With Roster Changes This Off-Season, Are the Canes Still a Cup Contender? 

I hope they let Kochetkov have the net

Necas is most likely staying with Carolina per Rod and Tulsky in an interview today

Shannon taking it to the next level working in Bob Ross 🤣

This was the year with all these expiring contracts which is why they went for Guentzel at the deadline. They might take a step back but still have a good core locked down long term and a good prospect pool with Nikishin coming soon.

I think this will be a "nothing to lose" and experimentation type of year. Weirdly, there also might be slightly less pressure on them to win it all due to the huge roster turnover. A soft reset so to speak. Perhaps Brind'amour will even feel better about experimenting with his system or making adjustments he otherwise wouldn't have. To me, the first experiment should be making Kochetkov the starting goalie and just seeing what happens. We should do that for a lot of other positions as well, giving young prospects bigger roles and seeing what happens. I think you even consider biting the bullet and finally trying Necas out as a center, which is what he wants. It could be a total train wreck, or we could end up looking every bit as good as previous years. Obviously we would hope for the latter scenario, but I don't think we should panic either if the first scenario plays out.

I think it should be noted that the goalies they've lost to in the playoffs have been really good. Rask twice, Vasilevsky, Shesterkin twice and Bobrovsky. You tend to play against good goalies in the playoffs, and it speaks to the fact that they themselves should probably be more critical of Andersen, especially this past year, but sometimes you just run into a buzzsaw, and unfortunately it just feels like that's been every year for this team.

Have Washington 2018 vibes from their offseason.

Paying Kotkaneimi 5M to produce nothing has held them back. They need to find a way to get rid of him and sign a talented speedster to play with Necas. If Necas is as talented as they say you adjust your system a little bit to take advantage. You don't trade him away just because he isn't a perfect fit for a strong forecheck defensive winger system. Necas was their best player in the playoffs.

I feel Teraveinen won’t be missed as much as people think. He was given more opportunities than I felt he should have, ex. PP1 time over Necas etc. most of his goals last season came in like the first 20 games and then fell off a cliff. Carolina will be fine and if anything other higher end players will get more chances to shine

As a Canes fan, im perfectly fine with the blue line changes. Slight downgrade with a cheaper cap hit. The worry is still the offense. I, and a large majority of the fans i've spoken to, saw a path to a better offense for years to come. Splash the cash to try to keep Guentzel, ship Necas for whatever return we can get. Unfortunately that didn't happen and we see where it goes. Still expect to get to playoffs, but not to go far.

I don't consider it a successful day unless I block at least 100 youtube ads.

Nice job on the Canes. So true, the previous guys didn’t get it done. Love Pesce but is definitely slowing down and has mileage. Guentzel screwed the Canes with the way he left. Canes gave him his ask on Thursday. He waited for a prettier girl to ask. It might be a wildcard year, but I’m ok with the changes.

Bob Ross reference = gold!! Tulsky is still cooking so it will be interesting to see how it turns out. Koochie gets starter this year, or its more 50/50 tandem with Anderson.

Should finish in the top 3 in the Metro but not a cup favorite. Love the Bob Ross mention. Bring on the happy accidents.

Losing Trochek was a big hit a couple of years ago.

A Necas trade has to happen right after you post this, right?

The way I’m viewing this upcoming season is that of a gap year. Yes I’m gonna miss the guys that left and the old core, but this past season was the best and last chance for them to make a run and they showed they don’t have what it takes after what was already an extended run of coming up short in the playoffs. Thankfully they’re set up to have another window of opportunity with so many talented guys entering or at their primes plus a great prospect pool and Orlov and Burns coming off the books at the end of the upcoming season (although I’d love Orlov to stay if they can get a lower cap hit for his next contract). I’m kinda looking forward to next season in a weird way in that my expectations are lower than they’ve been in a while yet I can still see myself enjoying watching them figure out where to go next and potentially exceed expectations which they can absolutely do.

Finished top 3 the last 4 years and we got 0 ecf wins to show for it 😁

Great analysis Shannon. This upcoming season is going to be an interesting one for Carolina

might use more puck movement and scoring on offense?

I’m not sure how this year will go. However I think when Nikishin comes in the following season (which is also when I expect one or more of Nadeau, Morrow, Felix Unger Sorum, or Blake to also make the jump to the big team) the reload to being a potential contender will be faster than people are expecting

Very much agree with your thoughts of "taking a step back might be a good thing for Carolina". There's been a lot of concern and worry over this team getting weaker since free agency opened up and a bunch of players left, and although I am sad to see long-time fan favorites leave, I think there's a potential for this to be a good thing. As much as I enjoy their regular season success, it is getting a bit tiresome at this point with how much they trail off come playoff time. I hope the team getting weaker on paper can maybe translate into a different kind of success this year

I think that the Canes are a well run group and players like it there.

Love when I get here so early I go deaf

Playoff team still. 1 year regroup . Not a bona fide contender this year. Could under- or over-perform! Posting here from my cosy seat on the fence

I really hope they give some young prospects on offense a chance and then make a big move next year knowing theyll have morrow and Nikishin coming in on rookie contracts that could free up a lot of money. Love the idea that in two years you have Slavin, Ghost, Chatty, Nikishin, Morrow and Walker. Need Nadeau, Jackson or someone to step up would love to see Leuimex, Carrier and a young gun as fourth line.

As a Preds fan (that also follows Carolina lived in Raleigh for a bit), the Hurricanes are definitely built to win. I wanted Necas but I'm guessing Carolina has a steep price...kind of wondering if their might be a revisiting of interest in Askarov. Carolina still needs goalie help it seems (I know they play a few players in net). They will be an interesting team this coming season.

The Kotkienemi signing is the millstone around Waddell's neck. Impossible to keep everyone. I'm glad Pesce is gone as he was a defensive liability. Not sure what people thought the Cane's GM could do. I would love to keep Necas, Jarvis and Drury, but I'm nervous about that.

Did you forget to mention Guentzle? 😮

Good analysis, Shannon. A couple of points: The Waddell departure was sudden and a bit of a head scratcher. Tom D. too much hands on? Tulsky has had to hit the ground running. Biggest complaints in Raleigh seem to be around the goalies. But your board showed how good the team has been with GAA. It seems to take newcomers a couple of months to be able to play effectively in Rod's scheme. Burns, Bunting, and Orlov all had somewhat painful learning curves. Everyone expects Jarvis to get an 8x8. That doesn't leave much for Drury AND/OR Necas. The solace for Canes fans is that the owner is not named Tepper...

I really hope Martinook doesn’t end up on the second line.

There's always the unexpected to consider so I won't make any predictions. It is a safe guess however that Carolina scores a few less goals, allows a few more, but makes the playoffs after which, anything is possible.

Definitely not a good idea to criticize an artist when their work isn’t done yet. Otherwise they might quit the profession and go into politics.

Was really hoping we could keep Guentzel but that fell through. Wouldn't be opposed for a trade for Ehlers for Necas but not sure how that cap hit would fit. Definitely looking for a step BACK up from Svechnikov and Kotkaniemi to make those cap hits more worth it. I feel like there's a lot of potential to "test" lines like Svech-Necas-Kuzy and see what happens but who knows if RBA has the kahunas to try stuff out. My biggest peeve as a Canes fan was RBA not playing Kochetkov more in the playoffs, I feel like Andersen got burnt out in that Rangers series and needed relief but didn't get it. Andersen could be a very reliable backup goalie with Kochetkov the starter. Very interested to see what the FO come up with for this season, but keeping my expectations for the playoffs kinda low.

I'm just waiting car pull rabbit out of hat and get both Ehlers and Laine. Would be fun to see Ehlers - Aho - Laine

The Bob Ross comment was a very funny analogy.

I'd say without adding another top 6 forward this Canes team takes a slight step back, while they might not be equal or better replacements.. Walker replaces Pesce, Carrier replaces Noesen, Gostibehere replaces Skjei, but Roslovic doesn't really replace Teravainen..

Anychance u do a Bluejackets video u did Sharks, Blackhawks, Ducks, why skip Columbus?

I picked against them when choosing the playoff bracket based off goalies

I just started watching Bob Ross recently lol

Pesce's shoulder is done. Love the guy but NJ got bamboozled.

I think they had their chances to win but couldn’t get it done. Rod is still the coach and i believe in Tulsky as gm. But I do think their best chance was last season and 2023 to win the cup at least. Should still be a playoff team though.

Can't wait until you get to the so far very quiet (too quiet imo) Habs, they will get in the territory of not making the playoffs but just by a question of 1-15 pts next season imo, but they need wingers and there's a couple they could sign who are still free agents, like maybe Necas, but right now Sprong or Van Riemdysk would be enough, loads of prospects on the d-line and on centre but after the first line, wingers are rough. I'm enjoying every of those early previous very much. I think Carolina should have an encased "Break in case of need for decent goalie" if Anderssen(on?) and Kotchetkov get injured in the former or underperform in the latter, things aren't very solidified between the pipes imo for the Canes.

Need another addition in the top 6... Preferably a 2c. We should get that for Necas. I would like to see us move Kotkieanemi as well... Its been a failed experiment. LET PEYOTR START IN GOAL DAMNIT

Its good team still, the last core did not get it done for enought tries and Tulsky retooled it (Its not like keeping the same core for years after not getting it done helps always) and Tulsky has said publicly that the young guys like Unger-Sörum, Nadeau, Blake and MOrrow are gonna get their shot at regular spots in their 2nd and 3rd years of ELC. During the playoffs lots of ppl were shitting on Canes for not scoring and now they are shitting on Canes for not keeping that same team together, I see Canes as anythign from 2nd to 4th team in Metro

It’s been very clear that this team doesn’t have that punch to get them over the top in the playoffs. Not surprising a lot of change has happened. Wish them the best because I want to see Burns win a cup.

Any fans that halfway understand the salary cap and contracts, knew that the past two seasons were the Canes' best chance to win it all. The storyline throughout last year was "better win now, this team will look a lot different next season". Now, fans have been slapped in the face with reality and they are shocked that the team looks different. There are a few question marks but the core team is shaping up. Going into next season with lackluster scoring depth and and the same goaltending tandem.... Sounds familiar right? Expect the same results.

Canes fan and don’t know how they didn’t buyout KK. They could’ve used that money to keep Turbo. At this point who can they trade Necas to? Not many teams have the cap space it’s going to take. Very different team coming up

This team has lacked what they have always lacked-TOUGHNESS!!!!!!! The scoring stops when they gets pushed around. This past playoffs was on coaching. I love Rod Brind'Amour but his line combos vs the Rangers left them with one dangerous line and without a true checking line. Line 1 JG(BOOOOO) Aho and Svech. Great line Line 2 Martinook, Zero offense shoot the puck in the goalies chest Drury at 2C????? with Necas. Necas was flying but had zero help. Martinook should have been with Staal on the third line. That has been the Canes bread and butter as they have a relentless fourcheck that wore down the opponent. The third line of Tarevainen Staal and Jarvis had no punch checking wise or offense wise. Staal with those two were a mismatch. Yes Fast was hurt but Martinook and Staal could have worked with Noesen and continue being that checking line the Canes were missing. the fourth line was just the left over players, Noesen Kuzy and KK. Necas and Kuzy looked great offensivly. Yes defensivly it had some issues. So why not put Turbo with them??? Necas KK and Jarvis would have worked as well. Necas and KK basically shared 2C in 2022/2023 and it worked great until Svech hurt his knee. But RBA never went back to that line. Necas had 71 points with KK and Svech. It was the Canes most productive line. But RBA made very little changes to the line up even though it was clear changes needed to be made. He is stubbern to a fault! Necas??????? Are the Canes really going to trade him and keep Drury?????? Yes Drury is a great defensive forward who is good on faceoffs and on the PK. But he is a 4C!!!!!!! Maybe a 3C at best. Necas can and has been a game changer. He is a beast in OT. In my opinion they need to sign both Jarvis and Necas. Let Drury walk or trade his rights. Honestly Ryan Suzuki looked much better than Drury in preseason last year. Yes injuries have been an issue. I see a much bigger upside to Suzuki than Drury. RBA needs to start using Necas the right way. The entire league sees it. Necas(and Jarvis) were drafted as centers in the first round. Necas knows how to play center. We saw it in the world cup. The Canes need a right hand center. Necas is a right hand center.

My expectations for 24-25 are curbed but they're still a playoff team.

They will still be good, but very hard to tell if they still have what it takes to go far in the playoffs.

Goaltending,was a factor,don’t say it ain’t,cause it was!

Media in Raleigh is very negative about the direction of this team. Some have gone as far as missing the playoffs.

When you bring up Mr.Ross,that is class!Theman,Mr Ross,was a MVP,always!

Canes also have one of the highest PIMs for teams in the playoffs.

I'm hoping their moves aren't done yet this offseason

Necas is leaving 100%

Orlov actually played better when he got more minutes.

I just take it as the Hurricanes were a playoff team so they used Pesce as their own rental. I don’t put that on Waddle

depth has always been their strength. Is depth enough though? When it comes to playoff time, it hasn't been enough. With Turbo, Jake, and Necas maybe gone... a lot of pressure on Aho to score big goals in big games.

This team should have made it to the finals twice,like the Kings or Blackhawks did in the 2010's. They have mortally underachieved, which is extremely befuddling, with how gpod Brind'Amour is as coach. The Orl9v signing was a bomb by Waddell. He should not have brought back Anderson or Raanta. They could have traded Pesce to Winnipeg, and gotten Hellebuyk. Plus the cap space they would have saved ( approx. $12/13 mil) would have been better used. When a team gets too comfortable being good, and isn't really tested in the regular season, it shows up ugly when playoff time comes. See the Rangers as another exmple. A full season of Kuznetsoz at near peak, will make up for the loss of Teravianan.

Can't say I like their team as much.

BOB ROSS!!!!

for goaltender maybe acquire Askarov from Nashville?

The problem with Carolina is they don’t really have that main guy. You can argue Aho or Svechnikov but really there is no clear star in their lineup that can take over a game or score a clutch goal. I think making a trade, much like FLA did with Tkachuk, could go a long way for future success in Hurricane country

Kinda feels like they're still just doubling down on the same blueprint that year after year hasn't been enough in the playoffs beyond the first rounds. Can't say I have much confidence on them winning the cup if that indeed is the case.

I don't think the forward group is strong enough. It was already a problem in other years, and I think it's at a low point now. They need 2 more good forwards.

Theyre taking a step back.

They are still a good team, but I think they took a step back.

no views in 38 seconds. THG fell off. replace him with TEG ASAP

no. the rangers series showed that this a soft team - all bark no bite. The forward core has some decent pieces but lacks that gamebreaking forward.

But bring in more Bob Ross references...

Still a contender but can’t see them making past round 2

carolina wasted so many ecf appearances

Canes are bargain bin again this year, lets hope we can make it happen! D’s solid, but Wild Card is our goal this year I think.

Bob Ross

as a Wings fan it hurts to lose Gost to be someone else's third pair :'(

at least they own the islanders

I was happily wearing my Canes RR 2.0, when I saw this vid pop up. "Oh! He's wearing the same--can't wait." I'm not saying I'm angry, but I am disappointed.

1 player doesn't make a team, necas, no necas, doesn't really matter

The cheapness of Dundon is finally going to bite them

I think people will be surprised, they had some very underrated pickups this offseason

Capfriendly is now done 😭

To me, the thing holding them back has been scoring. All of their offense is secondary scoring or scoring by committee. It works during the season. It doesn't work in the playoffs. They don't have that one guy who you have to plan around, that one guy can carry them for a series or two. I was always more worried about Brett Burns than their forwards. Aho is almost that guy ... almost. Guentzel was almost that guy, but ... not quite. It's been true the last few years when they were considered a Cup contender. Even more true now.

That Jesperi Kotkaniemi contract is going to haunt the Canes for some time.

Save the Whale!

Carolina will be the 3rd seed in the metro 5 teams will make playoffs from the Atlantic

On agent provocatier they talk about how arbitration isn't as cut throat as it use to be

Drury also declared arbitration Shan

Svechnikov will be a monster this year

Well...no 😂.

We're going to need 100 points from Aho and 40 goals each from Jarvis and Svech.

The team’s best days are officially behind them, as much as it hurts to say

If they don't manage to keep jarvis and necas, they're absolutely cooked.

They definitely got worse

They are in worse shape

Window closed. Go away.

As a canes fan... Everyone after the top 3 scare me to death. I don't like any of the F signings at all. The blue line is solid, Goalie is ok. But man... We need some offense. Also... Seems like we wasted a TON of money on very average players. 2 million here, 2.8 million there, a million there.. could have done more with what we had

Please don't sugarcoat it. They are CLEARLY a worse team now....

I wouldn't say they've "failed" in the playoffs...they've won at least one round for six straight years.