Tweetmail No. 197: Opportunities, Competition & Songs

Hello and welcome to Tweetmail, 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.

The departure of Jeff Skinner undoubtedly opens a door for a player who spent the majority of last season in Charlotte. I
wrote a bit about this situation
last week, and I think a player like Valentin Zykov, Warren Foegele or Lucas Wallmark really stands to benefit from the roster space that's now available.
Zykov, especially considering his one-way contract, is in good position to crack the Opening Night roster, I'd have to think. He's only played in 12 NHL games over two seasons, but he's tallied four goals and eight points in that small stretch. In last week's #Tweetmail, we looked at projected point totals, and the math suggests Zykov could contribute 34 points over a full 82-game season.
Foegele is another player to watch, especially considering his two-game stint with the Canes late last season (caution: extremely small sample size), as is Wallmark, who could potentially be in the mix to center the team's fourth line.
What about Saku Maenalanen? Training camp will be our first glimpse at the Finnish winger that the Canes inked as a free agent in May. He figures to be among those competing for a roster spot with the team, as well. Patrick Brown and Janne Kuokkanen have some previous NHL experience to their names, and is someone like Aleksi Saarela or Nicolas Roy or Julien Gauthier prepared to make an impact in camp?
Competition was always going to drive camp, but it becomes an even more intriguing storyline now with an additional roster spot up for grabs. Who wants it most? Who is going to put forth the work and effort required to be an everyday NHL player? It should be fun to watch.
As far as more moves go, I don't expect anything to be imminent or even likely at this point. I believe the Hurricanes are comfortable with the group as it stands now, especially with the number of young players who are looking to take the next steps in their careers. This could, of course, change given one phone call, but I don't see that being the case.

Another storyline to watch when training camp opens in just over a month's time? How the defense shakes out.
Here's what we know. The Canes, through a trade and a free-agent signing, improved their already impressive blue line. Justin Faulk remains under contract for the next two seasons, and the team isn't in any hurry to move him. That leaves seven NHL-ready defensemen, including four right shots and three left shots, on the roster.
So where does Haydn Fleury fit in?
In all likelihood, the top four will resemble something like Slavin-Hamilton and de Haan-Pesce (mix and match as you see fit). That leaves Trevor van Riemsdyk, Faulk and Fleury vying for two spots on the third pair. Fleury played in 67 games as a rookie last season, but he could be the odd man out in this situation. He would, without a doubt, be a top-pairing defenseman for the Charlotte Checkers, and he'd play in every situation.
Ultimately, the decision is going to rest on a few factors, including how Fleury performs in camp and the preseason and what the organization feels is best for his development at this point in his young career.
There's also the unfortunate (and constant) threat of injuries, which the team was mostly able to sidestep last season. Quality depth is a good problem to have.

A handful of players have already hit the ice at Raleigh Center Ice, including Scott Darling, Jaccob Slavin and Valentin Zykov. Over the next few weeks, you'll see those numbers begin to grow. By the last week of the month or first week in September, there should be a solid collection of skaters on the ice as they ramp up their workouts leading into the beginning of training camp.

I think "Jump Around," a fairly popular fan suggestion, is a quality goal song option. It's very hype.
Honestly, I dig most of the eight options we put up for a vote. It was a longer process than expected to assemble all suggestions, both internal and the nearly 1,500 we received from fans, into a small, final list of eight. Obviously, there were many great suggestions that didn't make the cut for one reason or another. Some were great tunes that just didn't work properly in our goal horn-Ric Flair-goal song sequence. Some, like "Rock You Like a Hurricane," are already integral to other parts of the in-game presentation. Inevitably, there was going to be disappointment for some.
In the end, I think the list is eclectic and unique, and hopefully y'all find at least one song worthy. The response after just a day's worth of voting has been incredible and passionate. Keep the votes coming!

As was the case last season with #Redvolution, that's accomplished through the NHL's partnership with Twitter Sports.
Stay tuned for what's ahead this season!

Shout out!
Congrats on a spirited battle, Melanie. I missed the episode but saw some images of the various dishes on social media. It all looked so very delicious. If you ever need taste testers,

and I are always game.
\\*
Join me next week for more questions and more answers!
If you have a question you'd like answered or you'd like to state your case for Eastern vs. Western style, you can find me on Twitter at
@MSmithCanes
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