Canes waive Hamilton

On Wednesday, the Hurricanes waived Alexander GeorgeJeffrey "Green Eggs and" Hamilton. Hamilton was Carolina's "big" free agent acquisition over the summer, and was expected to center the third line. Of course, Carolina later reacquired Matt Cullen via trade, and Hamilton's position wasn't that good.

He started the season, as Carolina's power play did, on a bang. He scored 12 (4/8) points in the first 14 games, but dropped sharply after that. Since then, he's scored just five (1/4) points in 31 games and has been scratched eight times including the last five games in a row. Trevor Letowski has been playing well, albeit not putting up points, and has been getting the minutes that Hamilton would otherwise get.

The waive is believed to be part of an elaborate plan to make it easier (presumably vis-a-vis the cap) to acquire a coveted player at or near the trade deadline. According to rumor, Carolina is stepping up their interest in Colorado defenseman J-M Basquiat Liles.

Teams will have until noon Thursday to put a claim on Hamilton. Otherwise, he will be remanded to Albany.