Reloading for Another Run: Carolina’s Free Agency & Trade Wins

Reloading for Another Run: Carolina’s Free Agency & Trade Wins

Well, what a season for the Carolina Hurricanes. You know, the Canes had a tough summer last year. A lot of free agents moved on and Eric Tulski had some serious work to try to get the lineup set for the Canes heading into this year. A lot of folks didn’t expect much from the Canes, but guess what? They hit the Eastern Conference Finals and they actually won a game against the champion Florida Panthers. But the Canes need to do some serious work this summer if they’re going to compete against that Panther team again because they’re the standard in the NHL right now. And of course, the Panthers did great work as well this summer resigning Sam Bennett, Aaron Ecklad, and Brad Marshon actually to six years. That’s quite a story. So, they’re going to be tough and they are definitely going to be the favorite. So Eric Tulski and crew had their work cut out for them this summer. We talked about the fact that Tulski’s got lots to work with this year. We mentioned in our last podcast that he has 28.4 million to spend and 20 of 23 roster spots set. He was in a situation with 29 draft picks over the next four years, including six first. He had some top prospects. We talked a little bit about Scott Morrow and Bradley Nadau who were on the top prospect team in the AHL. Quite a feat because there hasn’t been an NHL team that’s had two players on that prospect team before. So the cane’s in good shape. And finally we mentioned that hey a lot of the canes are signed for future key canes are signed for future long terms and we talked about Aaho Jarvis Slavven and even Kokan Emmy all of those guys on long-term deals. So lots to work with. So as we headed into the draft a lot of anticipation for the Kane. I’m wondering what was Eric going to do this year. So the draft that was interesting too and Aaron what did you see in the draft? Well, I had a couple thoughts about the draft. First of all, I was one of those people who thought it would be interesting to sit through the decentralized draft. And so, I actually watched the first day um you know, and by watched I mean I had it on in the background because as everyone who did watch it knows, it became an agonizing bit of non-entertainment television. So, even though a lot of the GMs really liked it, they liked being able to um sit around and discuss players and prospects openly, they liked being able to have those conversations without worrying that the guys at the next table were listening in. Um, and they liked not having to do the travel and then turn around and come back in time for free agency. Um, I think for the viewers, there’s going to have to be some changes made to how they do that. As far as the Kings go, um they did get all the way down to their first round draft pick, and as most of us anticipated, they traded it for more picks in the second round. Um to me, the most interesting and and surprising pick, if you want to go with that, is um Charlie Serado. I hope I’m saying his name correctly. Um uh the young centerman from um you know, who is an overager. He’s 20 years old. He’s still in college. He’s going to go back to college probably this year. Um, I like the pick because I think that you have a player here that if he pans out, and this is always a big if with anybody, you know, second rounder beyond, um, you could have somebody who comes in like a Jack Drury, um, who was also a second round draft pick or even Jake Evans in Montreal who was a college pick who took a long time, you know, to finish school and get into the league. but they’ve become very solid fourthline centermen and that would be something that I could see this pick maybe panning out to be. Um, but that was my main impression is that they they definitely need to fix the broadcast and make it more entertaining. But that the uh the Canes did do a lot of good work by trading that draft pick down and getting more um selections because with a draft like this, the class was kind of weak overall. there weren’t a lot of surefire NHLers below about the first maybe twothirds of the first round. So, why not, you know, increase your chances with quantity, which has been McCain’s strategy for several years. Um, the one that sounds like he’s really intriguing is, and I don’t know how to say his name because I’ve just been reading all the names, but it’s uh Riyabkin or Ivan Riyabkin. Ivan Riyadkin. Riyabkin. Yeah. Um, yeah, he he just seems like a really interesting story because it seems like he has just skill for days, but there are a lot of question marks on the off ice part of things and being a part of the Canes organization, how can they kind of smooth out some of those rough spots for him off the ice and then take advantage and develop those strong skill sets on the ice? So that seemed to me to be the most interesting uh storyline as far as the picss were concerned. But uh lots of Russians of course as is the the Kane’s MM O and so um now um Riykin he’s been playing in North America if I’m didn’t Yes. He was in the US with Moskegan and of course the Canes love USHL guys. So yes and he tore it up by the way. Yeah, but but for the rest of them that means that they can stay with their clubs in the KHL until they’re ready to come over just like we’ve seen with um Nikeshian or we might have some others like um Kaz um with the goalie doing some time as coachov did as well before they they come up to the NHL. Either way, that the Canes seem to have a lot of success and a lot of good plans with their Russian prospects and they’re not a afraid to sign them while a lot of other teams shy away because of the uncertainty of will they come over, won’t they come over, but um lot lots of good uh options it seems like uh all over from goalie and the forwards and the D and be interested to see how they develop. Well, a couple thoughts. Uh first of all on Riapkin I had mentioned Riabkin as a wild card even at 29. So I was all over Riapkin before we got him. Um actually Corey Pramman who writes for the athletic said this about Rykin. He has a ton of skill and ability to improvise with the puck. He sees the ice at a high level and makes difficult passes consistently. At times he competes quite hard and looks to use his body to win pucks. He’s a guy that’s he’s 5’11, he’s 200 lb. He’s stocky as heck. Uh he had a tough start last year. They had a lot of folks had him in the first round. In fact, some had him in the first, you know, in the the top 10 at different points because of his his skill as you mentioned. It’s off the charts, but he’s a guy that’s got to work on consistency. He’s got to work on his 200 foot game and that’s fine and he’ll get a chance to do that and I think that’s all good stuff. So, I think Reapkin was a steal. Uh you mentioned Serado. An interesting thing on Charlie Sado, he’s another guy that um you know missed two drafts. he passed through uh as a freshman. He he had a big year. He’s the top scorer in the NCAA with Penn State. He’s a guy that is one of those hardworking guys. He’s got a bit of offense, but he’s really a hardworking center. He’s like a Drury type guy. I think you you mentioned the right kind of player with Sorado. He was a bit of a wild card. He wasn’t anywhere on the list. Like he was so far down like it was it was almost laughable. So So the Kane saw something in him that a lot of folks haven’t talked about. And I know that Nick Bass when he saw him at the uh at the recent camp uh the prospect thing that was going on uh development camp uh he was quite impressed with Sorado for sure. Um one guy I wanted to mention was Seamian Frolov. He’s the goalie that the Canes took and and Frolov is a guy that was rated as by many as the top goalie available in the draft. And I know there was Medbedv and some other guys that were picked higher but this guy is is really something again he’s 6′ three. He’s another big goalender. Uh here’s what Corey Proman said about Frolov. He’s a clear NHL athlete with decent size and exceptional lower body quickness to make a lot of difficult saves. He’s never out of a play with how quickly he recovers and is able to get across the crease. So, he’s a guy that getting uh some excellent words from Prime and for sure he’s got raw talent. So, again, the Canes are stealing these players. In many cases they were rated lower down and we know the story about the canes and their Russians. Um, one other Russian they took just to kind of wrap up the Russian side was this guy Kban Limitov. You might have seen him again 6’3. He’s a 200 pounder. He skates like Matt. He’s another one of these huge defenseman and and I know the folks at the development camp said how many big defenseman do we have? They’re huge. So he’s another one and again he’s a guy that looks like he’s got a potential future with the Kings. Now, I wanted to mention one crazy crazy one because uh we picked at 221 a player called Philip Ecberg, a Swede. He’s playing was playing with the Ottawa 67s last year. Ekberg’s a smaller player, 510, 165. Uh I had been watching through the draft and people were coming up in the third round and said, “Where the heck is Ecberg? Why isn’t he drafted?” Like what’s going on? And here we are. We get him at 221. And here’s what Primeman said about Ecert. He was named the MVP of the under 18 World Championships and was a big reason why Sweden won a silver medal. He’s a superb skilled winger. He makes highly difficult and creative plays with the puck often. He’s a great playmaker with a good shot who projects to run a pro power play. This guy is a heck of a talent. Okay. And we get him at 221. Unbelievable. I saw some people um on X. Yeah. Yeah. I mean, he seriously didn’t understand why he fell so low. You know, when you look at where we started with a a 29th pick and then not anything till late in the third round and Eric volleys that into three second rounders and a high third round pick. So, you know, it’s just these guys are are magic. He and Darren York I think are they’re they really do a clinic on this thing. And so I was uh out of a kind of a what I thought was going to be a boring and disinteresting draft. It turned out to be kind of fun. And of course uh the cupboard is jammed as we’ve talked about many times with the Canes and they added some more players with some some outstanding skill. So great job done by the Canes. But, you know, that’s uh that’s futures and we’ve got a little bit more interest on what’s going to happen with this coming season. And uh here we go into free agency trades. Um and it didn’t take long before the free agency luster kind of went away. Uh you know, we had talked a lot about Mitch Mner. He was never really a factor for the Canes. As it turns out, he wasn’t interested in Carolina at all. uh he was only interested in Las Vegas. So the top uh the top dog was gone and then very quickly one of the other guys who might have been of interest, Brock Besser, signed with Vancouver. So all of a sudden you’re getting into a group of free agents that aren’t too exciting. And on the blue, Eblad was gone. Uh Prov was gone. I mean, quite frankly, it was a boring look at uh at free agency. So So there we go into free agency. And the first thing of course the Canes had to deal with was their own. And what do we think about that Katie? What do you think about the decisions made by Eric and the existing Canes free agents? Um well I think most Kane’s fans will agree that it was time to move on from Burns and Orlov and they went off and signed their deals with the Avalanche and the Sharks respectively. So, it will be interesting on a personal level to watch Burns next season and see what he looks like because it it’ll probably seem like almost a totally different player. His role will be different. There is no way he is going to be a topline player with the abs having Marin tape. So, um it will be very interesting to see how how that goes. Um and you know, congratulations to Orlov on getting his nice bag with the Sharks and being a mentor to some of those young guns over there. But with with those two gone, um the one that I was really excited to see come back as far as the UFAs was Eric Robinson. He just worked his tail off for the Canes and he was very solid for them no matter what role they put him in. I mean, he started the season for a while up there on that line with KK and Nas and they were the top line for the Canes for a long time and he really brought a lot of that balance and grit. uh to to that trio. And then when it came time for him to play a lesser role, whether um it was fourth line or wherever he was put, he did that well, too. And he just put his head down and brought his lunch pail to the to the rink every night and did what he needed to do. And I think the Canes really appreciated that and saw the value in that. And so I’m I’m happy they have extended him and brought him back because you need those types of players uh to make a deep run in the playoffs. And uh they needed him this past season for that and they’ll need him again for future uh playoff runs Oh, agree. Absolutely. Um, and uh, you know, one thing that uh, that people will will want to pay attention to or bear in mind with Robinson is he’s signed for four years at 1.7 million. And with the new collective bargaining agreement, if I’m not mistaken, I don’t have this in front of me, but um, the league minimum is going to rise to the million dollar mark, you know, uh, fairly quickly over that as that collective bargaining agreement comes into force. So, you’re talking about a player who, you know, is they’re they’re getting at an incredible value with the rising cap for four more years when some of those numbers are going to kick in and and you’re going to see um players making uh more than that to play fourthline roles. So, that was a good bit of of work. The other free agent that I really am happy to see come back, even though he will probably be mostly with the Wolves, is Yua Yasa. I think that he um even even though he only came into a couple of games with the Canes, that player has just an incredible work ethic. Um another one of those that you just watched him from the get-go and said, “Well, this guy’s a Canes player, you know, he belongs in this system.” So, somebody again that they can have as a potential um call up, somebody that they can that they can bring in. Um, and then I think uh, you know, they did they did a good job with another player as well that and that would be Tyson Jo. So, yes. Um, love him. I love him. Well, Katie, you had uh, and we I had mentioned this on X. You you were very strong in our last podcast about Tyson Jo being somebody you really wanted brought back and and I think it was great that they brought him back, too, because I honestly believe he should have played in the playoffs. he should have been brought in at different times and I think uh he definitely had earned the right and at the end of the season uh that fourth line was really clicking with with him on there and I thought he did a great job. So it’s good good news. Um right on with Robinson. Come on that’s a steal. This guy I think he’s going to get better. Um, don’t forget, I mean, he’s had kind of a disjointed career up until now and he’s, you know, this was his real chance to kind of find a home and I think there’s more offense that he has to give. Uh, I don’t know of anyone that gets more chances than Eric does. Uh, get those breakaways and all those great chances he gets. So, I think if he can maybe spend the summer and, you know, sharpen up his shooting skills, that might be great. Um, Yasa, an interesting thing on Yasa, you might have noticed the second year is a one-way deal. So, uh, I thought that was kind of interesting that they decided to do it that way. And again, uh, he’s league minimum 750K, but I was ecstatic when they signed UA because just like you said, Aaron, man, he just came out and he was a heart and soul guy and he’s not going to hurt you on the ice and he can play any position, center or the wing. uh he’s just the kind of, you know, depth you want. And with he and uh Jo, I think they’ve got a couple of guys that they could just call up anytime and and they’re good to go. So, I think uh and again, uh if they’re playing in Chicago, those guys are great mentors as well for uh for some of these young kids that are coming in. So, it’s good stuff. Um and of course, the big news, the big signing of Logan Stankov. How do we feel about that, Katie? Oh, I’m thrilled. I didn’t mention him before because he’s technically an RFA extension, not one of our UFAs. But sure, I I don’t think that anybody on Twitter was unhappy with the Stanovven extension. We are We are thrilled to have him. He’s a perfect cane. He’s made to be a cane. Um, I’m sure last year was tough for him because he had envisioned himself to be a star for a very, very long time and kind of had the rug yanked out from underneath him with the trade. But perhaps looking back on it, and it seems like with the extension, he would agree that it was a rather fortuitous uh fall into the Kane’s lap because as well as he fit the stars, he fits the Canes even better. and he is another one of those versatile wingers that can play up and down the lineup no matter where he ended the season with Stalin Martnuk. I would not be surprised to see him back there again next season because he he has the engine to keep up with those two and their work ethic and their style of play. But if they needed him up on a second line, he can do that. if they need a break or need to have more of a tough checking line and put Kerier up there. He still has the kind of good attitude that he’ll put in a couple of games on the fourth line. He’s just a tell me what to do coach and I’m going to go do it to the best of my ability and we as Kane’s fans absolutely love that. So we I I am very happy to have him back and can’t wait to see all the different ways that he is going to contribute to this team. Yeah, I mean an interesting thing uh hockey forecaster wrote this about uh Stankov and I thought it was interesting. They said the feisty undersized forward has the on ice energy coaches love and a shot that goenders dread. I think uh I think yeah I think with Logan um to me this was a steal. Again uh three, four, five years from now Logan Stankhovven at $6 million. We’re going to sit there and go, you got to be kidding me. It’s like the deals they’ve done with, you know, Slavven and and most and and again with uh with Seth Jarvis. These deals are going to age extremely well. Um you know, when you look at Stankov and um I was reading some interesting things in the Keen lately when they were looking at him last year heading into the league, they were they saw him as a real contender for rookie of the year. They thought this guy is just he his talent is off off the charts. and we haven’t seen really what he can do yet. And you know, he starts to show it on the power play. That’s where he’s going to get a lot of his points. Obviously, if he’s working with the dads, that’s a little bit of heavy lifting for him, but but he does see action on that two power play and he’s very effective. And as we know, he can score. He’s got a shot. He can put the puck in the net. And the other thing is, uh, you know, for a guy of his slight size, and I know Eric Tulski was talking a lot about this, it’s just amazing that he’ll go to those tough areas and hang out there and, uh, comes out with the bruises and the hits and everything else. So, so great stuff. So, so you look at where the Kane started, uh, and again, I agree with you. You know, Brent Burns, Dmitri Orv, it was time. Um, needed some fresh blood. The other guy that was not ressigned was Jack Rosclavic. Of course, uh Roslavik right now is rumored to go to the Maple Leafs, and apparently they’re trying to figure out a way to get their uh their dollars down on the caps so that they can make that happen. But I I’m okay with Russell Vic. Um okay. So, while that was going on there, obviously, you know, getting the the house in order on the on the Kane side, there were some things happening on the goalending side. We had talked a little bit about this in in our last podcast as well, kind of previewing this and saying they’ve got to get a third goalender. Um Spencer Martin and Tolski was said some good things about Martin. He was heading off to Russia to play with C CKS CSKA, I’ll get it right, uh in Russia. So, he was off on a two-year deal. A good deal for him. Uh so, he definitely wasn’t going to be a factor. And I don’t think he was the right guy anyway. And certainly Dustin Tokarsski appreciate his good effort last year. He wasn’t the guy either. And I think the the Canes realized that, you know, with the injury challenges of Freddy and and at times Podor, uh they got to have somebody that can play some games. So first up on the agenda, Erin, they uh they acquired a former Montreal Canadian in Kaden Primo. What can you tell us about Kaden? Well, I haven’t seen as much of uh Primo as uh some people have because um I typically just watch the NHL games. And I mean, I did used to watch the Rocket. They’re a fun team to watch. It’s gotten a little bit trickier, more expensive to watch AL games. And if you’re watching two NHL teams, chances are you don’t have time to watch a lot of AHL games. So, unless you’re getting paid, but just put that out there. No. Um but um during his his fill-ins that when he’s come been called up from the Rocket to take uh uh those times in the NHL when when one of their other goalenders has not been available. Um Primo has done pretty well. Um last season he only played 11 NHL games and and the save percentage was not that great. It was an 8 836 save percentage, but again, you know, these are typical callup situations. You’ve got people down, you’ve got other, you know, people out or something. So, it’s not like you can look at that and just read everything into that. As we know, it’s harder to judge goalenders strictly from a stat basis, but he plays well. His movements are, you know, he seems to be moving well to get the puck and he’s not, you know, he doesn’t play with a lot of panic. He’s a very calm goalender, I would say. Um, last the previous season, he actually had 23 games in the NHL, and that season he had a 910 save percentage as an NHL uh goalender. So, his career NHL is an 884, which for a backup goalender who’s going to come up and, you know, play some games for you when your guys are are injured, you can’t ask for better than that. And as far as uh how he’ll do with the Canes, I can’t help but think that because of the Kane’s way of playing team defense that those numbers are going to come up a little bit that he’s not going to be fighting quite as much to, you know, there’s not going to be as many um high danger chances and so on, you know, and and that we we all we’ve had that discussion as far as maybe that’s not always a good thing, but um I think for a goalender like Primo, um that’s not going to be an issue and uh he’s going to be just fine. So, I’m excited to have him join the Canes from the Habs. The Habs really had reached a point because of their other young prodigy, Jakob Dovish, where they kind of needed to make a decision one way or the other with Promo. And this is a great opportunity for him. Um, certainly to come in and and uh I know he’s going to be great for the Wolves. That’s not even a question because he was a terrific part of the Habs season this season. And the Rocket um I’m sorry, not the Habs, the Rocket. Um the Rocket made it quite deep into the playoffs and it was uh you know a lot of that was due to the goalending they had um not just promo but in general. Um they’ve had a really good uh round of goenders in the Rocket. So I I like the P. I mean I like the acquisition. You can’t you cannot complain about a seventh round draft pick being the cost because seventh round draft picks almost never make it to the NHL in the first place. And uh age-wise, um he is uh this he’s 2 he’ll be 26 in August. So he’s going to fit right in with the age of the current um younger goal tender side, you know, because we have several both in Chicago and then of course Kachekov. So it’s it’s going to be a good ad, I think, and I think it’s going to be fun to have him come in and play some games um at some point, which we know that during the course of the season there’s almost 100% chance he’ll come in for at least a game. So we’ll see. Yeah, I I would I would expect I mean he he could be around a fair bit of the season, I think, for sure. Um here here’s what uh hockey forecaster said about Primo. And this is interesting. He says he has the ability to shut the door with a pl since he’s both technically sound and an athletic net minder who can make spectacular saves when required. And here’s the good story. His pedigree is off the charts. So, we know that his dad is Keith Primo. And Keith, if you might recall, was traded for Rod Grindmore. So, kind of an interesting history here. Uh kind of what goes around comes around. Um I’m excited about Primo. I think he’s got great upside. Um and I think he’s a guy that again brings size. He’s got athleticism. Uh I I’m really excited to see what he’s going to do. And he, you know, he could really kind of move himself into that number two spot. uh he’s been given an opportunity here because we know that Freddy’s not going to be around for that much longer and you know maybe this is a chance for him to come in and and uh and show what he can do and and he’s definitely got the you know the talent he’s got the the experience in the in the minors where he’s played extremely well. So yeah, good move. Uh the other guy that uh they decided to make a move on was Andreas Fesnikov’s buddy over in Russia and of course that’s uh Amir Mit My Mifftov uh Mythtikov uh was uh was drafted by Tampa. He played a year in North America was not particularly successful. He had been playing with Akbars in Russia came over then decided to go back. uh has been tearing it up in the KHL and uh and again is a guy that uh comes in with uh with what the Canes think is some pretty good upside. Now, he’s on a two-way deal this year. Um my suspicion is if it doesn’t go particularly well, he’ll head back to Russia. So, he’s a veteran. He’s 26, 27 years old. Again, same kind of thing. And uh so, two guys, some more guys to bring into the mix. They think they’ve got upside. think they can compete uh certainly to be a third goalender for the Canes and maybe do something in the future. So, kind of exciting. Um and again, a little bit off the charts, right? Uh my is 25 and he’s a he’s a six-footer, so he’s not a really big goalender. So, that’s a little bit different for the Kings. Okay. Now, uh so here we go. We’ve got our goalending sorted out. We’ve uh sorted out the players that they wanted to sign with the Canes, but we still had some positions that we needed to get busy on with the Canes. 2C of course has been the Achilles heel for the Canes and uh that was a big thing they were going to try to try to solve. They wanted a scoring winger and we talked a little bit about this and we had talked about some of the candidates uh not much available and then they wanted another Dman. They needed another Dman that could play in the top four. So again, we knew we had lost Burns, we had lost Orlov, but we had Alexander Nikishan coming in. So that’s good news, but we still needed another Dman uh to kind of round out the course. So what were we going to do? So free agency uh didn’t leave us a lot. And so with uh with Aaron Ecklad moving on and Prov signed, you know, pretty quickly and he wasn’t a guy we were going to look at anyway, there wasn’t really much there. I mean, who do you want to put in your top four? So, uh, so they had to get busy. And Erin, what did they do? Well, they did something I think that surprised a lot of us. Uh, they went and, um, looked, they targeted some young uh, defensemen. Uh, we’ve heard the rumblings about them targeting, you know, Buchard possibly with an offer sheet. We heard that they were among the groups in on Noah Dobson who went to my other team, the Habs, and they ended up uh signing the young defenseman from the New York Rangers, Yandre Miller, and he is a fantastic young defenseman. This was a great decision. I think it’s exciting when um your general manager doesn’t just look at the veteran options and says, you know, what have we got out here that maybe a player that has a lot more potential than he’s been able to uh show so far, but is already really really good. And so I I was really surprised and very excited to to see Miller added to the team. I think he’s going to be great. Um it’s going to be interesting to figure out just exactly how that deployment’s going to work. I know we’ll probably be talking about that closer to the season when when things get a little bit more, you know, solidified. Yeah. Um but I I think it’s really really uh exciting and and uh um based on just just when you came when you came into the offseason, you know, a lot of us still thought that gee maybe they’re going to resign Burns for a year or gee maybe they’re going to do this other thing. So this is much more interesting and I I I think it’s going to be incredible to watch how this all works. Katie, what were your thoughts on the deal for uh Kandre Miller? Well, the thing that of course stands out uh when it comes to Keandre Miller is the fact that he is a left shot defenseman because with the with the arrival of Nikesian, it seemed like the Canes were set on the left side. Slavven, Nikesian, Ghost, good to go. So it shows that the canes are prioritizing talent over just some sort of you know stat like right hand left hand making sure that that balance quote unquote is there and so the the question then becomes who who plays on their left side if this is the final composition of the defense. It might not be there might be something still going on. Who knows? But uh they you don’t go out and sign a player like Miller to put him on your third pair defensively. You don’t pay that kind of money for them. So I would not be surprised if he actually ends up on the top pair with Slavven. And we’ve been talking about a long time about how Slavven needs a better D partner. He needs to be with somebody where he’s not all just having to babysit out there um while play is going on. And I think that Miller offers a really interesting opportunity for him to be kind of like Slavven’s apprentice, I guess, is how I would put it. In that he has good stick work just like Slavven. He does positioning pretty well. Not not at Slavven’s level, but if he can learn from Slavven, then he can take what he does well and make it better. So, um I’m excited to see what he can do. and plus with Slavven behind him, it will allow him to open up his offensive game a little bit more. Uh when you look at who he was paired with last season, he started off the season with Adam Fox, who is known for his offensive skill. And so Miller did not have a whole lot of production when he was paired with Fox and then there were a period of games that he missed and he came back and the majority of those games he was paired with Borggan and his offensive game uh rose quite a bit. He scored quite a few more points in those games that he played with Borggan and he played with Fox. And I think a lot of that has to do with the fact that he got to be the one who drove play from the blue line more so than his partner did. And so he will get that same a similar opportunity with Slavven. Slavven has, you know, will get his chances. He’s he’s a smart cookie and we know we know how he works when he’s in the ozone. But his his presence will allow Miller to really uh pinch in when when he sees an opportunity or join in on the rush. There are a lot of good clips of how Miller is smart about joining jumping in and joining on the rush and creating those oddman opportunities for his team. So, it’s definitely going to be something to keep an eye on. The Canes really believe in him. they would not have negotiated that eighth year, that trade um if they didn’t believe that he was not only going to be a long-term solution, but a good solid uh long-term solution, whether top pair or third defenseman, the the drive play driver on that second pair regardless. So, I’m I’m I’m really going to keep my eye on him because I find him very fascinating and am looking forward to seeing how the the Canes go about uh I guess rehabilitating a little bit of the regression that has happened for him the past couple of seasons because that there is a star player in there and just let let Brendmore and uh company get their hands on him and it’s going to it’s going to be fun to see how he develops. Well, you I know you had taken a look at some uh hockey viz charts and some other charts as well, Katie. Did you see anything that kind of jumped out yet at you in terms of u you know, Miller? Was there anything that hey, that’s interesting or that’s kind of cool or whatever? Did you see anything on the charts that uh that you thought was interesting? Well, yeah, like I mentioned, when he’s paired with um with somebody who’s a little bit more defensive minded, he really does have a good um uh a good opportunity and eye for creating offense. Um there’s the the season summary chart for him that shows his who he was paired with more frequently and where his goals and stuff were. And so that was really cool. And then when you look at his offense where his shots come from, um the shot chart looks a lot like Brent Burn’s shot chart but from the left hand side. It’s just so concentrated back at the blue line and in that in that corner top corner of the zone. But unlike Burns, he has a lot of shots also where he goes to the net and he pinches and that’s where most of his goals come from. He doesn’t score a lot of goals back from the blue line as you would expect. those are lower um you know lower danger shots but when he does go towards the net and drive the net he is able to get some more finishing in on those chances and he had I think it was six goals 23 points or 23 assists and 29 points for the Rangers last season. I wouldn’t be surprised if he exceeds that with the Canes this year because of the ice time and the opportunities he’s going to be getting if if he ends up playing next to Slavven. Well, you know, a couple years ago, 22 23, you know, he was really on the right trajectory. He was starting to see his game really take off and of course that’s before Peter Lavlet came in and ultimately the wheels came off for the Rangers. But he had nine goals and 34 assists for 43 points. So definitely a guy that can put up some numbers. He played almost 22 minutes a game. You know, at 22 in the playoffs, he played almost 25 minutes a game. This guy’s a horse. So, uh you know, you got to like it when you’ve got he and uh and Alexander and Nikeshian who are two guys are going to eat minutes and both of them uh kind of bring a lot of size. So, this is exciting. Um McKenz had an interesting thing to say at the start of the season when they did their review of the teams and they said, “A rangy 6’5 defender who is an exceptional skater. Miller excels at using his speed and massive reach to shut down opposing forwards to shut down the attack, often eliminating any threat against the Rangers net. So again, as I as we’ve talked a little bit about, he’s very good with his stick. He’s very good in getting back. You know, he looked like, you know, I’ve seen a lot of highlights where he actually looks a little bit like Jaylen Chapfield. He’s one of these guys that has this enormous speed. Um there was some information from uh NHL edge on his skating speed and he’s in the 94th percentile in top skating pe speed and 89th in bursts over 20 miles an hour. Now by comparison uh Burns was 53rd in skating speed top skating speed and 61st in bursts over uh 20th 61st percentile. So way way down. Orl was 50th in both. So, I think we’re getting a guy that’s going to bring a lot more speed uh to the mix here. And uh and again, I mean, there’s questions about um about Miller. Uh you know, some folks are wondering about his uh his ability to see the ice, you know, his ability to get those uh breakout passes from his own zone. Uh some other things about, you know, how he he kind of reads the game and so on. We’ll see how that plays out. But I think with the Kane’s style and if he’s working with a guy like Jacob Slavven, he can make some mistakes. That’s no problem. So I think uh like you, I’m very excited. Interestingly enough, when the deal was done, uh the NHL network had a couple of guys talking about uh the deal. Uh Stu Grimson, former Hurricane, and of course uh also Tony Granado, who coached uh Miller at Wisconsin. Let’s listen to what they had to say. I think we’ll see better hockey from Keandre Miller and the net uh the you know the net benefit that has to uh to these canes on the blue line. Absolutely. And I had the pleasure of coaching him at Wisconsin. Extremely talented athleticism can skate. The thing that is remarkable about him is he’s got such a great reach first of all. So it’s hard enough to get by him and if you do and you beat him, his recovery and his ability to adjust to with his skating ability is really in at an elite level. So, uh, great defender. I think the one thing for him offensively, he’s going to have an opportunity in Carolina to get some more important offensive minutes. I think Brenda Moore will tell him, “Hey, I want you in the play more. I want you more aggressive in the offensive zone.” And he has got a good shot and very talented offensively. So, his numbers should go up. Okay. So, the Canes good start on solving the deep the D. Um, and they had a good start with this. So, of course, uh you know, they actually went about and and made another move on the defense, uh kind of quietly, and they signed, uh Mike Riley to a one-year deal, a $ 1.1 million deal in free agency. U this was all going on at the same time, so you had to kind of navigate between trades and and uh and free agent signings. Uh Riley’s an interesting one. Riley. Um, again, he had done some good work with uh with the Islanders a couple of years ago. You might remember they had their defense was completely decimated and they brought Riley into to kind of shore up and I remember uh a lot of good things was said about Riley and you know he’s a guy that folks don’t much don’t know much about. Um and what was said about Riley uh by the hockey forecaster I think was interesting. They said he’s a college star whose game is finally starting to come together at the NHL level. So, he’s a guy that took a while to kind of find his way. Uh, excellent complimentary defenseman who can be a valuable contributor with the right partners. So, I think the idea with uh with Riley was again a veteran, low cost, he can be that seventh defenseman, he can come in and fit in with anybody. Uh, solid getting out of his own zone. He’s a good skater. So, uh, I think again a good complimentary move by the Canes to get, uh, to get Riley locked up. So, now they had the Done. Um, what are they going to do about center and the scoring forward? So, where did they go with the scoring forward? There wasn’t much out there, Katie. Any thoughts on that one? I think we all know exactly where they went when it came to the scoring forwards. We’re still waiting on a 2C and see how that goes. is whether or not KK sticks around for another season. Um, but we got we got our scoring winger. Nikolai Eelers was the top free agent that actually made it to market and everyone was sitting on pins and needles wondering will he, won’t he? Where will he? Uh, does he, you know, stay in Winnipeg? Does he go somewhere else? Who’s offering this? Is it the Capitals? Is it the ABS came up? Where’s he going to go? But he’s a good fit for Carolina. And the longer the conversation went on, it seemed more and more of the good fit in Carolina line was indicating, well, even if he’s a good fit, he’s not signing with us. But right, surprise, surprise. Yeah, he actually did sign and it’s that and um I think I think Aaron even doomed it into existence. Yes, if I recall. Um uh but with with Eer signing it just it was very interesting and it’s it’s cool because it it’s obvious that he wants to be a Carolina hurricane. Uh the Jets sounds like especially with that eighth year that they could have used would have been able to offer him a similar or better deal. And it also sounds like that there were more lucrative offers out there from other teams. Yes. But I think that Eers wanted a good contract, but he didn’t just want any contract. He wanted to go to a place that he felt that he could contribute, but also get opportunity, that he wanted that topline role, that he wanted a chance to really be the the key cog in the offense for a team and but still be on a path to playoff success. And Carolina was the team that fit that bill. And I think that’s eventually what convinced him to sign here. And it sounds like Brenda Moore made a big pitch that was very meaningful to him. Wouldn’t be surprised if if Frederick Anderson also helped with being a fan of Dane. Um but very excited to to see him on the Canes and to see what he is able to do. I’m there’s no reason to assume he’s going to be anywhere else in the lineup other than stapled right next to Sebastian Aaho. So what the two of them can create together hopefully will be very special starting this season and for many seasons to come. Erin, thoughts on Nikolai Eers? Well, um I I said it on uh uh X that I I really hope after all of the glowing things Eer said about really wanting to come to Carolina, really wanting to play for the Canes and play for these fans that I hope he never has to pay for an adult beverage in Raleigh, North Carolina because and the fans have been waiting a long time for a player who didn’t just end up in Carolina, but who chose Carolina. And when I say a player, I don’t mean, you know, obviously they’ve signed people long term that are very happy to be here. They have homegrown prospects that have come all the way through the system, but for one of the well, literally like Katie said, the top free agent left um when by the time free agency opened to choose Carolina, that is a big deal for a team that has had this lingering reputation that nobody wants to sign here. And that that was, you know, it’s almost like the antidote to um what happened with Miko Rantin because, you know, that was another opportunity for the national media to complain and say, “Nobody wants to sign in Carolina. Nobody wants to go there. You’re not going to get a top star or a top free agent.” And so Nikolai Elers may not be right at that tier of the Rentonin and and those types of players, but he’s not very far below it. and that is a a player that I think that the Canes should be absolutely thrilled and excited to get for this team. And then just his character, his work ethic, the type of player that he is. All of those are qualities that are going to fit just great in uh in char in Carolina because it’s just not you don’t see players too often that have the kinds of impact on their you know with the goal scoring and everything else who are also you know willing to do all the hard work and and no one has ever complained at all about Eer’s work ethic or his ability to to not focus exclusively on scoring but to be a real team player. So, it’s a great move. Well, you know, Eer’s um eight of his last nine seasons has scored more than 20 goals. Um and he’s had u you know, he usually gets around 60 points. This is this is a guy that’s going to deliver and and again uh you know, he had some of those seasons where he missed action and he he was on definitely a trajectory to to score a lot more than 29 goals or 30 goals in the year. Um I’m excited about Eers. One of the things that that was discussed uh recently about Eers and and that we see is is he has an ability to carry the puck into the zone effectively and make plays on his own. He’s one of those guys that can create a goal out of nothing and I’ve seen a number of highlights showing that. I think the Canes have missed very very desperately the ability to get into the opposition zone on the power play when Nate just left. Um he was the he was the trigger of that. he was the catalyst that really made it happen. And I think one of the reasons that they really wanted to go after Eers is because he does that well. And so he brings that capability on the power play to to really bring the puck up the ice quickly and to get in there and make something happen. And I think that’s going to be exciting. You know, you mentioned uh the quality of guy. I mean I was very interested watching the interview with him and the discussions with dealers when he talked about look he called so many people as he was kind of preparing to make his decision right so he was talking to players he was talking to you know friends he was talking to whoever would talk to him uh to say hey you know I’m looking at these teams what can you tell me what do you think and you know that fortunately for cades fans uh a lot of of those folks spoke glowingly about the Canes and of course uh Coach Brymore. Um so clearly, you know, he did his homework, he made the decision to come. It’s kind of the antithesis of uh of our man Rantin. Uh so all of a sudden you got a guy that definitely wants to be here and he’s going through the effort to be here. So thank you very much. Um and I think that’s great. And you know the other you look at him and and you also look at Kandre Miller and Miller’s a great guy, too. you know, I I’ve seen a lot of things on him. He’s extremely well-liked. He’s he’s kind of a soft spoken guy. And one of the things he said that really caught my attention was he said, you know, I was really excited about signing this long-term deal because that’s going to set up my mom as well for her future. And you know, he said, “She gave up so much for me to be an NHL player, and I just want to I want to repay her.” And I thought that was ex, you know, that’s to me that’s outstanding. And again, what are the Canes doing? They’re filling that roster with people that, you know, they’re just quality people in the room. And uh and they’re going to fight. And you know, they talked a lot about, you know, all those guys in the room have one thing on their mind. How the heck are we going to beat the Panthers? So So now these new folks are going to come in and they’re going to they’re going to start drinking the Kool-Aid as well. So the Canes did all this. They did lose a player along the road. We didn’t really talk about this, but they did lose Scott Mororrow uh in that Candre Miller deal. You know, I think in the end, I think you look at the body of work of Eric Tulski signing all these players on the Kane’s roster, signing some new folk, and then of course trading for Miller. I think it’s pretty good uh pretty good job done so far. Aaron, thoughts? Um, I think there’s really no complaints about uh Tulski’s first full uh off season as a general manager. I mean, we know that he had his his hands were really full last year to come in, you know, from the position of having been the assistant GM and then suddenly he’s the GM and he had to handle, you know, the the the draft and the trade deadline and especially all of those departing UFAs because, you know, we we really didn’t lose that many this year compared to last season. the number of players, you know, and all of the juggling that was going on while he was also trying to negotiate with Jay Gensel. I know he got a lot of criticism for that. But this is the first off season where he’s really been fully in the driver’s seat from the get-go. There was no transition, no handover, nothing like that. you you I I look at this and say, you know, you really can’t give this uh any lower of a rating than an A because, you know, he’s he’s done a stellar job and he’s done it um thinking outside the box a little bit, not not doing the kinds of things that most general managers would do sort of as a um uh standard operating procedure. He didn’t look to fill the roster with the same types of players that were leaving. he didn’t, you know, and and so everything that he’s done, I think, has upgraded the Canes and improved their chances of getting farther in the playoffs. And that’s what you want to see um with an off season of this importance because we know that the Canes really want to keep pushing and you know, it’s it’s not good enough to make it to the Eastern Conference final and just win one game. Um and we know what their competition is. you know, barring anything really unforeseen happening, the Florida Panthers are going to be the biggest obstacle standing between the Canes and the Stanley Cup, you know, for as as until they reach the point where they can get past them. These are the kind of moves you want to see. You want to see the kind of moves that are going to give them the scoring, the defense, and just shoring up all of those areas that need to be fixed. So, I love what’s been done so far. Yeah. And just to to add to that, um, and I’ll give you a shot at this, too, Katie. Um, I think I think one of the things that Eric does and you know, we always have to remember that any moves that Eric and his crew make are analytically based in a you know a huge fashion, right? So, I mean, they go through a lot of analysis. They do a lot of kind of investigation about the players, you know, what they’re like, you know, what they can expect from these players as people and so on. But if we look at what the Canes did in the offseason last year, they brought a lot of players in and most of them stuck. I mean, it’s incredible, right? They they re-up most of them. Uh, and they contributed extremely well and in a very fast fashion to the Hurricanes. So, you know that if Eric’s got his eye on somebody, it’s very likely other than the opportunistic deal for Ranton, I think it’s very likely that he’s, you know, he’s he’s got his signature on it. And I think you’re right with what you’re saying, Aaron. This is his first chance to really do it. And again, long-term contracts, you know, getting folks line, you know, I mean, look at the number of folks who are like on several year deals. I mean, it’s it’s incredible. His work over the next few seasons is going to be pretty easy. He’s got so many folks locked up, right? And it’s it’s quite a story. So, Katie, what did you think about Eric’s work? I mean, obviously, Erin and I are pleased. What are you thinking? Oh yeah, I think he has definitely done very well him and the entire group because you know that it’s a team effort. He might be the the captain of the team when it comes to this sort of thing but there’s a lot of input from Dundon, from Brenda Moore, from Gleon, from the whole um the whole crew, the scouting department. So, it just shows what a really unique team that they have that they work together handinand so seamlessly when whether it’s the scouting for the um at the different minor league levels or it’s looking into current players and seeing who would fit the system because that’s what’s so key right now is finding players who fit the system. And the one thing that I know I personally have gotten caught up in before is worrying about players being too syamy for the Canes. And I think I mean I think there’s some validity to that, but at the same time Stanovven is a perfect fit for the Canes, but you can’t say that he’s super sy in the way he plays. You can make the jokes about, oh yeah, he’s another short king or whatever, but the way he plays is not the same way that Gyarvis plays is not the same way that Jackson Blake plays. He is his own his own player with his own particular style that is a Kane’s hockey player. And I think that Eers were going to be saying the same thing about him. He is a Kane’s hockey player. But what Eers is going to bring um I forgot to mention the Hockey Viz charts with Eers. What Eers is going to bring is that he will go to whatever part of the ice in front of the net to create chances. His shot spread is across the board. It is not concentrated in any one given spot. And his success, he has good finishing. Wait, yes. A Can’s player with good finishing. Perish the thought. But that that’s the sort of thing that Tulski is looking for is he’s Yes. He’s not looking for, oh, I want somebody who is a clone of Sebastian Aaho, just a winger. This is somebody who is going to come in and bring that little extra something. He still fits the system, but he brings that little extra touch that not only is going to make the Canes as a whole better, but is going to elevate the other players that play with him and make them better. I wouldn’t be surprised if we see Aaho having a career year on the score sheet because he has someone like Elers to play with who will help Ao motivate Aaho to shoot more and motivate Aaho to finish better and Jarvis or Fetch or whoever else is on the line with him. So that’s part of the genius of Tulski and the entire crew is bringing in people that are going to to be good fits, but not just be good individual fits, but good fits on their line, good fits on their pair, good fits for the team overall. And so, um, at this point, I’m just gonna say I’m gonna give him an A minus just because I think he’s got other stuff cooking and I want to have room to bump that grade up even higher when he pulls another rabbit or two out of his hat, whether it’s before the start of the regular season or before the tread deadline or whatever. So, I’m doing that just just for my own needs of being able to to uh to boost him up a little bit more as the season goes along. And Katie, that’s a great segue. Uh because if we look at where the Canes are right now and and putting together a kind of an analysis of the lineup with Puckedia, uh 23 players under contract, 84.8 million. Okay, which means we’ve got 10.6 million still in the coffers. Um and that uh you know doesn’t include any players that might get traded, which would add to that. So, um, you know, you take a look at the roster, the roster’s deep. Um, gosh, the roster, as I had it together, had William Kerier as the 13th forward for goodness sakes. And, uh, you know, because you’ve got Jackson Blake who’s got to go down to that fourth line. So, it’s it’s kind of crowded. Uh, and the D, seven men on the D and three goalenders and you’re still sitting there with lots of room to go. So, what takes Eric and puts him up to that A+ side? We know that the discussion that has been raging for so long is gosh, what are we going to do with that two center spot? So, Eric’s done great work getting the scoring forward. He’s brought in, I think, a very exciting defenseman and given up very little if you think about it. I mean, he gave up some draft picks, which we had picked up from uh Dallas, more or less, and he gave up Scott Mororrow, who really, frankly, did not look like he was going to have a future with the Hurricanes. I know that sounds kind of uh you know challenging but but he he just looked like he was going to be struggling to be a cane or certainly this year was didn’t have a spot. So um so there you are and you’ve got that lineup ready to go. A lot of folks have been talking about you know here’s the move they should make and this is the guy they should get and and you know we talked about Larkin and Thompson and McTavish and all kinds of guys. These folks aren’t available. Don’t even think about it. They’re not leaving their teams because all those teams are you know they’re they’re going to be pressing to do stuff. And if you were going to trade for them, you’d give away uh you know a huge huge amount. So um so where does that leave the canes? It’s kind of a tough place. And I know kind of following it on X people are tripping and falling all over the place. They’re really struggling to try to find something that makes sense. Um, what are we thinking about this, Aaron? Well, you bring up the discussions on X, and I know I’ve been kind of pulling my hair out a little bit here and there with some of them because there’s a lot of fans that seem to think that Eric Tolski can just drive over to the 2C store and load up the back of the truck. You know, there’s no such thing. I’m sorry to tell you, it doesn’t exist. But the the other thing is like you say uh Tom, a lot of these players are not available, especially not right now. No. No. The the the the key for the Canes is going to be patience because they’re going to need to wait until like Katie was talking about, how important is it to have a player that fits the Canes. Yes. Not just fits the spot on the roster, but fits the canes, you know? And I I’ve gone through some of these players with, you know, back and forth into discussions and I’ve said, you know, yeah, um Ta Thompson, sure he’s a great player. He’s absolutely a great player. He’s spent half of his games last season at wing because his defensive capacity is kind of not there. I mean, it’s it’s it is he a disaster on defense? No. But does he play Kane style defense? No. I think the answer to that is very clear to anybody who’s ever watched Buffalo play a hockey game, you know. Um, so, so those are the kinds of things where you’re like, you’re not going to give up. Here, let’s let’s fill a giant box with all of our best prospects and draft picks and I throw in a couple of roster players. You’re not going to do that for a player like Thompson who isn’t the perfect fit. Yes. As the season wears on, you have a lot of teams right now that want to replicate what the Capitals did in terms of a rebuild, and they think they’re close enough to do that. So, they didn’t sell this summer. they’re they’re not selling their players because they really believe they’re this close to making the playoffs and they want to get there. And you know, there’s too many teams in that list right now because statistically they can’t all make it. So what’s going to happen is you get between American Thanksgiving and the trade deadline. And don’t forget, we have the Olympics in there, too, which is going to change some things in terms of injuries and players maybe not being able to come back and play. So once we get through some of that chaos of the season, you’re going to have some teams that that that look at their roster and look at where they are in the standings and say, “Okay, we’re not going to make it, and now is the time to move some of these pending UFAS or make a deal for a pending RFA who isn’t planning to sign long-term. You know, we got maybe tough negotiations with a young player here and there. That’s when the Canes are going to strike because, you know, Tolski’s got his eye on some targets for the Canes that probably aren’t even on any of our lists. And he he’ll make those moves when it makes sense to make them. He’s not going to make them ahead of time. Katie, I couldn’t I couldn’t have said it any better. Um, it’s just a lot of a lot a lot of patience, I think. And you know, if we start the season with Coke and Yummy as 2C, then we start the season with Coke and Yum as 2C. We got to the We got to the Eastern Conference Finals last season with arguably not as talented a roster as we are going to start this season with KK as the 2C. So, if KK is the 2C, then great. I just hope that Brenda Moore leaves him as the 2C and perhaps gives him a little bit more ice. if not for him as much as for the other wingers because we have so many talented wingers. Only two wingers can play with Aaho. That’s how the math works, right? Three forwards on the unless they want to play a 4-1 system which even with Slavven back there is the one I don’t think they are going to do. Only two wingers can play with Aaho, which means that two other wingers have to play with KK. And that still leaves in excess of really talented wingers because we are blessed with good wingers, especially young wingers. So it ju just to give those guys to give or Stankovven or Blake or Hall whoever Robinson even has shown that he can play up there. Whoever it is, give them more time. Give them opportunity to score then even better. We’ll be fine with KK’s at at 2C and we’ll evaluate where the team’s at. As Aaron said, along along the uh the road of the season, along the journey, and then sometime between American Thanksgiving and trade deadline, if something has to change, then we’ll have a clearer picture not only of where the Canes are at, but where the rest of the NHL is at. Yeah, I mean, I totally agree. And and you know, you look at a Boston, I mean, a lot of folks have looked at the Bruins, you look at a Boston Bruins squad, they’ve got Pavle Zaka, who would be an interesting ad. They’ve got uh Elias Lindhol. Could we bring him back to Carolina? Um, you know, depending on how his game kind of kind of tracks. He’s been sliding a little bit in recent years, but maybe he’ll get back on track. But those kind of guys could be the kind of players that could help. Um, I know your your target, uh, Dylan Larkin is always on the radar for us. Uh, if the Wings have another one of their lame duck seasons, maybe, uh, maybe he’ll want out and maybe he’ll be a guy we could pick up as well. And I think he’d fit the Canes style quite nicely. These guys I think could all play for the Canes. Um but I think to your point, Aaron, uh talking about a lot of these players is foolish because they aren’t Carolina Hurricanes type players and they are not going to be brought in. If Eric doesn’t think they fit to a tea, uh then they won’t be they won’t be part of the Canes mix. Um will the Canes sit around with $10 million uh until trade deadline, which would be worth millions? I mean, a massive amount. Uh, at that stage, I I’m not sure. I think Eric will do something else this summer. I’m not sure it’s going to be a some kind of huge move. He might make a move for someone like a, you know, maybe a Lucas Reichel. I’ve talked about him before. That kind of player, somebody that could come in and compete for a spot. Um, who knows? Uh, he’s going to be out there. He’s going to be trying to find somebody else he can bring in. And, uh, and we’ll see how it goes. But in any case, he’s in a good situation. Once uh things start to turn for some of these teams, he’ll be there. He’ll be ready. Uh and he’s going to have the assets. He’s going to have the the cap room and he’s going to have the prospects and the and of course the draft picks to work with. So So far, I mean, a great situation and I think the team um could very well start with Kane. And I know Erin, you’ve talked a lot about KK and his good work five on five. I think a lot of folks misinterpret him because of the eye test, but uh you know, he he stacks up pretty good against a lot of the centers in the league in his role. And you know, if he had a little bit more offense, this conversation wouldn’t even be happening. So, if he could get up to 45 50 points even, I think uh I think we’d see a completely different story with uh with with Koki. And you know what? Sure. Maybe he’ll have a summer where he works hard and says, you know, I’m going to prove these folks wrong. Um he’s still uh he’s still on a good friendly deal for the Canes. Of course, each year it gets better. And the other thing that with Kokan we, you know, we have to consider is that his future as a third line center could be a good one with the Canes. And we’ve talked about this before is that okay, he may not be the 2C because of his offensive shortcomings, but he definitely has the acumen to be a 3C. And at $4.8 8 million in three or four years. That’s not a problem. So, um I’m kind of with you guys. I’m not in a hurry to move Koken. Uh a lot of folks just want him out for the purpose of getting him out. And uh and I I’m not one of those guys for sure. And it’s not just because you are a big fan of his Aaron. Um I think I think he’s I think he’s a valuable player as well. And I think, you know, the the frustration with me and I think with a lot of us is that, you know, he’s had periods where he’s really looked the part. You know, he’s been great. So, you know, you think of the start of last year, he and you mentioned Robinson, Katie moving up the lineup. He and Robinson and Nate just they were solid. They played well. Uh, and they were delivering offense. Um, and gosh, all of them were contributing. So, so again, uh, you know, it’s it’s kind of just finding that confidence and that space and getting them going. And I believe the Canes may just decide to start with him. You know, that might be the decision. And I don’t, one thing for sure, we know that Eric and his his uh his team is not going to be making moves just for the purpose of making moves. So, so exciting stuff. The other uh the other discussion that comes up occasionally on X is uh should the Canes get a right shot D? And you mentioned this as well, Katie. Should they be getting a right shot D because of course they like righties and lefties together and all this kind of stuff. Um any thoughts on that? It’s just a matter again of the price is right. You don’t get rid of KK for a 2C just to get rid of KK and have a change. You don’t bring in a a right-handed D just because you want to have three lefties and three righties. It’s got to be the right person who fits the system. And it will also be a good balance for whoever that that um whoever their D partner is. Whether it’s somebody for Slavven, somebody for Miller, somebody for Nikesian. I guess that would mean Ghost would be the odd man out. Um yes, but it that’s that’s just kind of the question there. So, I find that less likely unless the the Canes move on from Ghost because you don’t sit Ghost. He’s not the type of player to hang around as a seventh D just waiting for somebody to to get injured. He he has a role that’s very valuable that if you’re not going to play him, there is a team who will. And I just I’m I’m doubtful that that happens. But again, for the right for the right right-handed knee, I I’m sure they would uh they would probably go ahead and do that. But I I don’t I I find it doubtful that that particular move is going to happen anytime soon. I would agree with that. Um I’d agree with that because uh I think that that’s kind of what we’re we’re hearing in the discussions about Miller. You know, um they were talking about well would Miller play his um off-wing because he said he was up for the challenge. On the other hand, they know that Slavven can play um on the right. And when you talk about Ghost, he’s another player that can also play on the right and has done so. So, it’s it’s not like they don’t have um defenseman that can do this. I I think that that’s again that’s one of those areas where it’s it hasn’t been uh Rod Brendmore’s comfort zone to play a defenseman on his off wing, but it doesn’t mean it can’t be done. And so, you know, that’s that’s something that that that the team might be looking at and saying, you know what, that’s it’s okay. we’re gonna we’re going to do this and it’s going to be just fine because some of these guys have some experience playing um on the right, you know. So um and I believe I don’t remember I’d have to ask uh some of our Russian uh uh friends, but I believe that Nikian has also played before too. So and and it’s very common in Russia for a a player to play on the offside from his shot. So who knows what they’re exactly planning to do. They may try everybody and just see who fits best. So, but I don’t see them, like Katie said, unless there was the perfect uh RHD fit for the Canes that was too good of an opportunity to pass up. And right now, I’m looking out there at who’s available, I don’t see anyone like that. So, I I don’t think that there’s that they’re going to be making a move in in that area. Um, they could surprise us, but you know, the names. I mean, it’s Raasmus Anderson and Eric Carlson are the two names that come up the most. Anderson’s not coming to Carolina, number one. No, Anderson wants Vegas. We don’t need Carlson. So, frankly, those two guys in my mind don’t make any sense. Um, quick point on the No, no, not for the Kings. Two two quick points. One of them is that I don’t know if you remember, but uh Brett Peshy played left side with Justin Faulk uh, you know, probably four or five years ago uh before Faulk was traded to St. Louis. And I remember watching those guys and they were tremendous. Peshi was outstanding on the left side as a right shot guy. And uh and again uh a lot of teams do that. So it’s not like you know it’s not like the Canes are asking folks to do something which is completely and totally unnatural. Uh, one thing it does, and this is interesting, is that you know that that left shot guy is going to have a better opportunity offensively because they can slide into the center of the ice very very easily from that right side and and get a great shot. So, there’s there’s great opportunity on the offensive side because that’s normally how it’s done on the power play anyway. So, it’s good. Um, so I think I think I think I think there’s a real interesting opportunity here. uh you know, yeah, a lot of those guys can play in the opposite side. And one thing, the other thing I was going to mention is that Shane Gospare, interestingly enough, his analytics for last year defensively were his best. That was his best defensive year in the National Hockey League. And so, you know, he’s been working on closing his gaps. He’s working on being more effective defensively. He even killed penalties at different points when we had injuries. You made me laugh there, Tom, when you were when you were talking about increased offense as from, you know, a defenseman playing on his off-wing. I had a sudden thought you made me laugh. Maybe this is how Jacob Slavven finally gets an Orus. There you go. Nice. Yeah, if he plays on his off wing and suddenly gets all these great scoring opportunities, he’s got a decent shot, you know. Well, you know, guys, we’ve covered a ton of ground here. Um, you know, and I think it’s it’s been a lot of fun, of course, to go through this. Uh, you know, more to be done by Eric. I think it’s going to be quiet for a while. I think a lot of the folks are heading off to, uh, maybe get a break after the madness of, uh, finishing the season and then, of course, the draft and free agency and trades and so on. Um, any closing thoughts, uh, before we wrap it up, Erin? Closing thoughts? I think that the Canes have given us, you know, reason to look forward to next season. I think it’s going to be exciting to see how all these pieces fit together. I can’t wait to see Nick Eers in a Kane’s uniform. And the same thing for Kadre Miller. I think that he’s going to be a great fit um with the boys and he’s, you know, especially um given that he’s right in the age with some of our younger troublemakers, it should be a lot of fun to see him fitting in in the locker room. And uh I just it feels like an injection of energy that they needed. Um I think that you know last season’s team was very good. There’s no question that they outperformed expectations. Uh but like you said, some of the the players that have moved on, it was kind of time for that sort of change to be made. And um you know I guess the only thing I’m still uh looking at is that you know given how much everyone who was with the team last year contributed I do but hope that Jack Russell will find a good landing spot. He’s a good guy too and I hope he ends up somewhere good. So that’s it for me. Katie um that pretty much sums it up from my point of view as well. I’m definitely going to be passing the time uh throwing out some data or some stats about different players or asking, you know, who do you think here there just it’s fun to interact with other Kane’s fans and I really appreciate that community that we have over on X and all of the crazy ideas we like to bounce off of each other and react to news and that sort of thing. And so, um, that will definitely help pass the time as we wait for, uh, the days to tick by and for, uh, the next piece of news to to come to us. But other than that, just excited for what’s to come. Every little bit, whether it’s the training camp or that sort of thing, it’s it’ll be here before we know it. So, he’s going to enjoy the process along the way. Yeah. And of course, uh, prospect showcase, training camp, and and then of course the season starts. You know, I look at, you know, some of the changes that have happened as the as the kind of season went along and, you know, the ranting and trade and everything that happened there and I think so much about, you know, the fortune we have in getting Logan Stankov and I I got to tell you, I think uh he kind of typifies the Hurricanes in every way and and you know, a guy that says, “I wanted to sign a long-term deal right from the get-go.” I mean, they asked him as he was heading off for his summer and they said, “What do you you know, would you like to get a contract done?” He said, “Absolutely. I want to be here like forever.” I mean, that’s a that’s quite a statement. And and now Nikolai Eers’s um you know, making a long-term deal and and you know, signing on to the Canes and and you know, Candre Miller eight-year deal with the Canes and and looking forward to, you know, a new you know, opportunity. And it’s like, this is all good stuff, folks. And in in a world that’s noisy and you know a lot of uh you know things that you don’t want to hear going on every day, this is the good stuff we want to hear and good people joining the canes and continuing to to build what I think is a first class organization. So great summer so far. I mean we’ll be chatting again through the summer for sure uh as things unfold, but uh things will quieten down for a little while. We we’ve had a hectic period throughout the season and certainly into the playoffs, but uh but we’ll be back uh I’m sure in the not too distant future. And and again for all the folks who’ve been watching or listening, of course, we’re so delighted you would spend time with us. And as Katie said rightfully, we love to connect with those of you on X as well. Uh please uh please reach out to us. Um, if you have any comments, anything you you’d like to say to the folks, uh, to any of us today, uh, please leave those in the comments section down below. Uh, if you like this episode, please press the like button. And of course, if you want to be alerted of future episodes of Storm Tracker and have a chance to hear the the great insight of these two fine ladies and myself, uh please uh press the uh the uh subscribe button and the bell and we’ll uh we’ll definitely make sure you’re made aware of them when they’re released. So, uh again, thanks so much for joining us and we’ll look forward to getting together with you real soon right here on Storm Tracker. [Music]

Eric Tulsky’s first full offseason as Hurricanes GM has transformed a team that was expected to take a step back into a legitimate Stanley Cup contender. After reaching the Eastern Conference Finals last season despite significant roster turnover, the Canes have methodically addressed their needs while maintaining impressive cap flexibility.

The draft showcased Carolina’s strategic approach, trading down for quantity in a weaker class while identifying hidden gems like Charlie Cerrato, Ivan Ryabkin, and Filip Ekberg. Their eye for talent that meshes with the “Canes way” of playing continues to be their competitive advantage.

Free agency saw Tulsky make calculated moves, allowing veterans Burns and Orlov to depart while retaining valuable role players like Eric Robinson and Tyson Jost. The extension of Logan Stankoven at $6 million annually already looks like a steal for a player whose feisty style and scoring touch perfectly epitomize the Hurricanes’ identity.

The biggest splash came through two major acquisitions: K’Andre Miller brings elite skating ability to the blueline, ranking in the 94th percentile for skating speed – a massive upgrade over the departing defensemen. Even more impressive was landing Nikolai Ehlers, who reportedly chose Carolina despite more lucrative offers elsewhere, signaling a franchise transformation into a destination team.

What makes this offseason particularly impressive is not just who the Hurricanes added, but the flexibility they’ve maintained with $10.6 million in remaining cap space. While fans clamor for a second-line center, Tulsky’s patient approach suggests he’s waiting for the perfect fit rather than making a move simply to make one.

The Hurricanes have positioned themselves as legitimate contenders to challenge the Florida Panthers. With their mix of established stars, exciting newcomers, and financial flexibility, Carolina looks poised for another deep playoff run. How will these new pieces fit into Rod Brind’Amour’s system? Join us throughout the season as we track the Canes’ pursuit of their second Stanley Cup.

The Hurricanes have positioned themselves as legitimate contenders to challenge the Florida Panthers. With their mix of established stars, exciting newcomers, and financial flexibility, Carolina looks poised for another deep playoff run. How will these new pieces fit into Rod Brind’Amour’s system? Join us throughout the season as we track the Canes’ pursuit of their second Stanley Cup.

00:00:00 Introduction: Setting the Stage for the Offseason
00:02:05 Draft Day Magic & Steals
00:11:02 Free Agency: Re-signing Key Players
00:17:05 Canes Extend Logan Stankoven for 8 years
00:20:58 Goaltending Moves: Primeau and Miftakhov
00:28:42 Defence Solved: The K’Andre Miller Trade
00:39:10 Added Defence Depth: Signed Mike Reilly
00:40:46 Canes Land the Big Fish: Nikolaj Ehlers
00:48:23 Grading Eric Tulsky’s Body of Work
00:55:35 What Next: Canes Have Over $10M in CAP Spce
01:12:23 Closing Comments

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