THN Preseason Poll Canes on Top V.2
All around the NHL, training camp is kicking off for every team and hundreds of players and it was no different in Raleigh for the Carolina Hurricanes.
The Canes were split into two groups, the expected starters and the PTOs and prospects, with the main group starting out in the morning.
That's where I'll primarily be focusing.
Here's a couple of takeaways from the first day of training camp:
WHAT ARE THE LINES?
Everyone knows that the lines during Day 1 of training camp are totally the definitive lines moving forward. Totally.
So here's how the Hurricanes lined up to open training camp:
- Michael Bunting - Sebastian Aho - Seth Jarvis
- Andrei Svechnikov - Jesperi Kotkaniemi - Martin Necas
- Jordan Martinook - Jordan Staal - Teuvo Teravainen
- Stefan Noesen - Jack Drury - Jesper Fast
- Brendan Lemieux
- Jaccob Slavin - Brent Burns
- Brady Skjei - Brett Pesce
- Dmitry Orlov - Tony DeAngelo
- Dylan Coghlan - Jalen Chatfield
Takeaways
- Bunting, who played alongside Auston Matthews and Mitch Marner in Toronto, looks to be getting the chance to work with the top guys again. It takes a particular skillset to complement high-level players so why not give it a go.
- Teuvo Teravainen, who had a rough go of it last season, has thereby moved down to the third line. However, perhaps the most underrated aspect of Teravainen is his abilities as a defensive forward, so he should still work well with the Staal line while also potentially providing an offensive boost.
- Jack Drury is getting a look to be the starting 4C and he'll have an offensive grinder in Noesen and a defensive stalwart in Fast to support him.
- Jalen Chatfield has started on the fourth pairing despite being one of Carolina's most improved blueliners last season. We'll see if this stays a consistent trend, but because of how many good defensemen Carolina has, he could be a roster casualty.
- In his spot, Tony DeAngelo is getting a spin with Dmitry Orlov which could honestly be a really strong offensive pairing. Both players are efficient puck movers and bring a bit of snarl as well.
2v2 Battles
4P - Preliminary Power Play Players
The Hurricanes also potentially revealed some preliminary power play units which could look drastically different if they stick.
- PP1 - DeAngelo, Burns, Aho, Svechnikov, Jarvis
- PP2 - Orlov, Necas, Bunting, Teravainen, Noesen
Takeaways
- Instead of just choosing one, the Canes decided to just combine their 2021-22 and 2022-23 PP1 quarterbacks onto the same unit, and I think it could work. DeAngelo is a pass-focused player while Burns is a shot-focused player. Therefore, you can put DeAngelo at the point and let Burns be a bit more mobile around the circles.
- The issue with having two D-men on PP1 is that Necas got bumped down. His 26 PP points were a huge part of his breakout season and losing that deployment may hinder him. That effect could also be visible on Teravainen. His 31 PP points in 2021-22 season were the most by any Hurricane skater in nearly 15 years. However, those two combined might allow Carolina to actually have two good power play units.
- I'm a bit surprised to see Orlov as the PP2 quarterback because that's never really been his niche. In his best season (last year), he had just eight power play points and his bets mark before that was just six.
Jarvis takes the first shootout attempt of camp
Other Notables
- During the first day, every skater has to undergo the grueling 1,000ft conditioning skate in under 60 seconds. Twice. The good news though is that every skater in the main group successfully did it.
- In fact, Andrei Svechnikov, who's coming off of ACL surgery, led the way for his group, being the fastest to complete the drill. A good sign for sure.
Svechnikov leads the way in conditioning skate
