We are continuing with the final part of a Five-Part Series: The first one looked at
the common misconception that goaltending is the primary reason for the Canes struggles this season. The second article evaluated what I believed to be
the most concerning issues surrounding the Canes currently. Part III looked at the
Canes roster, expendable components and what the expansion draft could bring. Yesterday, we took a look at
how the second half of the season should be a bright spot for the Canes.
I’ve always been taught (life, business, etc.) that if you discuss an apparent problem, then you better have some ideas or solutions. My biggest pet peeve is those who complain incessantly but never have anything to add, suggest, etc. Today, Part V is meant to look at who I believe could be a solution to push the Canes “over the top.”
Let’s start with why the Canes need to trade for a forward aspect: Seriously, think about how many Eastern Conference teams have recently gotten that guy for in “front.” Just to name a few: Sadd, Hartnell—CLB, Backes—BOS (they already had a lot anyways), Shaw—MON, Oshie, Eller and Winnik—WSH, Kane and Moulson—BUF, Jagr—FLA (not so “recent”), Boyle—TB, Laich—TOR.
Granted, this isn’t an exhaustive list, however, many can see that the trend in the East is combining those “gritty” type forwards with their core of skilled forwards. Beyond that, teams like the Rangers, Flyers and Penguins all have very solid top-6 power-forwards—these are the type of players that have been giving the Canes fits too.
Now, I know what you’re saying—“Landeskog is perfect.” Honestly, I can’t deny that I think he would be a great acquisition, however, my two biggest questions are at what price and are there options that would get similar results without the same price tag? I have heard speculation that Aves GM Sakic is looking for a young, proven top-2 D, a first round pick and a highly regarded unproven prospect.
That’s no small chunk of change for any team to cough up. If the Canes made a move like that, it would most likely be something along the lines of Faulk/Slavin, their 2017 first round pick and then either Bean/Gauthier/Roy. That type of a trade is what a desperate team makes, not one that is projected to have over $31 million in cap space to spend this summer.
Beyond that, looking at the expansion draft, the Canes literally have the entire top-9 forward group and top-6 D covered. That also doesn’t take into account that the Canes are loaded with talent that could be NHL ready next season. So why do I say no on Landeskog—GM Francis has been smart and took the time to build a franchise up—don’t risk key parts of the future for one asset.
There are Two Apparent Needs:
1.) The Canes desperately need a forward who creates offense with size, battles hard, has grit and the desire/mindset to “get to the front of the net.” In fact, retired NHL goalie Steve Valiquette recently wrote an article on the
value of “net-front presence.”
The Canes need someone who fits their system—focused on puck possession, good hockey IQ and positionally sound and no “off-ice” or attitude problems. Given the youth and lack of play-off experience, I would love a natural leader and play-off experienced guy too. Based on the Canes roster, I would be looking for a C or RW probably.
2.) A reliable back-up to allow Ward not to continue to be over-worked, stay healthy and rested for key games. Looking at the goaltending situation, Ward is on pace to start 68 games and would be one of the most worked goaltenders this season. He has started 33 of the last 36 games and his last night off was on December 3rd.
The need for a back-up that goes in and gives the team a chance to win every night is very real. This is especially true for the second half of the season, as there are nine games against the three worst teams in the NHL—losing to them because of back-up woes is unacceptable for a team gunning for the playoffs. There are relatively plenty of “back-up” options out there, so I tried to see which teams fulfilled the player need first, and then potentially could also fill the back-up void too.
Who should the Canes target? Now, I want to be clear that the players I discuss are who I believe the Canes need, it doesn’t mean that they are on the open “market” or attainable. However, if the Canes are truly exploring Landeskog or Duchene, I imagine that pretty much anyone in the league is attainable for the right price (except the obvious untouchables—McDavid type like players).
I will also note that I am very rarely a fan of trading within the division, let alone within the Eastern Conference. Thus, most of my options are focused on good trading partners in the Western Conference. While there are some good forwards that fit the bill in the East, the reality IMO is there is “no chance” they would help the Canes out.
Top Choice: Minnesota Wild: Looking at the Wild, they have tough decisions to make salary wise and for the expansion draft.
According to Pierre LeBrun in a recent article,” the Wild will have some big questions to answer for their team. In addition, they don’t have a second round draft pick this year, while the Canes have 5 in the top 90 (two seconds, two thirds).
I think that the Canes could be a beneficial partner for them—we have a surplus in young D-men who currently can play in the NHL and have some experience (Murphy), which is something the Wild may need in the 2017-18 season. I think that the Canes could potentially kill two-birds with one stone in this trade. The two guys that I am focused on are Nino Niederreiter and Darcy Kuemper.
Niederreiter is my first priority, he is a left-winger who was transitioned to the right-wing starting in the 2015-16 season. He brings the size, youth, production and capability to play on the first line—this season he has spent most of his time with the first line in Minnesota too. He is 24, 6’3 and 210 lbs. According to HockeyAnalysis.com, he is 70th in the league with his CF% of 54.8% and 70.3% of the Wild’s even-strength goals this season come with him on the ice (GF%).
Acccording to Pierre LeBrun, depending on how the Wild protect players, it is very reasonable to believe they will lose either Niedderreiter or Granlund in the expansion draft—so why not get a return for two players who are most likely out the door? He is set to be a RFA this summer and the Canes wouldn’t have an issue with “paying” him a pretty penny.
Another reason that Niederreiter is an interesting focus is because he spent two seasons playing with Ty Rattie in Portland (WHL). If GMRF considers Rattie part of the future, then having someone who has shown to play well together could be a good starting point for line building. Regardless of if they play together or not, he would provide the Canes with a great puck possession, sized, net-front talent.
The next piece of the potential trade that intrigues me is Darcy Kuemper. He is 26 (27 in May), 6’5 and is set to be a UFA this summer. He has put up good stats in his five seasons in the NHL and if he wants a shot at being a starter—now is that time. Given that Dubnyk is the undisputed starter for a long time coming in Minnesota, I just don’t see him wanting to sit the bench for the rest of his career.
In terms of risk, he is a very low risk option for the Canes to tack on. He would push Ward immediately and would be fighting for the right to get re-signed by the Canes with a legitimate shot at a starting gig next season. The Ducks/Leafs trade on a conditional pick for Jonathon Bernier probably sets the bar for what his true “trade value” could be. A third round pick would be more than fair for a mid-age goalie who is most likely out the door and looking for a chance to be a starter.
Thus, I think the Canes could do something along the lines of a Murphy (1st Rd. 12th overall in 2011), a 2017 2nd, a 2017 3rd, and maybe one other small piece. Given the Wild are set to potentially lose both Kuemper and Niederreiter for nothing, I wouldn’t pay more than that.
At 23, Murphy provides the Wild with a previous first round pick that has played over 100 games, has an offensive side and just simply hasn’t worked out for the Canes yet. He is easily capable of playing on a 3rd pair and being reliable, however, with Hanifin, Slavin, Pesce and Faulk, he fell subject to a blue-line that is over-loaded.
Good Partner—Anaheim Ducks: There are a few players here that could be interesting for the Canes to inquire about depending on the price. The Ducks are also similar to the Wild in that I think the Canes could do a “kill two birds, one stone deal.”
If you wanted a high price trade, it would have to be Kesler and Bernier. Personally, while Kesler has 20+ goals every season in his career, is a top face-off center and has held above a 53% face-off winning percentage since the 2007-08 season—I just don’t see him being on GMRF list. He has four years remaining on his deal, so I think that would be the biggest concern beyond his age.
A cheaper option if you wanted to focus on puck possession and helping the Canes control the play would be Vermette. He is first in the league in face-off winning percentage and with around 750 draws, he has won 64%. While his corsi isn’t the best, it is most likely directly correlated with the fact that 43% of his draws occur in the D-zone.
A Canes team with Staal on the second line and Vermette on the third line could seriously allow the Canes to dominate the circles in close games and control puck possession. Vermette also isn’t too under-sized at 6’1, 200 lbs and has just shy of 500 points in 953 games. While he doesn’t fully address the need for a “net-front” presence, he does address the concern the Canes have had with holding the lead in the third period.
If the Canes didn’t want to go with a center from the Ducks, then the final forward who I thought would play well in the Canes system is Silfverberg. Unless the Ducks are willing to lose one of their top-4 D, they will only have one forward to cover that isn’t on an NMC. Thus, Silfverberg could be lost to Vegas.
He is signed through 2018-19 at $3.75M, is 26, 6’2 and 200 lbs. He is 207th in CF% at 51.9%, however, similarly to Vermette, he starts 39% of face-offs in the D-Zone and 38.8% in the neutral zone. The most impressive facet looking at the stats is that at even strength, Silfverberg has a 64.4% GF% despite all those D zone starts. Looking at his production, he appears to be an NHLer who developed a little slower, however, is on pace for an over-50 point season this year.
Bernier would be dirt cheap IMO, as he isn’t having a great year in Anaheim. He is set to be a UFA this summer and the Ducks recently re-signed Tokarski and then made a late-night trade for Jhonas Enroth. Based on this, I imagine that Bernier will not be returning to the Ducks—he might not be a long-term solution for the Canes either, however, he is a cheap and reliable option to help Ward get some rest.
If the Canes were to make the Nino/Kuemper move, I still think trying to bring Vermette in wouldn’t be the worst idea. However, if that trade isn’t a possibility, I think that Silfverberg/Bernier could be a solid back-up plan. I imagine that the Canes wouldn’t have to pay a ridiculous price and that it might be similar to the offer mentioned for the Wild above.
Ok Trade Partner—Arizona Coyotes: Both the Wild and Ducks are predicted to be teams that will buy, so I have to list a team that is an obvious seller. I don’t think the Yotes would be a team where the Canes would be interested in a forward and goaltender combo though, so they aren’t as favorable in terms of filling both voids.
That being said, I do think that Martin Hanzal would be a good “rental” option and could be relatively cheap for the Canes. Hanzal, at 29, 6’6 and 230 lbs is set to be a UFA this summer—so there is the chance that the Coyotes could bring him back in the summer. He isn’t the best offensive option, however, sometimes the best defense is a good offense. For the same reasons that I think Vermette could fit nicely, I think Hanzal would work too.
He is one of the better face-off guys in the NHL and is 32nd in the league winning 53.7% of his draws. He also takes 39.5% in the D-zone and with his size could be a good screen use on the PP too. His main issue is staying healthy—if he stayed healthy throughout his career, it is very possible he would put up around 50-60 points per season.
Cheap Trade Partner—San Jose Sharks: The Sharks appear to be headed the wrong direction in the next few years. A team that has aging going against it, as well as no 2017 second round pick and no 2018 second or third round pick, they could be a good trade partner. I see them in the similar light as the Coyotes, where they may have a rental on their team, as opposed to a longer-term solution.
The two guys that stand-out who would provide that “grit” are Joel Ward or Tommy Wingels. Wingels is the more attractive player, as he is a UFA this summer and is also significantly younger. However, both guys are the type of players who are good in front, find the dirty “goals,” play sound two-way hockey and go into the corners hard.
Honorable Mentions that I thought about:
Calgary—Frolik/Elliot—I don’t like the length of Frolik’s deal, so Elliot alone was a better one IMO
.
NYI—Lee/Halak—I don’t like trading within the Metro at all and Halak is was overpaid. He contract lasting another year is a negative for me too.
Tampa Bay—Boyle/Bishop—***IF YOU WANTED A BIG NAME GOALIE…” However, do you want to be the next team that pays Bishop’s next contract with his injury history recently? Boyle could be a nice piece for cheap though, same logic of
Toronto—JVR—this guy is always under the Leafs microscope. However, the Leafs and Canes are competing against each other for that “last spot,” so I doubt GM Lou L. and GMRF are going to be trying to help each other out.
Thanks for reading—I am sure I forgot a few good players, so always interested to hear thoughts/feedback! Go Canes!
Carolina Hurricanes Blogger • 
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