Carolina Hurricanes Coach Bill Peters Talks Jeff Skinner, Elias Lindholm, Eric Staal, and Young Defense
By Brett Finger
Carolina Hurricanes head coach Bill Peters joined Sportsnet’s Jeff Marek and Greg Wyshynski to talk about Jeff Skinner, Elias Lindholm, Eric Staal, the team’s young defense, and much more.
Bill Peters, the head coach of the Carolina Hurricanes, joined the MvW podcast on Tuesday to talk about his team and the unexpected success that they have had.
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The heart of the discussion was about Carolina’s young defense, and it’s a young core of players that Peters has been very happy with up to this point.
“The guys work hard and have good body position,” Peters said. “They’re aware of lanes and stick positioning and all the details that come along with it. So, gotta give the guys the credit for working hard in that situation (in the neutral zone) and establishing and maintaining good body position.”
The Hurricanes’ coaching staff has been able to groom these young blue liners into forces in their own end and big offensive weapons. Peters says the younger the defenseman, the better for that process.
Carolina Hurricanes
“The younger the D, the easier it is, because that’s how they’ve played their whole lives. The older the d-man, you get a little resistance, and it’s not really resistance, it’s just how they broke into pro hockey. Now, the d are in the rush the whole time. The d are comfortable going down low in between the hash marks and going into the offensive zone. The younger d-men, they play a modern game and they’re more comfortable and they trust that people will cover for them. The older d are less trusting, and that’s just the way it is.”
The conversation then transitioned to the play of Jeff Skinner, who currently sits at 17 goals just 47 games into the season. He had 18 goals all of last year. On top of his offensive resurgence, Skinner’s all around game has also reached a new level. Peters has certainly taken notice.
“Skinny’s had a real good year for us. I’ve seen a really big improvement in him. He’s 100% healthy. I really like the line. We called up Phil Di Giuseppe from the American Hockey League yesterday. He’s going to play in Toronto, he’s a Toronto kid. That line of Skinner, Rask, and Di Giuseppe has been very effective. Phil gives it some pace. Skinny’s a dangerous guy from the tops of the circles down, he really loves to score. He’s a smart player in practice, very, very smart. We talk about the neutral zone, and Skinny knows where to be, he’s a got a great stick and he’s stripping pucks… He’s had a big year, and he’s a big piece of what we’re doing. He’s still a young kid and he has a bright future.”
After a very slow start, young forward Elias Lindholm has bounced back in a big way for the Hurricanes. He has struck a great rhythm alongside Eric Staal and Kris Vertseeg on the first line, and he’s been an impactful player on the powerplay as well.
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“Lindy was in the NHL too early. He played when he probably physically wasn’t able to, or shouldn’t have been in the league, but he was for whatever reason,” Peters said. “He got hurt and got set back because of that, and that happens to many young guys when they are up too early, they get hurt. Then their development and their maturation is stunted somewhat. He’s grown into his body, he’s got good strength, good hockey strength, and real good hockey sense, and he’s a real big piece of it. We’re going to put him on our penalty kill unit here today. He’s going to take some pride in that. He’s good on the powerplay and he’s good on the walls. At some point, we’re probably going to have to put him back in the middle. He was drafted as a centerman, he’s playing on the wing now. He’s comfortable playing down low, he’s good on faceoffs on that line now… He’s one of the foundation building blocks that we do have that we’re very happy with.”
Despite Carolina’s breakout season, the unfortunate reality is that the biggest story line around this team is the status of long-time corner stone and Canes captain Eric Staal. Staal’s mentality during his contract season came up, and Bill Peters discussed the situation.
“We had that meeting September 17, when we had physicals and our team meetings, and I met with Staalsy and we talked about it. We talked about how we wanted to handle it and we put everything out on the table that day and we’re not talking about it again. If he ever wants to come into my office and bring it up, I’m here for him and he knows that, and if I ever think that I need to bring it up, I will, but I don’t. He’s a good player. A 6’4″ centerman who makes plays and can play the wing. We don’t use him on the penalty kill, but he was a good penalty killer earlier in his career. The reason we don’t is we like to use him 5-on-5 for offense bumping up and coming off of the kill. He’s good on the powerplay down low and net front. Whatever happens, that’s a 6’4″ centerman that’s a proven commodity. Teams need that, and this team needs that.”
Check out the full Bill Peters interview with Jeff Marek and Greg Wyshynski here.
The Carolina Hurricanes currently sit 2 points out of a playoff spot, but the race for the final spot in the East is the toughest one in recent years. The Canes are currently in a two-way tie with 48 points in the East, just 1 point behind a two-way tie between the Pens and Devils with 49 points, who are just 1 point behind a two-way tie between the Habs and Sens with 50 points.
It’s a tough hill to climb, but with 35 games left in the 2015-2016 season, absolutely anything could happen.
Next: Canes Remain in Playoff Hunt Despite Up and Down Week
The Canes will hit the ice again on Thursday night when they go on the road to take on the Toronto Maple Leafs.