With training camp now just around the corner, Hurricanes GM Ron Francis has been pretty quiet during this stage of the game when agents start to give up on full contracts and take PTO (professional try-out option) to at least book a place to train and showcase.
The Hurricanes seem to be a good candidate for PTOs for 3 reasons:
1) They seem to have roster spots to be filled. The team currently has only 11 forwards and 5 defensemen on 1-way contracts respectively. (Technically it is only 9 forwards, but I count Rask and Lindholm in this group simply because they are very unlikely to be sent to the AHL.)
Ron Francis is on record (and he backed it up last season) as preferring to leave slots open to be won by the kids in the Canes system. Last year, spots were won by Victor Rask, Chris Terry and Zach Boychuk in training camp. Rask took a huge step forward and established himself as an HL player. Terry also stuck at the NHL level for most of the season, logged 57 games on NHL ice and earned a 1-way contract for 2015-16 along the way. Zach Boychuk showed improvement and split the season roughly 50/50 between the NHL and AHL. The players and the Hurricanes experienced depth are better this summer because of the experience gained during the 2014-15 season.
But even with the goal to save room for kids to win NHL spots, it seems the Canes could fit another veteran or 2 especially when you adjust for the inevitability of a few injuries along the way.
2) Because of the numbers and roster situation above, one would have to think that Raleigh could high on the list of options for players who must win roster spots. Unlike with some deeper teams, there appear to be spots to be won.
3) Veterans who work out can help some under a win or a lose scenario. If they play well and help the Canes compete for a playoff spot that is obviously a huge win. If they do not, a veteran with a 1-year contract could be traded in March to collect another mid/late-round draft pick.
So what would I do if I were Canes GM Ron Francis?
--I would add 1 forward. It only pushes the Canes to 12 which still leaves room for 1 player to win a spot for opening night (assumes they keep 13 forwards). Then an injury or 2 will inevitably make room for more call-ups. At this point, I would expect the cost to be only $700k-$1M for a 1-year deal, so even if they get passed on the depth chart, it is not like it is a costly mistake.
I put the forwards in 2 categories. First, there are a handful of playmaking type wings who could potentially help generate more chances for Jeff Skinner and/or Eric Staal. That group includes Brad Boyes, Derek Roy and Tomas Fleishmann. I have not heard Roy or Fleischmann's name bandied about of late, so someone please holler if they already committed to something and I missed it. Boyes' name has been out there a bit more. All 3 of these players bring some playmaking. Boyes is a right wing, Roy is a center who can also play right wing and Fleischmann has primarily played left wing though perhaps he could move across. Out of the 3 Boyes seems to be the most talked about. The second category is Jiri Tlusty. He is a known quantity and a solid if not spectacular top 9 forward. He does not bring as much pure playmaking as the others, but at his age and performance level, he could arguably be the best of the bunch.
I would be happy with signing any one of the 3 outright to a 1-year deal for $1M or less. I would also be fine with inviting 1-2 of them to camp on PTO contracts.
--On defense, I am torn. I HATE the idea of players like Hanifin, Fleury, Carrick and the other Canes prospects moving up the NHL depth chart simply because of lack of healthy options. I would much rather see them start in lower slots and play their way up as they are ready. The Canes limited roster of 5 proven NHL defensemen (and that counts Jordan who is on a 1-way deal but still pretty inexperienced himself) puts them an injury or 2 away from forcing whichever young player is in a #5/#6 slot up into the top 4 not by choice or development strategy but out of sheer necessity. Based on that, I would consider bringing Tim Gleason back on a 1-year deal to fill either a bottom pairing role or #7 slot. If enough kids push into the lineup, the Canes could just eat the inexpensive contract.
Aside from considerations for filling the Canes roster, I would expect that they would extend the courtesy of a PTO to any/all of Tim Gleason, Jiri Tlusty and Patrick Dwyer if any/all of them need somewhere to work out and stay ready for their opportunity. All 3 are good people who left the team on good terms after long stays, so if they need a place for September, I would expect Ron Francis to accommodate them.
What say you Canes fans? Who is of the mind to just say no completely to adding veterans and is voting to just go young and live with it? Who likes the potential to buy some inexpensive wildcards knowing that if the season goes awry perhaps they could be converted to another mid-round draft pick?
Matt Karash is a long-time passionate Hurricanes hockey fan, season ticket holder and also the founder of the Canes and Coffee web site.
Twitter=@CanesandCoffee
Go Canes!