HAPPY CANADA DAY!

12:01pm.
Let the free agent feeding frenzy begin.

Always interesting to watch the carnage as frantic GMs try to buy a Cup, which is always easier said than done. I wonder to what extent the $$$'s being thrown around this year will be affected by the looming issue of a shrinking salary cap. Should affect the length of big money deals at the very least, one would think. But its tough to say that any of this ever makes much financial sense.

The Cane's have an MO of staying out of the fray earlier on, waiting for the dust to settle and not overpaying until the market evens itself out. Can be frustrating as hell sometimes for a fan, but probably makes sense with the budgets we are usually working with.

Will be interesting to see if Rutherford is a little bit more aggressive this year after failing to lock up Cole or LaRose.


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-m

Heatley for Mayor of Ottawa?

Well, it looked like Ottawa GM Brian Murray had pulled a rabbit out of his hat and traded disgruntled forward (natch, prima donna?) Dany Heatley to the Edmonton Oilers for three players ( Andrew Cogliano, Dustin Penner and Ladislav Smid) just before the free agency deadline - and just hours before a $4 million roster bonus clause kicked in on Heatley's contract.

But not so fast.

Demanding a trade and then invoking your no trade clause. That's classic!

I'm guessing that Dany Heatley is the most popular guy in Ottawa right about now.

-m

Jokinen Drops Bubba A Line from Finland

I was ecstatic to hear the news that the Canes had reached a contract ahead of the deadline with RFA Jussi Jokinen. The Juice was solid from the time he joined the team in early February, selflessly pitching in whatever role whereever he was needed. And of course he became a fan favorite and local legend with his exploits in the playoffs.

Well, his status as a fan favorite probably spiked even higher when he took time out of his summer activities back home in Finland to respond to an email from Bubba over at Canes Country:

I am VERY excited to be returning to Carolina for the next two years.. It's been very nice seeing and hanging out with family and friends here in Finland. I started my summer training program last week. I noticed that the Canes drafted two defensemen from Finland this past weekend. They are pretty young and I do not know much about them, though.

I hope all Canes fans are having a great summer!

Best Regards,

Jussi Jokinen

The dude just seems like a down to earth all-around good guy.
Excited to have him back in the fold for at least 2 more seasons.

Kudos to Bubba for yet another scoop!

-m

The clock strikes midnight

As I type this the clock is passing across midnight in the Eastern time zone and June gives way to July. The deadline for teams to negotiate exclusively with their unrestricted free agents has officially passed, and since there has been no news out of Hurricanes HQ or from various media outlets (good job staying on top of this one N&O - natch), one can only assume that Chad LaRose and Erik Cole are now officially free agents, free to field offers from any NHL club.

And according to a post on the Canes website earlier on Tuesday, GM Jim Rutherford is not keen on taking part in any bidding wars for either Cole or LaRose:

“If they go into tomorrow [July 1st] then they’re obviously making the choice to go somewhere else...We’ve given our best offer within our budget to try to keep them, and at this point it doesn’t look like it’s going to happen.”

Sure this might just be tough talk, taking a bargaining position through the media, and in general being a hardass, but it does not sound promising.

I would love to keep both guys, but feel stronger about keeping LaRose. He is definitely due a pay raise based on his performance this past season, but I wonder how much money is out there for him on the open market - or at least how much MORE money than the Canes are offering. LaRose is such a valuable player to this team on and off the ice, it could be a blow to lose him. And to be honest, seeing as how he had really found his niche and even exceeded expectations on this team, he might be hard pressed to find a good fit elsewhere. My guess at a fair price would be around $1.5-2million per season. And even that might be a little steep unless it is a short term deal.

Cole was making $4million per year on his current contract with the team, and based on performance over the last few years I'm sure he will have to take a pay cut no matter where he ends up. I'm guessing anything more than $2.5-3 million would be significantly overpaying for the production he provides at this point in his career. I remember when he signed the contract for $4 million per 4 or 5 years ago, some folks thought the Canes were getting a discount. But with the way things turned out in the long run (injuries, inconsistency), he was probably overpaid. If he ends up in another sweater next season I would be bummed, but not distraught.

It also appears that UFA Ryan Bayda will be on the market, and not back with the team. The Canes offered him a two-way deal (after having him on a one-way this season), but I don't really blame him for trying to keep a one-way deal elsewhere.

Man I hope I wake up tomorrow morning to read about some sort of last minute deal for LaRose, or that Rutherford does not just slam the door shut on principle.

-m

Pride

Game 7

Canes 3
Bruins 2 OT

What an incredible game. Amazing effort from both teams.

Man, I am spent. Cannot even imagine what the Canes and Bruins' players must be feeling right about now. What a great game. After that stinker of a game 7 in DC Wednesday night, this one lived up to the billing and then some.

It really astounds (and perhaps disturbs) me sometimes how much I invest emotionally in this team. On nights like tonight it all seems worth it.

I haven't written anything in this space in a while. And I'm going to try to spin a bunch of hyperbole here now. The one thing I will say:

I am so incredibly proud of my hockey team tonight.

About half way through the overtime I found myself thinking "win or lose, I cannot be disappointed in the effort tonight." Both teams left it all on the ice.

And Scotty Walker. What an amazing story that is. One for the ages for sure.

Hat's off to Cam Ward, Sergei Samsonov, Ray Whitney, Dennis Seidenberg, Joni Pitkanen, et al. A complete team effort.

Perhaps I'll write more later, but for now I'll just say, this is why I love hockey.
What an amazing game it is.

Half way to the promise land.

Bring on the Pens.

LET'S GO CANES!

-m