(photo: CarolinaHurricanes.com)Interesting article over at Tracking The Storm on Tuesday regarding the ongoing negotiations between the Canes and forward Tuomo Ruutu.
It appears that the main thing the two sides are haggling about at the moment is the length of the contract Ruutu is willing to sign. The Canes want to sign him to a multi-year (3) deal while the player and his agent are angling for a one year contract, so that they will be able to test the market as an UFA after next season.
Here's what Hurricanes GM Jim Rutherford had to say about the situation as it stands right now:
“Really I think what’s happening here is trying to decide if it’s a one-year contract and letting him go out as a UFA the following year or a longer-term contract. We really like Tuomo, we’d like him to stay here and we’d like to do this long-term.”
Interesting conundrum. While I understand Ruutu's desire for a possible larger pay day after next season, it could be risky to sign a one year deal - suppose there's an injury (which has been an issue at times in his career), or he does not put up quite the numbers he did this season. At that point the security of a long term contract might look pretty good in hindsight. Plus there's the real possibility that the salary cap could be reduced significantly next year, and there might not be as much $$$ being thrown around on the open market. A lot of the major market (big money) teams are likely to have some serious juggling to do when it comes to the cap heading into 2010/2011.
As of now, Ruutu's arbitration hearing is set for July 30th, and I would expect that neither side particularly wants to go through the process of a hearing, so something should be done by then either way.
Whether it's a one year contract or something longer term, I certainly hope that Ruutu is on the ice in a Canes sweater next season...and possibly for many seasons to come.
-m
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