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Quick hitters on preseason |
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- Justin Faulk gets my vote for nicest surprise in camp. You can see the lack of experience here and there, but he looks like he really is close to ready. When was the last time we had 2 top-tier blue line prospects in the system? I figure you have to look back to Jack Johnson + someone else (if you could name a someone else) and it's unclear whether Jack Johnson was ever really "in the system" with all of the contract silliness there.
- Ryan Murphy has been good news as well, but I think he looks about like I expected - incredibly talented offensively and skating-wise but needing a little more seasoning before being thrown into a full 82-game NHL schedule. I hope the Canes keep him around for the 9-game cup of tea before sending him back to juniors and work him into a few regular season games to get a quick look at how he handles the pressure and speed of real games against a full roster of NHLers. Despite all of his promise and a decent training camp, I would be surprised to see him make it over the "back to juniors" cutoff.
- I am climbing aboard the "Skinner at center someday camp." He skates hard. He is quick in small spaces. And he does continue to improve raw straight line speed as he gets older (remembering this is only his 2nd year out of juniors), but when you watch him compared to someone like Dalpe, I just don't think Skinner is ever going to be the burner to fly down a wing and make space or create chances for long passes for breakaway chances. And the ability to handle the extra defensive responsibilities will come with time. I figure he starts this year at wing which makes sense, but long-term I think he is ultimately the 3rd center.
- How great is it to have a veteran backup goalie? I realize that it is only training camp, but Brian Boucher has been flat-out good. I hope Maurice gets him into the mix early and reasonably often while he is in a rhythm and playing well.
- Not sure what to make of the blue line yet. I think it will take a stretch of real games and maybe some tinkering to sort out who fits best with who.
- The late and significant line juggling concerns me a little. The offense has not been great the past few games, but following a 4-goal win 1, 2 and 1 is not abysmal and I'm not sure I would read that much into preseason games anyway. Here is hoping that Maurice can find a couple things he is happy with and give linemates a reasonable shot at building chemistry and cohesion.
- Guys on the spot for October.
Zac Dalpe: He has played his way into the top 9 mix and looked decent on Staal's line. But now comes the real games. To hold down this spot, he will need to be a going concern every night even on the nights he doesn't score. This consistency level is the toughest hurdles for young players who have enough talent but lack experience in the role.
Alexei Ponikarovsky: I would not say he has been lights out, but he has shown some knack for scoring. He was not brought here to be a checking line filler. He needs to provide offense both at even strength and on the power play. It looks like he will be the opportunity to do so.
Jay Harrison: Who knows exactly how the blue line sorts out, so this could change. But if he climbs into more of a top 4 spot paired with Tomas Kaberle, he finds him self in a key slot. This means more ice time. It also means regular shifts against scoring lines. And he also finds himself in a bit of the defense-first role with a skilled puck mover. Harrison was very good in 2010-11, but it was more in a 3rd pairing/PK role. This would be a step up from that.
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