WINTER CLASSIC 2009

With today's unveiling of the complete 2008/2009 league schedules, the NHL made official what had been reported unofficially for a few weeks now - the 2009 NHL Winter Classic will take place at Wrigley Field in Chicago on January 1st. Two original 6 teams, Chicago and Detroit, will take part.

Coming off one of their better seasons in years, with a talented young nucleus of players and some eye opening free agent signings - Brian Campbell and Cristobal Huet, for example - fortunes are looking up for the Blackhawk faithful. Many of the early prognosticators look for the Hawks to contend in the Central Division this year. The awarding of the Winter Classic seems to be the icing on the cake in an eventful offseason for Blackhawks fans.

Long time rivals, the Blackhawks and the Red Wings have played 701 times in their storied histories, more than any other two teams in the NHL.

2008's inaugural Winter Classic was met with some skepticism when it was first announced, but turned out to be a ratings and PR bonanza. The Buffalo Sabres (natch, Banana Slugs) and Pittsburgh Penguins (natch, Chosen Ones) played to a shootout in the snow in front of a record crowd of over 71,000 fans at Buffalo's Ralph Wilson Stadium, with the NHL's golden boy Sidney Crosby scoring the game winner for Pittsburgh. Afterwards, the reviews were raves as skeptical media members who attended or (more likely) watched the game on TV, suddenly forgot their complaints about the folly of the NHL trying to stage such an event on the Hallowed Day of big college football bowl games (seemingly these same folks forgot that the silly BCS bowl system has led to most "big" college bowl games - with the exception of the Rose Bowl, which by law has to be referred to as "the grandaddy of them all - being moved away from New Year's Day). The NHL had seemingly scored a coup, despite itself. And besides, those snowflakes looked pretty on TV.

Anytime you commit to playing a hockey game outdoors south of the U.S./Canadian border, your biggest concern is the weather and how well the ice will hold up (don't look for this game to be held at Carter Findley Stadium or in Phoenix anytime soon). In Buffalo, the ice held up relatively well, but the snow became a bit of a problem. But all in all things went well. Chicago in January promises average temperatures between 18 and 32 degrees (fahrenheit), which if it holds true, should be just about perfect for the ice. Of course, there's always the chance of snow, but the more likely to have a possible adverse effect on the conditions in Chicago are the winds howling off of Lake Michigan. But that's part of what makes these sort of things fun - for the fans at least.

Wrigley Field is a bit more intimate ("the friendly confines") at around 40,000 seats, than Ralph Wilson Stadium, but obviously has a bit more character and history than most NFL stadiums. Overall I think this is a good choice. I know I will be watching.

Most of all, I'm very glad that this tradition is continuing as I think it's a fun thing to do for the fans, both those who attend the game and those watching from the warmth of their homes while nursing a hangover. If this Winter Classic concept was originally Gary Bettman's idea (which I somehow doubt), it has to be the best one he has had in his reign as commissioner - not that there's a lot of competition. Let's just hope they don't try to cash in on a good thing and start scheduling a whole slate of these games every season. Sometimes novelty is a good thing.

NOTES:

- Bettman, ever the (slimy?) politician, tried to make nice with the folks in NYC who had also been bidding to host the game at either Yankee Stadium or The Meadowlands. He was quick to "acknowledge the interest and efforts of the New York Yankees and the City of New York throughout the NHL Winter Classic 2009 site selection process. We look forward to continuing discussions regarding the possibility of a future Winter Classic game at the new Yankee Stadium." Thanks Gary. Now what about that All Star Game you promised to the Hurricanes? Gary? Hello. Gary? You still there?

- Brian Campbell of the Blackhawks will be playing in his second straight Winter Classic having taken the ice for Buffalo on New Years Day 2008. Maybe if the Rangers want to host the 2010 Classic they should look at a trade deadline deal. Campbell gave a thumbs up to NHL.com in regards to taking part in last January's festivities:

"The city was all wrapped up in it. It was, 'How do you get tickets?' 'What are you doing to get prepared?' 'What's your tailgate going to be like?' It was mayhem, a lot of fun, and something you take a lot of pride in."

"I was on the ice for a goal against (21 seconds into the game) because my defensive partner tried to pass it and there was too much snow on the ice and it wasn't going anywhere. I personally did not like the game at that point. Then I scored and the game was the best thing ever."



-m

NHL/CANES announce 2008/2009 Schedule

The NHL officially released its 2008/2007 schedule this afternoon. The Canes open the season on Oct 10th, 2008 at home against the Florida Panthers. For the full story and a downloadable PDF of the schedule you can check out the Hurricanes' Website.

Quick Initial Observations/Comments:

- The Canes get to kick off the season against the team that essentially assured that they would stay home from playoffs last season. The Florida Panthers' won in Carolina and then lost in DC the following evening sealing the Canes' fate on the last weekend of the regular season. The Carolina/Florida division rivalry has had a lot of spark over the last few years, even though the Canes have dominated for the most part in the W-L column, especially at home. Unfortunately, Cane hater and all around cry baby Olli Jokinen has been traded away to Phoenix, but there still should be some juice between these two teams. This game will see the return to Raleigh of former Cane Cory Stillman, who signed with the Panthers as a free agent this summer.

- 14 back-to-backs on the schedule, which seems a bit more manageable that in seasons past. But the Canes get their first one right out the gate as they open the season with Florida and then quickly hop on a plane for a game at new-look Tampa Bay on Saturday 10/11/08.

- The Canes will get to test their meddle early as the Stanley Cup Champion Detroit Red Wings visit the RBC Center on 10/13/08. Immediately after that, the Canes head out of town for 6 straight road games - their traditional early season road trip to make way for the State Fair. This year's opponents on the swing: Los Angeles, Anaheim, Pittsburgh, NY Islanders, Montreal and St. Louis. A tough trip for sure, with lots of frequent flyer miles. Should provide a stern early test. Supposedly this is the annual trip where the team "really comes together as a unit" (or at least that's what John Forsland and Tripp Tracy tell me every year).

- Canes fans will not have to wait long to see Erik Cole back on the RBC Center ice as the Edmonton Oilers pay a visit to Raleigh on November 1st for a 3pm Saturday Matinee. Something tells me that might be a sellout, and I'm sure Cole will receive a warm welcome.

- The first match up between the Hurricanes and last year's SE Division Champion Washington Capitals will come on the road 11/6/08. The Caps then travel to Raleigh the very next week for a tilt on 11/12/08. The final regular season match up between the two will come on March 21st, in Raleigh.

- Personally, I always look forward to the Philadelphia Flyers coming to town, and this year the two teams first meet on 11/26 in Raleigh. The teams then clash in Philadelphia two days later (11/28) with the Thanksgiving Holiday sandwiched in between. In fact, all 4 games between the Canes and Flyers this season occur over a two week span.

- FIVE Sunday home games for the Canes in November (Toronto, Atlanta, Tampa Bay, Nashville and Anaheim).

- The Canes will be hosting their annual New Year's Eve game, with division rivals Atlanta Thrashers providing the opposition this season.

- The Buffalo Banana Slugs do not show up on the Canes' home schedule until February 26th, and then return for the final home game of the regular season on April 9th. The Canes end the season on the road with a 4/13 tilt against the NJ Devils. I would recommend that the Canes not put themselves in a position to have to win a game against Martin Brodeur on the road in order to make the playoffs. If memory serves, the last time we finished our home schedule with Buffalo, the Canes went on to win the Cup. I'm just sayin'.

- Looking at the stretch run: 5 of Carolina's first 7 games in March are on the road, but they finish out the season with 8 of 11 at home. In an interesting twist, of the Hurricanes final 34 games, after the All-Star Break (Jan 25th), only 10 are against the Southeast Division, and only 2 of the last 10 games are against Southeast foes. This is probably in large part due to the NHL adjusting it's schedule and reducing inter-divisional games from 8 to 6 in order to make room for additional games against the opposing conference. It's interesting in that should the Canes be in a tight divisional race down the stretch, they will have to do a lot of scoreboard watching and not count on head-to-head 2 (or 4) point games.

- As part of the new expanded Eastern Conference vs Western Conference play this season, the NHL assigned each team 3 "wildcards" from the opposing conference. A team plays it's "wildcard" opponents twice in a home and home series. The Canes' wildcard opponents for 2008/2009 are Anaheim, Phoenix and St. Louis. That's a pretty boring slate if you ask me, but then again, no one asked me. The Canes will play one game against every other team in the Western Conference, 4 games against each Eastern Conference (non-divisional) team and 6 games against each divisional rival.

I'm sure I'll come up with more useless anecdotes and comments regarding the schedule once I've had a chance to absorb it a bit more. I've become just that much of a geek. Until again...

-m

Catching Up With The Kids...

A few of the Hurricanes young prospects have been in Raleigh over the last few days taking part in what has become an annual right of passage - Pete Friesen's Prospect Conditioning Camp. Participants this year include prized prospects Brandon Sutter and Jamie McBain as well as this year's draft picks including Zach Boychuk, Zac Dalpe, and Samuel Morneau. Newly signed back-up goalie Micheal Leighton has been taking part as well.

Luke DeCock has been providing updates over on Lord Stanley's Blog, including a short interview today (Thursday) with Jamie McBain.

I'm hoping to be able to make it over to the Rec Zone tomorrow (Friday) to catch some of the on ice "action". Meanwhile Bubba over at Canes Country is rubbing elbows with the real media types and scoring a Q&A with Brandon Sutter. He will be unstoppable if he ever learns how to operate a video camera. The always entertaining WufPirate over at Carolina On Ice was also on hand to check on the kids and give his take on the proceedings.

Also of note in the offseason updates department, Tim Conboy, recent recipient of a new 2 year contract, has a Q&A over on the Albany River Rats website. Some of my favorite nuggets:


You told me earlier, and you’re not the only one to say it, that the Hurricanes have really treated you well and it is the only place you want to be. How come so many people say great things about the ‘Canes organization and how they treat their players?

Top to bottom, you look at the organization and it’s everything you want. A class organization. The general manager, the coaching staff, the equipment staff, everything from top to bottom, you just couldn’t ask for anything better. They got a great thing working right now; they’re doing the right things.

You made your debut with the Canes last year and it seemed like you became an instant fan favorite as well. Were you at all surprised at how quickly the fan base really seemed to take to you?

Yeah, it was crazy. I think the first fight I had against Scott Parker they were playing that old trucker song “You Got a Great Big Convoy”. (Laughs) I remember hearing that and thinking ‘Wow that was fast, I can’t believe they even knew that song was out already.’ It was definitely surprising to see that many people cheering for me every night, it was nice.

Obviously, you’re where you want to be which is in the NHL. And to play in such a great atmosphere at the RBC Center, is that the pinnacle of what a hockey player dreams about?

Yeah, it’s unbelievable. Going out there, you throw the littlest body check--it doesn’t even have to be a big check, you can just be rubbing out a guy--and the place goes nuts. It’s a pretty intense atmosphere to be in and something I think every kid dreams of when they step on the ice for the first time.

Does the big crowd add to your play? You have always been a pretty fiery, energetic guy. Does that just fuel your passion and hunger?

Definitely. You hear the roar of the crowd and it just puts a fire in your belly. You want to go out there and do something so they get loud again.

The other part of your first stint with Carolina was playing as a forward. Do you think that really makes a difference in your appeal to the team because of your versatility of being able to play both forward and defense?

You know I was telling everybody I probably don’t even need to use a stick out there, so just stick me wherever and I’ll just try to run guys over. (Laughs) But no, it was fun playing forward; it’s something I’ve gotten to do a little bit before in my pro career. I’m glad they trust me enough to think I’m able to go back and forth like that. I just think it’s a great asset for me to have.

If you so desire, you can also check out Offseason Q&As with Casey Boerer and Michael Leighton as well.

LaRose Is Back In The Fold

I've been away from my computer for the last few days, but I was happy to read in yesterday's News & Observer that the Canes have come to terms on a new 1 year contract with sparkplug forward Chad LaRose.

LaRose was a restricted free agent, who just last week had filed for arbitration. The Canes had originally offered a qualifying offer of $550,000, but the contract signed on Wednesday was for one year at $875,000. There had been some concern amongst Canes fans (myself included) that the team would not be able to resign LaRose under their current budget restrictions. Rumor had it that the LaRose camp was seeking 3rd line money, while the Canes do not project him above a 4th line forward in the upcoming season. Adding to the concern was the fact that with their recent trades and free agent signings, the Canes were already (and still are) well above their projected salary budget of $45 million. But with LaRose now securely back in the fold for at least one more season, the Canes can look to trim that budget a bit, most likely through a trade on defense.

LaRose, 26, is coming off his most productive campaign in 3 NHL level seasons with the Hurricanes. Known primarily as an energy guy and penalty killer for most of his NHL career, a rash of injuries to the Hurricanes forward corps resulted in LaRose playing on the second and third lines for the first time in his career. He responded t the additional ice time by posting NHL and career highs in goals (11) and total points (23)*, even though he himself was limited to 57 games due to an injury of his own (a broken leg) 3/4 of the way through the season. LaRose came back from what many thought could be a season ending injury in just 4 weeks, and was strong down the stretch for the Canes, notching his first NHL career hat-trick (and the game winning goal) on April 2nd against Tampa Bay.

A prolific scorer in juniors (he once notched a 117 point season in just 67 games for Plymouth in 2002-2003) and in the minors, LaRose has never found a prolific or consistent scoring touch on the NHL level, but he has more than made up for it with hard work, character, energy and grit, making him a definite fan favorite and an asset in the Canes' locker room.

Hopefully LaRose's offensive game will continue to develop, although with the glut of forwards on the Carolina roster heading into 2008/2009 it will be difficult to see him cracking the top 3 lines. Most likely the Canes will rely on him for his energy, grit and defensive skills on the 4th line and the penalty kill, barring significant injury in their top 9 forwards. Still, LaRose is a fighter and will surely make anyone ahead of him on the depth chart fight for their minutes on the ice. And having him as insurance in the depth department is a great thing.

Overall a good signing for the Canes, both from an on-ice perspective and from a PR perspective. Having already lost one fan favorite in Erik Cole, some Caniacs would have gotten pretty restless losing LaRose as well.

-m

* Interesting Note: LaRose has notched exactly 12 assists in each of his 3 seasons with the Hurricanes. His goal totals in those 3 seasons have increased from 1 (2005/2006) to 6 (2006/2007) to 12 (2007/2008).

Seidenberg Signs, LaRose Files for Arbitration

With the big splashes via free agency and trades likely done, the Hurricanes announced a little bit of house keeping over the weekend.

Defenseman Dennis Seidenberg has signed a one-year, $1.2 million contract with the Canes for next season. Seidenberg made $850,000 last season for the Canes, and as a RFA was tendered a qualifying offer of $935,000 late last month. With Siedenberg's signing, the Canes now have 8 defensemen under contract at the NHL level for next season (Joni Pikanen, Joe Korvo, Tim Gleason, Frank Kaberle, Niclas Wallin, Josef Malichar, Anton Babchuck and Seidenberg). So we should still be looking for at least one of those players to be moved via trade to dump some salary (the Canes are now around $2.5 to $3 million over their proposed salary cap of $45-46 million). The most likely trade possibilities are Frank Kaberle ($2.2 million) and, yes, Seidenberg. It's quite possible that the Canes signing him to a contract makes him more attractive in a trade, as teams now know exactly what they would be getting in salary (as opposed to trading for and then having to negotiate with an unsigned RFA).


That leaves only Chad LaRose unsigned amongst the Cane's RFAs. As expected, LaRose was one of 15 NHL players to file for arbitration on Friday (Seidenberg did not file, which led to speculation that a deal was near). The Canes qualified LaRose at $550,000, a $50,000 raise over last season. The sticking point in negotiations with LaRose is RUMORED (obviously none of us knows for sure) to be that he is asking for 3rd line money, but the Hurricanes, with their abundance of forwards under contract - and with Brandon Sutter waiting in the wings and likely to get a real shot of making the team at some point next season - still see LaRose as a 4th line player. They've already signed Ryan Bayda and Wade Brookbank as depth guys. GM Jim Rutherford, in commenting on the LaRose negotiations had this to say last week:

"I don't think his (contract) number is out of line with what he's done. His number is out of line with where we're going to use him on our team."

I love Chad LaRose, but I tend to agree with Rutherford on this one. He is not worth 3rd line money to this team. With the exception of a few spurts last season the guy has been chronically unable to put the puck in the net on the NHL level. He brings great grit, energy, hustle and fire to the ice night in and night out, and is solid on the penalty kill - all of which are qualities you want in a fourth line checking forward. But they are not worth $1 million (plus) 3rd line money. I'm sorry. Which is why LaRose is not likely to get anything more than 4th line money in arbitration anyway, as arbitration hearings tend to focus purely on numbers, not intangibles. My (completely uneducated) guess is that he will be slotted somewhere between the $550,000 the Canes have offered and around $700,000 (on the high end). Of course none of us knows the actual numbers that have been bandied about between the Canes and LaRose. We will all just have to wait and see.

The NHL's arbitration hearings are scheduled to take place this year from July 20th - August 4th. Teams and players can continue to negotiate up until a hearing takes place.

Back to the situation on defense. Personally, I hope the Canes keep Seidenberg. He's still a relatively young player (26) who is still coming into his own as a defenseman. When healthy (and that has been a big IF) he has shown signs of being a solid depth guy on the blueline, not a top line D-man, but a solid, physical presence who can skate deceptively well, has a decent shot and shows toughness. Sure, there can be lapses, but I tend to think that these come from rust and not being on the ice consistently. The more he plays, the better he seems to be. His best years are still ahead of him. The same cannot necessarily be said for Kaberle, who seems like he would be the most marketable trade option. I've got nothing against Frankie, but with the current corp of defensemen it just seems like he is the odd man out. Both Corvo and Pitkanen are younger and (perhaps at this point) more skilled as puck moving offensive defensemen. Kaberle, when healthy, still has a lot to offer a team looking for a savvy veteran who can provide offense from the blue line. On the Hurricanes, at this point, he is redundant.

Of course, Nic Wallin would also be on the list of trade possibilities, but we all know that the "Secret Weapon" has that not-so-secret NTC which he has exercised before and one can only assume he would do so again.

Stay tuned...

-m

The Guy You Love To Hate, Now in Big D

Not sure why this is suddenly becoming a NY Rangers sub-blog today, but the interesting moves just keep coming. The Rangers are definitely wheeling and dealing, in a attempt to remake their team with moves both upfront and on the blueline.

One of those moves sees the guy we all love to hate, Sean Avery, signing a free agent deal with the Dallas Stars. Mr Nasty will get $15.5 millon over 4 years in Dallas. Not bad for a guy who notched 33 points in 57 games. Granted, the Rangers were much better with him on the ice than there were without.

Thankfully (??) this means that we as Canes fans won't see as much of Avery. But isn't it always more fun to have opposing players that you love to hate?

-m

Ottawa Might Be Interested in Kaberle?

Luke @ LSB points to an article in the Ottawa Sun today, intimating that the Sens might be interested in Carolina's Frankie Kaberle.

It's all just speculation at this point, but the Sens have been decimated on the blue line and with all the big money free agent signings of defensemen and trades over the last few days, most of the "big names" are gone, and for more $$$ than the Sens were willing to pay. The Sun speculates that Kaberle and Vancouver's Kevin Bieska could be targets in Ottawa. The Cannucks reportedly want RFA Antoine Vermette in exchange for Bieksa, who is slotted to make $3.5 million per over the next 3 seasons. Kaberle is under contract to Carolina at $2.2 million per for the next 2 seasons.

With their trades and free agent signings over the last 3 days (Joni Pitkanen, Anton Babchuck, Josef Melichar), the Hurricanes now have 7 defensemen under contract for next season, with Dennis Siedenberg waiting in the wings as an RFA. It seems apparent that the Canes will try to move at least one of those defensemen via trade to bring their salary cap down into the $45-46 million range. Most speculation trends towards Kaberle, Nic Wallin or Dennis Seidenberg being dangled as possible trade bait. Wallin has a NTC, which he has exercised in the past.

Of the three defensemen rumored to be on the block, I think Kaberle makes the sense to move. His salary, based on the silly money that has been thrown around so far, now seems reasonably affordable. If he can get back to being healthy he offers a lot as a puck moving defenseman who can score on the powerplay. The Canes have gotten younger at his position, so he has become obsolete on this team, but I would guess there are plenty of teams out there still looking for puck moving defensemen. There always are. When healthy Frankie has been solid as a Cane, and who could ever forget his integral role during the Cup run and game winning goal in game 7 against Edmonton? The last 2 seasons have been marred by nagging injuries, which have obviously affected his play and decimated his confidence. Now, with Corvo and Pitkanen on board, there just doesn't seem to be a slot for him on this team at the moment. Perhaps it would be the best thing for both parties for Kaberle to get a fresh start elsewhere, and the Cane to pick up some depth or draft picks.

I'm hoping that we can keep Seidenberg. He has been steady when healthy and given the chance to play. Not outstanding, but solid as a depth guy on defense. Those are good guys to have around at the right price.


Stay tuned.

-m

Jagr Signs with Russian Super League

Jaromir Jagr parted ways with the NY Rangers on Thursday after 3 years in the Big Apple, signing a contract with Omsk Vanguard of the Russian Super League according to reports on the Russian team's website.

No financial details of the deal have been officially announced, but according to media reports Jagr stands to make a cool $35 million over 2 years, with an option for a third. Sounds like that might cover his moving expenses.

Jagr played for Omsk during the 2005 NHL lockout and became a fan favorite for the Hawks.

Jagr had a down year, by his standards, in 2007/2008 scoring only 71 points while adjusting to new line mates after the Rangers lost center Michael Nylander to free agency last summer. He never seemed to mesh with his new centermen - being paired first with Scott Gomez, then Chris Drury and finally Brandon Dubinsky. Had Jagr scored 84 points or more, his contract would have automatically been renewed. Instead the Rangers, who have spent freely in the free agent market (Surprise!!) thus far, acquiring the likes of Wade Redden (D), Dmitri Kalinin (D) and Markus Naslund (F), had informed Jagr that he was no longer part of their future plans.

Jagr led New York to three straight playoff births in his tenure with the Rangers, after the team had missed the post-season 7 straight years prior to his arrival. In 18 NHL seasons Jagr played in 1273 regular season games and notched 1599 points (646 goals, 943 assists). In the playoffs he appeared 169 games and scored 181 points (77 goals and 104 assists). He played in 9 All-Star game, earned 5 Art Ross Trophies (NHL scoring leader), 3 Lester B. Pearson Awards (MVP - as voted on by players) and was named the league MVP (Hart Memorial Trophy - awarded by writers) in 1999.


The NY POST has some quotes from Jagr concerning the move:

"I'm disappointed that I'm not going to be in New York, but I've always believed in my life that things happen for a reason, and that's how I look at this. Coming to the Rangers was great for me, and I owe Glen thanks for making the trade with Washington to bring me here.

"I can't say I regret anything that happened here. We didn't win the Stanley Cup, but there's a lot of luck that goes into that, too, even if you have a great team. Well, I guess I regret that I didn't get 84 points this season. If that had happened, I'd still be here."

"With the contracts for Scotty, Dru and Hank [Henrik Lundqvist], and then signing [Wade] Redden, they have almost $30M in four players, so there wasn't enough for me after that. The Rangers wanted to get better on defense and they spent a lot of money on Redden.

"That's OK. That's what they thought would make them a better team. If I did a better job with Scotty or Dru, it might be different."

"People think that it's better to have a lot of choices, but sometimes having one choice is best because you can't make the wrong one. I don't know what I'm going to do now, but I'll make that choice when it's time.

"I want to thank Glen and Tom and the Rangers. I want to thank all the people who supported me. Being in New York was special."

And then there was this zinger:

"And I also want to say to the people like Mike Milbury who made their living by criticizing me all the time, that they can kiss my [butt]."


Stay classy San Diego.

Having Jagr leave for Europe means the end to one of my all time favorite crowd chants to float around the upper deck of the RBC Center:

"Who ate all the pie? Who ate all the pie? Jaromir Jagr you fat bastard you ate all the pie!!"

-m

A few Rangers Blogs:

My Blueshirt Heaven
Hockey Bird
Hockey Rodent
Ranger Land
Blueshirt Bulletin
5-Hole
The Dark Ranger

Canes Sign Pitkanen, Melichar

Well, that didn't take long.

For all those ready to jump off ledges all over the Triangle, wondering why JR would trade their favorite player for an unsigned RESTRICTED Free agent, well, you can rest a little easier. There will be no long, drawn out negotiations and/or offer sheets from other teams.

Luke at over at the N&O announced today that the Canes have signed defenseman Joni Pitkanen to a 3 year deal worth $12 million. Thankfully, this deal was wrapped up in a hurry. The 24 year old Finn was acquired on Tuesday in a trade with the Edmonton Oilers, who picked up long time fan favorite Erik Cole. Cole was due $4 million for the last year of his contract and Pitkanen has bascially moved into that salary slot - $3.5 million in 2008/2009, $4 million in 2009/2010, and $4.5 million in the last year of the deal. This makes Pitkanen the highest paid Canes defenseman but quite a large margin. Joe Corvo is second on that list at $2.5 million.

JR obviously believes in this kid, and thinks he can blossom into the player he has always been projected to be. Let's hope he's right. JR has made some moves in the past that seemed questionable at the time, but they seem to work out for him more often than not. This decision could be a defining one.



But the Canes did not stop there, and moved to shore up their blue line even more by announcing another signing today. Josef Melichar has signed on to a one year contract at $1 million. Melichar played in 310 NHL games with the Pittsbugh Penguins from 2000/2001 through 2006/2007. He spent last season in Europe playing for Linkoping of the Swedish Elite League. Known as a defensive defenseman, the 6'2", 220 lb Czech has 7 goals and 33 assists in his NHL career. JR had this to say about the 29 year old Melchair:

Josef is a big, strong and experienced defensive defenseman who will be a shut-down player for us...

Melichar's signing makes 3 defensemen added to the roster in the last 48 hours.
So you've got to give Rutherford and company some credit. They said that they needed and would be targeting defensive help (obviously), and they went out and got it.
Now only time will tell if they made the right moves.

The payroll now stands at around $46.7 million for 2008/2009, which is slightly above the Cane's projected budget of $45-46 million. There are currently 7 (Corvo, Pitkanen, Gleason, Kaberle, Wallin, Babchuk, Melichar) defensemen under contract to the Hurricanes at the NHL level, with Dennis Siedenburg waiting in the wings as a restricted free agent who has been given a qualifying offer. Don't be surprised to see a salary-dump trade soon involving one or more of these defensemen (Kaberle? Wallin? Seidenberg?).

Stay tuned.

-m

More Moves on a Busy Day...

And we're likely just getting started...

Luke has announced over on Lord Stanley's Blog that the Canes have re-upped Ryan Bayda, Wade Brookbank and Tim Conboy. All three were part of the mid-season call-ups from Albany that helped the injury plagued Hurricanes stay in the playoff race all the way to the last weekend of the season.

Bayda was a key ingredient to the Canes' late season surge, teaming with Scott Walker and Keith Aucoin (also a call-up from Albany) to form perhaps the Canes' most consistent line, bringing energy, speed and effort every nite. The line's efforts were not always reflected on the scoreboard, but they set the tone for the rest of the team night in and night out. Bayda finished the season having appeared in 31 games, tallying 6 points (3 goals, 3 assists). His new deal is a one year contract worth $475,000.

Brookbank also signed a one year, $475,000 deal today. He was brought up from Albany in mid-December to serve as the team's "nuclear weapon" on the bench. His role was pretty simple, stand up for teammates and drop the gloves whenever necessary. He notched 76 penalty minutes in 32 games for the Canes last season.

Conboy was signed to a two year deal that will be two-way in 2008-2009 ($475,000 NHL/ $100,000 AHL) and NHL-only in 2009-2010 ($500,000). Last season was Conboy's first in the Canes' organization, and he made his NHL debut against Colorado on Jan. 12th. Conboy quickly became a fan favorite with his grit, hard work and willingness to scrap, hit and drop the gloves (60 PIM in just 19 games) despite his somewhat diminutive stature. He skated as both a forward and defenseman, chipping in with 6 assists, and providing valuable backup on a injury-depleted Canes' roster.

-m

Cole to Edmonton; Babchuck Re-signed

Cannot say that it comes as a surprise, nor can I say that I am completely against it, but it was still a bit of a bummer to learn that Erik Cole was traded today to the Edmonton Oilers, straight up, for defenseman Joni Pitkanen.

Cole was entering into the last year of a contract that is due to pay him $4million this season. He will be an unrestricted free agent at the end of 2008-2009. This made him an obvious trade commodity, and his name had been mentioned in trade rumors as far back as the 2007 draft, and again at the trading deadline last season. Still, I'll be bummed to see him go.

Here's wishing Erik and his family nothing but the best. UTTR will be keeping tabs and pulling hard for you in Edmonton.

Pitkanen is a 24 year old (offensive) defenseman who will hopefully add some scoring punch to the blue line, especially on the power-play. The terms "potential" and "upside" have been thrown around a lot regarding Pitkanen who was the 4th overall pick (Philadelphia) in the 2002 NHL draft, but he is now going to his third team in 5 seasons. Having not really lived up to the hype so far, his 2007-2008 season was marred by several nagging injuries (knee, hip). He appeared in 63 games for the Oilers, notching 26 points (8 goals, 18 assists). His best season in Philadelphia was 2005-2006, scoring 46 points (13 goals, 33 assists) in only 58 games. He was on the sidelines for 21 straight games that season with a torn abdominal muscle.

It seems that Hurricanes GM Jim Rutherford has been high on Pitkanen for a while, as it was rumor that the Canes were in the running to acquire his services last summer as well. Pitkanen is currently a Restricted Free Agent.

I completely understand the necessity to trade a forward to get what we need on defense, and I completely understand that our most "marketable" assets at forward included Cole, Justin Williams and perhaps Ray Whitney and/or Tuomo Ruutu. I'm just a little bit skeptical that a Cole for Pitkanen is straight up fair value for the Hurricanes. I just have not been all that impressed with Pitkanen on the ice (forget the numbers) in the few times I've been able to watch him closely. But of course, its not my job to evaluate talent, and it's only a hobby at best to second guess. Pitkanen is young and has skills. Let's hope he puts it all together in a Canes uniform (Sergei Samsonov, anyone?). If not he is going to have a hard time living up to a trade that sent one of Carolina's most popular players away. Fans can tend to be a little impatient in such situations.


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Also in the news, the Hurricanes have announced that the have re-signed/agreed to terms with defenseman Anton Babchuck, who was with the team for two seasons before playing last year in his native Russis (Superliga - Avangard Omsk). Babchuck was embroiled in a bit of controversy when he initially refused to report when the Hurricanes assigned him to the minors (Albany), mid way though the 2006-2007 season. He eventually did report and play out the season with the River Rats, and from most accounts was not a bad apple. But the public spat with the front office was a bit, shall we say, messy.

Babchuck then left to play a season in Russia's top league, where he was fifth amongst defensemen in scoring with 26 points (9 goals, 17 assists) in 57 games played. So far in his NHL career Babchuck has scored 26 points and racked up 54 penalty minutes in 96 games with the Hurricanes and Chicago Blackhawks (drafted in 1st round - 21st overall - 2002). The new contract is for one season and will pay Babchuck $1million.

-m