Matt Karash: State of the blue line after a couple days to digest Sekera/McBain trade

first!

Sekera is a perfect 3-4 defensemen. Great skater, some offensive ability. His only issue is when someone on your top pairing get's injured he sticks out like a sore thumb when he has to kill penalties or play more PP time. Other than that it was a win/win trade IMO

From a sabres fan, Sekera is a good top 4 dman if you let him play his game. He struggled at time's here when he had to follow a system. Whenever he plays internationally, they let him play and he looks amazing.

We talked about it earlier Matt and I still think Hal Gill, for the right price/term, might be a decent plug-in.

Sekera is a perfect 3-4 defensemen. Great skater, some offensive ability. His only issue is when someone on your top pairing get's injured he sticks out like a sore thumb when he has to kill penalties or play more PP time. Other than that it was a win/win trade IMO
- OneKaneOneCup

I continue to be encouraged by the number of Sabres fans who tell me I am wrong about being concerned about Sekera being a nice safe version of a top 4, but I still want more than 3rd pairing depth in 1 more add.

We talked about it earlier Matt and I still think Hal Gill, for the right price/term, might be a decent plug-in.
- ward30nhl

Yeah...I don't see Gill being more than 3rd pairing/depth at this stage of his career if you want size/grit/nastiness and possibly PK. I think the Canes have that in Harrison. IF they go the depth defenseman route for another add, I think Rutherford would be looking for more of a complementary type of player (right shot, better puck mover, etc.). Jordan Leopold is a left shot and probably too expensive for that role, but I think more the type of player who would complement Harrison.

I continue to be encouraged by the number of Sabres fans who tell me I am wrong about being concerned about Sekera being a nice safe version of a top 4, but I still want more than 3rd pairing depth in 1 more add.
- CarolinaMatt63

Sekera will leaving wanting more in the offensive zone. He's instantly maybe the best skater on your team, if not close. Defensively he is just solid.

I would say Sekera is more the perfect 4. If he is your number 5 D, you have a tremendous D core overall.

As a 4, he fits like a glove. He can handle spot duty as a 3, from game to game, or for a few games, but when he moves into a 3 or higher position in the D order for an extended period of time, he can struggle.

As the other poster said, the less constraint on him regarding following a super rigid system, the better he plays.

Not sure why anyone sees Sekara as a four? He is great on an international ice surface due to his skating skills but he rarely takes the body and looks out of place at times. No sour grapes here, I think he is a decent player but I view him more as 3rd pairing type. I would suggest that Mark Eaton (Pit) would be a fair comparable. I think it was a fair trade for both teams.

wow that's underrating faulk.

you are the anti-cloutier

I know I've been harping on this, but I still think Rutherford blew it by not offering a home run deal to swap 4 and 5 picks with NSH to get Seth Jones. I think we may rue that non-move for a decade.

Rutherford has been pretty clear that he sees our top 4 as Joni, Faulk, Gleason and Sekera. For better or worse. My guess is he brings in a reclamation project on a one year deal to round out the bottom pairing w Harrison/Bellemore/Murphy. Maybe Komisarek.

I'm not sure the math works out to deal for one of the 4mil Flyer dmen when JR probably needs to budget around 2-3 mil for a steady line compliment to Skinner.

wow that's underrating faulk.

you are the anti-cloutier
- TheNugeIsHuge

Seconded. I think you were a little unfair to Faulk. He might already be one of the 4 best players on this team. I feel completely comfortable with him playing in the top 4.

Robidas and/or Daley

Well with the Flyers signning Vinny it becomes clear someone is going to have to go so they can make the cap. With that being said JR and Bobby Clarke have always seemed to trade well and I could see Coburn could be a real possiblity. I don't like the idea of Komisarek being signed I think JR needs to focus on someone that is proven or even reliable. I'm just tried of seeing Corvo like guys skating around with no purpose. I would also not be to opposed to trading Skinner for a D-man. Don't get me wrong I love Skinner but lets face it he did not have a very good year last year and for the money he is being paid just doesn't make much sense to let him waste away on the 3rd line. Also he can't seem to keep his head up so I can't see him having a very long career and being the next Lindros on earlier retirement. Maybe make a trade for Marc Staal that could be fun to see a starting line with all of the brothers on the ice together.
I don't know I'm just looking at the divison we are going into and get scared b/c a small market team like the 'canes with all these big boys and it looks like we will be battling Columbus for the cellar unless we can start to fork out some money for some bigger name players.

Sekera is soft as the day is long. That's why he was the guy I wanted GONE. He's not terrible but he is streaky. I was never a fan.

JR has about a million a year too much rapped up in all his high end contracts and that ties his hands in what he is able to do. It's nice to lock in your core, but he was bidding against himself in most of those deals. Face it, $7m in Raleigh NC goes a hell of a lot farther than $7m in NYC or other big cities.

JR needs a couple of bottom 6 forwards that can play an edgier game than what is currently on the roster and offer some scoring threat. The Canes bottom two lines were not a threat at all to score or to grind a team down. He also needs a backup goalie and that d-man that you referred to.

Skinner's contract still keeps coming back to me as the leeway that JR needs to make a couple of moves. He hasn't really developed any chemistry with either of the Staals and ended the year as the 3rd line center. While he has great skill, I think JR may need that money to shore up other areas.

It would be a shame if JR has to end up trading Skinner because of a poor contract that he himself gave him. What a colossal piece of mismanagement that would be.

I'm not sure what you do with another top 4 dman.

Are we scratching Jay Harrison? Not giving Ryan Murphy a shot? Dressing 7 dmen every night? We have 4 guys who belong in the top 4 now. Jay Harrison, and whatever Ryan Murphy becomes.

I suppose they could always make room, but with limited cash, and our disaster of a bottom 6 and Justin Peters as backup, I wonder if it's the best investment for what little cash is left.

I suppose they could always make room, but with limited cash, and our disaster of a bottom 6 and Justin Peters as backup, I wonder if it's the best investment for what little cash is left.
- notwalnc

Which is why I think the D is set and I'm afraid we will see another season of Peters flopping around.

Peters will be backing up Ward. I can't see how they can dedicate even a small portion of the budget to backup goalie when they still need to improve the bottom 6 at F and potentially/hopefullly add another Dman.

I think ideally, Murphy and Bellemore would play top 2 minutes in the AHL this year. Let them force their way into the Canes lineup as opposed to being forced in.

This should not be a developmental year for Carolina. This should be a playoffs or bust year. So by that measure, I think you still need at least another NHL ready dman (preferably a top 4), a proven veteran 3rd line forward and probably one more bottom 6 forward who bring size and a two way game.

Peters will be backing up Ward. I can't see how they can dedicate even a small portion of the budget to backup goalie when they still need to improve the bottom 6 at F and potentially/hopefullly add another Dman.

I think ideally, Murphy and Bellemore would play top 2 minutes in the AHL this year. Let them force their way into the Canes lineup as opposed to being forced in.

This should not be a developmental year for Carolina. This should be a playoffs or bust year. So by that measure, I think you still need at least another NHL ready dman (preferably a top 4), a proven veteran 3rd line forward and probably one more bottom 6 forward who bring size and a two way game.
- Gossler1

Agreed.

I know I've been harping on this, but I still think Rutherford blew it by not offering a home run deal to swap 4 and 5 picks with NSH to get Seth Jones. I think we may rue that non-move for a decade.


- Gossler1

He would have had to make a deal with whoever drafted 3rd (for some reason I can't remember who it was) because Nashville had Jones as their number 1 player. He should have done all he could to make that happen...even if it meant Skinner has to go.

Ask yourselves this....when was the last time the Canes had a clear number one d-man?

He would have had to make a deal with whoever drafted 3rd (for some reason I can't remember who it was) because Nashville had Jones as their number 1 player. He should have done all he could to make that happen...even if it meant Skinner has to go.

Ask yourselves this....when was the last time the Canes had a clear number one d-man?
- Wigdog

It's amazing how many of the Hurricanes problems would have just been solved if they'd have lost that late season shootout to the Islanders. They'd have Seth Jones right now and we wouldn't even be talking about the problems at D.

It's amazing how many of the Hurricanes problems would have just been solved if they'd have lost that late season shootout to the Islanders. They'd have Seth Jones right now and we wouldn't even be talking about the problems at D.
- Gossler1

Not necessarily, they still would have had to have a better result in the lottery. The Canes problems go far beyond what happened last year. Missing the playoffs 3 years running is unacceptable. Any other GM in the league would have been canned by now. JR has been living off of winning the Cup and has done nothing since.