Okay, so maybe he’s not going to be knocking over buildings or breathing fire all over Japanese tanks (though we can’t disprove that theory), but he IS plastered on the side of the tallest building in Raleigh.

As part of a promotion for the 2010 NHL All-Star Game in Raleigh, the Hurricanes and the NHL have placed a 5000 square foot poster on the side of the RBC Plaza in downtown Raleigh.  The poster (apparently actually called a “Window Treatment… or something…) features pictures of Eric Staal, Alexander Ovechkin, Sidney Crosby, and Patrick Kane.  Oddly enough, and it does look a little odd, Kane is the only player featured who does not have a “C” on his chest. 

Also featured is the All-Star logo, which actually does a very nice job of incorporating the Hurricanes primary logo as well as some bits of the state flag.

If you haven’t seen the pictures yet, I suggest checking them out.  If you have, what are your thoughts on the whole thing?

-Chris Cote

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?

Well, another draft has come and gone for the Hurricanes, and this fan couldn’t be happier.

Unlike in previous years, where Rutherford drafted some head-scratchers, (Phillipe Paradis? Igor Knyazev?) this time around the Canes go solid picks straight through the entire draft. 

It is unfortunate, however, that the Canes didn’t manage to get another First round pick.  They were offering all three of their Second Round picks but couldn’t find any takers.  That’s not to say they weren’t successful on the trade side of things though, as the Hurricanes picked up three players via trade,

I won’t go into too many specific details about all the players, but some highlights of the draft include:

Jeff Skinner- Chosen with the 7th overall pick, Skinner is a pure scoring machine from the Kitchener Rangers.  Expect to see him playing on Eric Staal’s wing in the not-too-distant future.

Riley Nash- Acquired from Edmonton, Nash is a decent playmaking center. While he won’t blow you away with his skill, he certainly knows how to produce, as evidenced by his 102 points in 102 NCAA games.

Justin Faulk- This stocky two-way defenseman Is very solid and consistant.  Think Tim Gleason with a better shot.

Bobby Sanguinetti- Acquired from the Rangers,  this young two-way defenseman will get a very long look in training camp and will likely make the team. With 80 points in his last two AHL seasons,  Sanguinetti will bring a bit of offensive flair to the Hurricanes blueline.

Those are my draft highlights, what do you think was the Hurricanes best move in the draft, and how would you rank their success?

Until next time,
Chris Cote

With free agency just weeks away, and the departure of Ray Whitney looking imminent, it seems only natural that Hurricanes GM Jim Rutherford would be looking to nab a legit top line winger to play alongside Eric Staal. Right?

Well, apparently not.  In a recent interview GM Rutherford said that the Hurricanes will not get involved in the first wave of free agency, but might be part of the second due, in part, to the self-imposed cap the Hurricanes operate under.

My question is, why? 

With Ray Whitney and Rod Brind’amour likely departing, not to mention the potential buy-out/trade of Sergei Samsonov, the Hurricanes have plenty of room to make an offer for a guy like Patrick Marleau, and if they really expect Jiri Tlusty to step up and produce like a borderline all-star then there is really something wrong with their perception.

The simple truth is that the Hurricanes have good depth, but a lack of high-end talent, and going into free agency without the intention of adding a big gun means this team will not be a cup contendor next year, and will likely be fighting for the 6th seed in the playoffs.

But, then again,  you never really know…

The Hurricanes took their first step towards uniting Eric and the Family Staal today as the acquired the rights to Jared Staal for a 5th round draft pick.

In 59 games this season with the Sudbury Wolves, Jared racked up 49 points and 57 Penalty minutes.  To put that in perspective, that’s 5 more points in 4 fewer games than 2009 1st round pick Philippe Paradis, who was traded to Toronto for Jiri Tlusty.

It’s hard to tell where Jared might fit into the Hurricanes depth chart, but he’ll likely play the full AHL season in Charlotte next year (Remember… the river rats are moving…)  That is, of course, if the Canes can sign him.  They need to sign him to an entry level contract by June 1st or else he becomes eligible for the 2010 entry draft.

Projected as a physical 2nd or 3rd line winger, Jared could find himself on a 2nd line of Drayson Bowman- Brandon Sutter- Jared Staal 2 or three years down the road…

Despite an incredibly slow start to the season and the resulting large number of trades, the turnover rate this summer in Carolina should be relatively low.  With most of the wheeling and dealing already done,  this will be a summer of draft picks and Free agents.

For the Hurricanes, the most important pieces of business this summer are:

1) Determine the status of Rod Brind’amour- Yes, he got better near the end of the year,  but the fact remains he was among the worst players in the NHL in +/- for the second straight year and is in the last year of his contract.  Time to retire Brindy.

2) Resign Whitney and the RFA’s- All of them. Yes, all of them.  The tail end of the season was proof that these guys are ready to make the jump to the NHL, and bringing back Anton Babchuk adds a huge piece to the blueline.

3) Sign a Top Line LW- This is something the Hurricanes have been missing since 2006.  A legit top line winger to play with Staal and Jokinen would go a long way in bringing this team to where it needs to be.  Helllllooooo Patrick Marleau?

4) Sign a Top 4 defenseman- As it stands right now, the Hurricanes have 2 (Joni Pitkanen and Tim Gleason).  With Anton Babchuk coming back, and Bret Carson and Jamie McBain rounding out the D, there’s room for one more solid defensive defenseman (Willie Mitchell, or the return of Dennis Seidenberg?)

Should these things happen, Hurricanes fans would be looking at this line-up next season…

Patrick Marleau- Eric Staal- Jussi Jokinen
Ray Whitney- Brandon Sutter- Tuomo Ruutu
Chad Larose- Zach Boychuk- Erik Cole
Sergei Samsonov- Patrick Dwyer- Tom Kostopolous

Joni Pitkanen- Jamie McBain
Tim Gleason- Anton Babchuk
Willie Mitchell- Bret Carson

Cam Ward
Justin Peters

(With Jiri Tlusty, Drayson Bowman, Oskar Osala, Casey Borer, Bryan Rodney and Mike Murphy all waiting for the call)

So tell me Canes fans… what do you think?

Welcome to part one in a five-part series of blogs called “Guiding the Storm”.  Each part focuses on those players who have worn the “C” for the Hurricanes, their careers, and their effect on the franchise.

In July of 1997, Peter Karmanos Jr., owner of the Hartford Whalers, announced that the Whalers would be moving from Hartford, Connecticut to Raleigh, North Carolina. Essentially every piece of the Whalers franchise was picked up and moved to the Research Triangle area of North Carolina, including the first captain of the newly formed Carolina Hurricanes, Kevin Dineen.

Drafted in 1982 by the Hartford Whalers, the hard working Dineen was an integral part of the Whalers franchise for 7 years, thankfully missing out on the dreaded “Cooperalls” and eventually being traded to the Philadelphia Flyers in 1991 where he would be be coached by his father and named team Captain. After 4 years with the Flyers, Dineen was traded back to the Hartford Whalers in the 1995-1996 season, where he would go on to score the franchise’s final goal.

Carrying over the captaincy he earned in the 1996-1997 season, Kevin Dineen and the Hurricanes made their NHL debut in the Greensboro Coliseum, a 21000 seat arena 90 minutes away from Raleigh. Due to the fast move, construction on the arena in Raleigh had not been completed, making Greensboro the only suitable building nearby.

Their first season in Carolina was not an encouraging one. Dineen wracked up only 23 points in 54 games while amassing 104 penalty minutes. The team, meanwhile, was also struggling. Like their captain, the team only managed a mediocre season, gather 74 points (9^th place in the East) and finishing 9 points out of a playoff spot.

Despite bringing a strong work ethic, the lack of production from Dineen eventually would lead to him losing the Captaincy at the end of the 1997-1998 season. He would stay with the team however, finishing out his contract with the club and eventually signing on with the Ottawa Senators in the summer of 1999.

Though his tenure with the Hurricanes was short, Kevin Dineen made a lasting impression on the Hurricanes organization, bringing hard work and class to the young franchise and providing an example for other team Captains to come. Dineen finished his Hurricanes career with 15 goals and 26 assists for 41 points in 121 games played, while picking up 202 penalty minutes.

Today, Kevin Dineen is the head coach of the Portland Pirates of the AHL where he has been since 2005 and is one of only 5 NHL players in the world to amass over 350 goals while picking up over 2000 penalty minutes.

“Part II: Keith Primeau” will be up sometime in the next week or so… until then Caniacs.

-Chris Cote

Okay, so it’s not Michael Jordan, the NBA legend,  but it IS Michal Jordan the captain of the Czech national Junior team.

Michal Jordan was drafted in the 4th round, 105th overall in the 2008 entry draft.  At 6’1″, 184 pounds, Jordan racked up 102 points in 160 OHL games with the Windsor Spitfires and Plymouth Whalers.

A reliable defenseman with good offensive upside, Jordan will join the Albany River Rats for the upcoming playoffs.

This season, Jordan scored 13 goals and added 19 assists for 32 points in 41 OHL games.

First of all, I would like to apologize for not getting this up sooner.  I got hit with some family news a couple days ago that was, to say the least, shocking.  But, you don’t really want to hear about that, so without further ado, I give you…

The Carolina Hurricanes PostSeason Review

Well folks, it’s been a long and difficult season for the Hurricanes and their fans, but the journey has finally come to an end, leaving us with the always formidable question of “What went wrong?”  This season however, that question has a very simple set of answers:

1) Injuries: Eric Staal missed 10 games early in the year, and appeared to be playing hurt.  Cam Ward was out for nearly two months with various injuries, including a freak skate accident.  The result of this was an ugly one to say the least.

2) TOO SLOW: To start the season, the Hurricanes were slow. Period. Anyone who remembers the games earlier this season remembers watching what was possibly the most speed-challenged Hurricanes team in a very long time.

Now, put both of those together, and it results in #3) Too Little Too Late.
The Hurricanes struggled early out of the gate, and their frustration with their struggles led them to simply lose even more, culminating in a 14 game losing streak.

As a result of their titanic struggles, the Hurricanes saw several players moved, including Niclas Wallin, Matt Cullen, Stephane Yelle, Joe Corvo, Scott Walker and Aaron Ward, recieving a bevy of draft picks and prospects.

On January 20th, Rod Brind’amour was replaced as team captain by Eric Staal who led the team on a tremendous run and culminating in a 21-9-3 (45 points in 33 games) record after the captaincy change.  However, prior to the change, the team had only amassed a 14-28-7 record (35 points in 49 games) and the late season charge was simply not enough.

There were some positives to take from this, however.  The young guys got plenty of playing time and several of them ( Zach Boychuk, Jamie Mcbain, Justin Peters and Bret Carson) proved that they are ready for a full-time NHL job.  This will free up some cash for J.R. during the offseason to go out and potentially grab that big winger to play on a line with Staal.

The end result of all of this, is another year without the playoffs and another long off-season for the Hurricanes and their fans. Don’t worry though, these guys won’t be out of the post-season for long… here’s to a great 2010-2011 season!…. I hope.

Through the next couple of months  along with regular blogs, I will be posting a 5-part series called “Guiding The Storm”  on the history of Hurricanes Captains.  Each part will feature on one player who has worn the “C”  for the Canes, how they got there, what they contributed to team culture, team success with that particular captain, what colour socks they wore,  etc.  I hope to have part 1 on Kevin Dineen up sometime in the next week or so, so check back soon!

Chris Cote

If you’re tuning in this afternoon hoping to see Rod Brind’amours last NHL game, you may have already missed it.  Rod has an apparent groin injury and will not play today in Boston.

But if you’re tuning in to see one heck of a hockey game, you came to the right place. The 2011 NHL All-Star Game hosts, The Carolina Hurricanes, are playing some of the best, wide open hockey of the season.  Led by a charging Eric Staal (Who has NINE points in TWO games)  the Canes take on a Boston team that needs a win to clinch a playoff spot.

If you’re a hockey fan in general, I know you’re cheering for the Hurricanes.  A Canes win would keep Boston in 6th place, and would result in the Boston Bruins, The Montreal Canadiens, the Philadelphia Flyers and the New York Rangers all with either 86 or 87 points, battling for the playoffs with only one game left each.

So lets go Canes! Let’s win this one and cause the stress levels of four fan-bases to go completely through the roof.

I will be back later today or tomorrow with another blog on todays game, any new news, and an update/full announcement on a project I am currently working on.

Until then,
Chris Cote