Writers Roundtable: Month Number Three

RALEIGH, NC. -It's now been over 100 days since the Carolina Hurricanes began their regular season on October 14 against the New York Islanders.
In theory, this roundtable should have been right around the mid-point of the season schedule. We'd be talking about which Hurricanes were headed to Beijing for the 2022 Olympics and well, you know the drill. But nothing is as it seems once again in the world as a whole and in our little corner of it, the hockey world, things have definitely been turned on their ear once again.
With that being said, there's still plenty to discuss from over the last 30 days, so let's get to the biggest topics.

Scott Burnside: Walt, what a zany start to 2022. As if we should have expected anything else from this crazy world. But one thing has remained remarkably consistent from the very start of the season and that is this, the Canes remain at or close to the peak of the NHL mountain. Through missing virtually all of their right-hand defensemen for a period of time, to a goaltending shortage that sparked an unusual mid-season signing of collegiate netminder Jack Lafontaine, to flying to Philadelphia for a game that curiously never materialized (that one is going to rank up there with the riddle of the Sphinx, but I digress), there has been an impressive consistency to the way the Hurricanes have approached not just the games themselves but the uncertainty that has become part of everyday NHL life. As I pen this the Hurricanes' .737 win percentage ranks atop the Eastern Conference, a mark made more impressive by the fact they have played more road than home games including two monster western road swings. Lots of things go into this kind of achievement, goaltending, coaching, organizational depth, but is there one thing that has impressed you or that you feel is the most significant factor in the team being where they are as we unravel Roundtable Part Trois? (That's French by the way, just thought I'd throw that in there.)
Walt Ruff: That's a really good (and tough) question to start this one off. I'm going to go with coaching. I'd thought about goaltending, because Frederik Andersen has been incredible, but even he would tell you that a large part of it is the unit in front of him. If the Canes didn't allow the fewest shots per game in the league, I'd maybe think differently, but, it really has been a cohesive effort, brought about by the coaching staff. At this point Rod Brind'Amour is going to be up for the Jack Adams, again. But this isn't to overlook the work of Jeff Daniels, Tim Gleason and Paul Schonfelder either. How about Gleason's penalty kill, coming up just one shy of matching the franchise record in his first season behind the bench? Impressive stuff.
Burnside: I'm going to pull back the lens a bit here. There's been lots of discussion that perhaps the Eastern Conference playoff grid is set in terms of the eight participants come late April (hopefully). That's a function of the unexpectedly strong play of the Pittsburgh Penguins and the recent surge of Boston that has created significant separation with the rest of the Eastern Conference teams. First, do you believe the eight are the eight as we see them right now (Carolina, New York Rangers and Washington in the Metropolitan Division, Florida, Tampa and Toronto in the Atlantic plus Pittsburgh and Boston who currently sit in the wild card spots)? If not what team or teams do you see as being able to make a push? Do you feel a bit wistful that there might not be much playoff race drama?
Ruff: I do think the East is set. The one team I'm going to keep my eye on moving forward though is the Islanders. Their start wasn't good, largely due to some COVID-19 struggles, but it amazes me that they are now tied with the Canes for the fewest goals allowed, yet still have been around the bottom of the
league's standings
all year. I think they're going to start climbing very soon. Will they make it all the way up into the playoffs? I'm not positive, but I think it's possible. If Igor Shesterkin of the Rangers doesn't keep playing the way he has, there might be hope.

Burnside: Okay. Maybe that was too easy. How about a hard one? Let's say, for argument sake, the Hurricanes finish on top in the Metropolitan Division with the top seed in the East. What possible first-round matchup would you look forward to most? Me? I'd love to see another Carolina/Boston tilt. The Bruins have gotten the best of the 'Canes twice in recent years in the '19 conference final and then in the first round of the bubble tournament in '20. Payback time? Plus, who could forget what happened last week? I see the Bruins as one of those teams that might be needed by the Hurricanes to exorcise those recent playoff demons.
Ruff:The team has developed storylines over the past few years with seemingly every possible opponent, so I think it will be enjoyable no matter who it would be. If it's New York, the Canes have six former Rangers. If it's Washington, who could forget the memorable matchups between those two teams over the last few years. Toronto? A lot of eyes would be on Freddie. I can't say I'd be looking forward to playing any of those teams because they're all so talented, but it would make for some good hockey.
Burnside: So, one guy that I'm particularly interested in following as we make our way to the All-Star break at the end of the month is Andrei Svechnikov who endured a bit of a dry spell from mid-November to mid-December. During a 12-game stretch Svechnikov had two goals and one assist. But in recent games he's looked like he's found a Svechnikov-like groove. The promising thing for me is that even during that stretch when he wasn't producing points he was continuing to collect scoring chances averaging more than three shots a night on goal over that 12-game span. There's also his two-way game which I think has gone to another level this season. He is such an important part of the team's offensive depth and when he's going it gives head coach Rod Brind'Amour so much flexibility on how he deploys his troops and it makes game-planning the 'Canes so much more difficult. Have you noticed anything about Svechnikov that has surprised you at all? What do you anticipate from him in the second half?
Ruff: I don't think surprised is the right word, I think he battled through the hand injury that was bothering him and now he's finally getting back to playing like himself. He's got four straight games with a pair of points and while I'm not sure how attainable that is the rest of the way, I do think the recent stretch is a nice way to get his engine going though.

Burnside: Okay, rapid fire round. Current team MVP? I'll go with Jaccob Slavin and Sebastian Aho a close second and Frederik Andersen just behind those two.
Ruff: Jaccob Slavin. One of the best defenders in all of the National Hockey League. If the team didn't have him, I imagine the team's shots allowed per game goes up, their goals allowed goes up and the save percentage's of their goaltenders goes down.
Burnside: What Hurricanes player is poised for a second-half surge? I'll go with Jordan Staal. Probably not the production he was hoping for at this point in the season, two goals, eight assists at this writing, but he's such an important part of what the Hurricanes do all over the ice I figure the points will tick upwards down the stretch for the 'Canes captain.
Ruff: I'm an optimist. Jordan Staal will break out. It can only go up from here.
Burnside: One All-Star suggestion. Here's mine. Instead of making the head coaches go, why not take an assistant or associate coach from the top winning percentage team in each division and let him lead the All Star squads? Can't think of a better reward for a guy like longtime Carolina assistant coach Jeff Daniels or Derek MacKenzie in Florida or Ray Bennett in Colorado or Steve Spott in Vegas than to get a little love in the limelight. Plus, let's be honest, if you polled all NHL head coaches my guess is 95% if not more would opt out of the event. Just saying.
Ruff: I love that idea. I think you're spot on. I do think the current Divisional teams setup could use an adjustment or a jolt. I used to love when the American Hockey League would do Canada vs. PlanetUSA or unique things like that. How about how Major League Baseball does the Futures Game? I know the CHL Top Prospects Game covers a lot of that ground but what if the league had something like that? Could be fun.
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