Mailbag #68: Dissecting The Start

RALEIGH, NC. - After nine days out west the Carolina Hurricanes have thankfully returned home.

Going 2-3 on the trip, the group will be back in North Carolina for just over 36 hours before heading to Tampa to put a bow on their six-game road stint as a whole.

Sitting at an even .500 in the standings, here are some questions you all were kind enough to send in about the club's start.

Canes mailbags are powered by Segra.

Any concerns over the amount of goals being scored on our defense? With the same core guys, this is my biggest major red flag. - @NickJRider

Any answer other than "definitely" here would be a lie.

But, let's take this beyond just the fact that the puck is going in the net before pinning it solely on the defense. Why is it going in the net?

Rod Brind'Amour has pointed out two key issues thus far this season - penalties and breathers.

Entering Sunday's play, the Canes have committed 36 infractions, the most in the NHL. They've allowed nine power-play goals against, the most in the NHL.

Both of those items need addressing.

While penalties as a whole are up across the league, the group will have to do their best to utilize more discipline moving forward. There's no room for error until the penalty kill makes their necessary adjustments, which, Brind'Amour said would be coming following Saturday's loss.

I do not think Monday's practice will be a fun one.

On the "breathers" side, the head coach is referring to small lapses, whether it be mental or physical. If someone forgets their defensive assignment for one second, it's burned the Canes this season. If a guy loses a step trying to keep pace with the skater he's supposed to be covering, it's wound up in the back of the cage.

The forwards are just as responsible for those as the defense.

Those two things - penalties and breathers - can be rectified, and both rather quickly. But obviously, yes, those two items have led to some concerns thus far.

The penalty kill has been struggling to start the season. Do you think this is about execution, or have opponents "solved" the Canes PK in ways that let them bypass its efforts and score on the man advantage? - @EManningWrites

As is the case for most things in life, the truth is probably somewhere in the middle.

Tweaks need to be made to the penalty kill, unquestionably. Add in the "breathers" discussed above and those certainly haven't helped while down a man.

There have also been examples of tough luck, like Jordan Staal having his helmet ripped off (uncalled) last night, forcing him to go to the bench, essentially giving Colorado a five-on-three and allowing them to score before the Canes can recover.

With that being said, the Canes have also had the best penalty kill in the NHL under Tim Gleason over the past two+ years. Killing off 85.4% of tries since the start of the 2021-22 season, when teams look at what Carolina does right for their pre-scout, that's almost certainly looked at.

While the latter is entirely possible, I would lean more toward the side that it's been self-inflicted errors that have harmed the units more than the opponents having found something to exploit.

I keep hearing players/Rod in interviews saying things like “getting everyone to buy in” or “20 guys on the same page”…is there some resistance or trouble with the new guys playing Rod’s system? - @sonja_joi

Of the above words, trouble is the more fitting, for sure.

The way the team plays is so systematic that each season we see newcomers having some trouble adapting early on. Many people forget that Brent Burns struggled out of the gate last year too, but once he got going, he flourished by setting the new team record for points by a defender in a season.

We're seeing the growing pains first-hand right now. It's perhaps been most noticeable with Dmitry Orlov. He's clearly still learning the refined details of the way that Brind'Amour and Gleason want the blue line to operate. It will come.

It's not just adapting to the new systems though, some of it is just building chemistry with new teammates as well.

Something that will presumably aid Orlov is playing with a consistent partner, which has not been the case thus far this season. He's played the bulk of his time with Tony DeAngelo, but he's also played with Jalen Chatfield.

The other night in Seattle, there was what looked like a standard zone entry, but Michael Bunting just wasn't on the same page as his linemate and as a result, the Canes lost possession. Little things like that will get ironed out over time.

Is the 11-7 format something we might see on a regular basis? Granted we’ve been bitten by the injury bug on this trip but once we are fully healthy I’m not sure an 11-7 lineup is what will work. Of course, I acknowledge I’m being a couch coach but the dynamic seems off going 11-7. - @Tom_Hannigan237

Dating back to the preseason, players and coaches alike have said that 11-7 isn't sustainable long-term.

As you reference though, the team hasn't had a choice in some of these games. Now that Cal Burke has been recalled, the team can finally go 12-6 again, and that will become a more permanent option when both Sebastian Aho and Andrei Svechnikov return to the lineup.

The 11-7 has obviously been in an effort to have both Chatfield, a good all-around defender who's proven he should be playing every night, and DeAngelo, someone who was brought in to rectify last season's power play woes, in the lineup at the same time. I'm not sure how much longer we'll see that, but I don't know what the answer is to solve it.

While DeAngelo has had moments to start the year, he quarterbacks the first power play unit, and the man advantage has been good to start the season. Entering Sunday, they rank tied for 10th league-wide at a success rate of 26.7%. That's obviously something the team wants to keep on the up-and-up.

With that being said, I don't think Chatfield has done anything to warrant him not playing. In fact, the eye test suggests that Orlov and Chatfield have had more success together than Orlov and DeAngelo at five-on-five.

I do not envy the decision-makers here.

When will Svech be ready to go? Definitely want Roddy to hold out until he’s 100%. The boys could use his physicality on the ice. - @sdothardwicky

I think we're close. Like, really close.

There was hope by a lot of people, from Don Waddell to Brind'Amour, to Svech himself, that he would be ready for Opening Night. However, a little lingering soreness after skates in his knee forced the team to play the "take it safe" route.

But we're not far off.

Monday's practice will be a big sign.

Svechnikov has been skating in his yellow, no-contact jersey since the very first day of training camp, but once he touches the ice in a regular jersey, which could be as soon as tomorrow, it's go time. It will only be a few practices after that and he'll be back in the lineup.

Now, to temper expectations, of course, that may not be tomorrow.  It may not even be next week.

Remember, he was given a 6-9 month return time from mid-March.  So we're well within the window, but that window also runs until just before the holidays.

However, as we sit here today, on this gorgeous fall Sunday in Raleigh, I do think there is a real chance we see #37 in a game this week.

How do you feel about the starts Slavin, Kotkaniemi & Jarvis have had this season with all of them having seven points in six games? - @OneTrueZach

Well, if you're looking for highlights from the season thus far, look no further than the players mentioned above.

If someone had asked prior to the home opener who you thought would be leading the team in points through the first six games of the season, I'm not sure how many would have realistically said and believed Jaccob Slavin, Jesperi Kotkaniemi, or Seth Jarvis.

Okay, maybe Jarvis, but alas, here we are.

Each with seven points in six games, there's been a lot to like about the play from all three of them even beyond the scoresheet.

What I love most about Slavin being in the mix is that his points aren't coming at the sacrifice of his stellar defense.  Yes, analytically, he had a substandard night in Colorado, where he produced two points, but that has not been an every-night trend.  His other two goals have both come while shorthanded, appropriately earning his rewards from defense while his group has been down a man.  That pick-six in San Jose was a thing of beauty.

Speaking of taking care of business in your own end, Kotkaniemi's has been wonderful as he continues to evolve into a defense-first centerman.  Now, the point production is coming with.  I love that he's going to the dirty areas.  His two most recent goals, against Seattle and Colorado, have come right outside the crease.  His confidence is clearly there too, attempting the lacrosse move during a tied game in San Jose.  Fingers crossed he can keep all of this up.

As for Jarvis, with a career-best three power play goals already this season, he's another player that isn't afraid to go to the hard areas of the ice.  His goals have been timely, too.  He spoke candidly during training camp about how much the mental side of the game has played a factor in his first two seasons, and after last season was ebb and flow for him, he's on the right foot to start this go-around.

I don't think anybody expected Jaccob Slavin to be leading the Canes in points through 6 games. Slavin for Norris? - @CanesStatsBrand

The award is given annually "to the top defensive player who demonstrates throughout the season the greatest all-round ability in the position" and so far #74s been great all-around, so I say yes.

Closing Up Shop...

Thank you, again, to all who took time to send in a question this week.

The Canes are set to practice Monday before departing to Tampa for a Tuesday night affair against the Bolts.

A practice day is scheduled for Wednesday, and the team will then finally return home for a back-to-back set on Thursday and Friday against Seattle and San Jose.

Worth A Click

Prospects: Where Are They Playing?

Canes Begin Season With Record-Setting Fan Base

PNC Arena Introduces New Food & Beverage Selections

Uniform Schedule For 2023-24 Announced

2023-24 Single Game Tickets On Sale Now

Canes, Bally Sports South Announce 2023-24 Broadcast Info