I like Pitkanen... but I still think Bieksa would've been a better choice.

Any predictions on more trades here in the near future?



[Edited on July 4, 2008 at 9:29 PM. Reason : ronny franchise]

7/4/2008 9:27:38 PM

Quote :

"not sure that is true? I thought we've signed him in Albany. He played at least one game last year..."

That was a tryout contract, which is for junior and college players, and is limited to 25 games.

7/5/2008 12:43:07 AM

Chad LaRose is one of 15 NHL players who have elected to go to salary arbitration. I suspect the arbitrator will come up with a number higher than we are willing to pay, and we will relinquish his rights.

7/6/2008 12:22:47 AM

7/6/2008 12:41:59 AM

If we lose Chad LaRose I am going to flip my wig in anger and outrage

7/6/2008 1:53:20 AM

We are overloaded at center so losing Larose isn't a bad thing, not good, but not bad. We could meet what the arbitrators ask for, and trade him.

Does Ruutu shift over to the left side, I can't remember, and I don't see it on any of my NHL sites? If so, Larose could stay in that 4th line slot. If they're planning on bringing Sutter up, again, bye bye Larose because Sutter would be the 4th line LW. We simply have too many centers. I don't think any of them are going to want to play in the American league.

We are solid on the right side, based on my judgement, we have the best center and right wing line-up in the league. So by trading the rights of Larose, Tanabe and Wallin or Seidenberg, we could probably get a solid LWer out of that deal. However, I think we might consider looking at Jason Chimera, who might pull a Samsonov and go for glory if he gets a shot on a team like Carolina's.

As far as our D goes, I feel like we should give Rob Davison a look. He is 27 and had some pretty solid seasons out in SJ. Another good one, Joe DiPenta could be worth a look.

Obviously there isn't much we can or should do to our goaltending situation, unless mid-season neither one knows how to stop a puck.

7/6/2008 2:57:03 AM

Confused about some things in your post...

LaRose is not a center. They've tried playing him there before, but it was a pretty huge failure. Ruutu is not a center either, although he can play the position if a spot needs filling.

Here are our centers:

Staal
Brind'Amour
Cullen
Sutter

The 4th line, should LaRose re-sign, will be Sutter, LaRose, and either Brookbank or Bayda, likely depending on who we are playing that night.

Tanabe won't be traded because he is damaged goods; this guy isn't going to play again. The buyout attempt failed because players who have not received medical clearance cannot be bought out. We don't have insurance on his contract either, so unless JR can find some loophole, we're going to be paying him $900k to sit at home and eat cheetos this season.

Wallin will not waive his NTC as we saw last year; he will not play for any NHL team other than Carolina.

We won't be signing anymore players, because we are already $2 million over budget. Since Seidenberg did not file for arbitration, that seems to say to me that the organization has let him know that they are trying to trade Kaberle, and as soon as the trade goes down they will work out a deal with Seids.

I expect this to be the lineup:

Samsonov - Staal - Ruutu
Whitney - Brind'Amour - Williams
Eaves - Cullen - Walker
Bayda - Sutter - Brookbank

Pitkanen - Gleason
Corvo - Wallin
Babchuk - Melichar
Seidenberg

Ward
Leighton

7/6/2008 10:47:19 AM

did someone say rob davison?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QAX3CgnSNPo

7/6/2008 11:16:59 AM

i can watch that clip like 20 times in a row and it doesn't get old

7/6/2008 11:35:13 AM

oh shit i just realized i had this video on my youtube and the guy who scored it

HAI BABCHUK

7/6/2008 3:40:31 PM

NHLPA has Larose and Ruutu listed as centers... and I checked out the team site and has them listed as forwards... I didn't check other sources... but I had an inside feeling that they were left wingers

Thanks for clearing that up Vulcan

7/6/2008 6:29:48 PM

Quote :

"Two days after he declined to file for arbitration, Dennis Seidenberg signed a one-year, $1.2 million contract on Monday -- almost a 50 percent raise from the $850,000 he made last season. "

7/7/2008 10:54:12 AM

That's gotta mean someone is taking Frank.

7/7/2008 2:20:37 PM

Quote :

"Did you know ... that Joni Pitkanen stayed at the Westin Hotel, with his mother, for the entire season he played in Edmonton?"

http://blog.canoe.ca/hicksonsix

7/8/2008 8:48:53 AM

LaRose has been re-signed:

http://hurricanes.nhl.com/team/app/?service=page&page=NewsPage&articleid=368099

7/9/2008 3:41:49 PM

This is a fantastic surprise, but a big shock to me. I was certain he was gone. $875,000 is a fine deal, and probably less than he was asking for. My guess is that JR ultimately convinced him to hold off cashing in for one more year, and they'll see if they can justify the raise a year from now.

7/9/2008 3:54:35 PM

7/9/2008 4:18:29 PM

http://www.fannation.com/truth_and_rumors/view/57079

7/9/2008 4:25:38 PM

BEAP BEAP for Chad

LA needs a hefty contract, they're way under the salary floor

BYE FRANK!

7/9/2008 4:27:23 PM

Gonna go ahead and crosspost my thread from HFBoards...

Currently Under Contract For 08-09

13 Forwards - 12 one-way, 1 two-way - $29,562,500
Eric Staal - $5 million
Rod Brind'Amour - $4 million
Ray Whitney - $3.55 million
Justin Williams - $3.5 million
Matt Cullen - $2.8 million
Scott Walker - $2.5 million
Sergei Samsonov - $2.3 million
Tuomo Ruutu - $2.25 million
Patrick Eaves - $1.1 million
Chad LaRose - $875,000
Brandon Sutter - $787.5k***
Ryan Bayda - $450k
Wade Brookbank - $450k

11 Defensemen - 9 one-way, 2 two-way - $17,235,000
Joni Pitkanen - $3.5 million
Joe Corvo - $2.75 million
Frantisek Kaberle - $2.2 million
Tim Gleason - $2 million
Niclas Wallin - $1.725 million
Dennis Seidenberg - $1.2 million
Anton Babchuk - $1 million
Josef Melichar - $1 million
David Tanabe - $900k
Casey Borer - $510k***
Tim Conboy - $450k***

2 Goaltenders - 2 one-way - $3,100,000
Cam Ward - $2.5 million
Michael Leighton - $600k

Other - $533,333
Jeff Hamilton buyout - $533,333k

TOTAL SALARY FROM EXISTING CONTRACTS:
Only 1 way deals (23 players): $48,683,333
1 way & 2 way deals (26 players):$50,430,833
Current expected roster (24 players): $49,920,833

*** = 2 way deal

Restricted Free Agents

Forwards
Joe Jensen
Brandon Nolan
Pat Dwyer

7/9/2008 4:48:43 PM

maybe i'm missing something, but i don't see any mention that joey mormina was signed by the pens

7/9/2008 5:15:17 PM

OH NOES

THEY SIGNED OUR BABY GIRAFFE

7/9/2008 5:26:42 PM

Hell yes Chad LaRose best player on the team baby

7/9/2008 10:46:58 PM

We lost mormina, nooooooooooooooooo. He had the best hit of the year when it was the River Rats playing in the RBC center and he like absolutely destroyed a guy...booooooooo

7/9/2008 11:14:30 PM

Quote :

"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."

- Conboy

7/11/2008 12:33:38 AM

anyone planning on going to the friesen 5k? too bad hedican isn't running in it this year, i would totally pwn ol' traffic cone feet.

7/11/2008 12:47:42 AM

badass alternate uniform concepts

7/11/2008 8:55:43 AM

^those are awesome

and I kind of want to go to Marbles for Brindy's autograph signing, but I don't want to deal with the people there

decisions, decisions!

Quote :

"“Center Ice” is a simulated hockey experience with a synthetic ice rink and a mock version of the Hurricanes’ locker room, and was the cornerstone of a grant given to Marbles Kids Museum by the Kids ‘N Community Foundation. Along with Kids Decathlon and Spirit of the Games, “Center Ice” is a part of Marble Olympics which will give kids an active summer sensation based on the Olympic Games. “Center Ice” will remain at Marbles Kids Museum throughout the 2008-09 hockey season"

7/11/2008 9:08:44 AM

I kind of want to go to that but I am still trying to figure out if it's the kind of place that I would be way too old for

7/11/2008 9:35:07 AM

It's alright if it's your first time going, but after working a few years there I thought it was pretty stupid that people paid so much to get in when it offered very little content.

7/11/2008 9:56:17 AM

Preseason 2008:

Sunday, Sept. 21 Caniac Carnival/Red-White Scrimmage, TBD
Wednesday, Sept. 24 vs. Washington, 7 p.m.
Thursday, Sept. 25 at Washington, 7 p.m.
Saturday, Sept. 27 at Philadelphia, 7 p.m.
Sunday, Sept. 28 vs. Philadelphia, 5 p.m.
Thursday, Oct. 2 at Nashville, 8 p.m.
Sunday, Oct. 5 vs. Nashville, 3 p.m.

Opening Night (rumored, per Luke DeCock):
Florida at Carolina - Friday, October 10

7/11/2008 12:45:29 PM

mother fucking revenge time

7/11/2008 12:48:23 PM

WITH THE CANES????

7/11/2008 1:13:56 PM

sucks they couldn't make the carnival before an actual preseason game like they did last year

7/11/2008 2:14:12 PM

Wait, I didn't realize the schedule was coming out. When did that happen?

Did we sign Corvo?

7/11/2008 2:37:19 PM

^didnt need to sign him

7/11/2008 6:08:43 PM

the CANES????

7/11/2008 6:39:35 PM

where did this WITH THE CANES?? thing come from

7/11/2008 7:10:43 PM

message_topic.aspx?topic=521726&page=5

7/11/2008 9:00:27 PM

oh

7/11/2008 10:06:57 PM

I watched the 2006 Stanley Cup DVD today and I noticed a few things in particular. The first was that I think Rod showed the most emotion of any captain or player in general when getting the Stanley Cup. That and he also ripped it from the Weasel (Bettman). Also, I think the playoff run showed we don't need Cole to get to the finals as we did it without him, so I'm thinking we'll be fine without him. The last is that we still have a lot of players from that team in Staal, Ward, Brind'amour, Whitney, Williams, Cullen (though without him for a year), LaRose, Wallin and Kaberle (though the last two in my opinion should be on their way out).

I'm just so glad we resigned LaRose, aka the man. Also when you look at all the deals that have been made, we got a steal on all of our players, I'm still shaking my head at Toronto with Jeff Finger. Go Pitkanen!

I would rather have Frank the Tank than Wallin, unless we're in OT in the playoffs. If Wallin refuses to waive No Trade Clause, waive his ass so he goes to some shitty team (i.e. Atlanta). I think the 'Canes are back in the playoffs since Tampa is going to have to score 15 goals a game to win and the Caps have Jose Theodore, I mean cmon the Canes have his number, so I think we can clinch the division this year and down the road.

JR needs to hurry up and lock Staal and Ward up long term though as I don't want to even have to think about dealing with offer sheets down the road.

7/12/2008 9:02:18 PM

I think Wallin and Kaberle both get a bum rap around here. I'm expecting Kaberle to have a good year, but sadly it won't be here. We've gone from no offensive defensemen to a bundle of them so he is expendable at this point. Wallin is a solid defensive player IMO. A fine bottom pairing guy.

I'm not sure what to make of Tampa and Washington at this point; I think both could be good if they get some things together. The Northeast is going to have a major falloff I think, with Toronto, Buffalo, and Ottawa all in a bit of a mess, leaving a powerhouse Montreal team to run away with the division and what I think will be a solid Bruins team. The Atlantic will no doubt rule the East, as Pittsburgh, Philly, and the Rangers all have the potential to be juggernauts. On paper, I think we're in a good position. I feel very confident that we have a playoff team, and a team that will contend for the division title and perhaps beyond.

I stopped by Dev Camp today for the last practice. Sutter is going to be a beast. The lighting in the RecZone sucks, but I tried to take some pictures anyway.

http://flickr.com/photos/jhawkins/sets/72157606132591986/

7/13/2008 1:47:43 AM

awww, they're so little!

did the coaches take them out for ice cream afterwards?

7/13/2008 11:49:37 AM

I love the picture with Tom Barrasso as he looks pretty awkward. I'm jealous you got to go to this as I was and still am in Chicago for the summer. I'm hoping when I get back on the 9th or 10th that I can make some practices/camps as those are always good times. Speaking of which was anyone there the year Shane Willis made the team and he took a slap shot that went over the glass and smashed into one of the advertisements and everyone cheered so he raised his arms? It's a shame he's a concussion case thanks to Scott Stevens as he had potential. But I guess if you played with Ron Francis, you'd have 25 goals a year too.

7/13/2008 12:12:51 PM

Schedule for the regular season should come out this week

7/13/2008 5:13:52 PM

Wednesday

7/13/2008 5:18:11 PM

http://blogs.newsobserver.com/canes/oneill-back-in-canes-plans-%E2%80%94-maybe

Jeff O'Neill has been contacted, how bout that

7/15/2008 8:56:33 PM

W
T
F

7/15/2008 9:00:04 PM

W
T
F

i sat one section over from him for a game last season and he was downing a shit ton of beer

7/15/2008 9:35:55 PM

I remember his last season, he used to be spotted at a bar smoking cigs and downing bears after his brother died. I wouldn't mind this move really, I always liked Jeff and I think he could come back maybe not this year but next and chip in a few goals with the 4th line.

7/15/2008 9:37:47 PM