Grading The 2015-16 Canes – The Forwards

After going to my cubicle in the Section 328 World Headquarters and finding Michelle McMahon using my phone and the nameplate changed to “VISITOR”, I realized maybe it has been a while since I’ve written anything for the site, and it’s time to get off my ass and start writing about the Canes again.

And, hey, what better way to do that then by dishing out some letter grades for the players, since that’s simple and people seem to like it. We’ll do this in three parts – I’ll take the forwards and use the English/creative lit method of grading where I eyeball and use my opinion of what I like and don’t like to assign a letter grade. We all know how much Cane-alytics  loves the D, so he’ll grade them, I’m sure using a purely mathematical formula that involves the quadratic equation, the pythagorean theorem, and a slide rule that was made in “East Germany”. Derek will handle the grading of the goaltenders in a method that’s veiled in secrecy, but I’m assuming it’s somewhere in-between Cane-alytics method and labeling a bunch of bananas with letter grades and seeing which one a random chimp at the zoo goes to first.

So let’s roll, starting with…

Phil Di Giuseppe

Who knew what to expect from PDG going into this season? A second round draft pick in 2012 (and the team’s first pick that season), PDG had a mixed college career, and his first professional year with the Charlotte Checkers didn’t exactly set the world on fire. The flashes of potential were there, but there’s limited patience for a 22-year-old to convert into a prospect, especially a higher draft pick. The club would have been happy with a second season in the AHL building on what he learned in his first pro year, with an opportunity to challenge for ice time in 2016-17.

What the Canes ended up getting was the player they hoped to get in 2016-17 a season early. Called up after the New Jersey-game-that-will-not-be-discussed, PDG was eased into the lineup, where he became the grinding, ass-in-front-of-the-net presence that the Canes had been lacking for several seasons. After putting up 30 points in 76 AHL games last season, PDG put up 18 in 25 AHL games this season, then added 17 more in 41 games for the Canes. PDG is a streaky scorer and will probably be the player most prone to a sophomore slump next season, but his playing style was sorely needed at this level, and was a key factor to the Canes turning it around in December.

GRADE: A-

Numbers for Next Year

This season was much needed. From the seemingly never-ending string of talented young hockey players who have made an immediate impact on this season, to the stellar seasons many of our newly drafted prospects have enjoyed, this season has been a breath of fresh air for many Carolina hockey fans. As we all know, and all have probably said at least once, the future is bright. And that feels damn good.

So we look forward to next year’s Carolina Hurricanes with anticipation, a glimmer of playoff hope, and, maybe for the first time in a while, a strong sense of pride in our boys. There’s still work to be done, sophomore slumps to be avoided, and I’d expect some Draft Day / Free Agency Day deals to be made.

But as it stands now, what should we look at within this group? Where can things improve to get this team into playoff hockey? Here are 5 fancy stats from this season that I believe are important in this team’s identity and to their success going forward.

-6.21

Justin Faulk’s 5v5 Goals For % Relative to Team

This statistic describes the effect Justin Faulk has on the Canes Goals For %. When Faulk is on the ice the Canes score 44.19% of the goals that occur, dropping from 50.4% when he is not out there.

Canes Acquire Versteeg & Nordstrom

Sometimes the best deals are made because of the misfortune of others, like when the guy who lived across the hall from me in my dorm sold me his Nintendo 64 (with Goldeneye AND WCW/nWo Revenge) for $50 because, well, weed. The Chicago Blackhawks didn’t have a mary jane habit (to people even use that term anymore? Am I 100?) and “misfortune” might be a bit strong (Stanley Cup and all) but they were pressed up against the salary cap ceiling with RFA Marcus Kruger still unsigned, and they needed to make a move or two to give them some flexibility. Enter Ron Francis and the Carolina Hurricanes, who picked up forwards Kris Versteeg, Joakim Nordström, and a 3rd round pick in 2017 from Chicago for defensemen Dennis Robertson, Jake Massie, and Carolina’s 5th round pick in 2017. The move saves the Blackhawks $2.805 million in cap room for the 2015-16 season.