Quote :

"I think Carter is a good player"

He's not.

4/16/2007 9:01:11 AM

He's productive only when he played with the Sedin twins.

4/16/2007 1:00:43 PM

Quote :

"The Carolina Hurricanes hired Greg Stefan as their assistant coach and goaltending coach on Monday. Stefan, who was a pro scout and coached the team's goalies for the past two seasons, signed a multiyear contract. The 46-year-old Stefan, an NHL goalie for nine seasons with the Detroit Red Wings, will work with all goalies in the Carolina system."

4/16/2007 9:30:58 PM

Erik Cole and Chad LaRose will play for Team USA in the World Championships

4/16/2007 11:38:45 PM

resigned jimmy rutherford for 5 more

4/17/2007 5:17:38 PM

http://www.newsobserver.com/122/story/565978.html

Quote :

"RALEIGH - Only days after signing a new, three-year contract to stay with the Carolina Hurricanes, Ray Whitney is headed for the operating room. Whitney will undergo shoulder surgery next week, a procedure similar to those that kept Cory Stillman and Frantisek Kaberle out for much of last season. Whitney is not expected to miss any regular-season games. General manager Jim Rutherford said the team was aware of Whitney's shoulder issue when he signed the $10.6 million contract."

4/20/2007 3:51:50 PM

FWIW, Scott Walker's house went on the market today. I don't know if that means he is moving somewhere else in the area, or to another state.

4/23/2007 5:12:19 PM

he's gone.

4/23/2007 6:05:15 PM

Quote :

"LAVIOLETTE TO JOIN VERSUS - April 23, 2007 I just got confirmation that Hurricanes Head Coach Peter Laviolette will join the Versus studio crew for the first two nights of the second round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs. Obviously, he would much rather be behind a bench than behind a desk, but I think our coach will make a fine addition for Vs. as they begin Conference Semifinal coverage. Peter will fly to Stamford, Connecticut on Wednesday and will be with Bill Clement, Brian Engblom and Keith Jones in the studio that evening. Versus will have a 30-minute pre-game show before the first game where the panel will breakdown each of the four second-round match-ups. The studio crew will also analyze the games during intermissions and after the games conclude. "

sweet


oh and

Quote :

"Rod Brind’Amour will join Mr. Ward prior to his Special Olympics event tomorrow, as the pair will be featured in a show being filmed by NHL Productions called “Relive the Magic.” The idea behind the show is to have two people watch a famous game from the past and discuss the game and the circumstances around it. Brind’Amour and Ward will be watching Game 7 of the 2006 Stanley Cup Finals. I believe “Relive the Magic” airs on the NHL Network, which we do not have here in North Carolina. I will try to find out if there is any other way for folks to see the final product."

there's a NHL network?

[Edited on April 23, 2007 at 8:05 PM. Reason : ]

4/23/2007 8:02:52 PM

NHL Network is only in Canada, but they are preparing to launch it in the States sometime soon.

4/23/2007 8:23:27 PM

like TWC will actually add that?

4/23/2007 8:26:38 PM

no chance in hell

4/23/2007 8:27:13 PM

So our main concern as soon as free-agent season begins is to get a DECENT third line center (Matt Cullen we miss you. Peace out, Vasicek), and probably grab another defenseman.

Obviously Letowski is a flop. We've got him under contract for one more season unfortunately, so hopefully he'll be left to either fourth line duty, or even "hey wait until our guys get hurt and then MAYBE you'll get a chance to play." Belanger was a possible Cullen-replacement, but apparently he didn't like it here. That or for some reason, he just didn't click in Laviolette's System. Regardless, Atlanta got swept and they're done.

So we need a third line center. Probably someone that isn't very well known a la Cullen 05-06. I've not done enough research to see who might be available, but that's a huge reason we weren't as dangerous on the ice this year. In 05-06, we had three lines that could be dangerous at any given point. 06-07, we had two lines that COULD be dangerous (even though they didn't for the majority), but that third line was hardly ever a threat.

So offensively, we've got the talent. I'm not sure why we didn't score more this year, but when the whole team is in a slump, that's what happens I suppose. In goal, Ward will be better after his Sophomore Slump. Crackers showed that he is a capable backup, and having the goaltender coach living in Raleigh having a consistent influence will help our netminders continue to get better.

Which brings us to my number one concern. Defense is going to be horrendous this coming year if we don't sign someone. Hedican is probably going to retire, and there's a chance that Wesley will as well. I personally would like to see Tanabe resign (and I've never been a fan of Tanabe... but he DID play well last year), but we are in serious lack of defensive leadership. People have talked about Sheldon Souray as a possible addition, but the jury remains out on that.

Regardless, there's my offseason summary. Let's hope JR gets it done.

Go Canes!

5/1/2007 10:00:45 AM

Two words: TOM PREISSING.

5/1/2007 10:23:32 AM

I wonder how much he can be had for...

5/1/2007 10:33:46 AM

i dont know, but id give a left nut to have preissing in carolina.... malik would be nice to have back as well

[Edited on May 1, 2007 at 12:35 PM. Reason : malikdaman]

5/1/2007 12:33:39 PM

If we want Malik back, then what we can do is just tape a hockey stick to a traffic cone and toss it out on the defensive end. It'll be much less expensive.

5/1/2007 2:06:09 PM

hahhahaha

5/1/2007 2:11:35 PM

will, perhaps you havent seen his +/- this season with the rangers

take a gander

5/1/2007 2:40:47 PM

i haven't been keeping up with the guy...never liked him. i thought the only reason he did so well with +/- in vancouver was because of jovo. who is his regular partner on the rangers and what lines on the opposition does he usually match up against (i honestly don't know)?

5/1/2007 2:56:48 PM

Congrats to Brindy on getting nominated for the Selke again. I would put my money on him winning again.

5/1/2007 3:37:55 PM

Brindy is the only finalist with a positive +/- at +7, Pahlsson and Pandolfo are in the -5 range. He has such a strong year, it would be tough to deny him it.

5/1/2007 5:14:04 PM

Pahlsson's gotta be out. -5 on a team with Pronger and Niedermayer? Bah.

5/1/2007 8:20:02 PM

Quote :

"Team will not increase prices for full or partial-season ticket plans RALEIGH, NC—Kyle Prairie, Director of Ticket Sales for the National Hockey League’s Carolina Hurricanes, announced today that prices for full and partial season ticket plans for the 2007-08 season will remain unchanged from the 2006-07 season. The 2007-08 season will mark the Hurricanes 10th Anniversary in North Carolina. "

5/1/2007 8:34:58 PM

rosival i think several ^'s

5/1/2007 8:41:03 PM

Depending on who retires, we may need not one but two clutch d-men, or we'll be sitting at home watching everyone else's teams play come may I think the D was the biggest problem in 06-07, besides the PP.

And good to see that news on tickets, hopefully single game ones won't go up too badly, or even better, not at all

5/1/2007 10:36:09 PM

that said, sellouts are ftw.

canes were 13-7 (loss column includes OT losses/SH) when attendance was within 100 of selling out, or over

and 6-3 (loss column includes OT losses/SH) when it was within 91 of selling out, or over (for some reason 18,639 out of 18,730 was a consistent number)

even if all the season ticket holders are automatically counted, the crowd helps, at least it seems.

5/1/2007 10:45:40 PM

18,639 must be the new capacity of the RBC Center for hockey. The Champions Club addition to my knowledge meant the removal of 3 suites as well as the rows of club level seating in front of those suites.

However, that does not explain the games where they went over that capacity. I guess it could be standing room, but I'm not sure that's the answer.

This has confused me all season.

5/1/2007 10:57:21 PM

probably.

[Edited on May 1, 2007 at 11:06 PM. Reason : in that case we were 6-3 when there was standing room only]

5/1/2007 11:06:27 PM

Quote :

"will, perhaps you havent seen his +/- this season with the rangers take a gander"

Oooooo +/-.

If that stat indicated ANYthing, then we wouldn't be paying Justin Williams what we are right now.

He was 2nd to last on the +/- for the Canes last year with a -11. Looking at that raw statistic, things might be going bad. However, J.Wills was one of the best players we had (except for that little cold-streak at the end of the season). He led our team in goals, was an effective penalty killer, and is considered a pylon that we can build the rest of our team around for the future. (Even though almost all of our under-30 players ooze talent).

Aside from the fluke between-the-legs goal he had in that shootout 2 years ago, what has Malik honestly done?

(Oh and another thing... would Malik fit into Laviolette's puck-possession offense-first style of coaching? He's big and slow, and we've already seen how well Vasicek played)

5/2/2007 1:08:34 AM

Quote :

"If that stat indicated ANYthing, then we wouldn't be paying Justin Williams what we are right now."

Awright, way to compare a forward to a defenseman! You're just schooling us all with your leet knowledge skillz!

+/- is an indicator stat, a "big picture" kind of thing--when it is consistently in the high positives (as it has been ever since he was traded away), then that is a pretty good indicator that the guy is decent defensively.. Clearly you haven't watched the guy (except, of course, for his shootout goal) since he was sent into exile 4 1/2 years ago, because you would see that he's not as bad as you think he is. He's big, yes--but slow? Not that slow. He only looks slow because of his size.

Is he a Bobby Orr or a Raymond Bourque? No. But he is a sound positional defenseman--his only problem is that when he brainfarts (which is not that often), people notice it because of his size and because (sadly) they tend to be whoppers.

So there.

5/2/2007 1:19:29 AM

As someone that was forced to eat my words about defenseman (David Tanabe this year... gah I still take it as a personal insult that he played well the last half of the season)... I'd be glad to say that I'm wrong about Malik.

But I really just don't see him as a good defenseman. At the best, a 5th or 6th guy, but never a top 4.

As far as +/- is concerned, I still think it's useless to look at an individual players +/-. I mean, say the three forwards are down low and have a minute and a half long cycle play that ends up with a beautiful puck in the net... the defenseman still get a +. They had nothing to do with the play, and really only have to say to the coach "Thanks for putting me out with their line."

I definitely think he's a better d-man now than when he was with us. Jovo is an excellent d-man, and being paired with him out in Vancouver had to teach him SOMEthing. I'll also say that he's played well with the Rangers up there (grats tonight btw. Boooooo Buffalo), but I just really don't see him doing anything well back in Carolina. I'd rather sign Tanabe (oh it hurts) for another year and see if this positive streak continues.

5/2/2007 1:31:54 AM

Quote :

"Jovo is an excellent d-man, and being paired with him out in Vancouver had to teach him SOMEthing."

But Malik didn't spend that much time with Jovo in Vancouver, cos Jovo was hurt. His defense partner for the bulk of the 2003-2004 season (the year he won the award for best +/-) was Nolan Baumgartner, and the season before that he spent a lot of time with Bryan Allen.

Yeah, lotta good Jovocop did him.

5/2/2007 1:38:37 AM

/eatwords

The issue remains that we need someone to pick up the torch on defense.

(Malik missed the Carolina "get the band back together" tour last offseason. It's just not meant to be)

5/2/2007 1:43:00 AM

Quote :

"So our main concern as soon as free-agent season begins is to get a DECENT third line center (Matt Cullen we miss you. Peace out, Vasicek), "

we havent lost Big Joe yet? What are you talking about? We need to do everything we can to keep him as well.

5/2/2007 9:43:01 AM

I'd take him at league minimum, but that's about it. If we get a real third center and it's a choice between Joe and LaRose centering the fourth line, I'll take LaRose any day.

5/2/2007 10:01:56 AM

how can you say that? he is the ONLY big man/enforcer style defender we have

[Edited on May 2, 2007 at 10:05 AM. Reason : not to mention he is the largest guy on the team]

5/2/2007 10:05:38 AM

I think you're thinking of someone else.

5/2/2007 10:11:15 AM

show me a guy on the Hurricanes that bigger than Joe

5/2/2007 10:13:32 AM

maybe you are thinking of Preseason/1st Game back from Surgery Joe

5/2/2007 10:13:49 AM

ok i take it back, Commodore is a little heavier than Joe

Joe is a solid player and you guys know it

5/2/2007 10:15:07 AM

He's solid, unspectacular, hits a grand total of four guys per season, and scores a garbage goal once in a blue moon. He's a fourth line player with second line size, nothing more, nothing less. I really can't believe you put the word "enforcer" in a sentence about Josef Vasicek.

I just looked it up...Joe averages ~13 minutes TOI per game, with 0.71 hits per game.

For comparison's sake, Chad LaRose averages one hit per game with ~10 minutes TOI per game, and Craig Adams gets 2.11 hits per game in ~10 minutes TOI, and they're both much smaller than Joe. Joe is huge, but he never uses his size, so who cares?

5/2/2007 10:19:24 AM

Quote :

"I'd take him at league minimum, but that's about it. If we get a real third center and it's a choice between Joe and LaRose centering the fourth line, I'll take LaRose any day."

QFT.

And make sure you get him a 2-way contract too. Joe's never used his size to his advantage, and after so many years of waiting on him to become the player we expect him to be, I'm ready to part ways.

(As far as LaRose goes, he was a goal-scorer back in the minors. I wouldn't mind seeing him get a few chances at that 3rd line center position)

5/2/2007 10:47:06 AM

Chad on Craig's shoulders might have a better chance of becoming the player Joe is capable of being

5/2/2007 11:01:40 AM

I posted a pic here instead of in the playoff thread. Meh.

5/2/2007 11:12:03 AM

^very insightful

5/2/2007 11:12:54 AM

What did he say?

5/2/2007 11:18:51 AM

larose<3

5/2/2007 3:42:02 PM

Hedican considering retirement
TheFourthPeriod.com


Hurricanes defenseman Bret Hedican, who was plagued by hip problems all season, is contemplating retirement, reports the Raleigh News & Observer.

Hedican, 36, missed 16 games over the first four months of the season and the final 16 games because of complications following surgery on his right hip last summer.

According to the paper, Hedican is expected to visit a Colorado specialist this month to determine whether he will be back in 2007-08.

Hedican has a $2.4 million option to return next season but could pack it in if his hip does not improve.


"If he plays, he's a good player for us, but if there's a question about whether he can play in most of the games, we'd probably want to bring someone else in," Hurricanes GM Jim Rutherford told the News & Observer.

Team trainer Pete Friesen is scheduled to join Hedican when he meets with Dr. Marc Philippon at the Steadman-Hawkins Clinic in Colorado.

The Hurricanes have a large amount of depth on the blueline, with Mike Commodore, Tim Gleason, Andrew Hutchinson, Frantisek Kaberle, Dennis Seidenberg and Niclas Wallin under contract for next season. Glen Wesley, who may call it a career, and David Tanabe are unrestricted free agents, while Anton Babchuk is a restricted free agent.

The News & Observer suggests that despite the surplus of rearguards, Carolina may look to pursue a top-level defenseman when the free agent market opens July 1.

5/3/2007 11:06:00 AM

I think it's time for Hedi to take his Cup ring and head off into the sunset. Pains me to say that, cos I dig the guy, but that hip pry isn't going to get any better.

5/3/2007 12:44:39 PM