Rutherford: Changes need to be made

I figured this team would be lucky to finish 8th after JR wouldn't fire Mo in the spring after he took a young team that was coming together and feeling good at the ASG break last year and did what he always does, made them so afraid to make a mistake that they squeezed the sawdust out of graphite sticks down the stretch.  On one hand the Canes sense of loyalty is endearing, the man did suffer a life changing injury while in their employ, but continually over-paying for players like LaRose ( sorry but why is he worth 3x more than Dwyer) and keeping Paul who has never been anything but a .500 coach in such a critical role says to me that making the playoffs simply isn't priority number one.  Which doesn't make a damn bit of sense because they told us in 2006 that every sold out playoff game nets $1m in revenue and they never stop banging the budget drum.  The other shoe that told me this was going to be lost season was when JR was at TPC golfing on July 1-3 while the Sabres and Rangers were getting better. They finished 9th by a point, Jersey was the best team in the league after they got back to being Jersey in late Dec, Toronto was coming together with a coach that Mo doesn't compare to, and Buffalo and the NYR got better.  How much hope was I supposed to have?   Had JR had the extra revenue from 2-6 playoff games he might have chosen to spend money differently in June and early July.  I would have a lot of trouble respecting the fan-boy opinion that Cole was worth $4m/16 but had they made an aggressive offer of $3.5/10.5 in early June then they probably would have taken the only player in the league Eric Staal can apparently thrive with off the market. Regardless, they simply could have chosen to move on and spend the money they slotted for Cole more aggressively for a solid two way forward like Leino who is essentially the same player only younger and without a major injury history. He had so many options for adding 2-3 players at the $4-5m salary slot by using the money spent on Joni, Kaberle, Stewart, and Pony, yet that is exactly what he spent at least 25% of his budget on. Somewhere between $10-12m/yr tied up in a guy who leaves his man alone in the slot in front of Ward, a 32 yr old defenseman who has nothing to play for and just played 100 games, and 2 small market budget power forwards that have a 1 in 10 chance at a career year if everything goes perfectly instead of a guy like Leino, one solid stay at home defender, and playing kids like Dalpe and Joslin that every other knowledgeable hockey insider I read and hear think have top 6 forward top 4 defenseman potential.   Yet it's total sacrilege if I were go on the radio and suggest the man has made as many poor moves as great ones and his greatest ones get smaller in the mirror everyday. If he is the elite level GM as some suggest then why can't this team make the playoffs consistently?  We aren't talking about baseball here. And we aren't talking about winning cups every 3-4 years. We are talking about finishing 8th out of 16 teams so we can roll the dice with the world class goalie who is in his prime we are wasting.  Maybe PK came here because he knew the area was growing and there would be a nice blend of old and new fans with which to grow a base. Or maybe PK came here because having fans new to the game and transplants who didn't grow up Canes fans would afford them the opportunity to not overspend their self imposed budget while the franchise appreciates in value without the pressure of having to succeed.  Either way the suggestion that any of us should not hold the highly paid professionals in our community to the same standard we hold our college age sons is insulting jackassery at it's finest. The RBC is far from the loudest house in the NHL today. It's far more inviting than hostile and that's simply because apathy is setting in and who knows what's next when that happens. It always one step forward and one step back.  They couldn't capatalize on 2002 with another playoff appearance for 3 seasons, couldn't build on 2006, and now don't seem able to build on the pride and excitement that those of us who love this game, team, and city felt last January.  Either way, I personally wish the Canes would skip the dollar dogs, the bouncey tents, the transplanted bar bands, and all the family fun BS, until enough collective focus is spent on the reason they play the game, and the Caniacs who love playoff hockey come with some hostility next week toward the Flyers, Sabres, and Leafs.  And bring your Mo Must Go sign.  I will have mine. 

This team is starting to follow the Thrashers pattern in Atlanta. At 5-6-3 we are well on our way to missing the playoffs again. What happens if you miss the playoffs 4 times in 5 years? The answer is that attendence declines and we end up in some little Canadian city. This team is already giving up on Maurice. The mighty mights at intermission played harder and with more focus this weekend. After two plus years of this we need new leadership. There is no All Star Game excitement to salvage this season. We actually have to win.

Ever since Maurice returned for his second stint w/the Canes, he has gradually and single-handedly sucked the life out of this franchise.  This is what happens when the GM hires and rehires his BFF.  It is difficult to muster up the excitement to even go to the games.  Numerous fans feel this way; just look at our dwindling attendance numbers this year.  Sure, the economy is dismal, but our team is mediocre at best.  This type of performance is not going to sell tickets.  While the organization continues to sing Maurice's praises, our fan base is taking notice.  I was furious when they brought him back, but tolerating consecutive seasons of subpar hockey is inexplicable!

So, Rutherford is looking to change the team in terms of players.  Who will be the sacrificial lamb this time?  Given JR's recent track record, it will most likely be someone who actually contributes on a nightly basis like Allen or Sutter (see:  Cole, Erik; Whitney, Ray; or White, Ian).  I love the Hurricanes, but being a fan is almost like helplessly watching a family member intentionally waste away to nothing.  It is heart-wrenching to attend games with the Canes on the losing end of 5-1/5-2 decisions.  Laviolette, the coach who brought Lord Stanley to Carolina, was given a much shorter leash.  It's time to hold Maurice to the same standards.

I agree that a trade may not be the answer, and I still firmly believe that a coaching change is the most pressing need for this team at the current time.  The locker room seems to be fading quickly from frustration, etc., and the most common cause of this is when the players no longer have faith in the coaching staff.  When the coach says on Saturday that more emotion and fire is needed and that this is the focus for the Sunday game, and then the team plays a more listless effort in the Sunday game, it is only too obvious that his message is not effective......at all!

MO is a coach that absolutely will not change, regardless of circumstance, and because of that will nearly always coach .500 teams.  Just look at the history.  His unwillingness to give some of the young, skilled players a chance is atrocious and actually destroys their development and confidence.

I must defend Eric Staal yet again.  Before I do, I will absolutely agree that these last 2 games have been 2 of his worst in terms of attitude, leadership, etc.  That being said, look at the facts.  He has been an almost point per game player for every year of his career, and all of those years except for 05-06 have been with subpar wingers on his line (sorry, but Erik Cole was too inconsistent/injured to be considered).  He is expected to take on top defensive pairings on his own, and some of you still expect that he should have unlimited, super-human energy to get down the ice and play defense after being banged on for 35 seconds trying his best to generate something in the offensive zone (which is impossible if his linemates can't even get in position for a simple pass).  He also has to swallow his frustration with a pitiful coaching staff and ownership that won't give him playmakers, and be the better man and try to lead this team.  That's a lot for anyone to handle.  Imagine if you were ordered to cut down a tree that was 35" in diameter, and you were given an 16" chainsaw and told to work hard and do the best you can.  You would probably walk away from the job site!

Trade-wise, I certainly wouldn't mind seeing T. Kaberle traded to Siberia for a block of Ice.  I didn't like the signing when it happened, and my fears have been validated.  I agree with others that it would be difficult to trade LaRose or Dwyer given their salaries, but why do we need 2 of the same player?  Honestly, I'm not sure that any trade is necessary at all.  We have players currently on the roster and in Charlotte that could be appropriately slotted, and I TRULY believe there would be a noticeable difference in the skill and chemistry of the lines and the entire team concept.  I hope that someone in the organization will push for changes such as this, and that this team can come together and start playing solid hockey.  Go Canes!

Staal, when he's right, when he's interested (as in the playoffs), can carry the team.  How many people can do that?  We have two (Staal and Ward), and maybe Skinner will be one too.  Every team needs guys like that.  So trading Staal doesn't make a lot of sense, we're most unlikely to get a similar talent in return.

Reduce his minutes, sure.  If we give him third line wings, give him third line minutes.

Guys who can carry the team aren't necessarily captains.  Cole could have been captain, maybe then he'd still be here...  But not.

Trading is the fan's "hope springs eternal".  Somehow we'll get a lot better with a trade?  Not likely, especially not getting a first line wing.

Mo's style works in the playoffs, when there's no need to motivate.  It doesn't work as well in the regular season.  And he's poison for developing young players.  So whether he's a good coach or not, overall, he needs to go.

Who will probably go?

Joslin, Stewart, and maybe Brent

Who SHOULD go?

MO, Barasso, Staal, LaRose, Pitkanen, and Kaberle.

But none will because they are all over paid!!!!

I was 100% confident that Mo was delusional and felt that JR was right there with him but despite trashing Lavi a few years ago I hopped PK was just detached and not a complete idiot with regards to how his team was performing. After reading the comment "Canes owner Peter Karmanos Jr. strongly praised coach Paul Maurice and his staff" it is clear he is delusional as well and spends too much time trying to regain his youth with Kid Rock and too little watching NHL hockey..

I think this current coach and team would be a strong contender for the Calder trophy in the AHL if Cam continues carrying the team but we don't have a shot in the world at finishing any better than 12th in the east of the NHL as its is now. With this leadership mindset in five years we will watch Skinner move on to a bigger market team and have to listen to more dribble about effort and hard work, but we will still have team cheerleader Chad LaRose.

The nuts in 328 are right that Mo must go but more importantly our ownership must hold the staff accountable like they did to that guy who brought us the cup in 06.

Based Mr. Rutherford's comments, it is going to be tough rooting for a team when the management sides with a career .500 coach while it looks first to trade players when the going gets tough 2-3 years in a row. wow. very disappointed in my hometown team.

Chip, start asking Rutherford the really hard questions...this weekend was rock bottom for any fan of this team.  Coach MO is one of the problems, ask Jimmy to take off the rose colored "family" glasses when he looks at ol' MO 's track record.  Ask Jimmy how those UFA signings of his have worked out?  Ask him why every single young prospect outside of phenom Skinner has had there confidence destroyed by MO.  This team gets a free pass far too often in the media...the fan base wants answers, they want results...not MO excuses.