Mailbag #7: Finally Back In Raleigh

RALEIGH, NC. -Howdy, y'all! Hope everyone is enjoying their holiday weekend Saturday.
The team arrived back in Raleigh last night for the first time since leaving town on Monday, November 15 and after picking up points in five of six contests, you could say it was a pretty successful business trip for the team.

You Caniacs were kind enough to ask some questions about it, so let's get to them!
Favorite stop on the road trip? - @emohrberg
Vegas, baby.
I wish I could tell you more about it, but there's a certain saying about not revealing things that happen in that town...
All jokes aside, that was a great way to start the trip. The hotel was absolutely spectacular, seeing T-Mobile Arena for the first time was really cool and their in-game entertainment lives up to every little bit of the hype that it gets. If you're ever considering going, do it. You won't be letdown.
What a game that was, too! Great start for the club but Antti Raanta's second period performance can't be overstated. I do believe the team really set the tone for their trip in that game and kept the momentum going over the next few days. Remember, at the time, that was a Vegas club that hadn't lost at home in nearly a month. Yes, they were banged up, but they also had quite a bit of wind working with their sails when the Canes came to town.
What did y'all do on your off days on the trip? - @isthisdarby
Believe it or not, Darby, there was a grand total of one off day on the trip. After the team handled business last Saturday in Los Angeles, they were rewarded with the Sunday off. Even then, it wasn't a true day off, it was a travel day with a flight to San Jose and getting setup at the new hotel with another game day on the other side. I guess technically you could count Thanksgiving as a day off, but that depends on if you consider a six-hour cross-country flight on a holiday an "off day".
I know they are professional athletes and they're compensated as such, but I certainly have a furthered appreciation for the behind the scenes staff members after seeing the way they operate on a trip like this. They're seemingly always working, even when they're in a new city every day.
What's something special you've noticed about this team? - @JacksonRecker20
I can say this with even further certainty after spending the time around the team on the road, but the team's culture is what most impresses me most. This is not meant as a slight or a disrespect, but to be honest, I dealt with much worse egos in the locker room during my time in the minors. It's just not the way this team.
The head man behind the bench is reason number one for that. Even from speaking with media members in other cities, they see it too. Of course that sort of attention is going to come from winning the league's Coach of the Year Award, but when you parlay that into being one of the top teams in the league the following year after making an abundance of offseason personnel changes, people are really going to take notice, as they are.
His demeanor, the way he carries himself and how he approaches his messaging with the players, it's very evident why things are the way they are. They say "you don't know what you've got 'til it's gone", and I hope the Canes fans never have to see that day - but don't forget to give Brind'Amour his flowers while he's here. There's plenty other teams around the league that would be lucky to have him.
Who has impressed you most this season? - @NUFCKariya
To be frank, the above likely answers my question, but I'll try and spin it for you here.
I think anybody would be kidding you if they say they could have predicted this type of start to the season for Tony DeAngelo. At the moment, he leads all NHL defensemen with his 13 even strength points. He's tied for third overall with 19 points in 19 games.
What sticks out the most about the above is that he's not doing so because he's logging close to 30 minutes a night. That's not a knock on him by any means, it's a blessing for the team to have players like Jaccob Slavin and Brett Pesce on the blue line. In fact, right now, DeAngelo's average of 18:36 per night ranks 131st among all defensemen. That's incredible production.
His skill has never been in question, but he's on pace for a career year. His current career high was 53 points in 68 games two years ago. Additionally, and I'm aware of how some people feel about the stat, but in DeAngelo's time with the Coyotes and Rangers organizations, he was a combined -51. Thus far with the Canes? A +12.
Is Rod going to settle on a firm top line for the season? And if so, who is playing on it? - @\_marklove
Well, while I don't have the answer to that question, Mark, here's what I do know.
Sebastian Aho is doing pretty darn well at the "1A" role, if you will. Who is there with him appears to be the revolving door, as it has been the first 19 games. What a wonderful situation the Canes are in where they can earn points in 16 of their first 19 games while still largely experimenting with the lineup.
If you look at it this way, who of the following would NOT be a first line player on most teams in this list, in addition to Aho?: Andrei Svechnikov, Teuvo Teravainen, Martin Necas. You could even make the argument that Seth Jarvis' skill has him making his way into that group.
The only phrase that comes to mind for me is "embarrassment of riches". It's easy to forget, but there are not many other teams in the league that have this luxury.
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That's all for this week, friends. See you at PNC Arena tomorrow for a big matchup!
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