Will Niclas Wallin go home to Sweden?

From Luke Decock of the News Observer:

Is a team from the Swedish Elite League negotiating to buy Niclas Wallin's
contract from the Hurricanes?

A reader passed along this tidbit from a Swedish newspaper that would indicate Lulea of the SEL is trying to do just that, translated here via google:

It has long been silent about the combination klassvärvningar and Lulea Hockey. Jättetalangen Kristofer Berglund (Björklöven) is the only catch in the category so far. A credible source tells PT-sport club is trying to negotiate loss Stanley Cup-winner Niclas Wallin from the Carolina Hurricanes-the contract.

Wallin was almost ready for Luleå for a couple years ago, but then
succeeded his Carolina win the Stanley Cup whereupon Haradspojken offered a
drömkontrakt. Now, Wallin played by two of those three years and Luleå is said
to work hard and quietly to buy off him. In this case, the new government's
first major chapter.

Read the entire post from Lord Stanley's Blog here.

Wallin is a solid NHL defenseman, and the Hurricanes would certainly be better off with him on the team's roster or with the assets they'd receive in a trade. I just can't see the team allowing him to go back to Sweden with two years remaining on his deal.

Wesley to have number retired by Hurricanes

From Luke Decock of the News & Observer:

Glen Wesley spent all but a few months of his 20 NHL seasons with two franchises, the Boston Bruins and Carolina Hurricanes.

When they meet on Feb. 17 at the RBC Center, the recently retired defenseman will be honored and his No. 2 jersey retired, the Hurricanes announced Tuesday.

"It makes it pretty special, starting my career out there," Wesley said Tuesday. "Finding that out today, it was pretty exciting to hear that."

Read the entire article here.

Wesley was the Hurricanes. He was a extremely solid defenseman for the organization and was always a solid citizen off the ice. When thinking of the Whalers/Hurricanes, Wesley is arguably the first or second name that a fan would think of. He is certainly deserving of this honor.

Third jerseys on the way

From Luke Decock of the News & Observer:

When the Hurricanes take on the Red Wings in the second home game of the season, there's a good chance only one team will be in red.

The Canes hope to unveil their new, NHL-approved alternate jerseys — expected to be black with the team's secondary, waving-flag logo on the chest — at the Caniac Carnival in September and could wear them on the ice as early as Oct. 13 against Detroit.

Read his entire post from Lord Stanley's Blog here.

Third jerseys, a.k.a another way for the NHL to improve its revenue stream. I've actually had enough of these new jerseys in the NHL. Teams have gone through 3-4 jerseys over the past few years. Just keep it simple, like the Original Six, and stop looking for cheap ways to make money.

The Hurricanes? Never heard of 'em

From Luke Decock of the News Observer:

Today's weird news: A telephone survey of 500 North Carolinians found that only 10 percent would pick a Hurricanes game if given the chance to get tickets to a variety of sporting events.

Perhaps more surprising, only 82 percent of those surveyed even knew that North Carolina has an NHL team in the survey by Public Policy Polling.

Read the entire entry from Lord Stanley's Blog here.

I have to say, this is pretty comical.

Hurricanes are considering bringing back Jeff O'Neill

From Luke Decock of the News & Observer:

The Canes have talked to O'Neill and Jeff Taffe, Rutherford said, but both are holding out for one-way contracts.

O'Neill sat out last season after the Maple Leafs decided not to re-sign him. Carolina traded him to Toronto in August 2005, only a few months after O'Neill's brother Donny died in a car crash. The loss left O'Neill a mess and he seriously considered retiring then. After scoring 19 and 20 goals for the Maple Leafs, he did.

Read the entire story here.

If the Canes are deciding between O'Neill and Jeff Taffe, I see them siding with O'Neill. Not only are they familiar with him, but he has far more offensive upside, even though he sat out last season. However, I wouldn't expect him to sign a two-way contract unless there is some kind of agreement in place so if he didn't make the team, he'd be released.

Brandon Sutter expected to start season with Hurricanes

From Luke Decock of the News & Observer:

The Canes signed Sutter to a three-year, entry-level contract last March, and he finished out the season with their farm team in Albany (AHL) to positive reviews.

With opening night three months away, the 19-year-old is penciled in as the Canes' fourth-line center. Actually, it might even be ink.

"We feel he's ready to move in there," Hurricanes general manager Jim Rutherford said. "Unless something unforeseen comes along that we don't expect, he will be with the team."

Read the entire story here.

Sutter is an up-and-down winger who plays a physical style; which is shocking for a Sutter family member! Joking aside, the big youngster isn't really a scorer but does just about everything else a team could ask for both on and and off the ice. He will surely be a welcome addition to the Canes' forward ranks.

Hurricanes finished with signings

From Luke Decock of the News Observer:

"It wraps up all the signings," Rutherford said. "Now it's just a matter of will we move somebody, possibly a defenseman. That's something we have time on now. I believe there's a possibility we'll end up moving a defenseman."

Read the entire story here.

Both Niclas Wallin and Frank Kaberle are believed to be on the trade block. I'm sure there will be a market for both players, with Wallin generating the best return.

Chad Larose re-signs with Hurricanes

From Luke Decock of the News & Observer:

Cross Chad LaRose off the list. Carolina's last restricted free agent at the NHL level signed a one-year, $875,000 contract on Wednesday as the Canes avoided arbitration for the eighth straight summer.

"I'm ecstatic. I can't even tell you," LaRose said. "I'm very excited and excited to be a Cane again and to have this off my chest.

"Everyone was patient and when it got done it worked out both ways."

Read the entire report here.

Larose is a 3rd/4th line forward who has the ability to jump up to one of the team's scoring lines if injuries hit.

Hurricanes looking to deal defenseman

From Luke Decock of the News & Observer:

"We'll still look to move a defenseman," general manager Jim Rutherford said Monday. "I would think in the near future, that would end up happening."

Read the entire story here.

The article lists Frantisek Kaberle and Niclas Wallin as the two defensemen who are probably available on the trade market. Both are certainly serviceable, so I'd expect a deal to get done relatively soon.

Len Barrie predicts division title

From Damian Cristodero of the St. Petersburg Times:

"I'll predict right now, Tampa Bay will win the division," he said of the
Southeast. "That's how much we like our team."

Read more from Lightning Strikes here.

You have to like Barrie's passion, but this move only puts unnecessary pressure on his team. Sure they have added a lot of talent this off-season, but the team will still face intense division competition from Washington and Carolina.

Carolina Hurricanes Re-Sign Seidenberg

The Carolina Hurricanes have announced that they have re-signed rearguard Dennis Seidenberg to a one-year deal worth $1.2 million.

Seidenberg, 26, played in 47 of the Hurricanes’ 82 regular-season games in 2007-08, earning a career-high 15 assists and tying for third-best on the team with a plus-6 plus/minus rating. The Schwenningen, Germany, native has scored nine goals, earned 45 assists (54 points) and accumulated 76 penalty minutes in 225 NHL regular-season games with Philadelphia, Phoenix and Carolina over five seasons. The Flyers drafted Seidenberg (6’1”, 210 lbs.) in the sixth round, 172nd overall, in the 2001 NHL Entry Draft. He has represented his native Germany in international competitions, including the 2008 International Ice Hockey Federation World Championships, and the 2006 Winter Olympic Games.

Pitkanen re-signs with Hurricanes

From TSN:

A day after being acquired by the Carolina Hurricanes for forward Erik Cole, restricted free agent Joni Pitkanen has signed a three-year contract.

The club announced on Wednesday, that the 24-year old defenceman signed a deal worth $12 million over the three seasons.

The deal will pay Pitkanen $3.5 million in 2008-09, $4 million in 2009-10 and $4.5 million in 2010-11.

Read the entire story here.

This was about what Pitkanen was rumored to be asking for from the Oilers. In today's marketplace, Pitkanen is certainly worth an average of $4 million per season.

Anton Babchuk Re-Signs with Carolina

The Carolina Hurricanes are reporting on their website that they have re-signed defenseman Anton Babchuk to a one-year deal worth $1 million.

The full story is here.

Oilers trade Pitkanen to Hurricanes for Cole

From TSN:

The Oilers have traded hard-hitting left winger Raffi Torres to the Columbus Blue Jackets in exchange for 21-year-old centre Gilbert Brule, and sent defenceman Joni Pitkanen to the Carolina Hurricanes for winger Erik Cole.

Read the report from TSN here.

This deal has been rumored for almost a year now. The fact is, this trade fits both teams' needs. Pitkanen is a talented, smooth-skating, young defenseman who is going to a team who needs just that.

On the other hand, Cole is an up-and-down winger who is fast, hard-working and good defensively. His speedy and willingness to head to the net give him the ability to score 40+ goals, however, his hands are more in the 30 goal range.

This is one of those trades that helps both teams. The Oilers are shoring up their top-six forwards, as the Hurricanes shore up their top four defense corps.

Hurricanes could have trouble buying out Tanabe

From Luke Decock of the News & Observer:

The uniform NHL player contract stipulates that an injured player will receive his salary as long as he is unable to play or until the contract expires.

Tanabe's agent, Neil Sheehy, said he planned to "enforce David's rights under the CBA [labor agreement]" and the NHL Players' Association is watching the situation as well.

"Under the terms of the Collective Bargaining Agreement, clubs are not permitted to buy out injured players, such as David Tanabe," NHLPA spokesman Jonathan Weatherdon said. "If the terms of the CBA are not followed in David's case, the NHLPA will exercise all of its rights under the agreement."

Read the entire article here.

Dan Cloutier is involved in a similar situation as well. These decisions basically depend on the opinions of doctors. The problems arise when one side has a doctor saying one thing and the other side has another doctor saying something else. We'll see if the Tanabe situation gets to that point or if it is resolved beforehand.

Michael Leighton signs two-year deal with Hurricanes

From Luke Decock of the News Observer:

Last week, the Canes decided that Michael Leighton had indeed done enough in the AHL to replace John Grahame as Cam Ward's backup this season.

On Wednesday, Leighton, 27, signed a two-year contract worth $1.2 million to make it official.

Read the entire article here.

Nice to see Leighton get a chance to become a NHL back-up. Last season he was tremendous in the AHL, so it is always nice to see a still relatively young netminder earn his way back into the NHL.

As for the Hurricanes, they get a cheap back-up netminder, who is an upgrade over John Grahame from last season. Grahame struggled terribly all season long and that meant a much greater work load for starting netminder Cam Ward.

Hedican leaving the Hurricanes

From Luke Decock of the News Observer:

General manager Jim Rutherford said Thursday that Bret Hedican has told the team he's moving on, and although there's a chance he could end up back with the Canes at some point later in the summer as a free agent, he no longer figures in their plans at this point.

The 37-year-old defenseman and his wife, figure skater Kristi Yamaguchi, have said they plan to leave Raleigh and move to Northern California.

Read the entire article here.

Hedican appears to be preparing for retirement with his wife, so a move to the West Coast seems right. However, there is no mention in the article of Hedican possibly retiring, and with the way he still skates and moves the puck, I can think of more than a handful of Western Conference teams who wouldn't mind adding this veteran to their back-end.

The Hurricanes have yet to decide who will be their back-up netminder

From Luke Decock of the News Observer:

Michael Leighton is the front-runner to take over after an MVP-caliber season in the AHL, but the fact that the Canes have yet to re-sign Leighton, who will become an unrestricted free agent at the end of the month, is a clear indication the matter remains up for debate.

Read the entire article here.

With the way Leighton played in the AHL last season, it seems fairly likely that the Hurricanes will let him compete for the back-up spot on their roster. That being said, I wouldn't be surprised at all if they brought in some competition to make him work hard to earn that spot.

Hurricanes have many decisions to make

Luke Decock of the News Observer:

Whom to pursue and what to offer will be on the agenda as assistant general manager Ron Francis, pro scouting director Marshall Johnston and Hurricanes coach Peter Laviolette, among others, meet this week. (Rutherford will join them after attending an NHL general managers' meeting in Detroit today.)

Here is the entire article.

The article touches on all the important decisions that the Canes braintrust must make over the summer. That being said, the core of the team is under contract, so the decisions being made will focus more on the supporting cast than anything else.

NHL Morning Papers--Eastern Conference (Saturday Edition)

Here are the national morning papers:

• Eric Duhatschek takes a look at the difference between coaching in the regular season and in the playoffs.
• William Houston provides readers with all they need to know about television and the NHL playoffs.
• Cam Cole of the National Post wonders where the Canucks can go from here.

Here are the Atlantic Division morning papers:

• The Rangers would have liked to defeat the Islanders last night, however, the team still controls its own fate in the standings, writes Larry Brooks.
• The Flyers defeated their arch-rival Devils and, in turn, clinched a spot in the Eastern Conference playoffs. It was an extremely exciting night on the Philadelphia sports landscape, writes Phil Sheridan of the Philadelphia Inquirer.
• Shelly Anderson has an interesting story about Penguins strength and conditioning coach Mike Kadar. Meanwhile, the Penguins could be getting rugged winger Gary Roberts back for the regular season finale on Sunday.
• Greg Logan of Newsday recaps why the Islanders had such a tough year in the standings.
• Devils coach Brent Sutter thinks the Devils currently "lack professionalism."

Here are the Southeast Division morning papers:

• The Hurricanes may have given away the Southeast Division title last night, writes Luke Decock. The writers surrounding the Hurricanes selected Eric Staal as the team's MVP this season.
• With just one point tonight against the Florida Panthers, the Capitals will walk away with the Southeast Division title.
• Kari Lehtonen says the Thrashers are not tanking it to improve their chances at getting a better selection in the upcoming draft. (Writer's note: Apparently he hasn't seen this team play the last three weeks)
• The Panthers are shooting to ruin the Capitals season tonight with a victory over Ovechkin and friends.
• The Lightning will play tonight's game against Atlanta without superstar Vincent Lecavalier.

Here are the Northeast Division morning papers:

• The Senators backed into a playoff spot last night, with a 2-1 home loss to the Bruins, writes Bruce Garrioch. Both Daniel Alfredsson and Mike Fisher are out of the Senators line up for weeks.
• Forget a possible suspension for the Daniel Alfredsson hit, Mark Bell is going to jail after the season.
• Dave Stubbs profiles Mathieu Dandenault in this morning's Montreal Gazette. Dandenault's teammate Alexei Kovalev has his eyes on the Cup.
• Both Derek Roy and Thomas Vanek are having trouble accepting the Sabres' non-playoff season. In great news, the Sabres will welcome Teppo Numminen back to their line up for the season finale.
• Most people didn't predict this prior to the season, but the Bruins are heading to the playoffs after last night's win at Ottawa. Clinching a playoff spot last night allows for Marc Savard and Patrice Bergeron to gear towards a return.

The Western Conference morning papers are soon to follow...

For Illegal Curve, I'm Richard Pollock.

Email any thoughts, ideas or suggestions to illegalcurve@gmail.com