During the summer I clamored for the Canes to sign at least 1 higher-end 4th-line player to anchor that line and ideally eat up some penalty kill minutes. The team sort of did when it added Radek Dvorak to a tryout contract and ultimately signed him. Nathan Gerbe has obviously also worked out as an incredibly good depth signing who so far is fulfilling a much bigger role.
Then mostly after the dust had settled on the season-opening NHL roster, the Canes signed veteran Manny Malhotra to an AHL tryout contract. At the time, there was nothing not to like about the deal. It came with absolutely zero risk and virtually no cost, and it added a player to the organization who was a very solid bottom 6 NHLer prior to a serious eye injury. The reason he was available on this kind of deal was of course because of this injury issue and the fact that Vancouver more or less shut him down for safety/health reasons raising the question of if his career was over.
But Manny Malhotra has been a great story out of Charlotte. He has been playing decent hockey and looks capable health-wise on the ice. He has been a leader in the locker room and on the ice sticking up for team mates, putting in extra time sharing his faceoff expertise with the youth and setting a good example for young players. And then to top it off it turns out that he is just a great person hockey aside off the ice and even out of the locker room.
The results on the ice have been mixed so far for us Canes fans, but even at this early juncture of the season, we have been rewarded with more than our share of great people stories. We had undrafted Sergey Tolchinsky winning fans hearts during the summer and ultimately getting a contract. We had long-time NHLer Brett Bellemore rising up to win a regular spot in the NHL after a long journey to get there. We had my BIC lighter story in Matt Corrente. We have Ryan Murphy rising up seemingly (my original opinion anyway) before his time. We have 5 foot 5 Nathan Gerbe capitalizing on a fresh start.
Next up is Mike Murphy getting a start when the hockey god accountant realizes that he somehow has a 0.00 GAA, 1.000 Sv % (2 games/9 saves) but somehow is shackled with an 0-1 record. You can reach the hockey gods on Twitter at #FreeMikeMurphy
But people stories aside for a minute, what does Manny Malhotra bring to the Carolina Hurricanes and how might he help this team make the playoffs?
What he brings:
--He is a 4th-line center type who should score at an okay pace for the C4 slot, could fill in on the 3rd line but is probably offensively light in that role.
--He is Rod Brind'Amour good in the faceoff circle. Yes, I said Rod Brind'Amour good. When healthy he was regularly in the top 10 in the entire league in faceoff percentage.
--He was a solid penalty killer.
How he might help:
If the Canes can ever get healthy enough to fill out 3 lines with a decent amount of offense and get the chance to build a stable 4th line with a few role players, he could play a key role centering it. Something like Bowman/Malhotra/Dwyer or Dvorak should prove to be a safe and sound 4th line defensively that is not a big risk to put on the ice on the road even for a defensive zone draw because Malhotra has a real good chance to come out with the puck. He also adds another option for center/faceoffs for penalty kill. The timing is perfect noting that JStaal has, despite reputation for otherwise, not excelled in this role so far this year. While Nash has been pretty good, Muller has at times been shy using him for defensive zone draws and substituted EStaal when the 2nd unit came on via a whistle/faceoff and not over the boards. It could even be possible to see Malhotra out with Nash for penalty kill to balance size with quickness.
When?
As of right now, I have not seen where the Canes have recalled him to Raleigh, but with Skinner still out, Westgarth maybe now out and a few other players in injury limbo, there seems to be room for Friday if Rutherford/Muller want to go that route. If anyone has seen anything past speculation that he will be recalled tomorrow, please post in comments.
I will be most curious to see how he looks in terms of mobility. He is not real old at 33 years old, but he has always leaned slightly (not in the pylon fashion) big/strong versus fast and has always been more off than on the ice for a few years now.
Pulling out my crystal ball, I could see seizing a regular role with limited minutes and important PK duties on the 4th line.
What say you Canes fans? Will we see him as early as Friday? Is this a smoke screen that is just a distraction in the bottom half of the roster when we all know that significant improvement must come from the top half? Will he be the Canes best penalty killer by December?
Twitter=@CarolinaMatt63
Go Canes!
Matt on Google+ 
Carolina Hurricanes Blogger • 
Join the Discussion:
»