Our exit interview with Carolina Hurricanes head coach Rod Brind’Amour

Have you gotten over the end yet? I don't know.

I don't know. I haven't watched anything. So that's probably helped me. Like I just turned off everything because I was just, you know, we don't want to hear about what everybody has to say about it when I was, I lived it. So, you know, I mean, I'm over it. It's done. And now we're trying to figure out, okay, how do we keep pushing to get over that hump for next year?

I talked to Sebastian about it. I don't think he's going to watch the finals either. And I can't believe the finals don't even start for another four days. I don't understand.

Can't understand sitting around that long. Why do I get the feeling, and I got this sense from talking to him that this exit hurts more than some of the others? Yeah, for sure it does. I mean, if we're just, if you're being real about it, you know, Boston's out, Tampa's out, Toronto's out, we beat New Jersey. Like we kind of, you know, if you just took that out of it, you're like, okay, we got a really good chance there. And then obviously we did, we did have a really good chance. And I think that the guys know it, they played the game. I mean, they, they know that any game we could have easily won those different ways, we'd be having a different conversation, but that's not how it works, right? It didn't, we didn't.

So that's why I think it's a little tougher to swallow. Plus the fact that we were missing some real pieces that, you know, we went in that series, it was all about how do we shut them down? I mean, that was what it was. And we did, I mean, 20 shots a game. That's, you just told me that going in, you're going to, you know, take out that one overtime game at the end of regulation, they average 20 shots a night. Like that's, man, we're going to win four games in a row. You told me that and it worked in, you know, obviously the other way. So, and it wasn't like we didn't get our chances. So that, that's the part that was, that's why he's saying what he's saying and that's the frustration part of it.

Right. But you know, hey, we got to find a way to get a little bit better here, obviously. So what do you think the difference was? In a way, I was a little encouraged that Don had talked about getting heavier, bigger maybe during the off season. What do you think ultimately the difference was in four games against Florida? Well, the difference was we were missing two heavy pieces that I can score. And that, but they were sitting on the sidelines. So, you know, that's what's hard about it. You sit here, we, we addressed that in the summer last year, what we thought we needed, and it just didn't work out because of injuries. And then he had another big injury at the wrong time to the other part that does take care of that part of it.

So it's, you know, you add that into the mix. I don't know that we'd be having that same conversation. So Rod, Brendan Moore is joining us here on the Adam Gold show. So if I told you in January that over the course of the season, it would be Tevo Taravanen's least productive full year in the NHL, in his NHL career. Seth Jarvis, in terms of production, I want to ask you more specifically about him, but in terms of production, wouldn't take a step forward from last year. You would have five games total of Max Paci ready and Andrei Svetchnikov wouldn't be there basically for the last quarter of the season. And you would still win a division. You would have said to me, what?

Well, I said, well, wow, really? Like we're going to, and you say win a division. That's, that's kind of not, that's putting it mildly. We had to win a division and had like one of the best years in the history of the franchise. It's not the best year.

And get to the final four in the playoffs. Right. Right. That's, that's why you have to take a step back sometimes. And I look at it that way and then had, I think we had, what'd we have a 17 game point streak or something like that, or some crazy number like that.

That's a hell of a year. You're not going to, you're going to have a hard time doubling up on that. So, you know, now it's still, we know that that wasn't the main prize and that's why it's, it's obviously left a little bit of frustration and you hear it in my voice probably in the guy's voices that I've already interviewed because that's not what we, we didn't play to win those things.

We played to win the ultimate prize here and we didn't get it. All right. A couple of more things and I'll let you go. And I know you and I'll talk again.

Probably, I don't know. We talked so almost every day during the season. I'm sure you don't have me on it. You got to have me on and talk to other sports sometimes. I'm worn out talking about this.

The NC State baseball or something. What a mistake, by the way, good luck. We're going to talk to Elliott Avent in a little bit today. So, you know, I know you, you and Elliott are tight. So I'll tell him that you said hello, but you have just made the biggest mistake of your entire life by telling me you want to come on and talk about other sports. Cause I'm going to do that.

All right. Let me ask you about Seth Jarvis real quick. His production wasn't, was a little lower than it was a year ago, but why do I feel like he became a better player? Cause you know what you're watching, you know, like sometimes people they don't watch our team and they'll just grab a stat sheet. And that's what a lot of media people do, but they don't know enough. You watch the game, you watch the player and you go, yeah, he played pretty good tonight.

And then you might not have had any points. He's around it. Right. He's you know, when he's on the ice. Um, and I think that's the key. Well, can we, he's got to, he's got to put up some points. Otherwise, you know, that's what he's out there to do, but you can see that he's a threat, right?

When he's on the ice, he gets the puck on a stick. There's a chance that something good is going to happen. And I think that's only going to continue. Yeah. I mean, he had a, he had a tremendous year.

Do you have an explanation for what happened at Turbo this year? I do. I do. I think, you know, confidence is an instinct thing and it's not something you can put on a spreadsheet, you know, and when it kind of goes away, sometimes it's just hard to regain. And he's, he's actually really tough on himself. He doesn't, he doesn't really seem like, cause he seems kind of very chill and, yeah, but he, and he's really, he's one of the smartest players we have. So he's also in tune with when he's not playing or doing it right or not quite up to the kick, you know, his standard. And, um, and so I think he was really hard on himself and then just at that didn't go well.

So, you know, definitely, like I've heard you talk about it, you and I have talked about it a million times. He has to be better if we're going to take that next step. Cause there's a lot of things run through him and, you know, hopefully he can have a good summer, kind of get refreshed and be the difference maker next year.

Yeah, he is, uh, he is the conduit to so many things, really one more thing. Um, and I want to ask you about Martin Neches for three quarters of the season and maybe just for half where he was a really, really good player. There was still production maybe in the, in the third quarter of the season, but when we got to the last 20 games and maybe it coincided with Andre's injury, uh, Mart, Marty's kind of production also waned. Is this a case of just getting stronger, uh, or is there something else maybe preventing him from, cause he didn't seem like he made a big impact in the playoffs. Yeah, well, the game changes a little bit in the playoffs. You know, listen, he's an elite player when you give him time and space, right? We know that. That's why you see a lot of overtime. You see a lot of form for, you know, we know that and in the playoffs, that's not what the game's about. So he's going to have to just keep figuring out how to do all that in tighter spaces. Right.

And that's really what, what it comes down to. I don't think he was bad. I don't think, um, you know, but he wasn't what you're used to seeing because the rink just got a little bit smaller.

If that makes sense. Um, you know, that's, that's an area that I think he'll get better at. Um, and he showed signs of it and, and kind of, you have to almost adapt your game a little bit in the playoffs when you're a player that needs the ice to really show off the skills. He's just going to have to continue to keep learning how to do that. I think he, well, I think he's, he had a great year and I think, you know, he, he'll, he'll, yeah, he's a huge piece of it. He can figure that part out, play a little tighter spaces.

I think, you know, he'll just only help himself to help us be a little better. All right. You and I, next conversation, we'll talk college football.

Is that fair? Whatever. Something other than me talking about today, I'd be happy to do that, but I can, listen, I love talking about our guys, so I kind of, I'm just joking with you here. No, that's fine. College football, I'm not, I'm, I'm probably my, I'm not, I don't know if I'm up to speed on that. Oh, I don't know anything about it either. Don't worry about it. Oh, well, you know what? There you go.

I'm glad you said that. Appreciate that. All right, I'll talk to you. Speaking the truth, what do you know about you?

Nothing. I know a little bit about hockey. I could talk soccer and, and golf.

We're not talking about soccer starting to bleed into hockey, though. It is. With some of that, this embellishment stuff, we gotta get that out of it. I'm with you. We could talk about that all, we could talk about all of that. I'll talk, I'll talk to you very soon. Best of the family. Yeah, you too, buddy. See ya.