Mailbag #16: A Pennsylvania Presidents' Day Weekend

RALEIGH, NC. -After moving to 15-3-0 in their last 18 meetings
against Nashville last night
, the Canes have a quick turnaround, practicing Saturday afternoon before flying to Pittsburgh.
As we do each week, we sourced for questions on Twitter, hoping to provide some answers.

Do you think Svech is just on a hot streak or do you think he has evolved and taken his game to the next level? He's been incredible over the past few weeks. - @CaniacZach
He's been fun to watch, hasn't he? Rod Brind'Amour was asked last night if this was the best stretch he'd ever seen from him and this was his response:
"He's getting the results. I think he's had stretches where he's played this well and the puck wasn't going in, but he was getting the same amount of opportunities. Now the puck seems to be going in. His 200-foot game] has grown as he's matured. That's just him getting smarter and getting older. I know he's not that old but when you're around a while, you start to figure it out."
With 21 points in his last 14 games now, it's fantastic to see this output there. Now on pace for 85 points this season, I think a point-per-game is a fair ballpark to expect for him moving forward. We saw him close to that two seasons ago with 61 points in 68 games and I think we can all agree he is a better player now than he was then. Plus, let's not forget, about six weeks ago he was dealing with a hand injury that was bothering him for some time. He certainly appears to be 100% now.
**On his spot with Abby and Shane a week ago, General Manager Don Waddell spoke about paying attention to burnout and keeping the players in a good place mentally as well as physically down the stretch. Rod has also mentioned it. How big an issue is that do you think? - [@HMof2
Great question, Carolyn. I think management and coaching alike are cognizant that going back to an 82-game schedule after the way that the last two years have gone is a grind for everyone. Think about it, two years ago the team only played 60-some games before getting a break and then resuming in the bubble. Last year the league only played 56 games. This year not only are they back to a full length schedule, but with the way that COVID-19 postponements have impacted the schedule and jostled games around, yes, there have been breaks, but it also means that there are a lot of sequences featuring back-to-backs and three games in four days during the second half.
What I suspect it will mean moving forward is that situations like last Tuesday in Ottawa, when Ian Cole was a surprise healthy scratch, will become more common. As always, there will be overreactions, but consider this a forewarning.
Are we overusing Freddie? - @mgupta2695
I don't think so. He's been too good to skip a regularly scheduled start, right?
It's a fair question, but it's not as if he's been playing both games in a back-to-back. Brind'Amour did say the other day he suspects Raanta to play more here in the second half. I don't have inside knowledge, but I do think we'll see Raanta against Philadelphia Monday. In March the game plays 16 games in 30 days, so I suspect we'll see him in at least four of them. April is just as busy with 14 games in 26 days. It would not surprise me to see him play seven of them.
As we get later and later into the year we'll see more of an effort to perhaps conserve Freddie's energy and let Raanta handle some of the upcoming opponents that may not be as involved in the playoff picture.
Why is Monday's game at 3 p.m.? - @jdmasters\_
Presidents' Day! A bit strange, I know. I would be curious to know what percentage of the U.S. population actually has off for this holiday. What will attendance look like in Philadelphia?
Any updates on Vincent Trocheck? - @hollyister6
After leaving Friday's win after the first period with an upper-body injury, Vincent Trocheck did not practice with the team Saturday at Wake Competition Center. Following the skate Brind'Amour said that he was "getting checked out" during, and he was awaiting more info. So, in short, no real answer on his availability for the next two days.
Not a member of Twitter? We're always happy to take questions at [email protected] as well!
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