Sitting at the high-top bar just outside the red rink at Invisalign Arena I watched Canes prospects work through resistance drills and make conversation with those sitting near me. Day one of Hurricanes Development Camp didn’t have much excitement. It’s not supposed to. Today was about bench marks and trying to get a handle on players who’ve never skated with Carolina’s staff before.
Highlights of the day included sightings of Carolina’s recent first-round selection Bradly Nadeau and his older brother Josh, who was invited by the organization. Other early-round picks ran through their paces in small groups throughout the afternoon. Yaniv Perets, the only former “free agent” participating in camp still rocked golden pads. Now a memento of the National Championship he won in April as the starting goalie for Quinnipiac’s men’s ice hockey team.
Beyond putting a name to the faces. Today’s excitement was limited to a forward losing his blade when stopping short – he hopped up quickly. No need for concern – and the four goalies at camp handing pucks around two nets setup at the far end of the rink. This might not be interesting for everyone but I’m a sucker for goalies controlling the puck. Whether or not there’s any risk.
Hurricanes team reporter Walt Ruff broke the only news of the day thirty minutes before camp opened. Domenick Fensorea, a 2019 third-round pick was injured and could not participate.
I’ll confess that I was stressing out about the article I planned to write tonight. Less seasoned than my fellow writers, I can’t summon water from a stone. Shot – I racked my head until a fan sat down next to me and started asking me questions.
When is Vladimir Tarasenko signing? Why didn’t they trade for Tony DeAngelo yet? Do I think they can acquire Erik Karlsson? How would he fit under the salary cap? And, lastly is it true that Brett Pesce is about to be traded?
Waiting for a greeting I froze looking at him sitting next to me. After a moment I answered the questions to the extent of my ability. “Your guess is as good as mine” was the easy response. Looking for someone with more information he moved on.
You may wonder why I chose to share this seemingly unimportant moment in my day. It’s a fair question for a blog that normally sticks to coverage of Raleigh’s only professional sports team. The answer is easy to guess if you’re a jaded hockey fan.
Hurricanes’ fans have found themselves caught on the largest roller coaster in North America since the day before the NHL draft last month. On high-profile hockey talk shows, rumors of a trade for DeAngelo and Karlsson continue to circulate. The potential of signing Tarasenko is the second greatest hope for Canes fans for the remaining off-season. Only beat out by the seemingly slim chance of Brett Pesce signing a long-term extension.
I want to warn everyone that the off-season is full of fool’s gold. Reports that miss the mark. Or that are hours behind on developments. It’s exciting to live moment to moment in the off-season. However, it’s also critical to take everything with a grain of salt. The size of the salt crystals shifts in size depending on who the report comes from.
Mike Sundheim, Hurricanes Vice President of Communication, reminded his followers on Threads that no deal is official until announced by the team. Anything short of that is speculation. Sometimes crafted from excellent sources. But speculation nonetheless.
93 days remain before opening night, and I want to warn everyone not to read too deeply into tweets from players and their families. In most cases your imagination of what it means extends fair past the reality of the authors’ intentions. High inside PNC Arena Carolina’s front office staff are relentlessly at work improving their team. News escaping the office is rare at the moment. We have no choice but to wait for updates.
Speculating online is fun and I wouldn’t tell anyone not to do it. – To a point. – Just remember that insider reports should be framed like an episode of Law & Order. For entertainment purposes only. At least until multiple sources confirm or an official statement is released.
Hurricanes Development Camp Day Two starts Tuesday at 9 am at Invisalign Arena and is open to the public.
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