So in part 1
HERE, I addressed the actual draft.
In part 2
HERE, I offered my thoughts on the Cam Ward situation.
In part 3, I will take a shot at identifying trade and/or free agent needs and how the Canes might fill them via trade during draft weekend.
I think the Canes have 3 needs to fill out their roster for opening night:
1-Another top 4 defenseman. Ideal would be to find a right shot D with a bit more puck moving and offensive ability. If Bellemore is re-signed, the Canes do have options in pairing Bellemore and Hainsey for a defense-heavy pairing or Liles and Hainsey hoping for a more balanced mix. Personally, I do not think either of these is ideal.
2-A right wing. Ideal would be a big physical presence who can skate and has enough scoring ability. Think Erik Cole and/or the Tuomo Ruutu from a few years back. You could see such a player fitting on any of the top 3 lines.
3-Another center. He needs to be top 9 capable, bring at least some offense and ideally lean toward the playmaking variety.
When I sort through the free agent possibilities, the thing that jumps out at me is how scarce the pickings are in terms of top 4 capable defensemen. My quick list of the best available is short and mostly lacking any wow factor. It is Boyle, Niskanen, Ranger, Meszaros, Stralman and Robidas. There is a healthy debate to be had about whether some of these are really even top 4s. I have to think that the top couple that you would really want (Boyle, Niskanen) will be bid up in price and get their choice where they want to go. That makes them a long shot for the Canes even if Ronnie does want to pony up the money. Then after that goes down, the desperate sharks circle and bid up the price on the others.
The upshot is that I think the Canes will either need to fill a top 4 slot with what they have or via trade.
With budget limitations and the fact that the team really needs a couple top 6 types, the forward situation will be challenging too. But if Ron Francis could pull out a little bit of old JR, I think there will be more to pick from in the 2nd tier especially if he acts early while the big players are still squabbling over Vanek, Iginla, etc.
The upshot here is that I think patience could yield a decent return for the forward slots shopping smartly in the free agent market.
So with that, if I had Ron Francis' phone tomorrow, my inquiries would be primarily focused on landing a top 4 capable defenseman.
My list of candidates includes:
--Christian Ehrhoff. In terms of fit and raw ability, I think he is the best option. He is just really a pretty good all-around defenseman. I have no idea when Buffalo stops completely selling everything for futures, but if they are up for another round of it, I would at least have the conversation. Best guess is that they will want a king's ransom and that this would be the sticking point for such a deal.
--Braydon Coburn. If I had to name 1 single player like to come over to the Canes this weekend, he would be it. The Flyers are up against the cap (just like every other summer) but still with a list of $20M worth of new superstars that they want to add (again just like every other summer). Last summer it was Lecavalier who is supposedly on the trading block already after completing 1 of the 6 years that he is signed for. But I digress...A deal with the primary components being Jay Harrison for Bradon Coburn could make sense. Philadelphia cuts $3M in salary cap and even backfills the hole left in the trade in the process. Coburn has been rumored to be on the outs in Philadelphia for a couple years now. And the Flyers can take the extra $3M to go shopping. On the Canes side, they get a player who I think could be a diamond in the rough. He is still in his prime at 29 years old. He was very much a capable top 4 recently. And just maybe his recent struggles are more a function of Philly's marginal team defense and less about his level of play.
--Keith Yandle. The situation has been about the same for a few years now in Phoenix. The team is relatively rich in terms of young blue line talent. This theoretically makes Yandle expendable. I am not sure how the Canes pull this off because the Yotes would likely want roster now NHL scoring talent back which would create yet another hole to be filled at forward.
--Kevin Bieksa. It is hard to figure out exactly what is going on in Vancouver these days. Suddenly down from 1 too many goalies now to maybe 1 to few and with Kesler seemingly on the way out, are they officially dismantling the whole thing? If that happens, Bieksa is a good fit for the Canes' needs in many ways. He is actually a right shot, so unlike most of the other options, he slots next to Hainsey without someone needing to play their off side. He is physical and rugged which the Canes could use more of. And while not a pure power play juggernaut, he brings a decent shot and some experience as a right shot shooter.
--Dennis Wideman. Calgary is another team that is hard to read. They are rebuilding, but maybe getting closer to building up rather than tearing down. That would have them keeping more veterans. But if they are still willing to stockpile for the future, Wideman would also be a good natural fit next to Hainsey. He is a right shot, puck-moving, power-play capable at least okay top 4. I think that is exactly the description of what the Canes want to add. Mark Giordano would also be an okay option. He is a little more balanced and less offensively-oriented. Indications are that he might be part of the leadership that stays, so he seems less likely to be available than Wideman.
--Brian Campbell. Not sure why, but his name never seemed to come up much last year when enough other Panthers' names were being bandied about. I guess this would suggest that he is not available, but if he becomes available he would be in Ehrhoff's category as a player who could be a catalyst for the offense in transition that the Canes missed last year with enough defense to play 20+ minutes of regular shifts in all situations.
--Cody Franson. He is a restricted free agent, so there is some issue with figuring out how much he would cost and would be a problem to sign. I like him better with a puck-moving left shot defenseman. He brings a big shot and some offensive instincts but not as much in terms of mobility and advancing the puck. If you plopped him into the Canes lineup right now without subtracting anyone my inclination would be to take a look at Hainsey/Bellemore and Liles/Franson combinations. The 1st is probably leans a little too much just defense and the 2nd probably leans a little bit too much offense, but maybe the coaching staff could make it work by using the pairs a little bit situationally.
If I had to rate the players above by my preference (cost aside), it would be 1-Ehrhoff; 2-Campbell; 3-Bieksa; 4-Wideman; 5-Coburn; 6-Yandle; 7-Franson.
If I had to rate them by likelihood, it would be 1-Coburn (by a wide margin); 2-Yandle; 3-Franson; 4-Wideman; 5-Ehrhoff; 6-Bieksa; 7-Campbell.
What say you Canes fans? Do you agree that the Canes still need a top 4 D or do you think the current roster (assuming Bellemore returns) has enough options? And if you do think the Canes need to add a top 4 D, are you as skeptical as down on the free agent pull as I am? Finally, what is your WAG guess for a trade this weekend? I have Harrison+??? for Coburn+???.
Twitter=@CarolinaMatt63
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