Matt Karash: Hurricanes training camp 10 questions review + my wild guess for cuts

i feel kind of torn on some of the players, they all have something different that they bring to the table.

Curious about R. Dvorak. My hunch is he earns a spot.

With the way Boychuk has played, I think he moves to the front runner spot. Are you going to the game tomorrow Matt?

Curious about R. Dvorak. My hunch is he earns a spot.
- CappyJr.

I think the key for him is PK. That is 1 role where I don't think you want to too much just throw inexperienced players in and hope it works. I think I wrote this awhile back, but he was a pretty good penalty killer when he was in our division awhile back. If he can still do that, he could win a spot on that alone.

As I watch Muller gradually tinker with line combinations, I am starting to think that he could actually jump to 3rd line RW if Muller leaves Skinner/Lindholm together. Ideally for that slot you want a few things:
1) A sound defensive player who can help plug holes a bit as Lindholm and Skinner both learn.
2) Someone capable of skating with them, so they can push the pace when they get on the ice against 3rd pairing dmen and bigger grinding 3rd and 4th lines.
3) Ideally some size and strength, so they don't get caught playing full shifts of keep away against a strong cycling line.

An ideal fit would be someone like Erik Cole who is big and physical but also skates well. The Canes don't really have that. I am not sure any of the big bodies can keep up and am not sure any really fit the defense requirement as another young player still learning.

Dvorak does not so much help with the size thing but even at 37 he should skate well enough to be a 3rd forward off the rush and has the defensive acumen.

We'll see. Some of these things will begin to get sorted out tonight.

With the way Boychuk has played, I think he moves to the front runner spot. Are you going to the game tomorrow Matt?
- ward30nhl

So per my blog, I am thoroughly impressed with Boychuk's training camp so far at a personal character level in addition to on-ice play. But I think he is still in a hard spot because of skill set fit.

If Muller sticks with the core as it is now, you have a LW or RW spot open next to JStaal/Ruutu that would ideally have a good 2-way player. If Muller wanted to go pure offense here, Skinner would be a logical fit. Then you have a RW spot open next to Skinner/Lindholm. Again, I think you ideally want a 2-way presence here to go with Skinner's still developing defensive acumen and Lindholm as a rookie. That leaves the 4th line where priority 1 is to build a line whose job is to stay out of the trouble and mostly let the top lines try to win games.

I think Boychuk would have a better shot on a team that was hurting for offense and power play help. This is why despite his great start to training camp, I think he is still on the outside looking in. But at some point if you just keep doing what he has been doing (scoring in bunches, being noticeable almost every shift, generally playing well) the coaches find a spot for you if you are just better than everyone else.

Shorter version: Despite playing well, Boychuk is not a great fit skill-wise for the spots that are open. He needs to keep blowing the doors off it to make it such that the coaches have no choice but to find a spot for him.

I went to Saturday's scrimage, and Westgarth is a waste of space on the ice. 2 strides behind the play and beautiful passes to nobody. The only thing he brings is his fists. With the addition of a couple of veteran defensemen that may bring a little more physicality, does Westgarth have a spot? Does Muller want a 2 minute a game player on his roster?

I see him being a healthy scratch most nights.

I went to Saturday's scrimage, and Westgarth is a waste of space on the ice. 2 strides behind the play and beautiful passes to nobody. The only thing he brings is his fists. With the addition of a couple of veteran defensemen that may bring a little more physicality, does Westgarth have a spot? Does Muller want a 2 minute a game player on his roster?

I see him being a healthy scratch most nights.
- el conquistador

I tend to agree with you here. Not a Westgarth fan. I understand the team needs an enforcer, but he also needs to be able to skate, and contribute to the team. I'd explore other options if possible.

I tend to agree with you here. Not a Westgarth fan. I understand the team needs an enforcer, but he also needs to be able to skate, and contribute to the team. I'd explore other options if possible.
- CappyJr.

There needs to be somebody out there who is willing to stand up for their team mates, but if he is sitting on the bench for 59 minutes a game, I'm not sure how that works.

I have a question to pose. Has anyone found video of the Semin/Khudobin duel from yesterday's practice?