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.