Hurricanes-Rangers series debated by Cole, Richter

The Stanley Cup Qualifiers will use eight best-of-5 series and two four-team round-robins to determine the field and seeding for the Stanley Cup Playoffs.

NHL.com will preview select series with an alumni roundtable, featuring a former player from each team debating key points.

Today, former Carolina Hurricanes forward Erik Cole and former New York Rangers goalie Mike Richter take a look at the series between Carolina and New York, to be played at Scotiabank Arena in Toronto beginning Saturday (Noon ET; NBCSN, NHL.TV, SN, SN360, TVAS, MSG, FS-CR).

Richter, who played 666 regular-season games for New York from 1989 to 2003, was the goalie the last time the Rangers won the Stanley Cup, in 1994.

Cole played nine of his 14 NHL seasons with Carolina, scoring 363 points (168 goals, 195 assists) in 557 games. He was a member of the Hurricanes in 2005-06 when the Hurricanes/Hartford Whalers franchise won the Cup for the first time.

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GOALTENDING

Richter: "I think it's pretty obvious the New York Rangers have depth at a very, very important position. I think the break, if you can call it that, may actually help them. [Igor] Shesterkin (10-2-0, .932 save percentage, 2.52 goals-against average) was coming off an injury and [Henrik] Lundqvist (10-12-3, .905, 3.16) has got a lot of pride. He will battle. It is going to be a true test just to see who gets that net from the Rangers side. [Alexandar] Georgiev (17-14-2, .910, 3.04) has proven himself. Really, all three of them have. Lundqvist has that amazing ability to elevate his game in important times, as all big players do. I don't have a problem with any of them starting. I think you're going to have a hard time beating any of these guys, really."

Cole: "The one thing that will work to the Carolina Hurricanes' advantage is it being such a short series and with a three-headed monster lingering around, I think could be a little bit difficult. I think one of the big things that the Hurricanes will have is the experience from last year, the [Stanley Cup Playoff] run that they went on. For me, I would really like to see [Petr] Mrazek (21-16-2, .905, 2.69) take the goal. He's the guy who wants to be in there. He wants to battle and compete. He really gets engaged. He loves to be in there and be a competitor."

Richter:"I would say all five goalies in this series are really competitive, and in a short series like this I think it's going to be pretty entertaining. Having had the break and a short training camp, there will be mistakes made, so you will probably highlight a lot of good opportunities. Both nets are filled with capable players. I think it'll be a tight goaltending series."

DEPTH SCORING

Cole: "It's hard to say that the Hurricanes will have the edge, but what I like about Carolina's scoring depth is I feel like they have three lines that can hurt you. With Vincent Trocheck (11 goals, 38 points) coming in at the trade deadline, he was just starting to get feel good about himself and get his legs under him. I think he's going to be an important factor. Justin Williams had made his return and then gone through that little bit of lull when you come back from a long layoff. It's like you can't figure it out; you just feel tired every day. He got to the other side of that, so he was ready to go again. And he's Mr. Game 7. You don't mess with that guy. I think the top-end players and the top lines from both teams are probably going to cancel each other out a little bit, and it's going to have to come from the back end or the scoring depth of the forwards."

Richter: "Erik makes good points. There's certainly a lot of experience on Carolina. New York is going with a very young group. But you look at what [Artemi] Panarin has done this year (32 goals, 95 points); I think he was maybe the most exciting player in the League. Every time he touched the puck, something was going to happen. [Mika] Zibanejad (41 goals, 75 points) too. It seems the group was gelling, and that suggested they would have a real chance if they were to make it into the playoffs. And that was a big 'if' before the pause. Don't forget, these guys came in with a lot of promise, but (they were) very young and it's a difficult league when you're that young. But they're a different animal now. You can see it. There were guys stepping up. Panarin and Zibanejad were every night, but Pavel Buchnevich and Filip Chytil, you were starting to hear their names more and more. (Rookie) Kaapo Kakko is a stud, and he spent the year adjusting. Their scoring and attack are more consistent, and their speed is awesome. You were always saying, 'Man, if they can just make the playoffs they can do a lot of damage with their strength in goal and their speed up front.' Well, here they are. A lot of people will say they're a little bit too young. But this is a whole new season, and I think they're going to take advantage of it."

DEFENSEMEN

Richter: "On paper, people will say Carolina has the experience and the back end is its strength, but you see the play of [Adam] Fox, the decisions he makes, how well he moves the puck. And you see [Tony] DeAngelo and how he can contribute offensively. [Ryan] Lindgren has really come along. Marc Staal has been there forever, and he's a great pro. Jacob Trouba (6-foot-3, 209 pounds) has a huge physical presence. It's a good mix, but I think they play a good team game. One of the things the coaching staff has done really well is they're teaching. The players were learning what their responsibilities are. If you have a good system and you adhere to it, you're going to be far better off no matter what your lineup is. That's not a backhanded compliment. The Rangers have a young 'D,' but they play well as a unit. That becomes even more critical in a series."

Cole:"Carolina's defense is certainly its biggest strength. There is only one guy that's under 6-foot and that's Sami Vatanen at 5-foot-10 -- and he hasn't played for them yet. I think a key for the Hurricanes was having Joel Edmundson come over from St. Louis with all that experience. Then you look at how Dougie Hamilton really came into his own this year before his injury, and a lot of that had to do with the trade of Justin Faulk. Moving out that other right-handed shooting power-play guy really allowed him to feel confident, feel like he's the guy and know that. Everybody is a good player, but when you get that vote of confidence from a coach or organization it goes a long way. The big thing about the Hurricanes defense is they have big bodies and they're all mobile. These guys can get up and down the ice. And Jaccob Slavin, he's wonderful. He can play in all situations and he's fearless in shot blocking as well. They picked up Brady Skjei as well, and he's played in that Rangers system so he'll definitely be a factor; he'll be able to help with aspects of the Rangers game to give the Hurricanes a better understanding of what they're trying to do out there."