Tony DeAngelo Reportedly On Trade Market
Carolina Hurricanes defenseman Tony DeAngelo “has been on the trade market for more than a month already,” according to The Athletic’s Pierre LeBrun. (subscription link) But according to LeBrun, “the market has been soft for DeAngelo,” and the Hurricanes’ efforts to find a trade partner for the defenseman are potentially impacted by the presence of Tyson Barrie, another right-shot power play specialist, on the trade market alongside DeAngelo.
DeAngelo’s second stint in Raleigh hasn’t quite gone as well as his first. In 2021-22, the now-28-year-old 2014 first-round pick averaged 19:49 time on ice per game and scored 10 goals and 51 points in 64 games, which is a 13-goal, 65-point 82-game pace. This season, though, he’s only averaged 16:11 time on ice, has just seven points in 16 games, and has not played since mid-November. Although he has two 50-plus point seasons on record and once appeared on some Norris Trophy ballots, DeAngelo may not be in the Hurricanes’ plans for much longer.
What Your Team Is Thankful For: Carolina Hurricanes
As Thanksgiving and the holiday season approaches, PHR will be taking a look at what teams are thankful for in 2023-24. There also might be a few things your team would like down the road. We’ll examine what’s gone well in the early going and what could improve as the season rolls on for the Carolina Hurricanes
Who are the Hurricanes Thankful For?
Of all the Hurricanes players, so far this season Jarvis has been the most impressive and taken the biggest step forward. 2018 third-overall pick Jesperi Kotkaniemi was a contender for this title until the calendar flipped to November and his hot start faded quickly.
While Kotkaniemi still appears on track to have the best season of his NHL career, it’s Jarvis who has stood out the most.
At the moment, Jarvis is only behind franchise pivot Sebastian Aho on the team’s scoring leaderboard and is on pace to register 35 goals and 65 points by the end of the season. But based on how he has been performing, there is a distinct possibility that Jarvis’ pace even increases over the course of the season.
A player who is defined by his aggressive and fearless approach to creating offense, Jarvis stands just five-foot-ten and yet is an extremely difficult player to win battles against.
The Athletic’s Cory Lavalette reported that Jarvis added eight pounds of muscle this offseason, and his diligent preparation for 2023-24 stands in contrast to how he began last season. Hurricanes head strength and conditioning coach Bill Burniston told Lavalette that last season, Jarvis “really wasn’t where we thought he should be or could be” in terms of his preparedness to handle the rigors of the NHL season. (subscription link)
That’s changed in 2023-24, and the Hurricanes are reaping the benefits on an almost nightly basis.
What are the Hurricanes Thankful For?
The struggles of several of their Metropolitan Division rivals.
Entering the season, most neutral observers viewed the Metropolitan Division as easily the NHL’s most cutthroat collection of teams. The division boasted three clear-cut Stanley Cup contenders in Carolina, the New York Rangers, and the New Jersey Devils, while fans were also optimistic that both Sidney Crosby and Alex Ovechkin would lead their teams to bounce-back campaigns.
In addition, aggressive offseason additions made by the Columbus Blue Jackets, the returns of Sean Couturier and Cam Atkinson to the Philadelphia Flyers, and the presence of elite netminder Ilya Sorokin between the pipes for the Islanders meant that the entire Metropolitan division could conceivably have entered the season with legitimate hopes of making the postseason.
So far, things haven’t shaken out quite as expected in the Metro. The Rangers have clearly separated themselves and the Washington Capitals are close to doing the same after a slow start, but otherwise, each team in the division has had its fair share of struggles.
So while the Hurricanes have had a less-than-ideal start to their season, they still find themselves firmly in the mix for a playoff spot due to similarly uneven starts from expected contenders.
The Devils, for example, are currently second-to-last in the division. The Penguins are at the moment sitting on a flat .500 record with 10 wins and 10 losses, while the Islanders have not been able to carve out any sort of consistency under head coach Lane Lambert, whose seat may be starting to warm.
In prior seasons, the Hurricanes’ slow start could very well have doomed them in such a competitive division. This year, the Hurricanes remain firmly in the playoff picture thanks to many division rivals also struggling. That’s definitely something for the franchise to be thankful for in a Stanley Cup-or-bust season.
What Would the Hurricanes be Even More Thankful For?
An improved penalty kill.
When looking for explanations as to why the Hurricanes are currently 11-8-0 and a point behind the still-rebuilding Philadelphia Flyers, the penalty kill might be one of the most obvious choices. Under head coach Rod Brind’Amour, Hurricanes fans have grown accustomed to having among the best short-handed units in the entire NHL.
From 2018-19, Brind’Amour’s first season as the bench boss in Carolina, through 2022-23, the Hurricanes rank a clear first place in the NHL in penalty kill percentage. Their 84.7% kill rate stands a full percentage point above the next-best team, and has been a clear driver of team success throughout the club’s entire Brind’Amour era.
That longstanding track record of success short-handed makes this season’s immense struggles all the more confusing. The team currently ranks eighth-worst in the NHL in penalty killing with a 74.6% kill rate, a far lower number than any years prior. There do not appear to be major structural differences driving this decline, as NHL Edge indicates that the Hurricanes are actually spending even less time in their defensive zone while short-handed than they did last year.
So why has their penalty kill been so uncharacteristically bad? The answer could lie in goaltending. Last year, according to MoneyPuck, Carolina saved 88.24% of its shots on goal while on a four-on-five penalty kill. This season, that number has crashed all the way to 75%, which is by far the lowest mark in the NHL. To put it simply: Hurricanes goalies are not making the saves while short-handed that they once made.
The Hurricanes’ penalty kill, for the entirety of Brind’Amour’s tenure as coach, had served as the bedrock for the team’s exceptional team play. That team play, in turn, translated into success in the standings and multiple deep playoff runs. So far this season, that bedrock has eroded and the penalty kill has dropped to the league’s basement. So the number-one thing that the Hurricanes would be even more thankful for would likely be a return to form for its short-handed units.
What Should Be On the Hurricanes Holiday List?
Potential reinforcements in net.
Expected number-one netminder Frederik Andersen is out indefinitely with a blood-clotting issue. As a result, the Hurricanes have relied more heavily upon a tandem of Antti Raanta and Pyotr Kochetkov, and that tandem has appeared to be a major weakness so far this season.
According to MoneyPuck, Raanta currently ranks fourth-worst in the NHL in goals-saved-above-expected. Kochetkov, in just six games played, has also posted a below-expected mark.
Using more traditional numbers, both Raanta and Kochetkov have posted disastrous save percentages. Kochetkov has a grisly .874 mark, while Raanta’s .854 save percentage through ten games is a glaring issue.
Although the Hurricanes have found ways to win despite Raanta’s struggles (he has a 6-3-1 record) the veteran netminder will be 35 years old come the postseason and looks far worse than last season, when he posted a respectable .910 save percentage.
Moreover, Raanta’s tendency to run into injury trouble throughout his professional career raises questions as to whether the Hurricanes can rely on him to endure the rigors of being an NHL starting goalie. With each day that passes, it appears more and more necessary for Carolina to seek outside help between the pipes. They already did so in the form of signing veteran Jaroslav Halak to a PTO, but that tryout was relatively short-lived.
Moving into the Holiday season, the Hurricanes should be scouring the goalie market to find a netminder capable of leading them to a Stanley Cup championship. Should contract talks between 27-year-old Sam Montembeault and the Montreal Canadiens end without an extension in place, he could be the kind of goalie the Hurricanes target.
Montembeault ranked as one of the league’s better goalies by goals-saved-above-expected last season and has excelled for the Canadiens so far this season. It’s possible that in an environment where his club is likely entering almost every game with a talent advantage, Montembeault could post even greater numbers, just as he did for Canada at the recent IIHF Men’s World Championships. (6-1-0, 1.42 GAA .939 save percentage)
Regardless of if it’s Montembeault or someone else, the Hurricanes should be looking for external help between the pipes. Raanta has simply played too poorly and proven himself to be too injury-prone for the Hurricanes to count on him as their number-one goalie this season, a year where the team is looking to win the Stanley Cup. Entering the Holiday season, a talented goalie should be number one on the team’s wish list.
Photos courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Antti Raanta Will Start Friday, Won't Miss Time Due To Injury
The Hurricanes have managed to avoid a true injury crisis in the crease. After he left Wednesday’s game against the Oilers due to what the team labeled as “precautionary reasons,” netminder Antti Raanta is starting today’s contest against the Lightning and won’t miss any time, team reporter Walt Ruff relays.
While Raanta ended up recording the win against the Oilers, he was pulled from the game after the first period, where he allowed one goal on eight shots. Raanta missing any time would have created a significant bind for the Hurricanes, who also released veteran Jaroslav Halák from a PTO this week. Outside of Pyotr Kochetkov, who is serving as Raanta’s backup while starter Frederik Andersen is undergoing treatment for a blood clotting issue, the Hurricanes have only one goalie under NHL contract. That’s Quinnipiac grad and one-time national champion Yaniv Perets, who is in his first season of professional hockey after signing an entry-level deal with Carolina last summer. The highest level of hockey he’s played is second-tier minor hockey, playing with the ECHL’s Norfolk Admirals this year.
Hurricanes Release Jaroslav Halák
The Hurricanes have released veteran netminder Jaroslav Halák from his professional tryout, Walt Ruff of the team’s official site says.
Carolina brought in Halák, 38, on a tryout two weeks ago after it was discovered starter Frederik Andersen would be sidelined long-term with a blood-clotting issue. Since then, he’s practiced with the team but was ineligible to dress for a game without having an actual contract.
Hurricanes head coach Rod Brind’Amour indicated to reporters this morning that Halák was the one who initiated the release process, but that the decision was ultimately mutual. The team will move forward with a tandem of Antti Raanta and youngster Pyotr Kochetkov in the crease while Andersen is sidelined.
Carolina’s goaltending got off to a rough start this season, although it’s improved marginally in the five games since Andersen left the team. Raanta has posted a 2-1-0 record and .908 SV% in three appearances, while Kochetkov has a 1-1-0 record and .935 SV% in two starts, including a 22-save shutout against the Lightning on November 11.
It seemed the Hurricanes wanted Halák to provide some veteran support for Kochetkov as he competed for playing time, but the situation just hasn’t worked out as planned. The 24-year-old Kochetkov has had quite the chaotic season in the first year of a four-year, $8MM contract. Sitting third on the depth chart behind Andersen and Raanta, Kochetkov began the season on loan to the Lightning’s AHL affiliate in Syracuse as the Hurricanes remain without a full-time affiliate this season. He had a strong showing with Syracuse, though, recording a perfect record and .932 SV% in three appearances, and he now seems to be finding his footing again at the NHL level.
It is worth noting that without Halák in the fold, the Hurricanes have just three healthy goalies under contract in the organization. The third is undrafted free-agent signing Yaniv Perets, who has begun the season in the ECHL with the Norfolk Admirals after capturing a collegiate national championship with Quinnipiac last season. Brind’Amour told Cory Lavalette of the North State Journal that he would be “comfortable” recalling and playing Perets if injuries to Kochetkov or Raanta necessitated it. The 23-year-old has a .900 SV%, 2.93 GAA, and a 2-5-1 record through eight games with Norfolk.
For Halák, the chances of him continuing his 17-year, 581-game NHL career are fading. The 38-year-old has been an average backup for the past few seasons, last recording a .903 SV% and 2.72 GAA in 25 appearances with the Rangers in 2022-23. A two-time Jennings Trophy winner and a ninth-round draft pick of the Canadiens in 2003, retirement seems close ahead.
Carolina Hurricanes To Send Ryan Suzuki To AHL
Going down with a shoulder injury shortly before the opening of the regular season, Ryan Suzuki had been on the Season-Opening Injured Reserve for the Carolina Hurricanes through the first month of the year. Now that he is healthy, Cory Lavalette of the North State Journal reports Suzuki has been assigned to the Springfield Thunderbirds of the AHL.
Suzuki, who was a first-round selection of Carolina back in the 2019 NHL Draft, will be joining Dylan Coghlan and Jamieson Rees in Springfield as the only other members of the Hurricanes organization.
For a number of reasons, Suzuki has failed to move up the depth chart in Carolina, spending the last three seasons with the team’s former AHL affiliate, the Chicago Wolves. In what was his most productive season last year, Suzuki would score 13 goals and 19 assists in 50 total games.
In Springfield, Suzuki will now find himself on a team competing in a hotly contested North Division in the AHL. However, Suzuki will be competing for minutes of his own, as the Thunderbirds have formed one of the AHL’s best top lines in the game through Adam Gaudette, Matthew Peca, and Nathan Walker.
Carolina Assigns Four To Chicago Wolves
- The Carolina Hurricanes have assigned Vasiliy Ponomarev, Domenick Fensore, Griffin Mendel, and Ronan Seeley to the Chicago Wolves of the AHL. Each player had been playing elsewhere to start the season, as Chicago officially opted to disconnect themselves from the Hurricanes earlier in the year. But the Wolves currently find them second-to-last in the AHL, repping a 2-6-1 record, and are now in need of reinforcements from their former NHL affiliate. The latter three assignees have started the early season in the ECHL and are earning a promotion with the move to Chicago.
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Carolina Hurricanes Reassign Three Prospects To AHL
There appears to be some thawing in tensions between the Carolina Hurricanes and the Chicago Wolves, their former AHL affiliate.
The Wolves made the highly unexpected choice to go it alone in the AHL, deciding to not have an NHL affiliate while the Hurricanes were left without an AHL franchise to partner with. As an independently-owned franchise that has historically prioritized Calder Cup contention above all else, there had been some tension between the Wolves and the Hurricanes, the latter of whom is likely to care more about the development of its prospects rather than Calder Cup contention.
Although the Wolves had signed some big-name veteran players such as Max Comtois, Rocco Grimaldi, Chris Terry, and Keith Kinkaid, they have struggled immensely so far this season. They currently have just one win, and their .222 points percentage ranks them last in the AHL, behind the 2-7-1 Laval Rocket.
The AHL’s development rule, which stipulates that most of a team’s lineup must be composed of players with under 260 professional games under their belt, poses an issue. Most players of quality who fit under those limits have been scooped up by NHL teams, so finding players un-affiliated with an NHL franchise that not only fit under those limits but also are up to the task of playing more than just depth roles in the AHL, is challenging.
It appears now that the Hurricanes and Wolves have found their way back to each other. Carolina team reporter Walt Ruff has reported that prospects Domenick Fensore, Griffin Mendel, and Ronan Seeley have been reassigned from the ECHL’s Norfolk Admirals to the Wolves. This comes just shortly after Vasily Ponomarev was reassigned to Chicago from the Tucson Roadrunners.
Fensore, 22, is a skilled offensive defenseman who has 10 points in nine games so far this season for the Admirals. The 2019 90th overall pick will likely take up an important offensive role for a Wolves team only really getting offensive production from one blueliner.
Seeley, 21, was a 2020 seventh-round pick who skated in 70 games for the Wolves last season, scoring 25 points. He’s likely to resume his role as a top-four defenseman in Chicago. Mendel, 24, is an undrafted former University of Denver and Quinnipiac University blueliner who offers imposing size at six-foot-six, 220 pounds. He played in 72 games for the Wolves last season, scoring 19 points, and will be a quality add for the Wolves.
Seeing as the Wolves seem to have prioritized forwards in their offseason signings of AHL veterans, it’s not a huge surprise that they’ve come to an agreement with the Hurricanes in order to get some valuable defensemen from their ECHL roster, including two with prior experience playing for Chicago.
For as much as each side of this now-shrinking divide between former affiliates may have believed they could go it alone, it appears the best path forward for both the Hurricanes (who likely don’t want to keep quality prospects in the ECHL) and the Wolves (whose early struggles indicate the necessity of an NHL affiliation) is to return to the sort of partnership that won Chicago a Calder Cup in 2022.
Hurricanes Loan Vasily Ponomarev To AHL's Chicago Wolves
In a peculiar move, the Carolina Hurricanes reassigned forward prospect Vasily Ponomarev from the AHL’s Tucson Roadrunners to the AHL’s Chicago Wolves on Saturday, per a team announcement.
The Wolves had been the Hurricanes’ AHL affiliate since the 2020-21 season, but the independently-owned squad opted to sever their ties with the Hurricanes this summer and act as the AHL’s only non-NHL-affiliated team in 2023-24 (and for the foreseeable future). It was not an amicable split between the two teams, and Wolves GM Wendell Young inferred over the summer that the team would not accept any Hurricanes prospects on loan once the season started. That practice has broken with Ponomarev here, though, who becomes just the second NHL-affiliated player on the Wolves roster, joining New Jersey Devils-contracted netminder Keith Kinkaid. The remainder of the Wolves roster is filled out by players on AHL contracts.
Brett Pesce Returns After Missing Eight Games With LBI
- The Hurricanes welcomed back Brett Pesce to the lineup tonight against Florida. He had missed eight straight games due to a lower-body injury, hardly an ideal start to a contract year. Pesce had been in trade speculation dating back to the summer but that cooled off with the injury. Tony DeAngelo was a healthy scratch as a result of Pesce’s return. Carolina never put Pesce on the injured list despite him missing three weeks so no corresponding roster move needs to be made.
Brett Pesce A Game-Time Decision For Friday Matchup
- Carolina Hurricanes head coach Rod Brind’Amour announced that Brett Pesce will join the team on their upcoming two-game road trip and is a game-time decision for their Friday night game against the Florida Panthers. Pesce has played in five games this season, netting two points and four penalty minutes.
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