You asked the questions – 11 to be exact – and I answered! Carolina Hockey Now’s first-ever mailbag is officially complete, and it was a blast! I’m already excited for the next one!
The Olympics have been a joy to experience, but honestly, I would be lying if I said I didn’t already miss Hurricanes hockey just a bit. Jaccob Slavin has been doing Jaccob Slavin things for Team USA, and I’m not sure what to say about the 11-0 blowout Finland handed Italy Saturday…Sebastian Aho, you mad man.
But hey, at least we can still watch a quarter of the Hurricanes roster sprinkled about Milan-Cortina, though, right? A joy for me is to interact with you all through hockey clips I share over on X, but the Olympics have said no to anyone with a screen recorder – even the NHL! Needless to say, this interaction with you blesses my heart!
Without further ado, the Carolina Hockey Now mailbag:
Question From JingleShellSal
What is your favorite position on the team to cover? Do you like the forwards, defense or goalies? Inquiring minds want to know🤔 (Via X)
Goalies, Sally! I could yack about goalies for days!
The first player to hold my attention when I was a wee little hockey fan was a goalie: Marc-André Fleury. Since then, I’ve enjoyed analyzing the individual games of goaltenders – each one is so unique in how they defend the net.
Question From MisthiosMo
How do you see the canes handling the trade with the deadline looming? (Via X)
Hmm, how do I imagine the Canes will handle the trade deadline…That’s a good one. Honestly, I don’t see any huge moves happening as many would expect, unlike recent years. In a January interview with the North State Journal, GM Eric Tulsky seemed very nonchalant about the topic, and mentioned that he didn’t believe the team was in desperate need to fill any position. Of course, he did state that if there was a big dial mover available, he would take any opportunity to improve the team, but that goes without saying.
That being said, Tulsky is known to put his thumb in all of the pies, so while I don’t expect another blockbuster deal, I wouldn’t be surprised if we do.
Question From AvsCanesFan
What is one underrated/overlooked stat for the Canes this season a) on offense, b) on defense, c) for goaltending, and d) on special teams? (Via X)
I’m going to go wild here and choose a stat that has been positive for A, B, and C, and then discuss D all on its own!
High-Danger scoring chances: The generation and completion from the offense – and defense of these from the blueliners – have been fantastic for the Hurricanes this season at five-on-five.
They currently lead the entire NHL with 521 high-danger scoring chances (nine more than the Anaheim Ducks in second place), and sit eighth in high-danger scoring chances that lead to goals, with 46. (A little side trek here, the current leaders in HDGF are your other favorite team, the Colorado Avalanche, with an insane 60. What a run they’re on…they scare me.)
While the Hurricanes led the league last season in HDSC, as well, they were down deep in HDGF, at 18th place. It’s a positive trend this season in finishing for the offense, which we’ve been a bit frustrated with for a while.
Defensively speaking, they are tied sixth in the fewest high-danger scoring chances against, with 397. As for goaltending, only 37 of those have led to goals, which puts them with the tenth-best league-wide.
Special Teams: This one is short and simple, but Jordan freakin’ Staal. When they added him to the power play, the team’s power play percentage skyrocketed. They went from having one of the worst in the league to consistently scoring with the man advantage. To look at Staal’s power play goals (3) and assists (0), one may think it’s strange that it works, but he brings the screen and havoc out front that Carolina has needed for years. Put a big body in front of the net, and the goals will come.
(Psst, the rest of the questions were via Reddit!)
Question From Calvith
What’s the hold-up with signing Nikishin and Bussi?
I’m not entirely sure, to be honest. Last I heard, negotiations were going well between the Hurricanes and Brandon Bussi’s camp. I had a feeling they would get things done before the end of the Olympic break, but I can’t help but wonder if that will come to fruition.
As for Alexander Nikishin, I haven’t heard a peep about it. While it could be that the Hurricanes will sign him during free agency, as they did with Seth Jarvis in 2024, they may be keeping their options open. Lately, we’ve seen a lot of sign-then-trade deals in free agency, with K’Andre Miller (who was an RFA) being one of them. Personally, I think they should keep Nikishin and continue to develop him, but if a massive piece becomes available, there is that chance he could be included, and they’d do the old sign-then-trade trick to facilitate it.
Question From PotentialDefault
Observations of overall team play this season? To me, it doesn’t feel like we’ve gotten to our game a lot this year. I juries and a lot of new faces seem like obvious culprits.
That is a very good observation. I have seen flickers of their game this year, but not sustained as we typically do. I believe the constant shuffling due to injuries is to blame, with a lot of players getting stuck in the revolving door of being played, scratched, played, hurt, played, sent back to the minor leagues, and so on and so forth. It is really hard to gel a team when you don’t have a consistent lineup. I suspect that a lot of the injuries to the defensive core are in part what has led to the shift from dump-and-chase strategies to rush chances.
It is a very different team this year, but hopefully the constant adaptation this season will help them to continue to shine amidst adversity for seasons to come.
Question From 9Grendel9
So what active players on the roster do you think the Canes would be willing to move for that second line center?
Honestly, in the current market, strong centermen are perhaps the hardest commodity to acquire. It would certainly take a lot of chips to land a trade like that.
Tulsky seemed to believe that there is not a necessary move to be made in the aforementioned interview with the North State Journal, so I’m not sure he’d be willing to risk shipping out top players (which it would likely require) for a second-line centerman.
I don’t see players like Logan Stankoven, Jackson Blake, or Andrei Svechnikov being shipped out. If it required any of those or similar, I don’t think Tulsky would be as quick to make a move at that price. I would imagine the usual suspects as the trade pieces for a deal like that, such as a draft pick package with Jesperi Kotkaniemi and/or prospects ready for the NHL, rather than roster mainstays.
Question From Delta_Flow
Who’s the most hyped up non-AHL prospect in your eyes?
I have two, actually! Ruslan Khazheyev (ECHL) and Charlie Cerrato (NCAA).
Khazheyev has done well for the Greensboro Gargoyles despite their situation – stuck at the bottom of the Eastern Conference. In his 26 games played with them, he’s gotten a .901 save percentage and a shutout. He’s huge, at 6’4” and 201 lbs., and he’s fast, a trait you don’t often find with larger goaltenders. Once he gets more experience, he could become a really good netminder.
Meanwhile, Cerrato has been a fantastic centerman for Penn State. In 57 games over two seasons with the university, he has 66 points (21G, 45A). Currently, he’s out for the rest of the season with an injury, but he’s shaping up to be one heck of a player. Definitely one I am looking forward to watching develop.
Question From jurisdon
Today someone told me they dip their French fries in mustard. Is this a fireable offense?
Fireable offense? Nah, they deserve a promotion!
Tell them to dip onion rings in it! Or try out honey mustard! Honestly, I do the same. I’m not a fan of ketchup, but mustard is my favorite condiment – highly recommend trying it if you enjoy tangy and salty. You have got nothing to lose!
Question From cheemsfromspace
Is the front office willing to give up those Dallas picks plus some of their own for pieces (say, another center perhaps?) before the trade deadline?
Well, I don’t personally know the front office’s feelings on the matter, but in my opinion, I wouldn’t count it out. It definitely sounds more likely when dealing with a team traversing a rebuild or retool. They have already traded their best 2026 first-round pick to the New York Rangers to sweeten the pot when acquiring K’Andre Miller, so I wouldn’t be surprised at all if they use some of them for a really good return.
Honestly, I believe they will be more likely to use picks and prospects in any big trades as opposed to shipping off a mess of roster players.
Question From ReeseWithAKnife
When do the Canes acquire EP40?
Whenever the Vancouver Canucks drop his price, I say!
Question From IndependentGanache84
I want to see what the team does at the deadline. I think making an addition would benefit the team, but I am unsure what move would benefit the team the most for the cost.
ex. getting a third goalie is likely a good idea, but probably not worth the cost. Another top C would also be of great benefit, but may require a good number of picks, prospects and/or roster players. Will the upgrade at 2C be worth the cost?
Would a star winger be of benefit? again, at the cost it would take.
What if Jankowski and KK are moved for another C and Nadeau called up, would that be a benefit?
I really like all of the questions/details in this one – paints a great picture! Thank you for messaging this!
I’m very intrigued to see how they navigate the deadline. Above, I have referenced an interview Tulsky gave where he discussed the trade deadline. He essentially said that he doesn’t see a massive need the team needs at the moment, but would make moves if a big chance to improve presents itself. Of course, that could just be a general manager keeping his cards close to his chest, but taking it at face value says a lot, too.
Considering how the team is performing, I don’t think there will be major moves involving costly send-aways. But I could see a low-risk, high-reward deal.
For example, in 2024, they traded Michael Bunting – who was more of a depth forward than a top performer – and a package of prospects/draft picks for Jake Guentzel. It didn’t really shake up the lineup much. On paper, it didn’t come at a crazy high price, and gave them a hefty boost for the playoffs. I do not see a Mikko Rantanen-style deal, but I could see a Guentzel-esque deal if the opportunity arises.
Now, if they dealt Jesperi Kotkaniemi and Mark Jankowski for another centerman, I think it would heavily depend on the quality of that player. Just say they move to the second line, we would likely see Eric Robinson and Taylor Hall with him, and Logan Stankoven, Jackson Blake, and Bradly Nadeau on the bottom line.
Honestly speaking, I’m not sure if Blake and Nadeau on the bottom line would benefit them very much – Blake is one of their most creative players, and chopping ice time would be a real limit for that line. There are a lot of things that could go right and wrong with shakeups so close to the postseason, and I’m not sure if the Hurricanes would be willing to take that risk. Definitely interesting to ponder, though!
