Carolina Hurricanes have 5 burning questions to answer during NHL training camp
The Carolina Hurricanes take the ice Thursday at PNC Arena for preseason training camp, with several questions to be answered by coach Rod Brind’Amour and his staff.
The biggest question for camp? Canes captain Jordan Staal has his opinion.
“I would say with all the new faces, it’s making sure everyone is on the same page and ready to go,” Staal said in an N&O interview this week. “Even last year we got off to a great start, but we had almost the exact same team we had the year before, so that made it a little bit easier.
“We’ve got a lot of work, from myself and the leadership group and Roddy, to get the new guys on the same page as to how we play. From what I can tell already, the new guys we’ve brought in are going to do just that.”
In the past, the Canes’ informal skates before camp often were perfunctory — say a few hellos, throw on the skates, get in a workout and decide on a tee time. There might be a new guy or two in the locker room, and a few introductions made, but nothing major.
This year, with so many new players and new faces in the room, and with COVID-19 restrictions easing, the Canes players were able to use the informal sessions the past couple of weeks at Wake Competition Center to mingle, talk, get on the ice and get a better feel for each other and their games.
“Get to know each other before we really start grinding in camp,” Staal said.
It’s time for the grind. As forward Teuvo Teravainen put it last week, “With Roddy as our coach, from the first game, I’m pretty sure we’ll be ready.”
Here are other pressing questions for training camp:
Where does Kotkaniemi fit?
Brind’Amour probably already has an idea or could shift Jesperi Kotkaniemi through a few lines to see what looks best for the forward. It appears he’ll play left wing this season and Kotkaniemi says that’s fine. Maybe the left wing on Vincent Trocheck’s line with Martin Necas on the right side? Maybe.
What about Tony DeAngelo?
A lot of eyes will be on DeAngelo, the most controversial of the Canes’ offseason additions because of his problematic past. He says he’s a changed man and Brind’Amour will give him a chance to prove it, with a clean slate to start.
A safe play defensively would be to have Jaccob Slavin and Brett Pesce back together again in the top D pairing — let Pesce replace the departed Dougie Hamilton. But DeAngelo, also a right-hand shot, may be the guy. He has the offensive punch and Slavin can help make up for a lot of defensive deficiencies if No. 77 gets caught up ice. Pesce has some offensive upside, with four goals and 21 assists in 55 games last season, and again could be a good fit with Brady Skjei.
Will a rookie make the Canes’ roster?
Unlikely. They’ll try their hardest — Seth Jarvis, Ryan Suzuki, Dominik Bokk, Joey Keane and Jesper Sellgren among them — but with the groups (and contracts) stacked in front of them, at forward and defenseman, there may not be any room.
Jarvis, the Canes’ first-round draft pick in 2020, had three goals in the three-game Tampa Bay prospects showcase and was close to scoring two or three more with his speed and skill. If the forward doesn’t make the Canes, he must be sent back to his junior team, the Portland Winterhawks of the WHL. Odds are, that’s where he’s headed, again.
Who quarterbacks the power play?
Don’t think Brind’Amour hasn’t given this a lot of thought. Hamilton and Jake Bean are gone and Jake Gardiner is facing back and hip surgery. DeAngelo could be asked to QB one unit — he had three goals and 16 assists on the power play in 67 games with the New York Rangers in 2019-20 but played just six games last season.
Count on Brind’Amour spending extra time on the power play in camp, looking for the right mix. That’s what camp is for — experimentation, evaluation, decisions.
Is there a No. 1 goaltender?
It could be an equal-opportunity situation for the Canes’ new-look goaltending duo: Frederik Andersen and Antti Raanta. They could split the four preseason exhibition games and may the best man win the nod as the starter in the Canes’ Oct. 14 opener against the New York Islanders.
Andersen played 24 games last season for Toronto, albeit with uneven results, and covers a lot of net at 6-foot-4 and 238 pounds. He’s a big man. Raanta, when he avoids injuries, has been brilliant in net at times but played just 12 games last season.
