Let’s review, shall we?
Jim Rutherford’s shopping list this off-season was fairly light, with the Canes needing a few cheap, reliable defensemen, a veteran 3rd line center and (had the budget been there) a top line winger. For the most part however, the name of the game was to simply hang on to all the young guys and stock up the Charlotte Checkers.
Now, due to Karmanos setting the budget at around $44-45 Million while he looks for a new minority owner/partner, the money simply isn’t there for the Hurricanes to go out and make a big splash, picking up a top line winger. However, JR has managed to lock up some solid pieces and fill out his roster rather nicely without having to spend extravegantly. In fact, he only signed two free agents:
Joe Corvo -$2.25 mill.
Stats With Canes- 138 GP, 25 G, 42 A, 67 Pts, 38 PIM
Anton Babchuk- $1.4 mill.
Stats With Canes- 146 GP, 21 G, 33 A, 54 Pts, 52 PIM
With these two signings, the Hurricanes depth chart becomes alot more solid, but pushes the Canes right to their self-imposed cap, meaning any third/4th line cnter roles will have to be played by a rookie or be filled via trade. As of right now, the Hurricanes depth chart (at each position) looks like this:
Center
Eric Staal
Brandon Sutter
Zac Dalpe
Patrik Dwyer
Jon Matsumoto
Riley Nash
Left Wing
Jussi Jokinen
Sergei Samsonov
Zach Boychuk
Jiri Tlusty
Oskar Osala
Chris Terry
Right Wing
Tuomo Ruutu
Erik Cole
Chad Larose
Tom Kostopolous
Drayson Bowman
Jerome Samson
Defense
Joni Pitkanen
Tim Gleason
Joe Corvo
Anton Babchuk
Jamie Mcbain
Jay Harrison
Bobby Sangguinetti
Bryan Rodney
Goaltenders
Cam Ward
Justin Peters
Justin Pogge
Mike Murphy
Wat do you think? What’s missing?
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Written by Chris Cote
Originally from Cadillac, Saskatchewan, I've been a Hurricanes/Whalers fan for as long as anyone can remember. I have completed two years of Journalism studies from the University of Regina and love to write...
Eric Cooney Jul 14 201012:52 pm
I think a guy like Dominic Moore could go a long way for the ‘Canes. He’s a veteran Center, 3rd line guy, and only a cap hit of $1.1mm last season. Of course, that’s $1.1mm more than their budget, which is a problem.
Chris Cote Jul 14 20101:20 pm
That is exactly the guy I was thinking of. If it were up to me, I would try to trade Erik Cole, who I feel has become redundant, for a cheap, hard nosed veteran d-man who can be your #6 guy. I would then use the cap space saved to bring in Moore and allow Jerome Samson the opportunity to fill Cole’s spot on the third line.
Eric Cooney Jul 14 20106:32 pm
I certainly wouldn’t rule that out as a possibility. Rutherford said the team will be quiet “early” in free agency. He loves to scoop up those quality yet unsigned players near the end of free agency.
Shane Hoopfer Jul 14 20102:03 pm
Another guy that could be a good fit would be Jamal Mayers. After getting traded to Calgary he played very well for the Flames.
Don’t think he will be re signed here as it looks like that center spot is reserved for Brett Sutter. But at the right price Mayers could help a lot of teams 3rd or 4th lines.
Chris Cote Jul 14 20104:02 pm
While I like Mayers as a player, I think Dominic Moore’s aggressive style and tenacity fits in better with what the canes are trying to instill In their young players.
Shane Hoopfer Jul 14 20104:18 pm
I don’t think you could go wrong with either guy to be honest.