Pisani done, Carter might find work

The news has come in that the Oilers's Saint Fernando Pisani will be out of the lineup indefinitely after being diagnosed with ulcerative colitis.

I'd never heard of it before, but I correctly guessed that it had something to do with explosive diarrhea. It is often confused with Irritable Bowel Syndrome for that reason. While I can't really speak to the medical differences, there are quite a lot, and we'll just say that Ulcerative Colitis (IBD) is much more serious than irritable bowel syndrome (IBS).

IBD is a cancer-like condition characterized by many things such as abdominal pain, arthritic flare-ups, deep vein thrombosis (Tomas Vokoun had this), painful skin lesions, and many others. The main manifestation, though, is blood-filled stool and chronic diarrhea.

IBD is much more rare than Crohn's Disease, with which it is closely related. It strikes about 1 in 10,000 North Americans each year. The causes are unknown, but it is believed that people from northern North America are more likely to have it than others. Twins are a little more likely than non-twins. People of Jewish descent. People who have recently quit smoking are more likely to have it. Strange.

This is one of those "diseases" that they can't really cure. What they hope to do is lessen the frequency and severity of the episodes.

Pisani is known around here as the guy who scored the shorthanded overtime goal in game 5 of the 2006 Stanley Cup Finals. He actually scored 14 goals that postseason, which led all scorers. He tallied 28 (14/14) points in the 2006-07 campaign, and was a fan favorite. He is known as much for his work ethic as his heroics in the 2006 playoffs. He will be missed by Oil fans.


Anson Carter is still a free agent. He's probably the best available free agent, and he should expect his cellphone to ring early Wednesday morning. Carter spent a few years in Edmonton between 2000-01 and 02-03 and posted his career best totals those years.

Sorry, but I can't help but think of that silly "misheard lyric" from the Beatles' "Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds". The real line in the song is

The girl with kaleidoscope eyes"

but people often mis-hear:

"The girl with colitis goes by"

Nucks, Pyatt close

I've been making a lot of noise over the past few days about Taylor Pyatt. I've said that the Hurricanes shouldn't worry too much about the Scott Walker situation, let him go to free agency if that's what he wants to do, and go after Taylor Pyatt. Now, it looks like Carolina won't get that chance.

From what I've read at TSN, the Canucks and Pyatt are very close to coming to an agreement. There had previously been an offer on the table for two years at $1.2M per year. Pyatt was looking for $1.5. Evidently, the two sides are getting closer, and Pyatt's agent has called the latest offer "legitimate".

Like Anson Carter before him, Pyatt had a very good year playing with the Sedinbots. He tallied 37 (23/14) points, setting new career highs in all categories. I was hoping that the Nucks would allow Pyatt to become a free agent, just like they allowed Anson Carter to last summer. However, they have other plans.

As the two sides close in on an acceptable deal, it certainly looks unlikely that Pyatt will be available July 1.

I'm sure between now and then, I will come up with several other armchair GM ideas.

As for Anson Carter, there's a bit of a pickle. He played will in his limited time with the Hurricanes, but he only scored one goal and no assists in ten games. Most of his time was spent on a revolving third line, where he didn't even have a chance to click with anyone. I like him. I think he's a good player, but I don't think the Hurricanes should bother attempting to re-sign him. Unless, of course, he takes a significant pay cut. The $2.5M that Columbus paid him was way too much. If you count him out and you count Scott Walker out, Carolina will have to be on the lookout for two right wingers. Taylor Pyatt is no longer an option. The best option we have "in the system" is Keith Aucoin, but I'm not sure that I like him as an every day player.

I'm not seeing any really good options among the scheduled UFAs. Carolina will have to trade or go the RFA route.

Anyone have any ideas?

"The Wizard" to stay in Raleigh

On Friday afternoon, the Hurricanes checked off the most important item on the "summer to-do list". Ray Whitney was re-signed to a three year deal which will pay him $3.55M per season. This past season, Whitney posted a career high 83 points (32/51). He earned a bargain basement $1.5M paycheck from the Hurricanes and also received $1.2M from the Red Wings as part of their 2005 contract buy-out.

I was away all weekend (in a wedding, and piss-babbling drunk the whole time), unable to get hockey news (other than scores), so I have a lot of catching up to do. This was a very good thing to come home to.

Although both sides were clear about wanting to keep Whitney in Raleigh, there was still some anxiety among the natives. Whitney was slated to become an UFA on July 1, and would have been one of the hottest commodities. There was some speculation that he would get offers in the $4M + range, but neither side wanted to waste time getting re-signed.

The Caniac Nation is breathing a collective sigh of relief as the fan favorite is locked in at what is still a very good price.

Next, the Canes need to focus on getting Scott "Remo" Walker re-signed. He earned $1.52M last season after being acquired from Nashville, and he tallied 51 points (21/30). The 33-year old, who quickly became another fan favorite here, can expect to make about $2M next season.

Josef Vasicek and Anson Carter are also on the "to do" list, but with them, it's not nearly as pressing. Anson Carter wouldn't be missed. "Big Joe" would be missed, but only for sentimental reasons. Both players are replaceable.

Glen Wesley will most likely retire (although I said that last summer, too) and Bret Hedican will most likely not exercise his player option. His back/knees/ "lower body" can't take it anymore.

Carolina will have to get some defense and a third line center out of free agency. They will need to get defensemen and goalies in the draft. The cupboard is exceptionally bare in our minor league system.

"Ole Tarantula Head" a Cane

The other day, and the other month, and the other year, I wrote about how I wouldn't mind seeing Anson Carter in a Canes uniform. Of course there were other times (read: during the lockout) when I said that I didn't like him. Then, of course there was that time that he showed up in my weird dream.
Today, I got my wish. Anson Carter is a Hurricane.

During the summer when I was talking hockey with a friend at work (who hails from "The Cape" and is a lifelong Bruins fan) and I mentioned that Anson Carter was still available and might be a nice fit. He had to bring up some old shit. As soon as I mentioned Carter, he said, "Yeah, but don't you guys hate him?" After I gave a puzzled look, all he had to say was "1999". I remembered "that goal" he scored against us in game 5 of the first round of the playoffs in 1999. Double overtime, a heartbreaking loss. It killed any chance the Canes had of advancing in the playoffs. That, by the way, was the first NHL playoff game I ever attended. It was the last time any of us saw Steve Chiasson in person. Those were some hard times for the Hurricanes franchise.

I assumed we'd have to give away a defenseman and a pick to get the veteran winger, but as it turns out, it wasn't that difficult. The Canes only give up a fifth round pick in 2008. With plenty of cap room, the Canes can afford to do this.

The Hurricanes website already has Carter listed on the roster, and apparently he'll wear 77. He'll be available tomorrow when the Canes travel to Philips Arena to take on second place Atlanta.

More later.

Canes lose game, Cole, points

Tuesday was not a good day for team RBH. Almost everything that could go wrong about the game with the Thrashers did. Some non-hockey stuff went slightly wrong too, but that's not what this is about.

Going into Tuesday's game, the Canes were just two points out of first place in the Southeast. They knew that there were basically four points on the line; they would either end up "tied" with Atlanta for second place or four points back, in third. Tampa was sitting atop the division with 69 points and a game in hand on both Atlanta and Carolina.

Carolina scored first and took a 1-0 lead into the room after two periods. Money in the bank, right? This season, they were 21-0 when leading after two. Last season, the Canes were 31-0 when leading after two. In the 03-04 season, Carolina was 23-0-4 when leading after two. The last time Carolina blew a second intermission lead and lost the game was in the 02-03 season.

Until now.

Five minutes into the third frame, the Thrashers scored their first of three unanswered goals on a very freaky play. The Canes were wasting a power play opportunity, Atlanta cleared the puck deep into the Carolina zone, and Eric Staal very nonchalantly went back for it. Just a Sunday skate-around. Maid Marian Hossa had other plans. He skated hard to the northwest corner, beat Staal to the puck and fired a shot towards the goal from literally behind the goal line. Cam Ward didn't give his best effort either, and the puck glanced off his right skate into the net. Marian Hossa might have been more surprised than anyone in the arena. His celebration was delayed, almost as if he had to ask someone if that really just happened.

The freakish goal should be two lessons rolled into one. First: If you're an attacking player, even in a shorthanded situation, good things can happen when you throw the puck in the direction of the net. That was an impossible angle, but he got the crazy bounce. Second: If you're a goaltender in a situation like that, you have to pay better attention, and you have to get your skate flush against the post to prevent just such a carom. Bad, bad, bad.

The Canes went on to blow a five-on-three power play, then gave up two more goals in the final three minutes to turn the night from "promising" to "dismal". A turnover deep in the Carolina zone led to a breakaway for Ilya Kovalchuk, and he didn't miss.

Later, Eric Boulton added an insurance marker and the Canes were done.

Meanwhile, Tampa won their game. Now the Bolts are alone in first with 71 points and a game in hand. Atlanta is second with 71 points, and Carolina is third with 67.

Carolina is barely "in" a playoff spot with one point more than "ninth place" Toronto. However, the Leafs have two games in hand.

To make matters worse, Carolina lost Erik Cole during the pre-game skate. Apparently, he pulled a muscle in the same general area as the hip pointer that caused him to just miss three games. He's out for at least two weeks, maybe four. Ryan Bayda had just been sent down to Albany that day, so they couldn't recall him. Carolina had no choice but to dress 8 defensemen. Peter Laviolette likes to play with seven sometimes, but eight is just too many. Even the defensemen with offensive upside are still wired to play like defensemen.

I'm guessing Bayda will be back up, and we might see a push to get Andrew Hutchinson traded for a forward. I know this might not be a popular stance, but I'd like to see Anson Carter. I've vacillated on this issue a bit, I admit, but I'm mostly in favor of that idea. Perhaps a different post on a different day, I'll get into depth about it, but for now, let's say I'm for it.

All I'll say right now is that Carter likes to wear a sweater with a repeating number and that the numbers 33, 44, 55, 66, 77 and 88 are all available.

The one good thing that happened on Tuesday is that Rod Brind'Amour's goal in the second period helped him pass Henri "Pocket Rocket" Richard on the all-time points list with 1047 (401/646) points in 1245 career games. Richard retired with 11 Stanley Cups and notched 1046 (358/688) points in 1259 games. The more famous Maurice "Rocket" Richard, who was 15 years older than his brother, retired with 965 (544/421) points in 978 career games, and won the Cup eight times. Brindy won't win the Cup nearly as many times as the Richard boys, but he's in some very elite company now.