Matt Karash: Carolina Hurricanes Blog: Putting a cap on October

Good blog once again Matt. I think the Canes should be happy about where they sit but should also be deeply concerned with the current skid. I am not sure what it is but they just look flat to me. The Staal line needs Eric to pick it up and the left wing on that line needs to be up to speed talent wise, Skinner comes to mind. Skinner is a huge part of the team's offence and we need him healthy. Need two healthy goalies. Khudobin was stellar and the team got wins because of that until Ward got going. Hopefully Khudobin can be back within a week. I watch every game and I wonder where this team would be without Ryan Murphy. For a guy who was not a lock to make the team he is looking very valuable and has shown tremendous skill and unbelievable heart. Taking that shot two games ago and continuing to battle was very nice to see. He has won me over big time. My favourite Cane. Just wondering if Eric Staal's knee is not 100% yet, he has to be better and show a little emotion.

It’s not all bad, I was lucky enough to be @ the Canes game in Denver last week and this squad really impressed me. Playing back to back and missing the top 2 tenders they really showed me a lot.
Peters really played well, you’ve got a real good bunch of wingers even Missing the Skinner kid.
The defense will be the key to any success this squad has, Faulk and Murphy look to be very good but the rest are a work in process. Not a fan of the veteran pickups but you had to, too many kids there is suicide.

Get one of your top two goalies back this week and hope Skinner gets back soon and the Canes will stay in the Hunt all year.

It’s not all bad, I was lucky enough to be @ the Canes game in Denver last week and this squad really impressed me. Playing back to back and missing the top 2 tenders they really showed me a lot.
Peters really played well, you’ve got a real good bunch of wingers even Missing the Skinner kid.
The defense will be the key to any success this squad has, Faulk and Murphy look to be very good but the rest are a work in process. Not a fan of the veteran pickups but you had to, too many kids there is suicide.

Get one of your top two goalies back this week and hope Skinner gets back soon and the Canes will stay in the Hunt all year.

- ice-crazy

Thanks for trying to cheer me up. As an Av fan what is up with PA Parenteau, hot start and nothing and now it looks like third line. Is he getting pp time?? I have PA and Tangs so I follow the Avs a bit. Always liked Patrick Roy and he is the number one reason for the start, he leaves an impression with his players.

Solid summary of October, I'm right there with you Matt - pretty satisfied with where we're at considering that for most of the month when I checked the schedule to see who was up next my expression was more or less

The one big point I have is that our lack of top-12 depth is extremely worrisome. If Skinner being out creates an offensive void this much, what happens down the road when there are 3-5 guys out w/varying degrees of injury? Is that just when the 12-13 esque sudden downward spiral begins? Can we really rely on Semin-Staal-Tlusty to shoulder the weight they did last year as arguably the leagues best scoring line? These are some of the questions that will have to be answered in the coming months...

THe defense has been a very pleasant surprise thus far, I'll take middle-of-the-pack goals against any day of the week for a completely revamped defensive corps, especially considering out goalie situation and the fact that we were all mentally prepared for these new signings to flounder early on as they adjusted to each other.

I think the goaltending situation will work itself out with Khudobin coming back (thank god we have a reliable backup now) and Ward's injury isn't TOO severe. I just thank god we have Anton (and possible DiPietro) waiting in the wings now. I hate to beat up on a single player but Justin Peters is just not an NHL caliber goaltender right now (I live in Denver so I went to the Avs game as well, at least 2 of those goals were just examples of bad fundamentals) - his ability level ranges from atrocious to mediocre and we just need more than that to make a playoff push. Luckily we actually have that now

Also consider this my introduction - this will be my first full season on HockeyBuzz (joined tracking free agency this summer) and I intend on becoming part of the conversation this year. GO CANES!