Thoughts From My Couch

Not seeing the Canes lift the Stanley Cup at the end of the season is a major bummer. In reality, 31 other teams will have their season end the exact same way. While it wasn't their year this time, now we can start building to next year. The NHL offseason is easily my favorite of the major sports. Everything is so close together that it lends to so much excitement. We have the draft on June 28 and 29 before free agency opens up on July 1. There are a ton of questions that need to be answered before the puck drops next season, so that's what I'm prepared to look at. I want to look at where we are right now, who could be on the market for the Canes to go after, and what we could look like when the season begins in a few months.  State of the Organization Forwards Sebastian Aho ($8.46m, Signed through 2023-24) Andrei Svechnikov ($7.75m, Signed through 2028-29) Teuvo Teravainen ($5.4m, Signed through 2023-24) Jesperi Kotkaniemi ($4.82m, Signed through 2029-30) Martin Necas ($3m...

The East and the West each decided to go about things a little bit differently in the second round. Florida and Carolina each decided to make quick work of their opponents, beating Toronto and New Jersey in five games, respectively. How they each did it was very different. Florida, behind amazing goaltending from Sergei Bobrovsky, held the Maple Leafs to ten goals across the five-game set, allowing two in each game and keeping their stars in check. Carolina decided to pour on the offense against the Devils, scoring 24 goals in five games, including three lopsided victories in Games 1, 2, and 4. Both used overtime heroics in Game 5 with Nick Cousins scoring for the Panthers and Jesper Fast scoring for the Hurricanes to advance to the conference finals. It's Florida's first trip since 1996 and Carolina's second since 2019. Out west, things were a little tougher. Vegas needed six games to get rid of Connor McDavid and the Edmonton Oilers. The Golden Knights overcame a four-goa...

The homestand continued for the Rays following their weekend win over the Milwaukee Brewers. The week begins with a four-game set against the Toronto Blue Jays, the team that handed the Rays their first two losses in April and their first series loss of the season. They would then head into the holiday weekend for a three-game battle with the Los Angeles Dodgers. This marks the first time since the 2020 World Series that the two sides would meet as they each lead their respective divisions.  Monday 5/22 Rays 6, Blue Jays 4 WP- Josh Fleming (1-0), LP- Chris Bassitt (5-3), SV- Pete Fairbanks (5) The Rays welcomed the Blue Jays to The Trop for the first time this season to start a four-game set. The team jumped out to an early lead with three runs in the second inning. The avalanche began when Vladimir Guerrero Jr dropped a ball at first base to allow the first run across before Jose Siri hit a two-run home run immediately after. Isaac Paredes extended the lead in the third inning wit...

The end of the 2022 postseason left a sour taste in the mouths of the fans after the Canes lost in Game 7 to the New York Rangers at home. They'd failed to win any games on the road and the lone home game they dropped ended their season. It left the fans wanting more from their team and the front office. General Manager Don Waddell answered the call by making two huge trades, acquiring Max Pacioretty from the Vegas Golden Knights and Brent Burns from the San Jose Sharks. It also meant some big names exiting with Tony DeAngelo being traded away and both Vincent Trocheck and Nino Niederreiter signing elsewhere. There was also plenty to look forward to in the upcoming season. The franchise was celebrating its 25th season in North Carolina and the long-awaited Stadium Series game was the highlight of the schedule. The product on the ice would live up to the hype. Here's a look back at the season that was.  Season in Review Regular Season It may not have felt like it at times but th...

The Hurricanes made quick work of the New Jersey Devils in the second round, helping the Canes advance to the Eastern Conference for the fifth time in franchise history and the second time in the last five years. Their opponent would be the Florida Panthers, hot on the heels of a five-game victory of their own over the Toronto Maple Leafs. After falling behind to the Boston Bruins 3-1 in the first round, the Panthers won seven of their next eight games to shock the world. A lot of this was because of the resurgence of Sergei Bobrovsky. He entered the series against Boston and never gave up the reins. He allowed two goals in each of the five games against Toronto as the Panthers seemed comfortable in tight games. The Canes didn't play a close game in the second round before Game 5 when they won 3-2 in overtime. The storylines for the series were endless with two coaches familiar with each other and an entire family colliding with a berth in the Stanley Cup Final on the line.  The Se...

The Canes stare down the barrel as their backs are firmly planted against the wall. No matter what metaphor you use, the Canes are in it. Tonight could be their final game of the season as they try to stave off elimination and force Game 5 in Raleigh on Friday night. The difference between these two teams has been minuscule for three games but Florida has been one goal better each time. Game 3 only saw one goal as Sam Reinhart's tally on the power play in the second period would be the only time the puck entered the net. Sergei Bobrovsky continued to look unbeatable, stopping all 32 shots he faced for the first shutout of his postseason career. Frederik Andersen was also excellent, only facing 17 shots on Monday night. This is literally a must-win game for the Canes to keep their season alive. The Canes' luck has been nonexistent for the entire series with no love being shown by the goalposts. What they're being asked to do has never been done in NHL history. No team has ev...