Waddell Looks Ahead to Training Camp, Postseason

Exactly three weeks from today, the puck will drop in a 24-team postseason tournament, as the National Hockey League returns to play in two Canadian hub cities.

As the sixth seed in the Eastern Conference, the Carolina Hurricanes will square off against the 11th ranked New York Rangers in a best-of-five Stanley Cup Qualifier beginning Saturday, Aug. 1 in Toronto.

Summer training camps, Phase 3 of the league's return to play plan, open on Monday, July 13. The Canes will have 29 players skating at PNC Arena for two weeks prior to departing for their hub city on Sunday, July 26. Once in Toronto, the Canes will continue practicing and will play one exhibition game prior to the start of the qualifying round.

This was all finalized and made official on Friday evening, as the NHL and its Players' Association each ratified the return to play plan, as well as a four-year extension of the Collective Bargaining Agreement. On Saturday, Canes President and General Manager Don Waddell spoke on Zoom about returning to the ice, roster decisions, hub cities, extended labor peace, the Stadium Series and much more.

Here are some highlights from his 20-minute discussion.

On if the Rangers sweeping the regular-season series affects the Canes' mindset heading into the Qualifiers: "I think it's forgotten. … That's not even a talking point for us. … Roddy respects the opponent, but he focuses on what we need to do to win hockey games. That's the way he's always coached. … If we play the game we want to play, I think the results will be different than they were this season."

Video: "Everyone is looking at this situation differently."

On Brett Pesce (shoulder), and the possibility for his return during the postseason: "He probably would start skating toward the end of August. We've got to make a decision here. I'm not sure it's going to make sense. … We probably have another three weeks before we have to make a definite call. … Once you go to Phase 4, the only guys eligible are the 31 guys on your roster."

On the message to the team prior to arriving in the Toronto bubble: "We're all in this thing together. … Rod and I are going to stress the importance of just being smart. Social distancing, wearing masks. Take-out food is good. Home-cooked food is good. We've got enough obstacles to try to win. It's hard to win a Stanley Cup, so let's keep ourselves in the best position to be able to do that."

On the dual hub city approach for Phase 4: "Both cities in Canada are cities that don't have a lot of outbreak from the virus. I think it can be contained a lot better when you're talking about 12 teams versus 24. Would I like to see the Stanley Cup Playoffs be played in the home cities, if possible? Of course I would. … I think the NHL did a good job, and I think these two cities are going to work great."

On players potentially opting out of the remainder of the season: "We've talked about it internally, but we don't think we have any concerns at this point. The guys who have all been here in Phase 2 have been working hard to prepare for this. If it would happen right now, it would be unexpected. You're aware of it, and we all know that everybody is looking at this situation differently. Our hope is that our guys all step forward, move on to the bubble and try to win a Cup."

Video: "Everyone is looking at this situation differently."

On Video: "Everyone is looking at this situation differently." and his future with the Canes: "Morgan is going to get a great chance here with us. I'm assuming he'll get a chance to play right off the bat … but if he doesn't, it's not going to hurt his future. He's a young kid who has a bright future in front of him."

On Ryan Suzuki, the Canes' first-round selection from 2019, being included on the Video: "Everyone is looking at this situation differently.": "Any time you can be around your coaches and strength coach and all that, we always talk about teaching young players to be a pro. Being around the big guys for this last period of time has been really good for his development."

On Video: "Everyone is looking at this situation differently.", a former NHL defenseman, as Skills Coach: "He lives in the area and has been doing a lot of skills training with a lot of different levels of players, including NHL players. We have two really good skills people in Tim Gleason and Sergei Samsonov. This is just an addition to it. Peter is going to do a lot of stuff for me in the office here. A lot of video scouting, watching players for us. We just thought it made sense to add Peter to our staff."

On the status of John Forslund, whose contract expired at the end of June: "John and I spoke again yesterday. We left the door open. John has an opportunity right now with all the playoff games being in the hub cities to do a lot of work for NBC. John is one of the best play callers in the game. … We left it at that yesterday, that he's going to do games for NBC. We're not shutting the door, that's for sure."

On the Video: "Everyone is looking at this situation differently.", which the Canes are slated on host on Feb. 20: "My thinking would be that it would probably get pushed back, if anything. … We'll revisit here in the next few weeks. … I still believe we'll have it. It's just a matter of, it probably wouldn't be that date."

On the team's American Hockey League affiliation: "Nothing official yet. We're still in talks. … We're hoping to have something in the next short period of time."

On the importance of the CBA extension: "Any time you can have labor peace, I that sits well for all of us, including our fans. … I truly believe that the union and league worked hard at this to get it to this point, this quickly."