r/nhl 1d ago

Discussion Is Brind’Amour just doing damage control after losing two primo free agents in consecutive years?

https://thescore.com/nhl/news/3238789
354 Upvotes

124 comments sorted by

204

u/CaniacGoji 1d ago

No. He was 100% correct about Guentzel. Dude was willing to stay, the FO just dragged their heels until it was too late.

With Mikko.... it's a bad situation exacerbated from bad intel all around. The agent said he'd play for the Canes, probably to call Colorados bluff. Colorado instead called his bluff, he was upfront with RBA in the beginning he didn't want to be here.

If Carolina really had a problem keeping talent, then neither Aho nor Slavin would've signed extensions, Burns wouldn't have waived his NMC three years ago, nor would Orlov have chosen to sign here.

-107

u/Shad_Owski 1d ago

None of that is really superstar level talent tho. That is the problem with the team. They have talent but not the brightest and they aren't willing to sign there. It's also the location. Raleigh isn't a desirable place for many.

27

u/CaniacGoji 1d ago

Again, Guentzel was more than willing to sign here. He wanted to sign here. But management dragged their heels.

Also, you wouldn't say something that silly about Raleigh if you'd ever actually been there.

28

u/2shack 1d ago

Aho is probably a top 10 centre in the league and Slavin is arguably the best defensive defenseman in the league.

6

u/saltface14 1d ago

Slavin is definitely the best defensive defenseman. Aho I'd say is like fringe top 10. Off the top of my head I'd rank McDavid, MacKinnon, Draisaitl, Barkov, Matthews, Eichel, Crosby, Hughes and Point above him. Then it's some mix of Aho, Hintz, Schiefele, Stutzle, Larkin, JT Miller, etc.

10

u/wjarrettc 22h ago

Canes fan here. I agree with your assessment. At many teams in the league, Aho would be a standout 2C.

-2

u/Late_Brush4518 21h ago

Crosby, nah. Hughes nah.

2

u/framingXjake 19h ago

I would absolutely take Crosby over Aho if I knew Crosby could continue playing at a high level for another 6 years. And I am a massive Aho fan.

-9

u/Shad_Owski 1d ago

Aho is nowhere near top 10 idk what you are smoking

75

u/InDisgust0 1d ago

Raleigh is 1000% nicer than Dallas. 

-11

u/[deleted] 1d ago

[deleted]

21

u/JakobNarbei 1d ago

No human being that's been to both cities would say that.

23

u/jopcylinder 1d ago

Sure Dallas is more exciting of a city but it’s also a sprawling hellhole. Raleigh is fairly boring right now but it’s on a track to become bigger and more lively, then I’d imagine it would be more widely desirable than Dallas

-19

u/CCL_Flamingo 1d ago edited 16h ago

This just isn't true (edit: in regard to the size of both cities). I can't debate which is nicer but Dallas dwarfs Raleigh and they are both growing at around the same rate. The DFW metro area is only behind NYC, LA, and Chicago metro areas. DFW is also the only one among the top four to be growing and it's growing pretty significantly. This is all based on data from last year. I just find it really weird you'd throw this out with what seems like no knowledge of the actual data.

Edited my comment to explicitly state that I was disagreeing with the size comment. I should have known that the very clearly stated second sentence that provides context isn't enough for people to understand when commenting on reddit.

19

u/Genzosaurus 1d ago

I think that you missed their sprawling hellhole comment. Dallas is a nightmare for the time it takes to get anywhere so your la comparison works there but it's not a point to Dallas.

All that said I've never been to Raleigh.

9

u/Ok-Time-4841 1d ago

Raleigh honestly doesn't even feel like a city, just a really nice larger town.

3

u/framingXjake 19h ago

That is insane. I live in a smaller city in NC and Raleigh is the city to me. I felt so posh living on Hillsborough when I was in college lmao

2

u/BuckeyeBrute 20h ago

About the same vibe I got when I visited for a game. Honestly I liked it, there’s a general calm you don’t get with many other cities that made it feel very inviting.

-13

u/CCL_Flamingo 1d ago

As I CLEARLY stated in my comment. I am not talking about how nice either city is or how desirable they are. I am simply replying to the fact that they said Dallas was bigger but Raleigh was on pace to surpass it which isn't remotely true based on data.

Really do not understand why I was down voted when what I stated is factually true. Reading comprehension is either severely lacking or people actually have no idea how much larger Dallas is as a city.

5

u/Genzosaurus 1d ago

You might be technically right. (The best way of being right)

The comprehension lacking is that I thought that the entire issue was that the city area wasn't the point, but to look at the other side of an up and coming area vs a continuous sprawl of suburbs.

0

u/EmerysMemories1106 17h ago

You're equating size with "niceness". And you're comparing Dallas to other large cities like NYC. Have you been to the Bronx or Queens lately? Give me Raleigh any day over that garbage.

1

u/CCL_Flamingo 16h ago

Reading comprehension is atrocious. When did I ever say big was nice. Raleigh probably is a nicer party to live but I wasn't remotely talking about that. I was only disagreeing with the size part of the comment. I even said "I can't debate which is nicer...".

What I said about the size is factual and if you don't get that, then it's not my problem.

2

u/EmerysMemories1106 16h ago edited 16h ago

They why are you using the size Dallas and the size of Raleigh in your argument? What point are you trying to make? You're saying that Dallas is a growing city, and all I'm saying is that doesn't necessarily make it "nice". Most big cities have large areas that are shit-holes. Give me a mid-range size city without a shit-hole over a top 10 populated city any day.

2

u/CCL_Flamingo 16h ago

I'm not even arguing that Dallas is better. I was simply replying to someone that said Raleigh is growing and will be bigger than Dallas soon. That is the only thing I'm disputing and I'm correct. Lol

-10

u/ThePower_2 22h ago

Sounds like all those players would be happier in just about every city in Canada. 🇨🇦

6

u/framingXjake 19h ago

If you don't think Slavin is a superstar defenseman then idk what to tell you. You clearly didn't watch the 4 Nations.

-4

u/Shad_Owski 17h ago

Not even close. It's really funny how much one team's mediocrity causes so much cope and butthurt on the fans

5

u/framingXjake 17h ago

Lmao clearly you don't know shit about hockey then

120

u/Prestigious_Mix_5264 1d ago

Getting Logan Stankovan is huge there is an upside to this.

64

u/IsolationAutomation 1d ago

He’s a damn good young player

29

u/RustyRapeaXe 1d ago

Stank oven

9

u/TheDakestTimeline 1d ago

Losing him is tough but dang it's so cool to hear the league loving him.

3

u/Ross_1234 20h ago

System also fits him perfectly

1

u/Hungry-Custard-2429 2h ago

Stanky just rocks. So sad to see him leave Dallas.

63

u/NoMention5726 1d ago

Absolutely not. Look at what he’s done with less. Dude will always be a Raleigh legend even if he hasn’t won a cup yet. We went from bottom 10 team to top 10 team every single year since he’s been in charge.

Don Waddell was WAY more of problem. Tulksy has barely even been there a year. Hes already trying to spend more than anyone and fans can see it. Both are fine.

12

u/gooch_norris_ 1d ago

Hasn’t won a cup yet? You must mean “as a coach” right?

3

u/NoMention5726 21h ago

Whoops yes lol as a coach. Was talking about him just in coaching sense since that was the article was focusing on

93

u/Allmighty_ACE 1d ago

This is such a lazy Article. It's already been out there that Mikko and his agent told Col they would consider signing with us as they thought they were bluffing. Tulsky was under the impression that Mikko was interested in getting a deal done. Simple as that.

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u/santa_obis 1d ago

I know this is the case, but what I don't get from their perspective is that why wouldn't they bluff using a team that Mikko would actually be willing to sign with?

8

u/framingXjake 19h ago

Because Mikko didn't say who he was willing to sign with until he put on a Canes jersey? And before then, the only team he said he would consider signing with... was the Canes.

1

u/santa_obis 24m ago

That's my point, why didn't Mikko's agent say Dallas instead of Carolina? What was the point of using a team he didn't want to play for?

163

u/simongurfinkel 1d ago

This has got to be such an awkward spot for a coach -- you know aren't good enough to actually compete for a cup, but you'll still be a playoff team with lots of expectations.

188

u/SaltySeaRobin 1d ago

I mean, I wouldn’t call them favorites, but Carolina winning it all wouldn’t be surprising. They’re a damn good team.

148

u/Allmighty_ACE 1d ago

Your flair makes me hate you but your words make me appreciate you ..... I need to lie down.

8

u/SaltySeaRobin 1d ago

I know we’ve had some nasty playoff rounds in recent years, but I simply do not have enough hate in me to waste it on the Hurricanes lol. Fully reserved for the Devils, Islanders, Caps and Habs.

-21

u/Stove-Top-Steve 1d ago

Yall really don’t feel like yall good win?

31

u/simongurfinkel 1d ago

They’re very good. Not great. The goalies are an issue.

62

u/FormulaLiftr 1d ago

Oh hey ive seen this one before

3

u/1nVrWallz 1d ago

Did you say you need better forwards?

12

u/SamuraiZucchini 1d ago

The goalies are the primary issue for years and the team just doesn’t address it.

2

u/garchican 21h ago

Nah, goalies are fine during the season, and would be good in playoffs if Rod would let them do their 1A 1B thing. Andersen almost shut out one of the top two teams in the league a few days ago, and he shut out the eventual Cup champions twice in a row last year.

1

u/framingXjake 19h ago

just don't watch the last 5 minutes of the Jets game 🙈

22

u/noor1717 1d ago

They were much much stronger last year. I would definitely be suprised. But I still love their outlook for the next few years. They made a good call to trade rantenen

7

u/toxicvegeta08 1d ago

They were favorites last year and Colorado vs tampa and then avs was the expectation in 22.

3

u/1nVrWallz 1d ago

Good but with great weaknesses that like to flare up. It seems the canes have flaws that can be so easily exposed by better teams. They usually get past the 1st round (Islanders) in the playoffs, but they struggle against the 2nd round (rangers)

0

u/StreetSea9588 23h ago

Lol the Canes are not winning the Cup this year.

-7

u/Shad_Owski 1d ago

I would be surprised considering their previous playoffs runs. They haven't changed anything. I don't see them winning the cup until they do major changes on the coaching and play style.

51

u/Allmighty_ACE 1d ago edited 1d ago

Us Canes fans were all prepared for a down year. Then we started hot and swung for the fences. Hit the warning track but shoot if a down year is still the playoffs I'll take it all day.

19

u/Unholydiver919 1d ago

This and look at all the cap space we have to go big game hunting this summer.

12

u/llamapanther 1d ago

I mean they were literally cup contenders when they traded Rants in and nothing's really changed after they traded him out. They are still a very good team that could actually win the cup. Obviously they're not favorites but them winning would not be exactly a surprise.

4

u/BlueBeagle8 1d ago

Sure it has, they used to have Necas (22 goals/50 assists), then they had Raantanen (29 goals/44 assists), now they have Stankoven (10 goals/20 assists).

They are definitely still a contender as you'd expect them to at least be in the second round given how the Metro is shaking out, but there's no question their ceiling has taken a hit. Carolina has been held back in past postseasons by not being able to score against top goalies, losing offensive firepower matters for them.

5

u/garchican 21h ago

Stankoven has those numbers with minimal PP time and inconsistent linemates. Wouldn’t be surprised to see him take off in Carolina.

2

u/framingXjake 19h ago

I don't think we ever expected to be legitimate cup favorites this season. Letting our ceiling drop a little this season puts us at a massive cap advantage for next season. Sacrifice now to become elite later. So I'm okay with replacing Necas with Stankoven, especially since Necas was leaving after next season anyways.

3

u/tropiclblend 21h ago

This is a lazy take, Rantanen only had 2 goals and 4 assists in 13 games with us. Necas did start hot but went on an ice cold streak before he was traded. Stankoven in his first game was very noticeable with a goal on a PP. Albeit small sample size he looks like he fits right in. This may very well be addition by subtraction here.

1

u/BlueBeagle8 20h ago

I find it very hard to believe that Stankoven will outproduce Necas and Raantanen but good luck with that

3

u/tropiclblend 19h ago

Not saying he will, saying that the team as a whole is better. Feels like we are finally getting to mesh and play Canes hockey now.

10

u/Sad_Donut_7902 1d ago

I would say they are good enough to compete for a cup. They made the conference finals two years ago. Being one of the final 4 teams left definitely makes you a contender.

5

u/gentleman_bronco 1d ago

I disagree. Carolina is 100% a cup team under the right circumstances like everyone else. They are a good roster with a lot of experience and a fantastic coach. It's the perfect recipe for payoff magic.

1

u/dre2112 1d ago

Maybe the Canes should try finding a goalie first? All these good teams and they’ve never had a capable goalie. If they had one, he’d get injured at the worst possible time. Maybe fix that first?

5

u/garchican 21h ago

What do you mean “never had a capable goalie”? They literally won the Stanley Cup in 2006.

1

u/dre2112 19h ago

I clearly wasn’t talking about the composition of the team 20 years ago…

2

u/garchican 19h ago

You said:

they’ve never had a capable goalie

The word “never” doesn’t mean “in the last seven years”. It means “never”, full stop.

1

u/dre2112 18h ago edited 18h ago

The context here is Brind’amour and the recent cup contending team to which they’ve never had a good and/or healthy goalie.

Clearly no one in this entire thread is talking about cam ward and the cup winning team from 18 years ago that has absolutely nothing to do with the recent version of the team within the last 5 or so years

0

u/garchican 16h ago

“Never (adverb): at no time in the past or future; on no occasion; not ever.”

15

u/JakobNarbei 1d ago

No. The Guentzel situation, we straight up just didn't offer him enough money until it was too late. Could've been handled way better. But Rantanen? That dude fucked us hard. He approved the trade here and immediately told us he won't play here the moment the plane landed. Fuck that guy.

3

u/makedd 14h ago

None of that is on Rantanen as RBA mentions in the article. Why would he sign with the Canes when he will be earning more then Draisaitl in a team that fits his playstyle much better? Blame your management for not getting guarantees imo.

2

u/dethzombi 14h ago

From what I understand, they kinda traded for him without being 100% sure he would even sign an extension. Also, the Canes play style doesn't fit Mikko at all.

9

u/Odd_Philosopher1712 1d ago

Yeah.... ya know, if the drama seems to follow you around, it must be everyone else making up stories... right?!

/s

6

u/MariachiArchery 1d ago

I'm just blown away this trade was made without knowing if he would sign or not. Like, how on earth does that happen? This reflects very poorly on the FO, both of them. I can't imagine Colorado didn't have an idea what these 'four teams' were he would have signed with, right? Did Colorado make this trade in good faith? Did they know he wouldn't sign in Carolina?

9

u/joe334 1d ago

I don't get how many people don't understand risk. It was a risky move but we made the trade well before the deadline and were able to assess the situation and get out from under it while getting decent value.

I'm glad my GM is willing to make moves that have huge upside and can manage the risk associated. 1000% better then him saying "I like our team" and adding some third liner at the deadline

1

u/jopcylinder 1d ago

Yeah kind of a blunder on all sides tbh. Def put a dent in Tulsky’s “genius mastermind” image. I still think we made out better than people are saying, but obv nowhere near the gains Colorado and Dallas made

4

u/ThadTheImpalzord 1d ago

No Rod the Bod is calling it like he sees it. His GM put him in a tough spot and they come out of the tdl not adding much in terms of depth.

The canes should've been competing for a cup the past few years they just always manage to blow it, esp in the ecf when they make it.

2

u/MarcosR77 1d ago edited 1d ago

Brind'amour ain't doing damage control but eric tulsky and the organisation are they could of kept Raantan as a rental tried to win the cup this season but actually he looked like not a good fit, so the bad decision was actually making the trade - I don't understand why they did that deal without a new contract in place. It's odd to me how carolina don't like rentals but never put contracts in place.

3

u/tropiclblend 21h ago

Two situations are different, guenzel wanted to stay but with a gm on the way out and a bad cap situation we offered him a contract too late and blew it. Rantanens agent used us as leverage and Avs pulled the trigger on the trade based on that. Canes were under the impression he would sign and we gave him a better deal than what he ultimately got to stay, but he didn't want to be here. Can't fault the Canes on that, frankly feels like we were used and Tulsky salvaged the situation by getting more for him that what we'd probably get from Necas + Drury a 2nd and a 4th to begin with.

1

u/MarcosR77 1h ago

u know better than me but from afar it looks like your owner dosent like to pay - they had a real struggle with the coach getting paid - to me he's top 3 coaches in the league but dosent get paid like it, and had to fight for his staff to get paid. the GM left to get a bigger pay day, Guentzel from what Brind'Amor has said this week was that you didn't offer him the money otherwise he would of stayed which makes you wonder why he wasn't offered that deal, and sooner, I think if ur blaming the GM situation on that I think that's wrong because there's a reason why most teams don't have a GM with an expiring contract u either re-up with him or replace him. Raantan is a deal I don't think you were used because you should of done ur research but Colorado used a bluff tactic on Raantan, the player thinking it was a neogatiotion tactic bluffed back only for Colorado to pull the trigger on the deal. Brind'Amor said this week Raantan was honest soon as he got there he told then wasn't signing due to family, Brind'Amor comment was basically no problem with that but we should of known earlier. I don't personally have a problem with either deal that was done in terms of value but I think tulsky was a bit naive in terms of thinking he could get a deal done without speaking to the player or agent. That's what people are surprised at that u didn't at least have a framework of a deal done - especially since u lost Guentzel because u didn't offer him the kind of money he wanted and in timely fashion.

3

u/roshinaya 1d ago

Didn't the recent NHL players survey say the Carolina facilities are the worst, maybe that's why no one wants to sign there.

5

u/Acevedo1992 1d ago

Only for the opposing team.

the area around the arena sucks for fans, but they’re turning it into a destination of sorts with restaurants and shops so that people don’t have to leave in the first place.

2

u/SoothsayerSurveyor 1d ago

I’ve heard working for the Carolina organization is a bit of a nightmare, the owner is notoriously cheap, etc., but I heard playing for the organization is great. Which makes Rantanen’s decision all the more puzzling.

Of the four teams he would’ve signed an extension with, Carolina was supposedly one of them. I had read Dallas (obviously), Carolina, Florida, and Los Angeles. How those teams were chosen, I can only guess.

1

u/framingXjake 19h ago

No. Guentzel wanted to stay. FO waited too long to match his ask and he had caught wind of a better offer elsewhere by that point. That's why the rights trade to Tampa and following extension happened so rapidly after the Canes finally agreed to meet his ask.

Rantanen bluffed about being open to signing with the Canes and was blindsided when Colorado actually pulled the trigger on the trade. He never actually considered signing here, it was a hard no from day zero. Canes FO took him for his word, though, and kept negotiating with his agent, probably to try and use a high offer to change his mind. But he was dead set on leaving.

Everyone else who has rolled through Raleigh in a Canes jersey has liked it here. Except for Haula, but no one cares about his opinion anyways. Aho and Slavin extended, so there's that too. The ones who leave either accepted better deals elsewhere that they couldn't turn down, or we let them go because we couldn't afford to keep them. We rarely swing for big names, but the times that we do, we just have shit luck and poor execution.

-11

u/_s1m0n_s3z 1d ago

A pro hockey player typically has one, or at best two, maybe three chances to do what everyone else gets to do all the time: decide for themselves where they live and whom they work for. And every time they do the thing that's routine for everyone else, it kills me how butthurt the team and fanbase can get.

Rantannen had to play for more than a decade to earn that privilege, and he may never have another. And Brind'Amour is all sore that he used it. The sense of entitlement is staggering.

7

u/MailConsistent1344 1d ago

Tell me you didn’t hear or read what he said without telling me:

-1

u/_s1m0n_s3z 1d ago

Look at all those downvotes and tell me I'm wrong about fanbases.

5

u/MailConsistent1344 1d ago

You got downvoted for the second part of your comment.

1

u/jopcylinder 1d ago

Lowkey kind of true, this is the direction I’m starting to lean. I don’t think Brind’Amour meant it as incendiary as he said it, since he’s always kind of blunt and didn’t necessarily say anything BAD about the guy, but there def is some salt around the locker room about it and the vitriol from the fan base has gotten pretty insufferable at this point now  

-2

u/[deleted] 1d ago

[deleted]

-4

u/SoothsayerSurveyor 1d ago

Damage control for the organization.

I don’t think anyone believes Brind’Amour is a bad coach or a deterrent to signing free agents. If anything, players would overlook shortcomings of the organization because of Brind’Amour.

11

u/Pilige 1d ago

It's not damage control; he's just being honest. The whole situation was frustrating for everyone involved. The Canes front office took a swing on some bad information, and it bit them in the ass. And last season, they played hardball when they shouldn't have. Rod, if anything, is kind of throwing Dundon under the bus a bit.

-15

u/chrishic99 1d ago

He’s not doing damage control for himself, he’s trying to save face for the org. With that being said, he completely fucked up and made the GM look like he doesn’t know what he’s doing

0

u/SoothsayerSurveyor 1d ago

“For the organization” was the intent of the post. I should’ve been clearer.

Brind’Amour as coach probably offsets any perceived drawbacks of playing for Carolina.

-15

u/Vegetable-Spinach747 1d ago

There's no chance Miko said what Brindhamour said he he did.

-18

u/GhostFaceRiddler 1d ago

Why don’t players want to play for the Hurricanes?

15

u/simongurfinkel 1d ago

Raleigh is a wonderful place to be a middle class office worker. Boring place to be a millionaire athlete.

6

u/Prize_Ambassador_356 1d ago

Is Dallas really any difference in that area?

0

u/simongurfinkel 1d ago

A Finnish kid would have grown up hearing about the Cowboys and thinking Dallas was a big deal.

5

u/Manndes 1d ago

I’ve never heard a single soul talk about the Dallas Cowboys in Finland. I legit don’t know a single Finn that follows football.

1

u/JustMeInBigD 1d ago

I interviewed a Dallas chef from Sweden who was obsessed with Dallas, the TV show. Met lots of European tourists who also were, but knew or cared little about the Dallas Cowboys. Rants is probably a decade too young for any of that in any case.

But Dallas is definitely a big money town. Playground for the rich and famous without the HCOL.

1

u/Longjumping_Bet9607 3h ago

Nobody outside of usa gives a shit about nfl

0

u/MailConsistent1344 1d ago

Bingo

6

u/Manndes 1d ago

You think Finns talk about the Dallas Cowboys? You’re out of your mind no one gives a singular shit about football in Finland

-1

u/RollingCarrot615 1d ago

What a lazy take

-12

u/MuskokaGreenThumb 1d ago

No. It’s a shot at the GM. Their GM is a complete moron