Carolina Hurricanes - Fantasy Sports Forums

Fighting_Emu · #1 07-21-2012, 12:30 AM

Hey guys- Im going to take over the Canes thread this year. Like many of the new openings being taken up- Im not a traditional Carolina Hurricanes fan per se, but I do have a soft spot in my heart for them. You see Im from a little town called Thunder Bay (Tea Bag to the locals)- which happens to be home to the NHLs most famous sod farm. Thats right the legendary home of the Staal brothers and it was indeed that legendary cup run in 2006 that re-ignited my passion for the game and subsequent downward spiral into hockey pool addiction! In a funny twist there are a little bit more Carolina fans than youd expect for a city in North Western Ontario so you get a little bit more insight and exposure on a non traditional market, that you might not normally get otherwise.

From a fantasy perspective Carolina has never been a powerhouse- but there have always been a few hidden gems and this year in particular they have some very interesting storylines. Not only has Jordan joined the team- but there is a lot of optimism regarding his ability to take his game to the next level this year now that he is out of the shadow of Malkin and the Kid. Can he do it? Eric struggled through a major scoring drought last year- is he primed to climb back to his place at the top echelon of NHL players? How about Skinner? Are his injuries behind him? Was the sophomore slump just a bump in the road? How will the young guns like Dalpe, Boychuk, Bowman and Faulk develop? On top of that I find that Carolina has a plethora of great "supplementary" type of fantasy players and in this regard Im hoping to shed some of the spotlight on guys like Jokinen, Ruutu, Tlusty, McBain, Pitkanen, et all. Who will step up this year?

This thread will be a great place to monitor these trends and keep an eye out on whats very likely one of the more "skimmed over" franchises in the hockey pool landscape. With so many "fringe" fantasy players scoring trends, line combinations and the like become even more important as they can elevate a player from waiver status to filling out a very important hole on your roster.

Like I said I am not a indisputable authority on the subject but Im going forward with a commitment to learn as much as I can about this team, keep you in the loop and answer any questions you might have. This is an open format so feel free to weigh in, add, critique, criticize, argue, and rant!

Fighting_Emu · #2 07-21-2012, 12:37 AM

http://prohockeytalk.nbcsports.com/2...-for-one-year/

Typically I try to avoid the rumor mill- but hey- its the off-season- lol! Opinions are split on Semin but for the record I am (cautiously) a believer in both his scoring talents and his ability to find a career as a bongo player in a moroccan band if this whole hockey thing doesnt work out.

Seriously though I think this would be a great signing- sounds like Eric Staal agrees...

Fighting_Emu · #3 07-21-2012, 12:40 AM

http://prohockeytalk.nbcsports.com/2...-for-one-year/

Canes sign Wallace. Not much fantasy relevance here- but the article does point out that he a nice run with tampa after being picked up off waivers- 3g, 5a, 18gp. Seems like a safe bet bottom sixer.

Ross The Boss Palmer · #4 07-21-2012, 09:46 PM

Great to see! Look forward to reading your updates and perspective!

BTW, how did you come up with the name Fighting Emu? Always been curious

Fighting_Emu · #5 07-22-2012, 11:48 AM

Hey- thanks Ross!

Honestly it was just kind of a dumb thing- lol! I was always a hockey fan but really didnt think much of pooling so when I got asked to join I really didnt think it would stick so I was just kind of thinking of stupid animal names that wouldnt be intimidating at all. I was just putting dumb names into the image search when I found this picture of an emu and it made me laugh- so that was that- Thunder Bay Fighting Emu. Needless to say- it did stick and all these years later the names still there- lol!

I updated it to the mean looking emu in my avatar after I won my first championship- with I might add- a lot of help from posters/members on these boards. For the record I never knew an emu could look so terrifying...

Fighting_Emu · #6 07-22-2012, 11:56 AM

When I first read the Semin to Carolina rumors I thought it was just more of an indictment on Semins character, especially when Rutherford said "we've all heard the stories about him". At this point though its looking like the interest might be genuine as Carolina might be the front runner in the NHL:

http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/nhl-pu...GlvbnM-;_ylv=3

Of particular note:

"Rutherford reiterated his interest on Friday during the team's FunFest, saying he's spoken with Semin's agent in the past week several times."

Article is saying they would be looking at a short term deal obviously.

Any thoughts on Semin in Carolina?

Fighting_Emu · #7 07-22-2012, 05:03 PM

Was Eric Staals slump an anomoly? How does Jordan fit into this picture? What happened with Skinner? Any defensive prospects ready to blow the lid off things next year?

Im sure these are the questions poolies ask when they think of the Carolina hurricanes- so in true emu fashion Im going to completely ignore them and focus on a personal favorite of mine, and a guy you could probably care less about: Jussi Jokinen! Dont worry though- I like to think you'll thank me later.

Why do I care about an inconsistent 50 point veteran anyways? We've all heard the arguments, hes too old, doesnt have any real upside, or I just plain dont know that much about him.

Well lets start at the beginning. The Stars were hoping they hit a homerun when they took Jussi 192nd overall in the 2001 draft. The scouting report was that of a very talented offensive player with some major holes in his defensive game. He stayed in Finland to develop and it was their that Stars noticed a very unique skillset that was trending upwards coming out of the lockout- they had stumbled upon one of the better shootout spe******ts in the known world. They gambled a roster spot on the talented Finn and were rewarded with a phenomenal 9 for 9, shootout record- right out of the gate along, with some solid offensive play. In sheltered minutes he put up some pretty impressive totals for a rookie (55) and managed to avoid a sophomore slump (48) the following year. He was on track for a similar season when fate through a wrench in his proverbial spokes.

Having a chance to land Brad Richards in a marquis deal with the cash strapped lightning- Dallas took the bait and shipped off Jokinen as a key piece in the deal. The affordable contract and offensive flair was enough to sell Tampa and expectations were set fairly high. Jokinen- who had been previously used primarily in an offensive role, was plugged into the gaping hole left by the Richards trade.

It was a disaster.

Suddenly his minutes were less sheltered and he was thrown headfirst into all situations play. He was trying to learn life away from the puck while still being leaned on heavily for offensive contributions. He was shifted from center, to wing, to off wing and back again. He was a distasteful -16 by the end of his first year there, and well on his way there again with an ugly -8 the next season. On top of that he failed to establish chemistry with the topline of Lecavalier/St. Louis and subsequentally failed to carry the load on a pretty barren second line. He didnt shoot enough for a goal scorer and didnt have the elite vision to elevate the players around him. He couldnt score, he couldnt fill a role defensively- he quickly became a percieved detriment to the team. Things came to a grinding halt on February 4th, 2009- when he was placed on waivers. In a total of 66 regular season games with Tampa he had went from one of the NHLs bright up and coming players to an afterthought.

In a crueller world- this would be where the story ends.

Fortunately for Jussi (and poolies), such is not the case. Carolina went on to pick him up a few days later and rewarded with some solid play down the stretch and into the post season. During the playoffs, he went on to score the latest regulation GWG in NHL playoff history. With 0.2 seconds left in the third period, Jokinen and the Carolina Hurricanes defeated the New Jersey Devils 4-3 during game 4 of the Eastern Conference Quarterfinals on April 21, 2009. It was the type of clutch play doubters had often accused him being incapable of. The coaching staff had him out there in the final minute of an elimination game and he rewarded them with a game winning goal- in a decisive contest that saw them take out the heavily favored devils. They didnt go to the finals that year but Jokinens inspired play was a contributing factor when they upset the Bruin in the next round and plowed their way to the conference finals- a place no sane prognosticator would have put them when the post season began.

Notice had been served- he was an NHL pedigree player and had shown his mettle by bouncing back from adversity in a big way. With a renewed commitment to conditioning and all facets of the game he has re-invented himself as an invaluable all situations player that can compliment any line. This last season he averaged 1:17 minutes of SH/TOI and 2:49 on the PP. On top of that he plays all three forward positions. Over the last three seasons he has a 0.7 ppg average good for 58 in a pro-rated season. That number might even be artifically low considering the Hurricanes offensive numbers as a whole were down across the board when Staal held ineffective early on in the season. Hes a proven goal scorer with 30,and 19 tallies the last two seasons respectively. His defensive acumen has improved by leaps and bounds.

So what does that all mean for poolies? It means despite the bad rep Jussi seems to have- hes actually a pretty safe bet to add 55 to 60 points, 20ish goals and contribute on both special teams. His versatility is a blessing and a curse in that he will likely see spot time on the topline but will also be shuffled throughout the lineup as he is needed. The knocks are that he doesnt shoot as much as you'd like for a goal scorer and that last years 54 pims were most likely an anomoly. Theres some injury risk, although this seems to be overstated when you consider that hes only missed 16 games in the last 3 seasons. At 29 hes firmly entrenched in his prime and hes already proven he can score 30 goals in a good year- which likely means there could be a 70 point season in there somewhere. Projections like that are criminally underrated in fantasy pools.

Most importantly though- it means that hes a legitimate top six NHL playerand hes here to stay. Many people admonish him for the shortcomings he had early in his career while failing to realize how far hes come since his days on the waiver wire. Hes a key piece of what looks to be a largely re-vitalized Hurricanes team and hes got the moxy to be a keypiece on your fantasy squad.

So next time you get deeper in your draft and you tick off Jussi Jokinen in the "no upside/washed up/dont know much about him" column- maybe you'll give it a second look and take a chance.

Carolina did- and they couldnt be happier.

Ritchierich · #8 07-22-2012, 08:29 PM

As the new writer you will be happy to know of their huge off season move. The pried former player turned scout away from Florida and got Cory Stillman back in the organization. Okay maybe not a huge move, but he is the type of guy you want working for you.

bondon · #9 07-23-2012, 11:03 AM

Hurricanes just agreed to terms with Drayson Bowman (RFA)

Quote:

Chip Alexander ‏@ice_chip
Drayson Bowman gets two-year contract. One-way in the second year. Has $600,000 NHL salary.

bondon · #10 07-23-2012, 11:21 PM

Hilarious tweet from Gus Katsaros a little while ago...noticing a trend in Carolina

Quote:

Gus Katsaros ‏@KatsHockey
#Huricanes Blueline: Joni Joe Jamie Justin Jay Forwards: Jeff Jeremy Jiri Jordan Jussi Justin in goal #alotofJs #420 #wheressnoop

The players he's referring to:
Joni (Pitkanen), Joe (Corvo), Jamie (Mcbain), Justin (Faulk), Jay (Harrison)

Jeff (Skinner), Jeremy (Welsh), Jiri (Tlusty), Jordan (Staal), Jussi (Jokinen)

Justin (Peters)

I Lol'd hard when I read that.

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