Carolina Hurricanes tuned up Monday for 2020-21 NHL season opener. How did they look?
Rod Brind’Amour watched the Carolina Hurricanes’ game-like scrimmage Monday from a perch high in the Canes’ new practice facility, not from behind the bench.
His view of things?
“I like where we’re at,” the Canes coach said.
The Canes used their seventh training camp practice to allow the players to get in some five-on-five play at something approaching game speed, with a certain degree of physicality. The final score and the winner — for the record, the Red team won 4-3 — was irrelevant but not the competition, which was intense enough.
“We started off on a good pace and kind of kept that pace during the scrimmage, which was nice,” defenseman Brady Skjei said on the Monday media call. “It was more of a game feel and I think the guys enjoyed it and kind of helped them get their feet under them.”
NHL teams will enter the 2020-21 season with shortened training camps and no preseason games. Some are having bigger dress rehearsals than others, to prepare for the season openers. Some will be more ready than others.
Brind’Amour said he was pleased with the way the Canes, who open the season Thursday on the road against the Detroit Red Wings, went about things Monday.
“I thought it was good. What I saw was a group that has been together and kind of knows what we’re doing,” he said.
“Puck drop, Game 1, is going to be a different animal. Playing a real game is a different animal. But hopefully this knocks off a little of the rust.”
Brind’Amour opened with the forward lines he has maintained in camp. Sebastian Aho centered Teuvo Teravainen and Nino Niederreiter, Vincent Trocheck was at center with Andrei Svechnikov and Jesper Fast, Jordan Staal centered Warren Foegele and Martin Necas, and Jordan Martinook centered Brock McGinn and Ryan Dzingel.
During the second period, Necas was moved to right wing on Trocheck’s line, with Fast going to the right side of Staal’s line. Brind’Amour is looking for balance on the lines and that was an interesting look, combining two of the Canes’ most dynamic young wingers with Trocheck, who was active most of the scrimmage.
Brind’Amour also gave forward Seth Jarvis some work in the scrimmage at Wake Competition Center. Jarvis, 18, was the Canes’ first-round draft pick in 2020.
On the back end, it was Jaccob Slavin with Dougie Hamilton, Skjei with Brett Pesce and Jake Gardiner with Haydn Fleury as the top three defensive pairs.
Skjei scored early in the scrimmage, jumping into the play to beat goalie Petr Mrazek. It’s possible Skjei, traded to the Canes in February by the New York Rangers, will be given that kind of offensive freedom this season by Brind’Amour.
“Roddy (Brind’Amour) and the coaches here like to play with that aggressive system,” Skjei said.
Jake Bean wants to play games
Jake Bean, named the AHL’s best defenseman last year with the Charlotte Checkers, also has made an impression on Brind’Amour. A former first-round draft pick by Carolina, Bean has “definitely taken a huge step” in his development, Brind’Amour said.
Bean, 22, should end camp as the team’s seventh defenseman, bringing up an interesting decision: To keep him on team’s NHL taxi squad, or have him playing games with the Chicago Wolves, the Canes’ new AHL affiliate.
Bean said his preference was to be wherever he can play games, even if that means returning to the AHL.
“I think I’m definitely NHL ready,” Bean said.
Teams are allowed to to carry four to six players on a taxi squad in the 56-game regular season, and that decision must soon be made by the Canes.
This story was originally published January 11, 2021 at 3:57 PM.
