Going 1-on-1 With Tim Gleason

RALEIGH, N.C. - American Thanksgiving is seen around the league as an unofficial benchmark in the NHL's season.

It's still early in the season, but teams have seen enough to make assessments and gauge their standing compared to what they had hoped for when they arrived for training camp in September.

For both difficult and pleasant reasons, one of the biggest storylines for the Carolina Hurricanes this season has been their defense. Already utilizing 10 different players at the position - tied with the Lightning and Penguins for the most by an NHL team - it's been a handful for Assistant Coach Tim Gleason.

Of the 10 blueliners, four are first-year NHL players, and two are in their first year as Hurricanes. Aside from the first two games of the season, they've also been without their anchor, Jaccob Slavin.

When healthy, Shayne Gostisbehere (18 points in 16 games) has been among the best in the league.

Last week, we caught up with Gleason to discuss the state of the blue line and other items.

How would you assess the team's season thus far?

Gleason: "I think we've held our own. We take it on a game-by-game basis. We don't look too far in front of or behind us. I think there are always areas of improvement, whether it's special teams, five-on-five, or individual play; we're always trying to get better. I think to this point, we've done pretty well from guys filling spots and guys that really haven't been here (before). So, in that area, I think we're doing okay. It's given opportunities to other players to make a name for themselves and then grow. There are areas we want to get better at, and we'll continue to do so."

The first step toward getting better is good health, right?

Gleason: "Yeah, that's the key. You don't want to find excuses. That's what I mean when I say I think we've done pretty well in filling that void a little bit. We know help, at some point, will be on the way, in terms of getting guys back. But, again, day by day, game by game, because you never know what tomorrow's going to bring. Our lineup continues to change, but we're adapting, and that's what we're supposed to do. That's our job, and guys are doing a fairly good job."

How have you felt about the penalty kill?

Gleason: "I'm not too happy with it, to be honest with you. Again, it's game by game, and we did a good job (on Wednesday, Nov. 26). You've got to start with one game anyway. In the last 10 or so games, we've given up a goal almost every game. The problem is, it's one little mess up here and there, and then the rest of them are fine. That's what we've got to clean up. We have one chance that you want to get rid of. We have some guys, three or four guys, that are on the PK, that haven't necessarily been on the PK before. Miller's new to us, Nikishin's new to it, Nystrom's new to it, and when you have new guys like that, it takes time. It takes time to learn the reads and how we do it. So, again, it's game by game, and (Wednesday, Nov. 26) we did a great job. Now we have to take it from there."

What do you make of Alexander Nikishin's first season?

Gleason: "He's a rookie and a first-year player in this league. He's going to have some growing pains. Defensively and through the neutral zone, his gaps and things like that, are always something that we're trying to get better at with him. It's a continued learning curve. How hard the defense has to work, what we ask of them, and all of the details back there, it takes time. I know he's 24 years old, but he's still new to this league. (Wednesday, Nov. 26) was a fairly decent game for him, and that's what you want to see. We're taking it game by game with him. He has the other side of it. He has a rocket (of a shot). He's good offensively when he has the puck. He's solid with it. So, it's all of the little things that we ask of him on the other side of the puck that will continue to be a growing process. We'll keep at it. There is something there. We just want to make sure these things are shored up, because if we can't do those things, where are we? That's what we're trying to do with him."

Joel Nystrom is another first-year guy and maybe someone you didn't expect to see this season. What do you like about his game?

Gleason: "He was one of those guys who I had heard a little bit about last year, and we didn't really think he'd be here, necessarily. Now, he's one of those guys that you'd have a hard time taking out. He's doing what we ask him to do. He has tight gaps, good partner work through the neutral zone, and good reads. He's not a big guy and doesn't have a big reach, but he's smart with his positioning. That really helps him. You can't complain about what he's come in with. From a coaching standpoint, I have no problem putting him against really anybody because of his reads. He's not someone who stands out to you, but if you look over his details in his game, they're very strong. For him to get even better, it's about continuing to get stronger and adding a little quick step here or there will help him. But overall, his game has been fairly solid for us."

He's unfortunately out of the lineup now, but what did you make of Charles Alexis Legault's short stint?

Gleason: "He did what he does well. That's what we wanted from him. He's a big guy. He's long. He has good partner work through the neutral zone. He's gapped up. That's what he does well. That's a strong point of his game. He was one of those guys who you knew what he did on a shift-by-shift basis. He wasn't a guy who was like, 'Oh my gosh' or did something offensively that was like, 'Holy cow.' There's no wow factor in his game, and that's fine because what he does, he does well. He gets up the ice, sets gaps, gets on the wall, and gets pucks out when he needs to get pucks out. He does help a little on the penalty kill because of his length and his reach. He's another guy who you didn't really think would be around, but (injuries happen). There are a couple of guys who have surprised us in that regard."