A Fresh Start! - Canes Preview 2010-2011

As we fast approach the start of the 2010-2011 season, I wanted to take a look ahead at what we might expect this year from our Carolina Hurricanes. If you are a die-hard Carolina Hurricanes fan like me, last year is clearly a year you want to put behind you. The Canes were 2-8-3 in October and never recovered. Ouch! A decision had been made by Jim Rutherford (JR), the Canes' President and GM, to stick primarily with the veteran-laden team that took the Canes to the division finals in 2008-2009. He felt the only missing link was more toughness on the blueline and to that end, added Aaron Ward in a trade with Boston and Andrew Alberts, a UFA from the Philadelphia Flyers. The team moved away from the attack style that Peter Laviolette had initiated and which had resulted in much success, led by an aggressive, offensive-minded defence corps, to a team with a "D" which had trouble getting out of their own zone, let alone drive the attack.

The good news is that JR got the message loud-and-clear. It was time this team had a major re-work. Add to this the current financial situation and Peter Karmanos' interest to sell-off a major portion of the team, and it was clear that austerity measures were needed. He commenced the work of cleaning house at the trade deadline, moving defencemen Aaron Ward, an unmitigated disaster, Niclas Wallin, tough but slow afoot, Andrew Alberts, average at-best, and Joe Corvo, a decent defenseman but pending UFA. In return, he acquired youngsters Justin Pogge, a former Canadian Junior Goalie-of-the-Year, and Oscar Osala, a talented Finn, plus a couple of 2nd round draft picks. He also moved out forwards Stephane Yelle, a spare part, Matt Cullen, a strong contributor but pending UFA, and Scott Walker, a likeable guy but a player who didn't figure in the Canes' future plans. All good moves. Unfortunately, he was unable to succesfully move Ray Whitney to LA, where he had a deal in the works for a 1st rounder plus. Whitney subsequently signed with Phoenix.

So, JR had some significant rebuilding to do. First order of business was to deal with Rod Brind'Amour, who had slipped to the 4th line and was a shadow of his former self last year. Mission accomplished when Rod retired from active duty and accepted a coaching position with the Canes. Next was the draft, where JR surprised many by picking Jeff Skinner, a 70-goal scorer in the OHL last year, including 20 goals in 20 play-off games. Early returns on Skinner have been very positive. He has a spot to lose, with the Canes needing more offence up-front. JR also made a couple of shrewd deals on the draft floor, acquiring former first rounders, Bobby Sanguinetti from the Rangers, who is enjoying a strong camp and oozes offence, and Riley Nash, from the Oilers, a Ron Francis favorite with plenty of upside, both for 2nd round picks acquired at the trade deadline. JR loves to acquire former first rounders and has been successful a number of times in the past, including current stalwarts Ruutu and Gleason.

But, Rutherford wasn't done there. Seeing the need to bolster the defence and bring in more offence, he re-signed Anton Babchuk, a player who should have been here all along, and signed Joe Corvo, to a two-year hometown discount deal, around 2.0M per season. You have to like the Corvo deal - traded to Washington for a 2nd round pick and Oscar Osala at the deadline, and then brought back for less money. JR, you are one shrewd horse trader! All the more impressive given the financial constraints levied on him by Karmanos. He took a while, but finally closed the deal with Brett Carson, a promising blueliner with size and moxy, who ended the season plus five in 54 games played with the Canes. With Carson, it was a two-way contract adding to the Canes flexibility this season. And, then, the piece de resistance! When local boy Patrick O'Sullivan, a former consensus first-rounder and 22-goal scorer with the Kings a a few years ago, showed interest, Rutherford pounced on him, and got his name on the dotted line for a paltry 500K, a two-way contract at that! Sure, he had a tough season in Edmonton last year, but who didn't. He can play, make no mistake about it, and as so many others like O'Sullivan have done with the Canes, he will thrive in North Carolina.

Any way you shake it, you have to like where this team is going. I can't remember the closet being this full of young talent since I started following the Canes several years ago. Led by elite players, Eric Staal, and Cam Ward, the Canes will compete every night. Add to them the supporting cast of D-men Joni Pitkanen, a horse and the league leader in on-ice time per game last season, and Tim Gleason, who impressed all with his gutsy Olympics performance and just gets better each time out, as well as forwards Jussi Jokinen, a versatile forward and 30-goal scorer, Tuomo Ruutu, a workhorse with huge potential, and Brandon Sutter, who topped 20 goals in only his second season, and there's reason for optimism. Other veterans who could play a key role are Erik Cole, Chad Larose, and Sergie Samsonov. All stumbled badly last year, but have the talent to contribute much-needed offence. Cole could surprise. What about Jiri Tlusty, another former first-rounder, who Paul Maurice has high praise for? He earned a one-way contract and could be a factor. He's big and skilled. Expect big things this season from Jamie McBain, the Wisconsin phenom, who had an impressive 10 points in just fourteen games last year (+6), and Drayson Bowman, a slick offensive winger, who impressed in a Canes uniform in his nine game audition last year and has shown strong defensive acumen in camp. Another player to watch is Zac Dalpe, an Ohio State grad, who has the size and skills to make the move to the Canes now and scored six goals in only nine games with Albany in the AHL. He's all but assured a spot on the roster. Bryan Rodney, Jay Harrison, Zach Boychuk, Osala, Riley, and Jared Staal, a virtual steal from Phoenix, all provide depth.

So, what should we expect to see opening day? Sure, there are still questions to be answered on the starting line-up, but it will probably look something like this.

Forwards

O'Sullivan/Staal/Cole

Bowman/Sutter/Ruutu

Skinner/Jokinen/Larose

Tlusty/Dalpe/Kostopoulos

Dwyer, Samsonov (injured)

Defence

Gleason/McBain

Pitkanen/Corvo

Carson/Babchuk

Sanguinetti

Goalies

Ward, Peters

My Prediction: The Canes will be the surprise team in the NHL this year. Get ready!

Decisions, Decisions!

As we fast approach the trade deadline, Jim Rutherford (JR) is being very tight-lipped about his plans. But, then again, that's his normal style, isn't it? Things are really starting to heat up. "I'm getting inquiries on more players than I expected," he was recently quoted as saying. The big question is "Will the Canes still be sellers?" After all, they have rattled off five straight wins and have won nine of their last eleven. They now find themselves only nine points out of a play-off berth.

So, what would you do, knowing that the rebuild process is well underway, but a play-off berth is still possible?

The changes started earlier this year, with the Canes elevating Brandon Sutter, Patrick Dwyer, and Brett Carson, to the big team from the Albany River Rats. They have all contributed and will be regulars going forward. Sutter has been a revelation, with fourteen goals already this year. Then, the Canes traded 2009 first round pick, Phillipe Paradis, to Toronto for former first rounder, Jiri Tlusty. Niclas Wallin, the "secret weapon", a huge favorite of the Caniac nation, was shipped to San Jose for a 2nd round pick in 2010, and Matt Cullen, another fan favorite, was sent to Ottawa for D-man Alexandre Picard and another 2nd round pick in 2010. So, that's where we are right now.

Based on these moves, you have to figure that JR will stick to his re-tooling plan, to change fully half of the team prior to next season as he has previously gone on record as saying. At the top of the list will be dealing with the UFAs. He has to move them now, if he wants any return, as he did with Cullen and Wallin. The Canes have some outstanding building blocks in Eric Staal, Cam Ward, Brandon Sutter, Tuomo Ruutu, Joni Pitkanen, Jussi Jokinen. and Tim Gleason. They also have some talented prospects in the aforementioned Brett Carson, Patrick Dwyer and Jiri Tlusty, as well as Albany farmhands Zack Boychuk, Justin Peters, and Drayson Bowman, not to mention Ohio State star, Zac Dalpe, and, my personal favorite, former Wisconson phenom, Jamie McBain. You might want to include Alexandre Picard, if he can recapture his game in Carolina as so many others have. Add to that veterans Erik Cole, Sergei Samsonov, Tom Kostopoulos, and Andrew Alberts, who has quietly had a solid season, (leads the team with +6) and you're well on your way. You can expect Rod Bind'Amour to retire at season's end, clearing much-needed cash and a center spot on next year's roster.

The Canes need more size and scoring in the forward ranks and will probably need another D-man, assuming both A. Ward and Corvo go this week, unless of course, Anton Babchuk (remember him?) returns from the KHL, where he is having a break-out season. Stranger things have happened!

So, what deals should we look for prior to the deadline? JR has made it clear that he is looking for high draft picks and prospects who can contribute now, so don't expect any household names to be heading our way. Here's my wish list.

Ray Whitney - LA - Deal is on the table, but fading - 1st rounder in 2010 & prospect (Moller,Elkins?)

Pittsburgh - 1st rounder & prospect or Tyler Kennedy & 2nd rounder

Buffalo - 1st rounder & prospect (Justin Jokinen?)

Boston - (with A. Ward) - Blake Wheeler is available

Joe Corvo - Phoenix - 2nd rounder or top prospect (Boedker, Jared Staal?)

Phoenix (with Larose) - Wouldn't Peter Mueller look good in a Canes jersey?

Aaron Ward - Boston - 2nd round pick

Vancouver - 2nd round pick

Chad Larose - Philadelphia - Ville Leino is interesting

Stephane Yelle - late round pick

Scott Walker - Nashville - 4th or 5th round pick in 2010 draft

Manny Legace - late round pick

Bryan Rodney, Jay Harrison - Both have slipped in the eyes of Canes management and could be packaged in a deal.

This is an exciting time to be a Carolina Hurricanes fan. A new era is being ushered in. The Canes don't plan to sit on the outside looking-in for long. One thing's for sure. There is nobody more astute than Jim Rutherford at wheeling and dealing. You can bet he'll get maximum return for his assets. he's made a habit of it. Look at some of his past deadline deals:

Andrew Ladd to Chicago for Tuomo Ruutu (A win for the Canes)

Josef Melichar and Wade Brookbank to Tampa for Jussi Jokinen (Are you kidding me?)

Danny Richmond to Chicago for Anton Babchuk (Danny who?)

Kevyn Adams to Phoenix for Dennis Seidenberg (Love to the the"berg" back next year!)

And who knows, we may even see Matt Cullen back next year!

This will be very interesting! Join me as I follow all of the Canes trade activity at http://twitter.com/CanesTR.

RIP Brendan Burke

The world of hockey was devastated to hear the news about the tragic death of Brendan Burke, son of Toronto Maple Leafs GM Brian Burke. It was Friday night, and I was just finishing up a crisis call I was dispatched to. I had to tend to a family that just lost a love one to a heart attack, and witnesses their heartache for about two hours. As I sat there, holding back my own tears, I then saw a message sent to my phone breaking the news of Brendan’s death. In an instant, I felt complete sadness. To say I was shocked was an understatement. The article that was written about Brandon was still fresh in my mind, and I was just talking about how proud Brian Burke must be to walk in the opening ceremonies as the proud American he’s always professed to be. I then started wondering, why is it people have huge highs in life, only to then have complete and utter lows.
I could not help it but to think of my father who died over 10 years ago, and like a fresh cut, I could feel my wound open up. I thought back to the days when Burke was in Anaheim and how he made it known he had to leave to be with his family. I thought Burke was a great father for making that his main priority. I thought about how close I was with my father, and how he always worried about my safety. Details of Brendan’s death were still sketchy and there was not much information until the next morning. Apparently Brendan died in an auto accident when the car he was driving slid into oncoming traffic due to snowy conditions. I remembered one time when I crashed in high school. I called my father to the scene to pick me up, and when he got there all I could think of was how mad he was going to be. When he arrived on scene, he walked right up to me, and as I formed the words to say I was sorry, he grabbed me and hugged me and said he was scared something bad had happened to me. I realized then and there, that my father actually got scared for the first time. I cannot begin to imagine Brian Burke’s reaction to the news of his son’s passing. It is a parent’s worse nightmare, and one that Brian Burke and his family are experiencing.
This weekend, the world of hockey stood together in solidarity for a family member. And forgive me for forgetting where I read this, but someone else came up with this and said that today, every team removes their logos from their chests, and puts down the hockey sticks in honor of Brendan Burke. I could not agree more. I would like to dedicate this Sunday’s column to Brendan Burke and his bravery as a human being, and as a loving son. May you rest in peace forever.

Most Memorable Jiggy Moments.

Everyone seems to be doing tributes for J.S. ever since being traded to Toronto. There are many moments that make up who Jiggy is today. I could list the 2007 Cup championship as one, but that's too easy. Instead I'll chime in with mine. I have quite a few but I think I'll just highlight five of them for the sake of time.

5. Jiggy's Father passes away- As having gone through this, I know how hard it is when someone dies, to have the spirit to want to do things right away. A person hits a low when a parent dies, and the human heart almost feels weakened by the loss. This is Jiggy's 5th most memorable moment because even though the Ducks did not achieve success by NHL standards, the mere fact that he could finish the season with respectable numbers is huge.

4.Mighty Ducks Sweep The Wild - 02/03 Playoffs R3 GM4
Once more, Jiggy helps the Mighty Ducks sweep a strong Minnesota team, and as you watch the video, look how exhausted Jiggy was at the end of the game. They always say sometimes you have to fight until you can't fight any more, and sometimes when you fight that hard, something breaks. 2003 may have been the year that broke Jiggy. It may be the year he left it all on the ice for the team. In 2007 he has an incredibly talented team in from of him, making the cup win inevitable, but in '03, it was Jiggy all by himself. I'll never forget being at this game and cheering like it was the Cup final! Nothing compared to the feeling I had on this night. Nothing would make up for it, except for the Cup winning game in 2007. And yes, you heard correctly...the announcer says Jiggy stops 122 out of 123 shots in the series.

3. Mighty Ducks 5-OT Goal vs. Stars - 02/03 Playoffs - R2 GM1
This game went to five over times! think about it. That's 2 and half games!! More amazing is the fact that in order for the team to get to that point, it took quite a performance from its goalie. In this game, you had two greats battling one another. On one side, Marty Turco, and on the other, J.S. Giguere. Watch the video as the stunned crowed quietly makes its way out of the Dallas arena!

2. Jiggy Melt Down- this game took place in 2006, when the Oilers were taking on the Ducks at home. The Ducks were frustrated by the antics of goal tender Dwayne Roloson and then Oiler Chris Pronger. In fact Pronger got under Jiggy's skin so much, that he finally cracked and was assessed a slashing penalty, and then got into a scrum with Pronger. As the whistle blew, Jiggy continued to mouth of at Pronger and then began punching Pronger in the kisser! Jiggy was received a double minor, which allowed the Oilers to score and add insult to injury. The Oilers that year eliminated the Ducks from the Western Conference Final, but it was worth it to see such raw emotion come from Jiggy. I don't have video of this, but I've attached a video having a melt down on the bench recently.

1. Triple Over Time- when the Ducks faced off against the Detroit Red Wings in the opening round of the 2003 playoffs, many felt it was merely a warm up for the defending champion Wings. Since 1952, history was on the side of the defending champions, as there has not been a first round elimination of a returning champion since that year. What transpired what a goalie clinic, in which J.S. stopped 63 shots in one game (or technically 2, depending how you look at things.) The game was loaded with drama and excitement as David took on Goliath, with the Ducks coming out on top in a memorable game.

Finally, here is a video tribute, one of many, that hit the net once Jiggy was traded. Its by Roochfan20 on YouTube, and I thought it summed up Jiggy nicely.

Good luck Jiggy. Toronto is embracing you with open arms. The move is going to be good for you to shake off some old skeletons, so you can give Canada a little taste of what it was like in Anaheim the last 10 years.

"I would give that one up to get the other one. The other one is much nicer and much bigger," he said. "My thought goes to all my teammates. They worked so hard in front of me and I couldn't do anything without them. This is something we'll hopefully share as a team." -J.S. Giguere 2003 after winning the Con Smyth Trophy in a loss to New Jersey Devils.

Thanks for the memories.......now let's play hockey.

It was just a matter of time, and could not come any sooner. J.S. Giguere, long time goal tender and most popular member of the Ducks, has been traded to the Toronto Maple Leafs in return for Vessa Toskala and Jason Blake. Toronto awoke to Brian Burke shaking the foundations of the Leafs organization. In true Burke fashion, he made moves that has sparked new hope into the Toronto franchise, while causing some Anaheim fans to shed bitter sweet tears. It comes with the territory of being a professional athlete. There were reports that as recent as the last morning skate the Ducks had on the road, Giggy was told to go back to the hotel because he was being traded to the Leafs. He apparently hugged some of the coaches goodbye, and left. It was obvious that Giggy was headed north after the Ducks re-signed Hiller to a four year deal cementing him as the number one goalie in Anaheim. As a fan of the Ducks, I also hope this move breaths in new life to the Ducks organization. It was probably a good thing all of this occurs right before the Olympic break, so there is enough time for the dust to settle. The Ducks made headlines last season when they traded half the team in a move that had some experts shaking their heads. In the end, the moves were enough for the Ducks to make it to the playoffs and upset the number one team in the NHL, San Jose Sharks.

Kings too much for Ducks

Not too shabby! After racking up a five game winning streak the Ducks got toasted by the Kings 4-0 last night at the Staples Center. One thing that was obvious about last nights game was that it was indeed physical, and already there is talk about some of the Ducks players getting fines or suspensions. Plus Koivu left the game injured with a lower body injury on top of the news that Teemu would be out 2- 4 weeks. When it rains it pours. That being said, the Ducks are still looking good in the rankings, being tied with Dallas, and still 6 points out the 8th spot. I suppose it could be worse. At least the Olympics are coming up to give the team 4 weeks off, and so that some of the guys can rest their injuries (although who knows about Koivu now?) Just like every other season (including the cup winning year), the Ducks somehow get it together even if it doesn't look pretty. For now, the Ducks look to start up a new streak Sunday against the Flames, and hopefully go into the break gaining some ground.
Go Ducks!!!

Ducks win again!

The Ducks played tonight and last night the way they were destined to play at the start of the season. Tonight Hiller stood on his head blocking 42 shots on goals, and shutting down the "hottest team in the NHL." I like what I continue to see in Koivu, Ryan, Getz, Brown, Sexton....heck even Teemu looks like he's 10 years younger! It's amazing what happens to a player when their job is threatened by hungry, younger players. The Ducks played exceptionally well tonight and have managed to win their first four game win streak in a long time! The Ducks express train continues to roll into Anaheim next week to play the eastern giants, Boston Bruins.
Go Ducks!!

Preds who?? Oh yea, the Olympics!

After tonight's horrible loss to the Preds, I would like to just focus on a positive here for a second and say congrats to all the Duck players that are representing their respective countries in the 2010 Olympic games!
Go Ducks!!!