For it to be a slower summer for the Carolina Hurricanes, I wasn't sure if the mailbag would take off – but you all sure showed up to shoot out some fantastic questions! Seven questions were asked, and seven questions have been answered!
A huge thank you to everyone who reached out for this mailbag, and I hope you all are having as much fun with this as I have! Canes fans are the best!
The last three seasons, Aho has been the leading scorer for the Canes. Do you think he retains his crown, and who would be the most likely to unseat him if he does not? ( Via X )
If I am going to be honest, I see Sebastian Aho stepping it up now that he's sipped champagne from the Stanley Cup – I believe he will remain as the top-scorer next season. However, there is one player that I could imagine taking that spot.
Nikolaj Ehlers.
Last season, in which he was second in scoring, was his most productive on record by a country mile; it was his first 70+ point season, scoring seven more than his previous best, which was his sophomore season way back in 2016-17. This upcoming season, I believe he will cover Seth Jarvis' spot on the top-line, which will give him more ice time, and thus, more opportunity. Having Andrei Svechnikov as a linemate I'm sure will also crank his numbers up, too.
1. Will Nikishin be traded, and if so, will Legault fill in on 3rd pair?
2. Will Bussi/Kotchetkov combo, if healthy, be enough to win Metro and get back to Finals? ( Via X )
To question one, I don't think Alexander Nikishin will be traded. I believe that the Hurricanes' front office is going to keep all options open until something gets done, but I imagine we will see him in the lineup come opening night.
However, with that being said, if he does get traded, I think we'll see both Charles-Alexis Legault and Joel Nystrom back and forth in the lineup until a decision is made. Both prospects are right-handed defenseman and did incredible last season when the blueline was obliterated. I think they would both have an equal shot at cracking the lineup should a trade happen.
Now, to question two, I personally think so. Brandon Bussi carried the team in the first half of the season when Pyotr Kochetkov was in and out of the lineup and Frederik Andersen was out of the groove. While he did have some struggles after the Olympic break (which was understandable for his first long break in the NHL), he managed to find his game towards the end of the season and certainly performed exceptionally well in the Stanley Cup Final.
As for Kochetkov, if he's healthy, I think he'll bounce back. He played really well last season despite having a serious injury – an injury we don't quite know how long he'd dealt with. I'm not saying I think we'll see his best season ever or anything (though it would be AWESOME to), but I do believe we will see a great improvement from the past two seasons.
Additional question about the goalies. Who do you think will be our #1 or do you think they will continue with the rotation. Also, do you think they bring in a 3rd goalie and if so, who? ( Via X )
Hmm, that is a really good question. I believe starting the season, it will be the usual rotation – however, I think it may be less likely to stay that way if performance dips compared to the past. Coaching has always leaned towards giving veterans more ice time/starts because it is well known what they can do, but without that veteran – Frederik Andersen – in the mix, you just have the two younger netminders. I imagine that we may see a little less predictability with much more performance based starts next season due to that.
As for the third goalie, I would say Cayden Primeau – but that situation remains uncertain. Surprisingly, he is still without a contract, and as far as I am aware, has not yet filed for arbitration. If not him, then Ruslan Khazheyev would be my next guess. He's young, but he's done very well since coming stateside. Definitely one of the prospects I'm most interested in seeing hit the NHL down the road.
Two for the mailbag: Do you have a favorite cup day story? What would you do if you had the cup for the day? ( Via Reddit )
Ooh, gotta love the questions off the beaten path – these are some great ones! (Though, I'm not surprised that they're awesome questions – your mustard inquiry in the last mailbag still lives rent free in my head!)
So far this offseason, I think my favorite was actually goalie coach Paul Schonfelder's day with the Cup . He took it to the Ottawa Children's Hospital and shared it with the kids and their families. It wasn't loud and boisterous, it was just simply sharing it with some people who it meant a lot to – that's the best way to do it.
As for if I had the Cup for a day, I would want to do something similar – something that would lift spirits. I would probably either choose to bring it to a children's hospital, one of the local military bases, or better yet, find a way to take it to both! Phil Pritchard had better wear his hiking boots, because we'd be doing some traveling!
Do we have any idea how far apart the two sides are on the Nikishin talks? Is it just about money or also a bigger role? Any ideas to what the team is offering and what he is asking? ( Via Reddit )
This situation has been pretty crazy, to be honest. Despite the fact that this is arguably one of the biggest trade speculation stories in the NHL right now, the lack of information squeaking out about it has been surprising. The general consensus of reports seems to circle that he wants a long-term contract worth roughly $8M annually.
With the rising cap, that doesn't sound too bad. But, when you look at the lineup, that is a lot of moolah for a third-line defenseman.
He would be the Hurricanes' highest paid defenseman in terms of average annual value. You would be hedging a lot of bets on his continued development, and as much as I think he is the kind of player who could turn into something great, I don't blame the front office at all for holding the line on this one.
Also Read:: Hurricanes Mailbag 1.0: Trade Deadline; Underrated Stats; Mustard on What?!
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