After ending 1998 and starting 1999 on a bit of a roll, the
Hurricanes have dropped their last two decisions.
On the day before New Year's Eve, Carolina edged Tampa Bay in a
divisional showdown, picking up two valuable points. On New
Year's Day the Canes traveled to Florida for a 3-3 before
defeating Nashville at home 4-3. After a 4-4 tie to the Senators,
the Hurricanes were 0-2 vs. Pennsylvania teams as they fell to
Pittsburgh 4-2 and Philadelphia 2-0.
He's Back...
Back on December 29, Carolina President and General Manager Jim
Rutherford pulled off a move that shouldn't have come as a
surprise. What might be a bit of a shock though, at least to me,
is just who was acquired and for what.
It was no secret the Canes were going to pursue an
offensive-minded defensemen to quarterback the power play down
the stretch and in the playoffs. But, trading for Paul Coffey
should have some fans scratching their heads.
I'm all too familiar with Paul Coffey. As I've stated before, I'm
a Philadelphia Flyers fan so I was able to watch the future Hall
of Fame defensemen for about a season and a half. Unfortunately,
the bad seemed to outweigh the good. I say "unfortunately"
because Coffey is a sure Hall of Famer at the tail end of a
fantastic career. But, I'll talk about that later....
Perhaps the reason I'm not too crazy about the trade is because
of what Carolina gave up - Nelson Emerson. While Emerson isn't
exactly a big-name player, surely Coffey could have come at a
cheaper price. Over the summer, Philadelphia traded Coffey to
Chicago for a draft pick, so why would any team give up a player
on their roster for the 37-year-old blueliner? Emerson compiled
20 points (8G, 12A) in 35 games for the Hurricanes. He had 161
points in 263 games during four seasons with Carolina.
What to Expect...
There are many pluses and minuses that come along with Paul
Coffey. As I've stated before, I got to watch him for more than a
season and I was taking notes, mental ones anyway.
Pluses
1. Experience - Coffey is playing in his 19th NHL season so to
say he has experience is a huge understatement. And with
experience comes the numbers, and there are plenty of numbers:
ranks first all-time among NHL defensemen in goals (383), assists
(1,094), and points (1,477); ranks second all-time in assists
only to Wayne Gretzky. He has been a member of four Stanley Cup
Championship teams including Edmonton (1984, 1985, and 1987) and
Pittsburgh (1991). A perennial all-star, he has won the Norris
Trophy, which is awarded to the NHL's top defenseman, three times
in his career (1985, 1986, 1995).
2. When Coffey is in the lineup he can still be effective.
Despite his age, he can still skate with the best of them and as
a result, his outstanding speed can make a difference. From time
to time, the Flyers used Coffey strictly on the power play which
could be an option for Carolina. Coffey comes in at 6-0, 200 lbs
and doesn't really measure up anymore to some of the league's
bigger players. But, the guy can pass the puck and he knows the
opportune time to shoot so that'll be his job on the power play.
Minuses
1. Experience - How can experience be a plus and a minus? Well,
it's pretty easy. One of my biggest problems when Coffey was a
Flyer was that he seemed to be very lackluster at times. It's
tough to put into words without sounding cruel, but let's just
say he knows the difference between a regular season game and a
playoff game.
Lots of times he just seemed to go through the motions, but to
his credit, he was one of the bright spots during the Stanley Cup
Finals loss to Detroit. So, if you can put up with that until
playoffs come around, it might be worth your while.
2. Injuries - Keeping Coffey in the lineup will be the key. With
Chicago, he played in just ten games - missing nine of them. That
was due to a pinched nerve.
3. Does he want to be here? - If you remember correctly, this is
the second time with the franchise as he played as a Hartford
Whaler back in 1996. At the time, he wasn't too keen on playing
there and wanted to be traded upon arrival and was eventually
dealt to Philly. The good news was the team was 12-7-6 with
Coffey in the lineup back then so it goes to show the kind of
difference he can make.
Still in First
Despite losing two in a row, Carolina has managed to stay on top
in the Southeast Division. Surprisingly, Florida of all teams has
started to close the gap. As of January 11, the Panthers now have
38 points to the Hurricanes' 43.
On January 14, Carolina will have a chance to gain some ground as
they take on Florida and two nights later play Washington. Both
games are at home. As if that isn't tough enough, they'll then
play Toronto before traveling to Detroit.
