NHL Four-cast: Carolina Hurricanes

1 - Why is this team worth watching? Eric Staal is turning into a really, really good power winger and Rod Brind'Amour basically puts on a nightly demonstration of how to play the center position. Should Brandon Sutter make the team - yes, of those Sutters - he will be a pleasure to watch; the kid hustles, likes to hit and has fantastic vision on the ice. They still won't break into the college basketball/NASCAR demographic, but they aren't boring.

2 - Are they better or worse than last year? Should everyone come back healthy then they are definitely better. Their power play was pretty deadly with a resurgent Sergei Samsonov and a happy-to-be-out-of-N.Y. Matt Cullen. The additions of Joni Pitkanen and Josef Melichar as well as Corvo at the deadline will improve their transitional game. They didn't bring in a veteran backup but will use Michael Leighton to ride the pine behind Cam Ward. Leighton has big game skill and has a fun history with Ward ...

3 - Who should YOU draft in fantasy? They have three good guys to get that are distinct injury risks nowadays: Brind'Amour, Cullen and Ray Whitney. Corvo comes in with great numbers from last year but he got them with Ottawa, his plus/minus might go down but he should continue racking up points - especially on the power play. Cam Ward is another of those workhorse goaltenders who put up average numbers. Staal is the only given - he averages a point per game, takes over 300 shots and gets timely goals both as game-winners and power plays - and he will be gone by the second round.

4 - If the Hurricanes were a NASCAR team, which team would they be? I don't know, I don't like NASCAR. If there are any good ole' boys readin' this blog, feel free to contribute ... is there a driver who is fast, has won a title, left his loyal team in a controversial move and races in front of a half-empty track?

More Stupidity From The Isles

From good promotions (below) to bad ones (right).

The Islanders actually paid money to put their logo on a stock car this last weekend. The details are here. The driver, some lower tier guy named John Graham, finished in 23rd, three laps down. Hopefully around the same place the Isles will finish this year.

In a more serious note, this is just a bad idea. Is a racing fan, even in Canada, going to be drawn to the team because some idiot had a small logo on the side of his car? It wasn't the primary logo, and it was in a Busch series race, not even NASCAR. So a secondary hockey team advertised in a secondary car race? While appropriate, its still ridiculous that an NHL team would stoop to this to try to cross-promote. It also goes towards Bettman's desire to attempt to market the game to southern-based Americans, or rednecks, who frankly don't give a shit.

If the league insists on something like this (and they shouldn't), then they should at least market it properly - rednecks tune in to watch cars bump and crash, so cut a fast-paced commercial focusing on checking and fighting. Don't put your crappy logo on the side of a car that doesn't have a chance of winning. You really want to be associated with a loser?

Common sense people, common sense.