Come As You Are

In keeping with tradition, for any ‘non-recap’ blogs, I take a song from my Top 1000 Alternative Music list as my basis for inspiration.  Today was tough to decide – it needed to be right.  As I scrolled, I found plenty of potentials until I landed on “Come As You Are” by Nirvana.  This one seemed appropriate.  Today, we are going to discuss Mikko Rantanen.

Before I dive in, I want to point out a few basic facts about the situation that I think everyone can agree on (consider this the opening guitar intro to the blog title song) …

1. Mikko Rantanen is a fantastic hockey player that brings a lot of skill and size to the line-up.  His production, play and past success speak for itself.
2. Mikko Rantanen has been with the team for 10 games as of this writing and has played in 9 of those games. 
3. Mikko Rantanen has been with the Carolina Hurricanes since January 24 and has played in Raleigh a grand total of 4 times – that is 4 home games in 35 days. 
4. Mikko Rantanen played his first 10 seasons in Colorado, the organization that drafted him.  Colorado runs a different system than we do in Carolina.

None of these things are a secret – they are all factual pieces of information that cannot be disputed. 

It was also reported that the Carolina Hurricanes have approached Mikko Rantanen with an 8 year by $100 million plus contract.  While I can’t explicitly say that I know this to be fact (I’m not an insider), there are some pretty prominent voices in the hockey circles that I trust that are reporting it.  Therefore, I am going to go on with the assumption that it has some truth to it. 

“Come – as you are, as you were, as I want you to be…”

As a fan of the team, I still can’t fully put into words the excitement I felt the night we made a move to snare Mikko.  And, truth be told, I am still beyond excited to have him in a Hurricanes sweater. 

Two of the things that stand out to me as it relates to the fit with the team are his size and his ability to bury the puck.  This is what we, as Hurricanes fans, have been dying for over the last several seasons.  I can’t tell you how many times I have heard the words ‘we really need someone that can put the puck in the back of the net’ or ‘we could really use a sniper’.  Mikko Rantanen does that. 

I have heard plenty of people make mention of Martin Necas’s hot start in Colorado and Mikko’s slower start.  A lot of people have talked about it being a system thing, or a Mikko doesn’t like it here thing.  Or, how about this – Colorado won the deal.  To say those things in a vacuum is one thing – and in that small sample size, I would agree.  But that’s just it – this is a very small sample size.  I said it on the podcast and I’ll repeat it – I fully expected Martin Necas to come out of the gate quicker than Mikko would from a production perspective, just because Necas fits the style of play for Colorado well and for Mikko, it would be an adjustment.  From a point production perspective, I was right – but overall, I think Mikko has gotten up to speed far quicker than even I had anticipated. 

Look, the points are going to come.  How many posts and crossbars has he hit?  How many passes haven’t quite landed because everyone is still trying to get some semblance of comfort with each other?  In last nights game against the Sabres, he got some production – that was nice.  What was nicer?  How about how he was using his body below the goal line?  Or how he was bodying people off the puck in the neutral zone?  Or how he was being defensively sound when a defenseman pinched, moving to the point to cover for his teammate?  I noticed him doing all these things – and that’s encouraging.  He’s playing our style.  And these are all the things that, when done in the system that we play, will lead to rewards. 

As fans, we wanted Mikko Rantanen to come in and save the world.  To be the one to put up four points a night.  But guess what – he’s one of 19 guys on the ice for the team at various stretches of the game.  He can’t be on the ice for all 60 minutes of the game.  It’s impossible.  

The first line of the song (and all others) are supposed to be contradictions of each other.  Come as you are, as you were, as I want you to be – in the case of Mikko Rantanen, those are three totally different things.  As fans, I urge patience.  He’s going to get there. 

“Take your time, hurry up, the choice is yours, don’t be late…”

All of that above to get to this – he has a contract in hand (north of $100 million over 8 years) that he has not signed yet.  To me, this makes sense.  A person who has only seen the area for about a week’s worth of time since he was traded should be given the opportunity to see what the area is like and if it would be an area and team worth investing in for the next eight years of his life.

I have seen a lot of discourse on the topic – anything from we should trade him before the deadline, to treat him like a rental.  My own podcast co-host thinks we should take the deal off the table for the time being to get his mind off the contract and focus on hockey.  I’ll start with that point first – it is my opinion that if a contract has been on his mind before a contract was offered, then I am very confused.  I can’t, for the life of me, see any reason to pull an offer from a person without some sort of deadline attached to it.  It may be me overthinking things, but wouldn’t that get MORE into his head if we say “yeah, that contract – we can come back to it.  Let’s shelve it for now”?  Additionally, there wasn’t a contract on the table until about a week ago.  It isn’t like he was playing bad before that hockey – he was underperforming for a variety of reasons, but was set up to produce in ways and it hadn’t worked out.  I disagree with this premise that we should shelve things and pull the offer.

With a week to go until the deadline, and since this nine-figure deal hasn’t been signed, it has come up in talk that the Hurricanes may just flip him.  There are several reasons why I highly doubt this will happen – for starters, the return for him wouldn’t be nearly enough for us, as Tulsky and brass have made it clear that we are interested in competing for a Cup this season.  The return would have to include a high-end player of value for us, which would all but obliterate our salary cap situation.  I can’t see teams lining up to send us players of Martin Necas value that have a low cap hit – remember, Rantanen is only costing us about 4.625 right now (thanks for that Chicago).

The second reason why I believe a trade is a no go is for reasons I already stated – our executive leadership believes we have a product that can win.  The other side to that is that the East is wide open currently, so anyone in playoff position should feel confident in their chances. 

Some are saying to put a deadline on it – I am on the fence about this in large part because I don’t think a deadline is going to help make that decision for him, especially if the organization is putting that deadline on March 7^th.  The fact is, Eric Tulsky made it very clear that he didn’t expect Mikko Rantanen to make a decision for the next 8 years of his life immediately, which is precisely would a March 7^th deadline would give him.  I mentioned an after the regular season but before the playoffs type deadline – but even then, it would likely be a dark cloud over the team if he decides to test free agency.  All that to say, it probably isn’t worth it to rush it. 

I have heard plenty of chatter about the dollars and cents of the deal and how he should just take it.  The fact is (and you can disagree, but it is 100% a fact) there are 31 other franchises that can offer Mikko the exact same money if they wanted to (not the year total, but the cash).  They can move parts to make the finances work.  The money isn’t the issue for Mikko – the real drivers for him will be (in my eyes):

• Team construction – with so many players signed into the future (Aho, Svechnikov, Kotkaniemi, Jarvis, Slavin) and so many other younger players coming into the fold (Nadeau, Blake, Nikishin, Morrow), I can’t see why someone wouldn’t want to come into the organization for the next eight seasons and try to land multiple Cups with a core like that.  That said, Mikko must make that decision for himself.
• Production – I have said this before, but I want to articulate it here – if Mikko Rantanen wants to be a perennial 100 point plus producer, he’d have a hard time doing it in the Carolina Hurricanes system.  Not a knock on Mikko or anyone on the team.  This boils down to time on ice – playing a man-on-man system takes a lot out of you – and so Rod tends to roll all four of his lines with a bit closer time distribution than other teams.  It’s not impossible, but improbable.  He would be a centerpiece to our offense, so he’ll have plenty of chances – but I wouldn’t count on 100 points plus.
• A side note to this – I do see people clamming up at the idea of paying top dollar to someone who wouldn’t be producing any higher than, say, Aho last season.  I respectfully disagree with that argument.  Point production is one of many factors an organization looks at to determine salary and value.  Rantanen would be every bit worth the “over payment” some think a $13-$14m plus deal would be.
• Location – It has been said that Mikko is from a quieter area in Finland and Raleigh may just be a solid home for him long term because of the quiet nature of the media here.  I like to hear it, but would it really be a factor?  Who knows?  I will say this – people have said they like playing for Rod Brind’Amour – so he seems to be a draw.  But people have also left – looking for greener pastures elsewhere.  Adam Fox said he’d never sign a contract here.  Jake Guentzel decided at the start of free agency that he would be better served to walk and head to Tampa.  And frankly, while it will always be an unknown, I couldn’t see Martin Necas signing onboard to stay in Carolina once his UFA year came up.  Is it the style of play that is a deterrent or is it the location of the franchise? 

Money plays a small factor, but an insignificant one in my eyes.  Leadership can up the ante if they choose to.  The three factors above are what will ultimately drive his decision.  And if I am being honest, those should be his drivers.  The cash will be there.  So take your time, Mikko – make the decision that is right for you. 

As I close, I want to point out again that I want Mikko Rantanen as a Carolina Hurricane.  And I think we have a pretty good shot to keep him.  I like our chances more with Mikko re-signing than I liked our chances of re-signing Guentzel last season (and we were close to re-signing him).  His decision isn’t going to rest on a random game in Toronto when we got ambushed in the first period.  And our 5-2 beat down of the Sabres isn’t going to sway his opinion either.  In the end, Mikko needs some time to really consider what he wants his next 8 years to look like.  If that is in a Carolina Hurricanes sweater – that’s great!  If he feels he can ‘come as he is’ and make a real impact to this team long term, I am for it.  My advice to him – ‘take your time…the choice is yours’.  We have a great thing set up for the next several years.  Mikko has a chance to be a large part of a special run for this franchise.  The Cup window is open – and even if it is just a one year rental, I believe we have a great opportunity and a great future ahead of us. 

Hurricanes vs. Sabres - The Recap

I had promised to get a couple blogs out during the Four Nations event – it was not to be.  I failed.  Overall, I wanted to take a breather and head into the home stretch strongly.  Which was also ultimately an early failure, having missed recaps on the last two games – both losses in Canada.  I contemplated doing a recap on the Canadians game – I have notes – I might still do it.  It would have been titled/will be titled (if I do it) “Tropical Storms at Canadians”.

After losing five of our last six, Deren and I had an impromptu podcast – the theme was the fanbase “crying”, although I don’t really have a problem with the fanbase wanting better for a team that has proven over the years that it is better than they have shown recently.  I do have a problem with the knee jerk reactions calling for Rod Brind’Amour’s job or the system to change.  In my eyes, the issue was real simple – we weren’t playing our system.  We were doing something different, playing a different style for whatever reason…and it wasn’t working.  We were missing with the details. 

My only ask of the team – look in the mirror and pick one detail that they can improve on to help the team win.  From the coaching staff (because they weren’t off the hook either) – find a consistent group and, for better or worse, stay consistent with it for a bit.  Let it bake.  Generating chemistry isn’t something that just happens.  If you want some consistency with the play on the ice, keep the lines and pairs consistent. 

Tonight, we came back home, put on our green and blue Whalers kits, and took on our former Adams Division rival Buffalo Sabres.  I said on the podcast, and I maintained this before the game and as the puck dropped – just play a sound, detailed game.  Get to the forecheck, battle for pucks, get in front of the net, bury a couple and, regardless of the outcome, I’d be happy.

Below are my thoughts on the game:

• There was some talk about what the line combinations would look like tonight – these are the lines:
• Svechnikov – Aho – Rantanen
• Martinook – Staal – Jarvis
• Hall – Jost – Blake
• Robinson – Kotkaniemi – Roslovic
• I saw the Kotkaniemi line out to take the first faceoff of the game and immediately thought something was up.  Sure enough, the gloves drop right at puck drop – Cozens and Kotkaniemi.  Perhaps this was a loser leaves town match given the trade deadline is coming up and Cozens is allegedly on the block?  I don’t know.  Whatever the case, KK wins the fight, both head to the box for fighting, and the hockey game gets going.  Looks like Cozens will be leaving town. 
• From the jump, you could see a completely different energy with all 4 lines – starting with the Svech-Aho-Rantanen tandem.  They had a couple of nifty shifts that generated a couple chances.  Svechnikov and Rantanen looked great playing together, with their bigger frames working along the boards to keep pucks in the zone and working below the goal line and getting to the net area – you love to see it. 
• The same can be said from the Martinook-Staal-Jarvis line – hard work below the goal line on the forecheck.  This is Hurricanes hockey.  We can’t cheat these games and take a night off.  Points are vital in the home stretch.  This line came to work.
• Dimitri Orlov had a bit of an up and down night – he took a penalty and had a tough shift on a penalty kill to get Buffalo on the board, but overall, I really liked his physicality and appreciated him asserting himself a little more than he had been.  (I am sure he was working hard – but perception for us fans is reality).  I just need him to be a physical defenseman.  Nothing more, but nothing less.  He laid the wood on a Sabre a minute in.
• A flurry of activity over six minutes of game play prior to the halfway point of the first period:
• First, a power play opportunity.  We moved Gostisbehere back to the top unit to QB it.  Overall, it wasn’t awful, but still a little bit more standing around than I’d prefer.  Rod gave both units a minute out there. 
• The bump up shift after the power play, Staal, Robinson and Martinook were out there to get to work – and they did just that, winning board battles.  Martinook put a shot pass right on Staal’s skate, who was parked 4 feet in front of the net, and the puck slid through the five hole – 1-0 good guys.  
• The second goal is a sweet play, all started by Mikko Rantanen – he settles a fumbled puck lost by the Sabres at the goal line in the attacking zone and makes a slick feed to Sebastian Aho who buries it.  And guess where Aho was…right out in front.  2-0 Canes – and Luukkonen gets pulled.
• The goalie pull didn’t matter, though, as less than two minutes later Mikko buries a puck top shelf on a nice pass from Andrii Svechnikov on…wait for it…the power play!  The passing was crisp, the puck movement was great – the arena has now played The Brass Bonanza three times tonight – three zip us.
• This is the way we have to play each night – this is what we do – we muck things up in the neutral zone, we forecheck the heck out of you, and we work hard in front of the net to ensure we get rebound opportunities for some dirty chances.   
• All four lines had their hands on this game – from the Kotkoniemi fight to start the game, to the Staal and Aho lines getting on the board early, to the Jost line creating some mayhem (Jackson Blake was a dang menace out there in large doses).  Everyone had a hand in this one tonight.
• The obligatory Jackson Blake love – this dude seems to always have jump, and all game tonight he was all over it – whether it be a pick pocket when the opposition was exiting out of the zone, or the defensive prowess he showed in his own end, or the bobbing and weaving through traffic to create opportunities in his offensive end.  He may not show up every night on the stat sheet, but this dude is always noticeable in a good way.
• The pressure and energy we had during the first period was likely a little overwhelming for the Sabres.  They did get a power play goal due to a bad play by Orlov (mentioned above) leading to an Alex Tuch goal, to cut the deficit to 3-1, but in the first period it was all Carolina.
• As the second period got underway, I could sense the game getting back to even – Lindy Ruff, I am sure, calmed his group down a little – but that only really brought them to even.  It felt as though they were 50/50 on the board battles and splitting zone time with us.  To make matters worse, we allowed two power plays, which hurt the flow of the game.  Jost and Orlov were the guilty parties on the penalties.  The good news is, we killed them both – but we have to be smarter than that in those situations – both were avoidable penalties. 
• I noted at the halfway point that I didn’t feel as confident as I did in the first period – again, just taking the penalties and losing some flow of the game a little.  Buffalo, while not a high-end team, does have some high-end players that can make you pay.  Fortunately, we were able to limit the damage – in fact, on the second power play Buffalo had we outshot them 3-0. 
• About a minute after the Sabres 2^nd power play of the period, Taylor Hall made it 4-1 – and it started with him poking a puck out as the Sabres were trying to exit the zone – Sean Walker, who had a real strong game in my opinion, kept the puck in deep, finding Jack Roslovic out front who provided a no-look back hand pass to Taylor Hall and he buried it top shelf – another goal (Taylor’s first as a Hurricane), another Brass Bonanza.  Just great work all around.  Poor James Reimer didn’t have a chance.
• Early in the 3^rd, we had a solid chance, but we got stuffed by Reimer, and a 2-on-1 breakaway ensues the other direction, which gets buried.  4-2 good guys, but not the start of the period we were hoping for.

Overall, I thought we played a physical game – Seth Jarvis put someone in the boards hard in the 2^nd, Orlov had a good physical presence and others consistently bodied people up.  Additionally, the defense was really good, but the forwards were also committed defensively – it was evident in our offensive end on the Aho goal, the Staal goal and the Hall goal.  But even more than that, we were committed to the defensive end in our own end as well. 

Eventually Jarvis wrapped this thing up with an empty net goal – it all starts with a full team commitment in our own end in what was a real solid shift by the Sabres.  We end up winning this one 5-2 – a win that wasn’t a must win, but a win you really want to have – a slump buster if you will.  Next up for the Hurricanes, a date with the Edmonton Oilers on Saturday evening.

Hurricanes vs. Hockey Club – The Recap

With a three-game losing streak in progress, the Carolina Hurricanes came into this afternoon’s tilt with one thing on their mind – finish strong.  After a tough loss to a good Minnesota Wild team on Thursday, it was back to work just 38 hours later.  And while I felt the Hurricanes were playing some good hockey, it did seem to feel like the vibes were off a little.  Several Hurricanes looked more than a little frustrated at different points of the game – not at each other, but the circumstances of the situation they were in – working through a tough stretch before a break with illness in their locker room.

A couple things to note before I head into my thoughts – first, Mikko Rantanen would be out today with a lower body injury, presumably because of a puck he took right off the knee from a Brent Burns blast the other night.  Second, the power play has stunk for a while and Rod said as much after the game the other night.  The hope here is that we get through this game with a couple points and take a much needed two weeks off during the Four Nations event.

Below are my thoughts on the game:

• Seth Jarvis had a big game – and it started early.  Seth is a producer, but it all is really jumpstarted by his work on the defensive end of the ice.  His play defensively is extremely impressive.
• Sebastian Aho also started sharp defensively.  This may go without saying, but it seems to me that in sports where you are playing two ways (offensively and defensively), getting the jump on the defensive side early gets you into a flow of the game and can lead to offensive breakouts.  Good to see Aho setting the tone early with good defensive shifts.
• Pyotr Kochetkov was in the net to start this game – as is the case since Frederik Andersen has come back, the two of them have gone back and forth trading turns in net.  Today was Kochetkov’s turn. 
• Eric Robinson had a good start to this one – for the first 30 minutes of this game, he was one that was noticeable in front of the net getting rebound opportunities and creating net front presence.  He, too, started on time defensively with a couple decent steals in his offensive zone and the neutral zone.  Early on, he was with Kotkaniemi and Hall, but the combinations were ever changing as we were playing 11 and 7 again today with Rantanen out.
• Jalen Chatfield had a great game overall and started things off for us in the first period with a great defensive play (notice a theme) in the attacking zone to win a battle on the boards and fed the puck out to Andrii Svechnikov.  He then sped down the ice behind Jordan Staal, who had received the pass coming up the ice from Svech and then fed Chatfield who buried the puck in the back of the net.  Just excellent two- way hockey by Chatfield.  1-0 good guys.
• Dimitri Orlov is still very up and down, and I don’t know what we can do to fix it.  It seems that he is always in on at least one (and sometimes more) awful shifts a night.  A couple spots in the game:
• Kochetkov gave up the first goal, a power play goal to Shane Doan on a goal that sailed right over PK’s glove.  Doan was being covered by Orlov on that play, and while Doan made a real nice play with his stick handling to get around Dimitri, Dimitri should really be taking away some of that space.  Regardless, Pyotr needs to make that save.   This tied the game at one a piece.
• Clayton Keller got a steal in the 2^nd to get the Utah Hockey Club within a goal – and again, it was another good stick play, this time for Keller, to steal it from…Dimitri Orlov…and then zip down the ice.  He shipped it five hole and cut a two-goal lead at the time to one.
• There were at least a couple neutral zone entries that were barely even challenged by Orlov that Utah was able to gain entry cleanly into the attacking zone and put us on our heels a bit.
• He had at least one pass cross ice that was intercepted and led to a Utah scoring chance in the 2^nd period. 
• Our power play scored this evening on a one timer from Seth Jarvis to give us a 1 goal cushion in the early goings of the 2^nd period.  We only had two power play opportunities, and the first one looked miserable aside from the one chance we got where Jackson Blake drove to the net through heavy traffic to try to stuff one (that dude is fearless).  The second one where we scored, we had minimal net front – it was like watching an isolation play in the NBA where the lane is clear and it’s one on one – only we were just passing it around.  Seth finally scored when a rebound came around to Brent Burns who shoveled it to Jarvy – and good news…no reversal of the goal.  Utah did review it for quite some time to see if the rebound of a previous shot hit the net above the glass first, but it was inconclusive, and they decided against a challenge. 
• I thought Taylor Hall played another solid game – I noted a couple good things through the game, including a good IQ play ending a shift where he pinned the puck against the board at the offensive blue line before dumping to an available area where his team could retrieve and maintain possession.  His work on the bump up shifts on penalty kills is also quite noticeable in a positive way.
• Overall, it is amazing how the boys responded after the power play goal.  It was like a black cloud was lifted, just the way they were moving around the ice and creating opportunities.
• Pyotr Kochetkov had a pretty solid game, giving up 3 goals.  I thought the first goal had the ability to be saved, the second goal with Keller barreling down was going to be tough, and the third goal was on a 5 on 3 scenario shorthanded.  In total, he saved 36 of 39 shots, which is above the .900 save percentage I prefer seeing in a given evening.  I thought he was pretty good in the 3^rd, where Utah seemed to come in waves.  He also had a great run at the end of the 2^nd period where he saved 2 or 3 that kept the game at the cushion it was.
• After a tied first period, the Hurricanes had a wave of offensive activity which included Jarvis and Aho both burying two and by the end of the period, we had built a 5-2 lead.  The highlights:
• Seth Jarvis with the power play goal to get us started.
• Sebastian Aho makes it 3-1, but it was created by a Seth Jarvis turnover that he forced in the defensive end – the puck pokes back to Kalel Vejmelka, who was attacking the puck to try to stop a Seth Jarvis breakaway, as he was barreling down.  Vejmelka pokes it out, but right to Aho, who calmly collects the puck and patiently goes backhand (with Vejmelka out of position) to bury it.  Such a great play, all started by Seth Jarvis.
• Sebastian Aho went on natural hat trick watch, to give us our 2-goal cushion back on the penalty kill.  It starts with Jalen Chatfield making a great skate block of a pass defensively – he feeds it out to Jarvis, who had made his way down the boards to collect.  He chiped to himself and retrieved the puck down low, took a peek and noticed Aho supporting.  Also noticing a second player coming towards him, he fed Aho a sick pass and Aho sticks it in the back of the net.  Such a fantastic feed by Jarvis and great defense by Jalen Chatfield.
• There were a couple minutes in this one where I genuinely thought we might have a goalie fight – cooler heads prevailed, but both goalies went past their respective blue lines, as there was a scuffle of players after some poking for a puck after a whistle that Kochetkov was able to induce.  While the forwards and defensemen tied each other up, both goalies started chirping and the refs kind of got between them before any real engagement.
• Immediately after this, a faceoff in the neutral zone was won by Aho who pushed it forward, which was retrieved by Blake after tapping a couple Utah sticks.  Blake then pushed forward to Jarvis, who sprinted free and buried another one to make it 5-2 good guys.
• Seth Jarvis, Sebastian Aho and Jalen Chatfield were your three stars of the game, and I could have ordered them any which way – all three were stellar and deserved top honors today.  With 4 points (2G, 2A), the first star went to Seth.  Aho was very noticeable that second period and Jalen Chatfield was probably our best defenseman today (and that’s saying something because Slavin was pretty good too).
• Martinook netted his 10^th goal of the season – an empty netter near the end of the game.  Hats rained down for it because - we are Raleigh?  We like to drink a lot?  We were partying after scoring more goals in this game than the last four games combined?  More likely – we probably threw those hats because half of our fans may have thought either Aho or Jarvis (both on hat trick watch) had scored it – both were on the ice.  My response to this…pay attention to the action on the ice.  48 doesn’t look like 24 or 20.   Do better fans.  That is all.
• Quiet nights for Jack Roslovic over the last hand full of games.  It is nice that he can center a line, but I think Jaaska can do the same thing for us and is a bit more of a grinder.  I would not be surprised at all if Jack is dealt in part of a trade after the Four Nations event.  He did end up burying one on a pretty slick put back after a couple rebounds.  Juha Jaaska had ended up shooting for a sharp angle shot, where Blake was out front.  Blake collected the rebound and attempted to stuff it, which was also saved.  Roslovic, however, cashed in the additional rebound.  I think Roslovic is liked on the team, but I don’t see his overall fit in the top 9, a spot he likely needs to be in to be successful.  It reminds me of the Ryan Dzingel fit from years past.  Again, he’s been fine, and I guess Roslovic can take face-offs, but I am failing to see the fit for the rest of the way.
• For a bulk of the 2^nd period and all of the 3^rd period, it was a lot of Blake-Aho-Jarvis looks – those three appear to play well together.  I’m not opposed to Taylor Hall on that line to offer some size either.  I will throw a theory out there – and it might not be right.  But it really looked like Aho was in control of that line – and it is possible he feels like he owns a line like that, with Jarvis and Blake younger than Sebastian.  Because of Rantanen and his success in Colorado, and because Sebastian hasn’t ever played with a player like Rantanen, could it be that Aho is a little intimidated by that?  It may be overly hyping this, but it is something to keep an eye on.  He looked comfortable – that’s all I’m saying.  I don’t know if it will happen, but lines like this could make sense:
• Jarvis-Aho-Blake
• Rantanen-Kotkaniemi-Svechnikov
• Martinook-Staal-Hall
• Robinson-Roslovic-Carrier/Jaaska
• Final note:  those line combinations aren’t numbered – I’d think all three of the top lines listed would take turns getting looks as the ‘top line’ in that scenario.   

The game was touted as a “must win” before the break from everyone – while I will take the two points, I didn’t truly buy that.  Some momentum and positive vibes could be just what the doctor ordered, though. 

Up next for the Carolina Hurricanes – a date with the Toronto Maple Leafs on 2/22.  Be on the lookout for some additional content over the next two weeks. 

Hurricanes at Wild – The Recap

Heading into tonight, the Carolina Hurricanes were feeling the burn of two straight losses, the last one being a 3-0 shutout to the league leading Winnipeg Jets.  What’s interesting is that I don’t really feel as though we were all that bad in the Jets game – at 5-on-5 we were pretty solid for long stretches of that game.  Special teams ended up being the difference.  Against the Kings, our top line had a ton of chances – Freddie Andersen didn’t look his best and Orlov was a trainwreck as well.

Tonight, against the Wild, the hope is that we would be able to find a little something with the updated lines that Rod decided to deploy.  Additionally, the new look power-play the other night looked decent against the Jets, albeit still off the scoresheet. 

Below are my thoughts on the game:

• As mentioned, Rod decided to change up the line combinations – he did what most have been begging for:
• Rantanen-Aho-Jarvis
• Hall-Kotkaniemi-Blake
• Svechnikov-Staal-Martinook
• Jaaska-Roslovic-Robinson
• I was curious at the beginning of the game to see how the “top line” would be deployed through the game and, more importantly, how the Wild would deploy their defenders against our "power line".  In fairness to all involved, I believe the lines that were put together in past games were better in terms of distribution of scoring depth and everyone complimented what each of the other players on the line can do.  But what do I know?  In the end, it didn't really seem to matter if it was Jarvis or Blake with Rantanen and Aho.  This line reminds me of Pedro Cerano from 'Major League', who needed a live chicken to sacrifice before a game to remove the curse on his bat.  Perhaps that top line needs a live chicken?
• Overall, Frederik Andersen kept us in this game for as long as he could.  That said, he didn’t really seem to have a lot of hard work, although he did have stretches where he needed to make a key save.  He gave up two goals, outlined below:
• First, Trenin scored, and we were not very responsible with the puck.  Orlov made it way too easy of an entry, and he was nowhere to be found on that goal.  The goal itself was not great to be let through by Freddie (5-hole Freddie strikes again), but the dude was wide open.  The two shutouts for the Wild are no more…1-0 Minnesota.
• The second goal was actually a pretty decent save at the start of the third period that snuck behind Freddie.  He tried to cover, but it slid right behind the goal line – 2-0 Wild. 
• Dmitri Orlov is on his last days in Carolina, I believe.  Defensively he has been a liability – that first goal that he completely whiffed on in the neutral zone and then not getting back responsibly as he should to try to, you know, defend – that was pretty bad.  Additionally, there are far too many times where he is getting beaten by the attacker heading into the zone.  My question is this – has Orlov been told that he is a potential candidate to be traded to upgrade the team before the deadline?  If so, that would explain his outright laziness over the last hand full of games.  He did a little better in the 3^rd, but at one point I looked at my wife and told her we needed to send him straight to the sun.  Anywhere but here.  Chatfield deserves a better linemate right now – I say let Scott Morrow play next game, Chatfield play his offside and let Orlov watch from the press box.
• Defensively, I just don’t really know how to articulate what is happening – it just seems like Orlov is floating out there, Chatty and Slavin are working, Burns is trying but the dude is up there in age and then the 3^rd pair of Ghost-Walker is kind of there and doing…OK (Walker far better than Gostisbehere defensively, who without the offensive flair really doesn’t provide the value you’d hope – that said, he is supposed to be a 3^rd pair defenseman, so can we really be THAT mad about it?)  Carolina Hurricanes fans have been spoiled over the years with strong defensemen – we have taken a slight hit, and we knew with the cap what it was last offseason, we would have to find some discounts while awaiting Nikishin and Morrow.  All that to say, the Walker-Gostisbehere is a competent 3^rd pair and would fit most teams 3^rd (and some teams 2^nd) pair.
• The power play – sheesh.  Still no goals.  We are going on 10 or 11 games.  The Wild came in with the 30^th ranked kill in the league – and they killed everything we offered.  I don’t know what the system is that we are trying to play on the power play – we passed the puck well, I guess?   Some have suggested that we just send 4 over the boards and play 4-on-4 to kind of take the pressure off.  Others have offered that we just play regular lines and pairings for the two minutes.  Anything would be better than this stretch, which sits at around 4% since the calendar flipped to 2025.
• Through the first period, we kind of had control of possession, zone time and shots – we were down on the scoreboard, though.  Chasing the game against the Minnesota Wild is not where you want to be.  They can (and did) muck things up all night – they aren’t afraid to pay the price blocking shots and can (and did) make things real difficult in the neutral zone. 
• Taylor Hall had some real good shifts tonight – his hockey IQ has been noted in the past.  I thought he was noticeable in a positive way tonight.  He played a good bulk of the night with Blake and they looked decent together.
• The starting line combinations looked OK, but you could tell they didn’t seem overly comfortable or confident with where each of them would be on the ice.  For example, for all the talk of Blake moving out and Jarvis moving into the top line, Blake seemed to be “out-creating” Jarvis (if out-creating is even a word).  That, plus Blake was building some chemistry with Rantanen – it just seemed like Rod may have been trying to manufacture something.
• I noted it in the 1^st period, but Sebastian Aho looked frustrated but also looked dangerous.  He got himself to the right spot with 2:41 to go in the 3^rd to bury a puck to get the game to 2-1.  It was a nice feed from Jarvis, with us being up a man at the time. 
• With about 7 minutes to go in the 3^rd, Rod appeared to put Mikko with Svechnikov and Kotkaniemi and Hall with Aho and Jarvis.  And honestly, I think I might like it.  That combination of Mikko-KK-Svech is a pretty sizable line, but their skills would seem to mesh well together.  And, honestly, Hall really seemed to unlock Aho and Jarvis a little.  I wouldn’t mind seeing these lines cook for a little bit.  I would also consider Blake with Aho and Hall as well and put Jarvis back with the Jordans – he fits in on that line and gets good opportunities.
• Mikko Rantanen seemed, at points, to be frustrated, and rightfully so.  My hope is that the frustration is because he genuinely wants to help this team win and it is not about his point production dipping without MacKinnon, which ends up potentially lowering his value as an unrestricted free agent in the offseason.  All that to say that those unrestricted free agent talks can end if he just agrees to a deal to stay in Carolina.  I’d love to have him here long term.  Still, I can’t help but wonder if the vibes of not hitting the scoresheet for him are negatively impacting everyone else on the team. 
• I thought the combination of Rantanen-Aho-Jarvis did have some good shifts together, but it just never felt like they were all on the same page during their time on ice.  Line chemistry is a thing - so if Rod liked that combination, I can live with them staying together for a few games to see what we might have there, and longer if they really gel.  
• During a stretch in the 3^rd period, after Rod did the ol’ blend-o-matic on the lines, we had a stretch of a little over 2 minutes of non-stop offensive zone time.  A dang eternity.  Credit to the Minnesota Wild defense for getting in front of pucks and paying the price.  After the Wild gained possession, Rantanen attempted to steal and got called for a trip in the process, which he was none too pleased with.  Our penalty kill did the job, but that was tough not to get something out of that 2 minute stretch.
• At different points of this game, it didn’t look like we were very quick out there – and it looked like the Wild wanted it more.

We scratched, scrapped, clawed, but ultimately couldn’t muster more than a goal against a solid Minnesota Wild team, losing 2-1.  While I can’t say I was overly enthused about some of the play, I did see us try some new things that we might be able to expand upon.  I still believe Mikko Rantanen aligns more with the way we play than Martin Necas.  Speaking of, he was playing in the Avalanche game against the Flames – he had two goals, an assist and about 30 shots on goal.  I’m happy for that dude.  I said it before, but I really think that system fits him.  Oh, and a final note about the deployment of our lines - heavier ice time for the Aho and KK lines and less than 8 minutes for the Roslovic line.  

We need this four nations break more than any team, if I am being honest.  Our next (and last game before the break):  A date with the Utah Hockey Club.

Hurricanes at Jets – The Recap

I know, I know – I missed a recap.  I had good notes on the loss to the LA Kings that the Carolina Hurricanes endured, but over the last couple days I decided not to write anything, in large part because it had already been said.  I prefer getting these things out before the masses have had a chance to formulate and shape opinions.  It is important to me that the words that I write and the thoughts that I have are viewed as original – not some regurgitated opinion on a fan site.

With that last piece in mind, I would like to take this opportunity to talk through all the pot shots regarding Jackson Blake.  I have been an ardent defender of him and his play from the jump, and I’d like to make sure my position is known (if it hasn’t already been clear here in this blog): 

• Jackson Blake is a big piece of the future in Carolina. 
• Trading Jackson Blake would take a unique situation that I, frankly, don’t see happening.  What he is doing for us right now is far greater than any return the organization would receive – it would be like trading a dollar for a shiny nickel.  To me, it wouldn’t be worth it.
• Jackson Blake is a playmaker.  Even in the game tonight, he brought the puck into the zone well, handled the puck well, distributed well and shot the puck well (he had a power play goal wiped off the board on a questionable goalie interference call).
• Jackson Blake isn’t the problem – in my eyes, he is a solution.
• Everyone wants to talk about his size – everyone loves a big frame, I get it.  Is he the fastest guy on the ice?  No.  But what is he doing?  He is working and building his overall game playing with highly skilled players.  And what does this do?  It continues to a) reward his effort and work and b) develop him as a top 6 winger. 

When we look at Jackson Blake, we, as fans, must be able to project it out some – and we have a near perfect comp…one Seth Jarvis.  I am done hearing Blake should be this, or he isn’t that.  Every night he’s noticeable – I just don’t know what game people are watching.

Below are my thoughts on the game:

• Scott Morrow drew in as the 7^th defenseman, playing 11 and 7 tonight, which I think is a good idea on the road.  As Tripp mentioned, you can manufacture some lineups with the home team getting the last line change.  Additionally, double shifting the likes of Rantanen and (possibly) Hall could allow these two to get more looks at our system to get acclimated quicker.
• The top three lines started the game sharp, getting several quality chances early.
• Pyotr Kochetkov’s rotation was tonight in the crease, and overall, he looked good.  Of the three goals he allowed, two came against the Winnipeg top ranked power play unit.  The Jets can really move the puck on their power play.  The other thing I will say about Pyotr is that the dude really could do himself a favor and hang onto his goalie stick.  I think I saw him at least 4 times during the game where he had to prepare for a shot coming without his stick in hand.  It makes me nervous.
• The Rantanen-Aho-Blake line played very well this evening.  They were right on the doorstep a hand full of times and, while it doesn’t show in the score sheet, it is very noticeable when you watch. 
• A theme to this blog will be comments on the commentary on a particular ‘fan site’ – I don’t truly believe any of them to be Hurricanes fans with any depth of knowledge.  Most of them are saying Rantanen won’t be back because of this top line’s lack of ability to score.  I think that is all hogwash.  Additionally, if a player makes any sort of mistake in the game, these armchair jokers make it seem like it’s a chronic issue that’s been happening and the player should be relegated to the AHL.  Rant over.
• I think I really need to get a true understanding of what goaltender interference is.  I believe I know it when I see it – if a goalie is trying to do his job but is interfered with in the middle of the attempt to save, then I would agree.  What Mikko Rantanen was accused of on the power play snipe from Blake was weak sauce at best.  On the contrary, the third goal Winnipeg was awarded after being waived off on the ice.  Until the NHL takes the vagueness out of the interpretation, it’ll continue to be muddled. 
• The Winnipeg Jets are a team that could really make some noise in the playoffs.  If their D plays the way they played against us (especially in the 3^rd period), I can’t imagine anyone scoring on them.  And their power play – lethal.
• About halfway through, it really felt as if the game was even – each team got the chances, both at even strength and on the power play.  The difference has been special teams.  Overall, I thought that we played well 5 on 5.
• Seth Jarvis played a solid game – nothing on the scoresheet to show for it, but had a couple solid chances that were close, but ultimately didn’t come through.
• It is worth noting that we changed up our power play units and I thought both power plays had generated some chances, but also didn’t really look crisp.  Blake buried one that was overturned and Rantanen had one on the doorstep that he feathered right off the far post instead of the back of the net.  Maybe we need to loosen the grip on the stick?  Not sure.  I’d keep the two different units that we trotted out together for a few games to see if we could make something with them. 

In the end, it was two power-play goals, and a goalie interference call that didn’t go our way that led to a 3-0 loss.  I don’t think we played exceptionally poorly – honestly, I think our 4-2 loss against Los Angeles looked worse.  At 5-on-5, I thought there were two teams that were hungry and wanted to keep the pace moving – and both teams did. 

With Winnipeg in our rearview mirror, we head to Minneapolis to take on the Minnesota Wild on Thursday.