have a no-trade
clause, but if a contender will pay a premium of young players, prospects and
picks to land a big scoring centre like Staal, then the Hurricanes may want to
at least consider that option now while he has value. While his scoring numbers
declined last season, Alexander Semin was a victim of percentage regression more
than anything. He had more than three shots on goal per game for the fifth time
in the past six seasons and, over the past four seasons, has been one of the
best at generating shot attempts while hes on the ice. Its entirely fair to
wonder about the value of paying a $7-million cap hit for the next four seasons,
until hes 34 but, at the moment, Semin is still a dangerous offensive winger.
When the Hurricanes brought Jordan Staal in from Pittsburgh, the idea was that
Staal would be able to play in a more offensive role, and it hasnt really worked
out that way. He gets significant ice time against quality opponents, but Staal
hasnt been blessed with great finishers on his lines in Carolina (Nathan Gerbe
and Patrick Dwyer were his most common linemates last season) so, even with
strong possession stats, his scoring rates have actually decreased. Hes also
signed forever, through 2023, so theres room to improve the situation, by
finding Jordan Staal linemates that may be more suited to producing offensively.
Patrick Dwyer has played more than 14 minutes per game for each of the past
three seasons, yet has been among the lowest-scoring forwards in the league
(among those playing at least 2000 5-on-5 minutes). His possession numbers have
fluctuated from year to year too, based on situations, so there is a fit in the
lineup for Dwyer, but it only makes sense in a checking role. Riley Nash is
ostensibly a checking centre, though one who started 59.3% of his shifts in the
offensive zone and didnt face tough competition. Its not on Nash to determine
usage, thats on the coach, but if the Hurricanes intend to free up others for
offensive opportunities, then Nash should be taking on more defensive
responsibility. The fifth pick in last summers draft, Elias Lindholm had a
solid, if unspectacular rookie season. His role increased as the season
progressed and scored 14 points in 37 games after a stint playing for Sweden at
the World Juniors. Expect Lindholm to move into a more prominent role next
season. Bought out by the Buffalo Sabres, Nathan Gerbe came in at a bargain cost
and tied career highs with 16 goals and 31 points, with impressive underlying
numbers to support that production. In fact, with any kind of luck (ie. a
respectable on-ice shooting percentage), Gerbe could have put up better scoring
stats. It turned out that Jiri Tlustys 23-goal-in-48-games outburst from
2012-2013 was fluky (who knew?), and his scoring stats came back to earth. With
decent possession numbers, its still reasonable to think that Tlusty can be a
useful complementary scorer. After coming over from New Jersey in the
Tuomo Ruutu trade, Andrei Loktionov capably filled a complementary role. His
usage has always been sheltered, but he puts up good possession numbers and
should be hitting a point at which he can be given more responsibility, fitting
in a top-nine role. Drayson Bowman played a career-high 70 games for the
Hurricanes last season, but hes managed 33 points in 176 career games. With
uneven results to this point in his career, Bowman is likely still battling for
a job. Nothing wrong with keeping him for a fourth-line role, but its possible
there are better alternatives too. It would be great for Carolina to dip into
the free agent market and bring in another proven scoring forward, but if the
Hurricanes are operating on a budget, the more likely scenario could be to find
some value plays, not unlike last years addition of Gerbe or Manny Malhotra.
Peter Regin, Pierre-Marc Bouchard, Steve Bernier and Ryan Carter are a few
veterans that might come relatively cheaply, but could still upgrade the
Hurricanes forward depth. Returning Defence Player Rating GP G A PTS CF% Cap
Hit Andrej Sekera 73.85 74 11 33 44 51.5% $2.75M Justin Faulk 68.67 7 5 27 32
51.8% $4.833M John-Michael Liles 62.94 41 2 7 9 49.5% $3.875M Jay Harrison 61.47
68 4 11 15 47.9% $1.5M Ryan Murphy 61.31 48 2 10 12 48.8% $863K Free Agent
Defence Player Rating GP G A PTS CF% Class 13-14 Cap Hit Ron Hainsey 62.09 82 4
11 15 51.0% UFA $2.0M Brett Bellemore 60.41 64 2 6 8 48.4% UFA $600K
Mike Komisarek 58.09 32 0 4 4 48.5% UFA $700K Joni Pitkanen N/A UFA
$4.5M Moving to Carolina brought about a dramatic change for Andrej Sekera, who
had been a steady enough to-four defenceman in Buffalo, but he emerged as a
top-pair stud for the Hurricanes, setting career-bests in goals (11), assists
(33) and time on ice (23:41), all while facing high quality of competition. Next
season is the final year on his current contract, so Sekera is due for an
extension which will come with a healthy pay raise. 22-year-old Justin Faulk is
the building block on the Carolina defence, playing 23:19 per game through his
first three seasons and facing the toughest assignments. A great skater, who
makes smart decisions and signed through 2020, Faulk is a stable presence
already and should continue to get better. Unable to crack the lineup of the
Toronto Maple Leafs, John-Michael Liles played over 20 minutes per game in
Carolina and even provided strong puck possession numbers in the process. Hes
three seasons removed from his last 40-point season, but Liles mobility and
smarts still work to his advantage, on a team that is willing to make use of
those assets. Jay Harrison offers size, but his ice time was down last year
after struggling more than he had in previous years. Hes reasonably priced as a
third-pair option, in the hopes that maybe he finds a better fit with another
partner. One of Harrisons regular partners last season, Ryan Murphy is an
undersized 21-year-old who is still trying to make his way in the league. Murphy
is a terrific skater, and that has helped him put up 24 points in 25 AHL games,
in addition to a dozen points in 52 career NHL games, so there is offensive
upside to be realized. Even if Murphy is given easier minutes, with power play
time, he should be able to find a regular spot on a Carolina blueline that needs
to be better. The Hurricanes are looking at some significant changes on defence,
thanks to four unrestricted free agents. Ron Hainsey was certainly good enough
to keep and if Joni Pitkanen is healthy, that could be interesting but,
otherwise, the Canes may look elsewhere for improvement. Returning Goaltenders
Player Rating GP W L OTL GAA SV% Cap Hit Anton Khudobin 77.25 36 19 14 1 2.30
.926 $2.25M Cam Ward 63.71 30 10 12 6 3.06 .898 $6.3M Free Agent Goaltender
Player Rating GP W L OTL GAA SV% Class 13-14 Cap Hit Justin Peters 69.64 21 7 9
4 2.50 .919 UFA $538K Anton Khudobin had a terrific year, posting a .926 save
percentage in a career-high 36 games, earning a two-year contract extension and,
if the Hurricanes can find a taker for incumbent starter Cam Ward, the starting
job would appear to be Khuodbins going forward. Khudobin has a .928 save
percentage in 57 career games, which is great, the best among goalies with at
least 50 games, but thats such a small sample, and he had a .912 save percentage
in 156 AHL games, so theres most likely downward mobility in those numbers. Ward
won the Conn Smythe Award as playoff MVP in 2006 and was an above average
goaltender from 2008 through 212, but injuries have limited him to 47 games over
the past two seasons and, even when hes played, he hasnt been effective, posting
a .902 save percentage, which is near the bottom among goaltenders over the past
couple seasons. Theoretically, the Hurricanes may be prepared to move Ward, but
finding a taker for the remaining two years (and $13.5-million) on his contract
could be challenging, at best. Top Prospects Player Pos. Team/League Stats
Brock McGinn LW Guelph (OHL) 43-42-85, +46, 58 GP Michal Jordan D Charlotte
(AHL) 4-21-25, -12, 70 GP Victor Rask C Charlotte (AHL) 16-23-39, -3, 76 GP
Trevor Carrick D Sudbury (OHL) 22-29-51, -6, 70 GP Sergey Tolchinsky LW Sault
Ste. Marie (OHL) 31-60-91, -9, 66 GP Phil Di Giuseppe LW Michigan (Big 10)
13-11-24, +7, 35 GP Brett Pesce D New Hampshire (HE) 7-14-21, -4, 41 GP
Daniel Altshuller G Oshawa (OHL) 2.56 GAA, .917 SV%, 52 GP Jaccob Slavin D
Colorado College (NCHC) 5-20-25, +2, 32 GP Keegan Lowe D Charlotte (AHL)
2-10-12, -7, 63 GP Zach Boychuk LW Charlotte (AHL) 36-38-74, -7, 69 GP
Brock McGinn, the third of Fergus, Ontarios McGinn brothers (Jamie and Tye are
with Colorado and Philadelphia, respectively) to be drafted to the NHL,has
enjoyed a great season with a powerhouse Guelph team. Hell play a physical game
and, as hes shown this year, should be able to contribute some offensively too.
After four AHL seasons, Michal Jordan could be ready for a real NHL opportunity
with Carolina. Hes been their best AHL defenceman and, with free agents
potentially departing, Jordan could slide into a depth spot next season. A
second-round pick in 2011 Victor Rask had a solid first pro campaign. He could
use more time to refine his game, and establish that he can score consistently
at the AHL level, before pushing for an NHL spot. 2012 fourth-round pick
Trevor Carrick has steadily improved throughhout his junior career and is ready
to embark on a pro career next season, but likely will require a few years of
development. Undrafted last summer, after scoring 51 points in 62 games in his
draft year, Sergey Tolchinsky quickly earned a free agent contract with the
Hurricanes, then continued to improve his game in the OHL. Hes small, but
skilled. Drafted in the second round in 2012, Phil Di Giuseppe didnt make a ton
of progress at Michigan, scoring 26 points in 40 games as a freshman, then 52
points in 75 games over the past two seasons. Hes signed with the Hurricanes and
played in three games with Charlotte late in the year, so Di Giuseppe will have
a chance to show whether or not hes going to have a notable offensive game in
the pros. Taken in the third round last summer, Brett Pesce is a lanky
collegiate defender who improved his production as a sophomore. He still has a
couple more seasons of collegiate eligibility and can use them to get stronger
as he prepares for his pro career. A third-round pick in 2012, Daniel Altshuller
has steadily improved throughout his junior career and, at 6-foot-4, has good
size for the position. Give him a few years in the AHL and see what happens. An
offensively-minded blueliner, Jaccob Slavin played for Team USA at the World
Junior Hockey Championships and led Colorado College in scoring as a freshman. A
tough, physical stay-at-home defenceman, Keegan Lowe was a third-round pick in
2011 and had a decent first pro campaign. Lowes game wont stand out, but for a
team without great defence prospects, hes in the picture. Zach Boychuk has been
a top Hurricanes prospect forever, since he was a first-round pick in 2008, and
hes managed nine goals and 24 points in 96 NHL career games, but after 74 points
in 69 AHL games last season, the undersized winger cant be ignored altogether.
Hurricanes advanced stats and player usage chart from Extra Skater DRAFT7th
- Kasperi Kapanen, William Nylander, Nikolaj Ehlers FREE AGENCYAccording to
www.capgeek.com, the Hurricanes have approximately $37.9M committed to the
2013-2014 salary cap for 16 players. Check out my possible Hurricanes lineup for
next season on Cap Geek here. Needs: Three forwards, one top four defenceman,
depth defencemen.What I said the Hurricanes needed last year: Two top nine
forwards, depth forwards, depth defencemen.They added: Nathan Gerbe,
Elias Lindholm, Andrej Sekera, Ron Hainsey, Ryan Murphy, Mike Komisarek,
Brett Bellemore, Anton Khudobin. TRADE MARKETEric Staal, Alexander Semin,
Jiri Tlusty. Scott Cullen can be reached at
[email protected] and
followed on Twitter at http://twitter.com/tsnscottcullen. For more, check out
TSN Fantasy on Facebook.
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http://www.authenticraidersfansclub.com/t-shirts/ . "You hate when they score," he said with some distaste at the thought. "You
take pride in it.LONDON – Following an early-round win at this years Wimbledon,
Genie Bouchard brought a stuffed Cinderella doll to her news conference. A fan
had tossed it to her. "I like to think thats me," Bouchard said sheepishly with
a smile while looking down at the blonde-haired doll in her hand. "Someone gave
me it, because Im a princess." Bouchard was named after royalty: Princess
Eugenie, the daughter of Prince Andrew, to be precise. And she admits she does
have some "princess-like tendencies" that go beyond just the name. "You can ask
my coach or my parents or anyone: I can be a princess," Bouchard admitted
eliciting laughs from a throng of reporters. "I mean, theyre not horrible, but I
can be moody in the morning. Im not so much of a morning person. My fitness
trainer carries my tennis bag around, but thats so I dont get tired, because I
want to save all my energy for the match. "I mean, I can demand a few things
once in a while, but I do it with love," the 20-year-old said with a big grin.
Bouchards Wimbledon campaign has all the elements of a fairytale story. Even a
platonic Prince Charming has emerged in the form of an American television star.
Jim Parsons, who plays Sheldon Cooper on The Big Bang Theory, has travelled to
the All-England Club to support Bouchard. "Its my favourite show," Bouchard
explained. "Its a comedy, you know. For me, so many unexpected things, you just
burst out laughing. Its a nice way to relax and have a good time. Its less
stressful to watch than, say, like a movie on a war or something. Its pretty
relaxing, which I love. Jim Parsons character, Sheldon, is my favourite
character. Hes so nerdy. I love the character. Hes so smart and set in his
ways. "I think the writing of the show is pretty spectacular." Considering how
much Bouchard likes the hit sitcom her agent decided to reach out to Parsons
last year and invite him to Wimbledon. Parsons was touched, but couldnt attend
due to work obligations. However, he started watching Bouchards matches and
writing her emails after each one. Theyve become friends through this pen-pal
relationship. And now Parsons is finally here in London. "Its a random
pairing, right?" Bouchard said again with a huge smile. "Well, its been a year
since weve been in contact. Since then hes watched pretty much every match he
could watch or else he would follow on live scores. Hes emailed me after every
single match Ive played. Hes more positive than all of my team combined. So its
a refreshing change to get a nice email with exclamation marks and smiley faces.
Im such a big fan of his show. He says hes such a big fan of me. So its really
cool that hes here to finally watch me live. "We talk about, you
know, the mental aspect in tennis. He says how its similar tto him acting.
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things. Its interesting to see how similar the mentality is in different
careers." WATCH: Jim Parsons explains how he and Bouchard became friends With a
Prince Charming on site, Bouchard has lived a somewhat charmed life at Wimbledon
this year. A seemingly difficult draw opened up a bit when Serena Williams and
Maria Sharapova were eliminated one round before they were to face Bouchard. On
Monday, Bouchard was scheduled to play on Centre Court, which has a retractable
roof, and was able to complete her fourth-round match while all her rivals sat
and waited due to a lengthy rain delay. "Im happy I got the experience of
playing under the famous roof," Bouchard quipped that day. "I follow the roof on
Twitter (@WimbledonRoof) and hes kind of funny. I hope hes proud of how I played
today. He was looking down. Hopefully he enjoyed the match." The rest of the
field didnt find it so funny as every other woman in the draw was forced to play
on Tuesday while Bouchard rested up. Then in the semifinals, opponent Simona
Halep injured her foot early in the first set, somewhat limiting her mobility
and contributing to her defeat. Everything seems to be falling into place and a
lifelong ambition is within reach. "I started playing tennis at five years
old," Bouchard said on Friday. "Soon after, you know, it was my dream to become
a professional tennis player. I was very young when I decided I wanted to do it.
I was nine. Since that age I dreamt of winning a Grand Slam." On Saturday,
Bouchard gets that chance. Standing in her way is No. 6 seed Petra Kvitova, the
2011 Wimbledon champion. But Bouchard is a Wimbledon champion as well. It has
been just two short years since the Canadian claimed the junior title here.
Bouchard likes the grass, which accentuates her aggressive game. She likes the
Royal Box, the tradition and even the strict all-white clothing policy at the
All England Club. This is her favourite Grand Slam and Bouchard seems to have
the crowd on her side in each match she plays. Considering all of the above, it
would be fitting if this was the stage where all her hard work pays off. "Its
been a long time in the making, you know, for it to finally come together, all
the hard work, the talent I know I have, the effort I put in, you know, for it
to produce results on the match court. Thats happened this year, but, you know,
its been a long time in the making. I wouldnt say its an overnight thing,"
Bouchard explained. "Ive just been believing in myself more and more and meeting
the challenges I faced. I played on the professional tour for a year and I was
improving as I was playing that year; the same this year. So every time I have a
challenge, I just try to get better. Its really helped."
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