Matt Karash: Quick Mon practice update + Zach Boychuk + Matt Corrente "inside the game"

Disappointed that the Canes' didn't make a play for Mason Raymond. He signed today with the Leafs for 1M. With the up tempo game the Canes' like to play, he would've been a nice fit. Time will only tell, but I think it was opportunity missed.

Even with nothing really going on today with the Canes ......I really enjoyed that blog Matt .

Hey Matt, maybe Corrente is what this team needs more of. We are kind of a soft team!
Question: how many guys do you think will be kept here on the season roster?
As of now we have 28, but some years we've kept 22, 23, or maybe only 21. IIRC

Disappointed that the Canes' didn't make a play for Mason Raymond. He signed today with the Leafs for 1M. With the up tempo game the Canes' like to play, he would've been a nice fit. Time will only tell, but I think it was opportunity missed.
- CappyJr.

This has been a strange offseason with the cap decrease. There area decent number of players who maybe are not perfect fits, do not fit the budget, are maybe overpriced for 3rd line, etc. who suddenly without a job in late Sep are real cheap. Once it gets to the point where you can get a decent veteran player with upside and potential to add secondary scoring for what is really closer to a 4th line price ($800k-$1.2M), I start to become more willing to accept less than perfect.

The player that intrigues me right now is Simon Gagne. No way is he going to score like he once did. But he is a pretty heady offensive player who was average if not better defensively. If you could get him for $1M, the net cost is really only about $400-450k which is his $1M less the cost of the other options (i.e. Gerbe, Dalpe, Terry) who are on 2-way contracts and could be sent down.

The hard part is for the team's scouts to gauge if players like this are just too old or if they still have something left in the tank. His 30-40 point pace (for a guy who was once a solid 2nd-line scorer) suggests that he is definitely on the decline but in the right scenario is he the depth scoring the team needs?

Hey Matt, maybe Corrente is what this team needs more of. We are kind of a soft team!
Question: how many guys do you think will be kept here on the season roster?
As of now we have 28, but some years we've kept 22, 23, or maybe only 21. IIRC
- randycane

I think it will likely be the full 23. One factor is whether the team wants to protect players from waivers claims. Personally, it completely depends on the day for me whether I want to give someone like Dalpe a decent 10-game run to make a final call or just go with safe/sound veterans. But I am fully at the point where I would not put Brett Bellemore on waivers. Defensive depth is hard to come by and he looks real good. Plus he is playing for a salary that fits in about anyone's tight budget.

My wild guess is that the Canes will keep 8 D (Murphy, Bellemore + the 6 vets). Remember per a blog I did awhile back, Charlotte has a strange schedule with 2 games then a huge layoff, so for the first few weeks it is not like Murphy could be doing more than practicing in Charlotte anyway. Then I think the team will keep 13 forwards, so that Westgarth can shift in/out of the lineup as appropriate.

Hey Matt, maybe Corrente is what this team needs more of. We are kind of a soft team!
Question: how many guys do you think will be kept here on the season roster?
As of now we have 28, but some years we've kept 22, 23, or maybe only 21. IIRC
- randycane

As much as I appreciate the role Corrente has played, I am not sure he is an NHL level defenseman. He did take a couple minor obstruction type penalties in addition to the rough stuff which matter little in a preseason game where finding some mojo is crucial, but you cannot have so much of that in regular season games for real points.

This has been a strange offseason with the cap decrease. There area decent number of players who maybe are not perfect fits, do not fit the budget, are maybe overpriced for 3rd line, etc. who suddenly without a job in late Sep are real cheap. Once it gets to the point where you can get a decent veteran player with upside and potential to add secondary scoring for what is really closer to a 4th line price ($800k-$1.2M), I start to become more willing to accept less than perfect.

The player that intrigues me right now is Simon Gagne. No way is he going to score like he once did. But he is a pretty heady offensive player who was average if not better defensively. If you could get him for $1M, the net cost is really only about $400-450k which is his $1M less the cost of the other options (i.e. Gerbe, Dalpe, Terry) who are on 2-way contracts and could be sent down.


The hard part is for the team's scouts to gauge if players like this are just too old or if they still have something left in the tank. His 30-40 point pace (for a guy who was once a solid 2nd-line scorer) suggests that he is definitely on the decline but in the right scenario is he the depth scoring the team needs?
- CarolinaMatt63

Totally agree, Matt. It may be that the brass looked at several of these type of guys earlier and the asking price was too high. I like the Simon Gagne possibility, as I also think he has some gas left in the tank and we could use his veteran experience and leadership

As for Boychuk being sent down, the Canes brass probably wants to take better looks at Welsh and Bowman since they are signed to one way deals. They have to be really sure that they would want to pay them NHL dollars in Charlotte. There are a few guys fighting for the same slot Boychuk wants. I'd guess that they knew Boychuk would most likely clear waivers and make it to Charlotte. He will not have to go thru waivers to come back, so he may be the first injury call up. If several guys are virtually "tied" for the last spot or two, the one way deals are going to really come into play for a budget team.

A guy like Corrente is not only auditioning for the Canes, but for other teams in case he is waived.

JR needs to sign a proven vet forward like Boyes or Gagne the team has a void in the 3rd line ,and if an injury in the top 6 occurs there will be no viable option just like last season with Ruutu ,and or Skinner out ,if you ask me this isn't a playoff team until that roster spot is filled ,and if I were JR I would be getting nervous about job security.