Carolina Hurricanes: The Perfect Holiday Gifts for the Forwards

The Dads

Who doesn’t love the “dads” on this team? And yes there are plural. But there is only one Dad, capitalized. That would be Justin Williams. Who isn’t back with the team this season, yet. For now lets focus on the three stand-ins left in his wake on the offense.

Jordan Martinook: A “#1 Dad” Mug signed by Andrei Svechnikov

Think of how much you love Andrei Svechnikov. Now multiply that by a thousand. You are still nowhere near close to how much Jordan Martinook loves his adopted hockey son. Let us be honest, no one will ever love Svechnikov more than Marty.

This is why we are getting him a “#1 Dad” Mug signed by the young ruffian russian himself. A simple clean white mug with the text in red. Sound familiar? With the Svech signature on the backside in black. In crayon of course.

Ryan Dzingel: A Healthy Erik Haula

I know what you are thinking “wait why is Ryan Dzingel among the dads?”. Well he and Martinook are the same age, so if you are going to include one, you have to include the other. In fact there is only two other forwards older than them both and that includes Jordan Staal who is up next.

The other? Erik Haula (Who is, for the sake of this article, considered a Finn not a dad). Funny enough that is exactly what we are getting for Ryan Dzingel this holiday season, a fully healthy Erik Haula who can dish out the juiciest of passes and be that net front presence that has led the team to so many wins early this season.

Jordan Staal: Map to The Fountain of Youth

Jordan Staal is one of the best players on the team. After all, you do not get named Captain of the team without being one of the best on and off the ice. But you know what is missing from the Captain’s game? Some speed, the kind he had in his youth when he helped the Pittsburgh Penguins win the Stanley Cup in 2009.

Now only the Fountain of Youth can help him overcome his age and lack of speed. While it is unrealistic to actually give him a Fountain of Youth, perhaps a map to one would suffice. Does anyone have one of those lying around somewhere, or is this the sort of thing you can only get in Diagon Alley?

The Hair Club

These bad boys have some of the best hair on the team. From the wildman ginger flow of McGinn to the suave mad-men looks of Nino, these guys know how to look good. Granted there may or may not be guys with better hair than these three on the team, but hey, everything is in the eye of the beholder. For now, just roll with it in the spirit of the holidays.

Brock McGinn: A Goal with Posts Moved an Inch on Each Side

Night after night, Brock McGinn’s feud with the goal posts continues. There is virtually no game where he doesn’t successfully get one past the net minder only for it to *ping* off a goal post and stay out. They haunt his dreams. I have seen him do it consistently in practice too. It is almost as if the goal posts are just a bit too narrow for his liking.

So for this holiday season we are getting Brock McGinn a new goal for him to shoot at and not hit the posts. Now granted it wont be NHL legal or actually put on the ice, but maybe let him take a few shots on it in practice every so often and watch a tiny teardrop roll off his yes and down his rosy cheeks. That is what the holiday spirit is all about.

Lucas Wallmark: A Stable Line

Wallmark has played with just about everyone on this team except for Erik Haula, Sebastian Aho, Jordan Staal, Andrei Svechnikov, and Teuvo Terravainen. See how it was easier to name off the forwards he hasn’t played with this season? Well for this holiday season we are going to get him a stable line he can build some serious chemistry with.

Chemistry is important. After all, how can you make perfect no look passes or receive them if you don’t know each other down to the stride? How will you know how to feed off of each other’s cellies? Or go flip the puck into the air for them to bat it in at the perfect time? The answer is you need line chemistry. Wallmark isn’t getting it right now, which should impress you with the awy he scores.

Nino Niederreiter: A Goalie that isn’t on top of him

Everyone expected me to simply say “a goal” here. While it is true that Nino Niederreiter has been struggling to get the puck in the net, it hasn’t been for his lack of effort. In fact, he has one of the highest xG on the team. Unfortunately for him he has only three goals to show for it.

Instead of simply giving him goals, we are going to give him a better reward for his efforts; a goalie or several, that isn’t watching him like a hawk and making sure that his shot is the one that gets saved no matter what. Because that is what it feels like to him. And you know what? I get it.

The Young Guns

The young guns, the fresh kids on the block, the back ice boys. These are all the guys still on their rookie contract for the most part who are still fresh, young, and ready to prove themselves to the world. They got chips on their shoulders and want to get it all! So what do you get them this Holiday Season?

Warren Foegele: A fresh new Contract

Warren Foegele will be an RFA this off-season. While that means that the Carolina can hold off in negotiating his next contract until deep in the summer, especially since he is arbitration eligible, our holiday gift to him will be a shortcut away from all that.

We all saw how long it took Brock McGinn to get his latest contract, so why not save Foegele from having to deal with a long question mark of a summer by giving him a contract before the season is over and allowing him to focus in the playoffs and enjoy the short summer with this teammates doing crazy things with 35 lbs of silver?

Martin Necas: A Chance at the Calder Trophy

Speaking of things made of silver, Martin Necas is pursuing a trophy made out of silver to add to his collection. He already has his name etched on the Calder Cup, so why not also get it engraved on the Calder Trophy? The rookie Hurricane has made headways towards being rookie of the year before his injury.

Our gift to him would be the chance to get back into the race when he returns (possibly tomorrow night) to the ice. That would mean a few goals here and there and lots of assists. Maybe he will get the chance to build good chemistry with Lucas Wallmark and Ryan Dzingel?

Andrei Svechnikov: His first NHL Hat Trick

There are many firsts in the NHL. First point, first goal, first assist, first multi-point game, first multi-point goal, the list goes on. But few more coveted than first NHL Hat Trick. Andrei Svechnikov has come close several times with multi-goal games, but he hasn’t gotten there just yet. But it feels really really close.

So close in fact that I have made it one of my bold predictions before the new years. There are ten games left between now and then and Andrei Svechnikov will get his first NHL Hat Trick in that span. He is good enough to make it happen. With the growing comfort and experience he has, it will happen. Just a matter of when.

The Finns

Ah yes, the Finns. The heart and soul of the Carolina Hurricanes. These magical elves are probably the ones bringing in all the holiday cheer with them. But that doesn’t mean they do not deserve their own holiday gifts! So what do you get for the guys who can make their own brand of magic each and every night?

Erik Haula: A Robotic Knee

We can rebuild him. We have the technology. While he might not be the $21 million dollar man Sebastian Aho is, Erik Haula is absolutely worth the value of rebuilding his knee with some robotics. We don’t need to turn him into robocop or the terminator, just enough where he can still storm the crease and play in the dirty areas that kept getting him goals early in the season.

The only true issue with this concept might be how the NHL feels about the first robotically enhanced player. Hockey is for everyone, but I don’t think this is what the league had in mind. Perhaps some non-robotic healthy repairs to his knee might be a better choice.

Teuvo Teravainen: Visor Wiper Blades

We have ALL seen him do this. You know what I am talking about. Yes the wiping of the visor with the finger or thumb. Use a damn towel Turbo! If you have no idea what we are talking about take a very exclusive look right here:

What are you doing man?! I tell you what, for this holiday season we are getting you a visor with build-in wiper blades on the inside that all you have to do is tap the side of your helmet like you are cyclops about to laser-beam wolverine for not shutting up and it will wipe the inside of your visor like a damn etch-a-sketch eraser. Keep your fingers in your gloves guy.

Sebastian Aho: A lifetime Contract

Sebastian Aho has four more seasons after this one on his contract before he becomes a free agent. But chances are it will never come to that. With the money saved in the final few season of his contract, watch Don Waddell and Tom Dundon give him the contract of his lifetime. For now all we can do is promise him it will be a contract worth a lifetime.

More from Cardiac Cane

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• Week Two Coverage Of College Hockey In NC
• Derek Stepan Ends His On Ice Career As A Hurricane
• The Southeast Rookie Showcase Will Be a Good Look at Carolina’s Future
• Noesen Ready To Provide Depth For Canes

There is no reason to think that Aho will not retire after spending his entire career in Carolina. By that time he will have a southern twang and a diet that is mostly BBQ, Cornbread, and grits. He might also have a huge family going through the hockey system as the Ahos take over the NHL one team at a time.

So there you have it folks, gifts for all your favorite forwards. Now I know I missed guys who spent a little time on the team like Brian Gibbons, but to be fair, their gifts are waiting for them down in Charlotte. No double dipping!

Question for CC Readers: What gifts would you get your favorite forwards this Holiday season?