Tweetmail No. 181: Checkers, Calder Cup & Interference

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Tweetmail is a weekly feature on CarolinaHurricanes.com in which I take your Twitter questions about the Carolina Hurricanes or other assorted topics and answer them in mailbag form. Hopefully the final product is insightful to some degree, and maybe we have some fun along the way.
Let's get to it.

Nine games remain in the 2017-18 regular-season for the Carolina Hurricanes, while the Charlotte Checkers have 10 games still on the docket in their 76-game campaign. The Canes are all but eliminated from Stanley Cup Playoff contention, while the Checkers currently occupy a playoff spot in the American Hockey League's Atlantic Division.
In weighing whether to recall players from Charlotte, the Canes must consider a few things. The first and most procedural is the post-trade deadline recall limit, which stipulates that a team may make no more than four non-emergency recalls after the trade deadline. The Hurricanes have used two of their four, which, barring injuries, limits what the team can do in the final two-and-a-half weeks of the season.
The next consideration is one of balance: does the recall of player x benefit him and his individual development more so than his absence negatively impacts the Checkers?
In considering these matters, don't expect to see an influx of Checkers in the final weeks of the season. The Canes are limited procedurally, and they aren't going to want to derail Charlotte's playoff hopes, either. Valentin Zykov, who leads the AHL in goals (32) and power-play goals (16) is already up with the big club. Another name I could see getting the call is Warren Foegele, who has put together an impressive rookie season in Charlotte. Foegele has notched 26 goals and 16 assists (42 points) in 64 games. He's a plus-18 and ranks tied for second in the AHL with four shorthanded goals. Whether he gets the call this season or not, he's one to watch heading into the 2018-19 season.
Which leads us to …
Tweet from @Tiberious_Nero: What are the chances of the checkers winning the Calder cup? #tweetmail #Redvolution #RedvolutionRampage https://t.co/XxQkr8V6Rj
Once you're in, anything can happen.
Here's the thing with playoffs, not just in hockey but really in any sport: once the postseason begins, everything resets to zero. Anything can happen. Any player can rise to the challenge and cement himself in playoff lore. Any team can defy the odds and emerge victorious. It's a tremendous time of year, and the Charlotte Checkers currently find themselves right in the mix to return to the AHL playoffs for the second season in a row.
The East is going to be tough. If the season ended today, the Checkers would draw the Atlantic Division-leading Lehigh Valley Phantoms in the first round, a best-of-five series. The Checkers are 2-4 against the Phantoms this season with a pair of games against them at home coming up in the first week of April. Opposite Lehigh Valley in the North Division is Toronto, the top team in the league; the surviving teams from the Atlantic and North Divisions meet in the Eastern Conference Final.
There's still work to be done down the stretch of the season for the Checkers to once again punch their postseason ticket. It would be fun to see the team get another crack after losing in the first round to Chicago a year ago.

There's no denying times are tough right now. The Hurricanes, in a playoff spot as recently as late February, have since slipped, unable to string together that season-defining winning streak and unable to avoid the loss column with any regularity. It's the unfortunate cha-cha dance that has plagued the team all season - one step forward, two steps back, over and over again.
Losses like Tuesday night's to Edmonton underscore the type of season it's been.
"That goes to show that we have to come to work. We play in the NHL. We have this privilege to be here," Jordan Staal said after the game. "We can't lay eggs like that every other game. We can't just not work. It looks like that when we don't. It's no fun to play. It's no fun to let each other down like that. I'm one of them. I wasn't good enough tonight. It's too bad. I'm going to be ready for the next game."
I'm optimistic about the future of this team because I do believe there are talented pieces in place, and the organization's prospect pool is arguably as deep as it's been in a number of years. That gives me hope for the future, even if the present isn't so dandy. Plus, who knows what the offseason could hold? If nothing else, it's evident that change is on the horizon - and that will begin up top with a new general manager.
I am, however, inherently biased, but I do aim to still be honest, authentic, candid and realistic in everything that I write on this website and say on CanesCast. And I thank you all for reading, listening and following along, through the good times and all the rest.

Don Waddell, president of the Hurricanes, sat in for the team at the GM meetings in Boca Raton, Fla., which are slated to wrap up today.
While we're on the topic of the GM meetings, let's discuss some news that's emerged. There's been lots discussed - goaltender interference, player safety and offside among the hot-button topics - but there seems to be the most traction with the goaltender interference review process. Currently, on-ice officials, after consulting with the "War Room" in Toronto, have the final say in what is and is not determined to be a good goal. The league's general managers formally recommended Wednesday that the final decision rest solely with members of the NHL's Hockey Operations Department in the Toronto "War Room," a change that could be implemented immediately if all parties involved approve.
From a public-facing perspective, not much will change; the review process will remain largely the same, but the final decision will rest with Toronto rather than the two on-ice officials. That likely won't alter outcomes much, either. According to
NHL.com
, the "War Room" has strongly disagreed with on-ice officials on only four of the 170 reviews for goaltender interference through 1,100 games this season.
What the rule change aims to accomplish is simply a better standard for consistency; having the final say rest with a small group of people - no matter the game, venue or situation - should do just that, at least in theory.

I'm not really picky on roll type as long as it's soft. That's all I ask.
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