Ruutu signs; Tanabe and Hamilton clear

On Tuesday, David Tanabe and Jeff Hamilton both cleared waivers. The Hurricanes will set the buy-out ball in motion. Tanabe will have to be examined and deemed healthy before this can take place, but the Hurricanes are taking the position that he is in fact healthy.
Jeff Hamilton seemed like a nice guy, and he got off to a roaring start here. However, after he settled down, things just weren't working. After notching 12 (4/8) points in the first 15 games of the season, he only mustered 12 (5/7) in the next 44 games. He also spent some time in the press box and some time soldiering away up in Albany. He had nine (3/6) points in nine games with the River Rats. Sadly, he and his smoky visor won't be back in Raleigh.

Tanabe's health continues to be a mystery. While I have certainly suggested that he's milking the injury for all (or more than) it's worth this move has nothing to do with Tanabe's injury. The CBA is quite clear about buying out injured players. Even when healthy, Tanabe would be scratched while guys like Tim Conboy were recalled from Albany.

Fortunately, fans of Tuomo Ruutu were able to finally stop holding their breath. Sort of. Today, he was signed to one of those dreaded one-year contracts. He'll get $2.25M. Ostensibly, this was done because it was, as Luke put it "the path of least resistance". The two sides have been unable to find a common ground on salary and duration of contract, so they just did this to get something done. Next July 1, he will be eligible to become a RFA. That aspect of the deal works out better for Carolina, but they had to pay a little more up front than they really wanted to.

After being acquired via trade with the Blackhawks, Ruutu quickly became a crowd favorite and he put up 11 (4/7) points in 17 games.

Coincidentally, Andrew Ladd (whom Ruutu was traded for) re-signed with the 'Hawks yesterday. In 20 games with Chicago, Ladd notched 12 (5/7) points. He was signed to a two-year deal, which will pay him $1.45M in 08-09 and $1.65M in 09-10.

With Ruutu signed and Hambone gone, Carolina still has 10 forwards and four defensemen signed. I suppose Chad LaRose will be the next to re-sign. Then defenseman Dennis Seidenberg. There are several free agents-to-be who need to be signed for Albany's sake, but they are all RFAs, so there's really no rush.

After LaRose and Seidenberg, the next order of business will be to wait till July 1, then go after a name-brand blueliner in the FA market. It's pretty much a foregone conclusion that Brandon Sutter will be the last piece of the puzzle, and he'll be snapped (forced) into place after the pre-season exhibition games.

The David Tanabe plot thickens

On Monday, the Hurricanes placed winger Jeffrey Hamilton and defenseman David Tanabe on waivers. Presumably, they will both clear, and the idea is to buy out both of their contracts. Each player has one year remaining on his contract.

As you probably know, the CBA does not allow a team to buy out the contract of an injured player. David Tanabe has been out since December with concussion-like symptoms. He's failed to show up for any year-end interviews or other meetings with team staff. While his camp is still saying that he's not well enough to even leave the house, the Hurricanes are confident that if it comes down to it, a doctor will deem him "healthy". If that turns out to be the case, the buyout will be legal and Carolina can move on.

It's no surprise that Carolina is buying out Green Eggs and Hamilton. Even when the Canes were banged up with injuries last season, he was finding himself in the press box as a healthy scratch pretty frequently.

This Tanabe thing has been a mystery. The "injury" itself is mysterious enough. Nobody was ever able to ascertain exactly when or how he sustained the concussion. All we know is that it happened in "the Alexei Ponikarovsky game" wherein the Canes made a miraculous comeback from two goals down with 85 seconds to play to win the game. He left that game at some point in the first period and never came back I reviewed and reviewed the game tape, and there was never any hit that would have caused a massive concussion.

I'm not saying that he made the whole thing up. I'm not saying that he had a major row with coach Laviolette. I'm not saying that there was a false injury. I'm just saying. This whole thing is pretty weird.

When Snuggles didn't show up for the team photo at the end of the year, everyone thought it was a little weird. When he didn't show up for his exit interviews, everyone thought it was even weirder. When he repeatedly missed meetings and didn't return phone calls, everyone started to wonder what the heck was going on. All along, we were fed the same line that he couldn't even see straight, let alone play hockey.

This talk of buying out Tanabe came up a few months ago. Of course it all went by the wayside because the CBA forbids the buying out of an injured player's contract.

Today, Luke Decock reports that the Canes are gonna do it anyway. He says that the Tanabe buyout will cost the Canes $600k and the Hambone buyout would cost $533k. For 2008-09, if both players are bought out, Carolina would take a salary cap hit of $416,667.

Tanabe has been nothing but trouble. After being selected 16th overall in the 1999 entry draft, Tanbe had two tenures with the Hurricanes, but never quite lived up to the high expectations. Instead, he lived up to the nicknames "Snuggles" (for being soft) and my personal favorite "Avi" (David - D = Avi). His second time through, he was easily Carolina's worst defenseman on a very bad blueline. Even when he turned the corner around Christmas of 2006 and showed marked improvement, he was still pretty bad and extremely soft.

Immediately following the game in which he was injured, I pointed out that I couldn't tell how he got hurt and I joked:

"At some point in the first period, "Avi" Tanabe suffered a concussion, but nobody knows how or when. I assume he concussed himself when he considered actually hitting someone."

There is no doubt in my mind that Avi will be well enough to file a grievance with the NHLPA. As of today, we're getting a "no comment" from Tanabe's camp.

If this saga were going on with some other team, I'll admit that I would be crying about how unjust and callous it is for the team to try to buy out the injured player's contract. However, this has gone on long enough, and has had so many odd turns that I'm having very serious doubts about the magnitude of Tanabe's injury. I'm not at all suggesting that he has personal problems and cried "injury" to cover them up. I'm just saying.

Other teams will have until noon on Tuesday to pick up Tanabe or Hamilton. After that, we might see some fireworks.

Canes beat Thrash, widen lead

On Wednesday night, the Hurricanes defeated the Thrashers 5-3 and have gained their 85th standings point. As I am typing, Washington trails Chicago 5-0 midway through the second period. This is also good news.

If the game in Chicago holds up, Carolina will end the night with a five point lead over Washington with seven games (all within the division) to play. The road has just gotten a little easier to hoe.

Carolina's next two games could either put it out of reach, or make it really interesting. They will be in Florida on Thursday and at home against the Caps on next Tuesday. The Cats are smoldering hot and will be rested for Thursday's game. They will have the chance to move into second place in the division.

Although the score of Wednesday's game was 5-3, it wasn't that close. This game was all Canes.

Trevor "The Dude" Letowski started it all off at 4:04 of the first with a shot from the right circle. Patty Eaves made a really pretty cross-slot pass. Ruuty got the secondary helper.

Sergei Samsonov got an unassisted goal at 6:58 after putting on a stick-handling show. His shot came from above the right circle, and the rout was on.

At 13:35, the future captain Eric Staal potted his 35th goal of the season. He came fresh off the bench, created a neutral zone turnover, then took a pass from Jeff Hamilton in the high slot to make it 3-0.

Cam Ward's shutout bid didn't last long, as Bryan Little broke it up just 1:56 into the middle frame. Slava Kozlov and Mark Recchi got the helpers.

Joe Jensen, whose claim to fame heretofore was puking on the bench in his NHL debut, potted the game winner at 3:35 of the second. He was low in the right circle, and received a nice pass from Hamilton from below the goal line. He snapped it in on the far side for his first NHL goal. Tim ("don't call me Tom") Conboy got the second assist.

Steve McCarthy made it 4-2 at 4:56, and it was starting to get a little interesting. He scooped up some loose change out front and deposited it into Ward's net for his first goal. Chris Thorburn and the 1989 Hartford Whalers first round draft pick Bobby Holik got the helpers.

Erik Cole scored his 21st goal of the season at 14:51 of the third. From below the goal line, Sergei Samsonov made a phenomenal no-look, behind the back pass to Cole, who was hanging out in the left circle. He got a couple of whacks at it, and finally beat The Moose, making it 5-2. Bret Hedican, whose wife was apparently very good on "Dancing With the Stars" the other night, got the secondary assist.

Kozlov got a late garbage goal at 19:21, assisted by Little and Recchi.

This game had only four penalties. I guess the referees had tickets to Hanna Montana or something like that. They were in a real hurry to get out of there.

Carolina completely dominated the first, then slacked off in the second, then played well in the third. Good enough to beat the Thrashers, but they'll have to have 60 minute efforts against the likes of Washington and Florida, whom they play twice each in the remaining seven games.

The "official" three stars are a bit loopy. Okay. They're a LOT loopy. Word on the street is that these things aren't really selected by the "local media". Sometimes, it's some intern who randomly chooses names. This seems like one of those. The official stars were Steve McCarthy (third), Eric Staal (second) and Cam Ward (first). None of these were even in my top five stars. I don't get that.
The RBH three stars:
THIRD STAR Vyacheslav Kozlov, ATL -- 1 goal, 1 assist.
SECOND STAR Jeffrey Hamilton, CAR -- 2 assists.
FIRST STAR Sergei Samsonov, CAR -- 1 goal, 1 assist, 3 blocked shots.

Carolina will have no time to rest. They're headed to Sunrise for a 7:30 game on Thursday.

A little birdy has told me that Justin Viva Williams is very close to being ready to rejoin the team after missing the last 39 games with MCL/ACL issues. This makes me very happy.

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.

Canes avenge Wednesday's loss, expand lead in SE

On Wednesday evening, Carolina entered the front end of a home-and-home with the Thrashers. These two crucial division matchups had eight standings points on the line. At the start of it all, Carolina had 43 points in first place. Atlanta had 39, in second. If Atlanta had won both games in regulation, the two teams would have been tied in the standings. If Carolina had won both in regulation, they would have had an eight point lead. By the time the dust settled, Carolina had a net gain of one standings point. Not the optimal outcome, but a good one nonetheless.

Carolina had to fight and claw for one standings point on Wednesday in a 5-4 overtime loss. Friday was another hard-fought game, but Carolina emerged with a 4-3 regulation win. With 46 points, they're five ahead of both Florida and Atlanta. Florida has two games in hand; Atlanta has one game in hand.

After calling goaltender Michael Leighton from Albany, they gave the 26-year old the start right away. He got off to an unfortunate start when the Thrashers scored on their first shot, just 32 seconds into the game. Tobias Enstrom fired a shot from the top of the left circle which was tipped down low by former Hurricane Mark Recchi. Leighton didn't have a chance. Nobody would have. As Luke Decock brilliantly put it:

"Michael Leighton gave up a goal on the first shot he faced, but blaming him is kind of like arresting someone run over by a taxicab for interfering with interstate commerce."

Officially, Todd White had the first assist and Enstrom the secondary. I didn't see it ping-pong that much, but the only thing that really matters is that the Thrash scored.

Mark Recchi is officially en fuego. The Penguins summarily dismissed him after he produced just eight points (2/6) in 19 games with them. Since joining the Thrashers, all he's done is score 12 (6/6) points in 12 games. Included are two consecutive two point nights against the Hurricanes.

After scoring what was perhaps the goal of the season on Wednesday, Ilya Kovalchuk was held goalless on Friday. He did, however, play a pivotal role in the Thrashers' second goal. He fired a shot from the left circle that caught Mike Commodore on the boot, bringing him to his knees. The puck went right back to Kovi, who shot again from the right circle. It filtered through heavy traffic, and Todd White was there to stuff in the rebound from close range. White from Kovalchuk and Recchi at 12:15. The Thrash were off to a 2-0 lead, and it looked like it was going to be a rout. Fortunately, Leighton and the Canes settled down.

For the second period, the Canes and Thrashers swapped color commentators. Darren Eliot, who worked with John Forslund on the Versus broadcast on Wednesday, rejoined him for what they called "Behind Enemy Lines". I kind of enjoyed it. I'd love to have heard what sort of nonsense Tripp Tracy forced Thrashers fans to hear, but Eliot was very good.

As the Thrashers had done in the first period, the Canes scored early in the second. Ray Whitney jumped on the rebound of a wrap chance by Eric Staal and fired it in from the high slot. Darren Eliot perfectly described it as a "fade-away jump shot". Officially, it was Whitney from Staal and Mike Commodore at 0:27 of the second.

The Hurricanes made a mistake on an early power play, and it gave the Thrashers a 3-1 lead. Some sloppy passing led to a two-on-one shorthanded breakaway and a goal. Jeff Hamilton was the only guy back to challenge Eric Perrin and Pascal Dupuis. Hambone did the best he could, but after he slid to take away the shot, Perrin fed it to Dupuis on the left side of the slot for an easy goal. It was the ninth shorty of the season for the Thrash, and eight of them have been assisted by Perrin. He said that his time in Tampa alongside Vinny Lecavalier helped him look for the shorthanded odd-man rush.

Later, during the same power play sequence, Carolina got the goal back, and there was something slightly poetic about how it went down. Pascal Dupuis broke his stick deep in the Thrashers zone. He couldn't go fetch another, so he was forced to play stickless, giving the Canes a 5-on-3.5 advantage. They used great puck rotation to open up a shot by Hamilton from the top of the right circle. It clanged off the right post and in the goal to bring the Canes to within a goal. Eric Staal was given credit for a re-direct down low, so it was his 22nd goal of the season. The power play goal came at 14:53, assisted by Hamilton and newcomer Casey Borer.

Borer, who impressed the coaches and fans in training camp, was playing in his second NHL game. He picked up an assist on the Staal goal, but his night wasn't about to end. While the Hurricanes were enjoying another power play, Borer fired a shot from the left point that went off a post and in. The official time of the goal was 16:35, which means that it was an even strength goal. It looked to me like 16:34. Normally, one second wouldn't mean anything unless it was the end of a period. However, this one second was the difference between an even strength marker which helps Borer's +/- rating and a power play goal which helps Carolina's PP efficiency. Either way, it was the young defenseman's first NHL goal. Keith Aucoin and Cory Stillman assisted.

The third period was filled with lots of great saves by both goaltenders, and it was starting to look like it would go to an extra frame for the second time in as many games. That was, of course, until the Thrashers committed late penalties.

Ken Klee caught Eric Staal with an inadvertent high stick at 12:45 of the third, but it ended up being a double minor because Staal was cut. I've never been a fan of that rule, but since it benefited the Canes, I'll take it. Just a couple of minutes later, at 15:12, Bobby Holik was penalized for clearing the puck over the glass from his own end. This is another penalty that I don't love, but in this case, it looked intentional, and I'm fine with penalizing intentional delay of game.

Carolina had about a minute and a half of five-on-three and a golden opportunity to take the lead. Instead of capitalizing on the huge amount of white ice they were going to have, they shrunk the ice, working from the circles in. Kari Lehtonen came way out to challenge a Ray Whitney shot from the right circle. The rebound was headed for the corner, but Cory Stillman was camped out by the left post. He pounced on the rebound and shoved it into the empty cage behind the Finnish goaltender. Officially, it was Stillman from Whitney and Staal. The game ended this way, and the Stillman goal proved to be the game winner.

As en fuego as Mark Recchi is, so is Eric Staal. The fourth year player has 13 (7/6) points in his last 10 games and is re-emerging as the Canes best player and an elite NHL player.

I would say that the River Rats call-up acquitted themselves quite well. Aucoin had an assist, Borer had a goal and an assist. Both players finished with a +1 rating. Michael Leighton got the win in his Carolina debut. Borer was given lots of ice time, and in crucial moments of the game. He played on both special teams units and looked very comfortable out there. His 19:05 of ice time was third among defensemen.

The "official" three stars went to Cory Stillman (third), Todd White (second) and Ray Whitney (first). I can't agree with that assessment at all. The RBH three stars:

THIRD STAR Casey Borer, CAR -- 1 goal, 1 assist
SECOND STAR Mark Recchi, ATL -- 1 goal, 1 assist, 2 takeaways
FIRST STAR Eric Staal, CAR -- 1 goal, 2 assists

Officially, Carolina converted two of eight power play chances, which is good. Realistically, the Borer goal should have been marked as a power play goal, which would mean Carolina's success would have been 3/8. Any team in the league will take that any night of the week. More importantly, Carolina managed to play a game without giving up a power play goal. For the first time in what seems like forever, they killed all of their penalties. Unfortunately, they let in another shorty. The one on Friday was the seventh they've surrendered this season. That's the second most in the league. The Senators have yet to surrender one.

Carolina will stay on the road tonight, with an 8:30 (eastern) game against the Blues. Cam Ward will likely get the start.

Jeff Hamilton racking up frequent flyer miles

Jeff Hamilton started this season with a bang. He amassed 12 points in the first 14 games. He's slowed down considerably since then. He's now gone 17 games without a point. He's been in the lineup most nights, but he hasn't produced much lately.

Except a baby.

Early this morning, Jeff's wife gave birth to a baby boy. He went through a whirlwind of flights to be in Raleigh with his wife, then rejoin the team for tonight's game.

Here's the story about how he flew with the team to Atlanta on Thursday, only to immediately fly back to Raleigh. The baby came at 7:20 this morning, then he flew back to Atlanta. The proud and tired pop will be in the lineup for the visitors tonight.

“I got a half-hour of sleep on a hospital futon, but it was worth every minute of it,” Hamilton said.

Canes eke out 2-1 win; Wesley joins elite group.

On Saturday, the Hurricanes defeated the visiting Kitties 2-1 on two goals by Rod Brind'Amour. Glen Wesley became just the 10th defenseman to play in 1,400 games. Most importantly was that Carolina snapped a two game losing streak, and earned a regulation win against a division opponent.

The game wasn't televised by Carolina or Florida. Even with Center Ice, I couldn't watch this game. So it was Chuckandtheletterk for me.

Surprisingly, it was Cam Ward rather than Johnny Crackers who started in nets. I figured since Cam worked last night and Grahame has played well against the Kitties, it would be #47. Maybe coach Laviolette lost faith in him after the 6-1 shelling in The City of Tampa the other night. After the embarrassing 6-1 and 2-0 losses to Tampa and Atlanta respectively, there were obviously no points streaks for any Hurricanes players.

There was, however, a streak of home games without a loss against the Kitties on the line. The last time Florida won in Raleigh was December 6, 2002. Chairman Mo was still here. Kevin Weekes was still here. Jeff O'Neill was still here. Even Arturs Irbe was still here. Sandis Ozolinsh had the game winning goal and Roberto Luongo was the winning goaltender in a 2-0 shutout. I was at that game, and it was miserable. It was just after a horrendous ice storm had paralyzed the state. I had no power or heat for nine days during the coldest winter we've had in some time. I had an out-of-town visitor staying with my in my frigid, powerless apartment. Her whole reason for visiting -- an Aimee Mann concert -- fell through because the interstate highways were shut down and we couldn't go. Nothing went right. That whole visit was a fiasco that's another story for another day.

Anyway, it had been a looooooong time since the Kitties has won a game in the RBC Center, and the home team intended to keep it that way.

Rod Brind'Amour made sure it stayed that way. He scored a power play goal at 9:52 of the first period and an even strength goal at 2:44 of the third. The second goal was waived off on the ice, and the indication was that it had been kicked in. Brindy demanded a video review, and the on-ice ruling was overturned.

Nathan Horton foiled Cam Ward's shutout bid at 13:59 of the third with a power play. Again, I had no visual, but Chuckandtheletterk described it as fluky. Apparently, he was below the goal line, threw one at the net and it went in off Glen "Mr. 1400" Wesley.

Late in the third, Carolina had to kill off a long 5-on-3 power play.

For some reason, Florida elected not to pull Vokoun until there were about 30 seconds left, and Carolina was unable to get an empty net goal for their Captain. As a matter of fact, Vokoun was only out of net for about 10 seconds before going back in.

Nic Wallin returned to the lineup, but for some reason, "Avi" Tanabe stayed in as a seventh defenseman. Also, for some strange reason, Jeff Hamilton had very limited ice time. Despite being a consistently good player, and the only one who showed up against Tampa, Hambone was limited to five shifts tonight for a grand total of 5:45 TOI. I'd much rather see Hambone double shifted than have Avi Tanabe as a seventh defenseman/forward.

I'll defer to the "official" three stars:

THIRD STAR Tim Gleason, CAR --- 5 hits, 3 blocked shots, 2 takeaways, 5 PIM
SECOND STAR Cam Ward, CAR --- 27 saves, win
FIRST STAR Rod Brind'Amour, CAR --- 2 goals, GWG

Carolina will have a few days off before hosting the Flyers on Wednesday.

Canes destroy Toronto

On Tuesday night, the visiting Hurricanes soundly defeated Toronto 7-1.

I'll take the over on bad puns appearing in newspaper headlines tomorrow. The most common will be:

Hurricanes blow Leafs away

Everything went right for the Hurricanes. Almost everything. Aside from Erik Cole missing an empty net.

12 Ten different gentlemen graced the scoresheet for the Hurricanes.

Cory Stillman, who played his first game of the season, and Justin Viva Williams led the way with a goal and two assists each.

Eric Staal had a goal and an assist.
Scott Walker had a goal and an assist.
Erik Cole had an assist.
Rod Brind'Amour had two assists.
Bret Hedican had an assist.
Glen Wesley had an assist.
Matt Cullen had a goal and an two assists.
Ray Whitney had a goal and an assist.
Jeff Hamilton had a goal.
Dennis Seidenberg had an assist.


Four goals came on the powerplay, and the only goal against was during a shorthanded sequence.

The "official" three stars went to Ray Whitney (third), Justin Williams (second) and Matt Cullen (first), but I'll give mine this way:

THIRD STARJustin "Viva" Williams, CAR --- 1 goal, 2 assists
SECOND STARCam Ward, CAR --- 27 saves
FIRST STAR Cory Stillman, CAR --- GWG, 2 assists

I won't bore all two of my readers with a rundown of the scoring. For that, refer to the official scoresheet.

This was Cory Stillman's first game this season after playing one-man demolition derby in the RBC parking lot on October 2. He played an amazing game. Maybe he should wreck his car more often.
I kid because I care. And because nobody got seriously hurt.

This game was characterized by the Canes playing aggressively. Going all the way back to the "Chairman Mo" years, the Hurricanes have been too passive on the power play. Tonight, they were very aggressive, using five forwards during some of the sequences. This is, allegedly, an innovation suggested by Ron Francis.

The game was also characterized by a lazy and listless Maple Leafs team. They were forced to take a lot of penalties because they were unable to keep up with the speedy Canes forwards. Erik Cole created a few power plays by drawing penalties to the Leafs defense.

Ray Whitney's goal, which made it 4-1, epitomized the Leafs play. They had turned aside a Canes scoring chance, and the puck was going the other way. A neutral zone turnover later, the Leafs players were all still going the other way and Whitney was allowed to waltz in unmolested. As the crappy Versus commentators said, it looked like they were out for a Sunday skate. Meanwhile, Whitney didn't miss his mark. That was 17:23 of the second. After that, the Leafs were done. They simply folded. Aside from a pathetic attempt by Darcy Tucker to start a fight at the expiration of the second, the Leafs showed no energy at all after that.

Curiously, Chariman Mo decided to "dance with the one who brung him", leaving Vessa Toskala between the pipes the entire game.

Speaking of Mo, let's not forget that he promised the Leafs would make the playoffs, and slighted the Hurricanes of yore by saying "This will be the most talented hockey team I've ever coached".

The Hurricanes six game road trip continues through Canada. They'll be in Ottawa on Thursday and Montréal on Saturday.

Canes smash Pens, E Staal shines

I watched tonight's game from the confines of the bar where I work. I went with a friend of mine who is a HUGE Penguins fan, and we raised the ire of a lot of people who wanted to watch the conclusion of the Yankees-Indians game. We only have two teevees, but I saw no reason for both of them to show the baseball game, and I get to do what I want, so that's the way it was. Go to the other end of the bar to watch baseball.

Honestly, I don't like writing about a game that I watched in a bar. There's too many distractions and usually the sound isn't on, so I don't watch the game as closely as I would like. By the end of the second period, I wasn't really giving it as much attention as I wanted to, so I'll have to watch the DVR to get everything right.

The crux of it is that Eric Staal scored the first two goals of the game to give him three for the season. The goal on Wednesday that was given to Staal, then changed to Cole was eventually changed back to Staal. He's now on pace for 123 goals this season. Obviously he won't hit that mark, but he's off to a fantastic start.
At 7:08, he knocked one in from the low slot assisted by Tim Gleason and Jeff Hamilton.

At 13:21, Staal made a very nifty move culminating in a backhand shot from the right circle. The shot fluttered through Fleurry, giving the Canes a 2-0 lead. At first I thought it had ricocheted off Fleurry's right skate, but replays showed that it actually caromed off Brooks (aka "Public Enemy #1) Orpik's skate. Cole and Hamilton assisted.

Andrew Ladd looked really good in getting to a loose puck and beating Fleurry with it. Sloppy notes on this one, but Justin Williams and Dennis Seidenberg assisted.

At 17:35, Jeff Hamilton did exactly what we brought him in to do. He quarterbacked the power play and scored a goal from the point. Rod Brind'Amour and Ray Whitney assisted. On a side note, Ray Whitney was up to his old antics, hamming it up during the pre-game interview with Rod Brind'Amour. Hijacking the spotlight by skating by and mugging for the camera. We didn't see a lot of that last season.

Cam Ward lost his shutout bid at 16:37 of the third when our old friend Mark Recchi notched a power play goal (assisted by Evgeni Malkin and Sergei Gonchar. Although we'd have preferred the shutout, we still got a convincing win, and you can never complain when the Recchin' Ball does something good.

I'll have to watch the DVR of the game to catch some of the stuff I missed.

The "official" three stars went to Andrew Ladd (third), Eric Staal (second) and Cam Ward (first).
Those are fine, but I don't think there's any way you can discount Jeff Hamilton's great night. I had an easy time selecting my three stars, but a difficult time enumerating them. The RBH three stars go to:
Third Star: Eric Staal, CAR --- 2 goals, GWG
Second Star: Jeff Hamilton, CAR --- 1 goal, 2 assists
First Star: Cam Ward, CAR --- 33 saves, win

In the course of the game, Jordan Staal squared up against Eric in the face-off circle two times. Eric won both faceoffs, and has earned two gatorades.

Canes final roster starting to take shape

On Tuesday and Wednesday, the Hurricanes played red-white scrimmages. After Wednesday's session, 15 players were shipped to Albany. Four players had already been sent to their respective junior teams. The training camp roster now stands at 33 players.
Surviving the first cut was Brandon Sutter. Because he is under 20 and came up through junior hockey in Canada, he is ineligible to play in Albany. It's either the big club or back to Red Deer for him. There are different provisions for European players under the age of 20, but North Americans have age guidelines.

It's not likely that Sutter will make the final cut, and frankly I'm a little surprised that he made the first cut. He will need to gain about 25 pounds before his body will be ready. He'll also need to develop as a player a little more.

Of the forwards who are still in camp, the most likely final cut survivors are Keith Aucoin and Ryan Bayda. Both had great years with Albany last season. Aucoin had 99 points (27/72) in 65 games and Bayda had 54 (29/25) points in 55 games. Bayda recorded a goal and an assist for two total points in nine games with the big club while Aucoin had one assist in ten appearances with the Canes.

If memory serves me, Bayda scored a goal in his first NHL game. It was back in the abysmal 2002-03 season, and he was one of six Canes players to do the same. Brad DeFauw and Damien Surma were two of the others, and I can't recall the rest.

Less likely to survive, but still alive are forwards Jakub Petruzalek and Pat Dwyer.

Newly arrived "third" goaltender Michael Leighton has been impressive. This is much to the delight of some fans who wish Crackers would take a hike. The other goalies have gone their respective way.

With Bret Hedican's health still a question mark, there may be a roster spot open for a blueliner. Luke Decock of the News and Observer continues to use doublespeak on this subject. According to the steady steam of confusing reports, one day Hedican is in bad shape; the next, he's never looked better. The most likely candidates to fill a vacancy are Noah Babin, Casey Borer and Brett Carson. Babin has been all the rage of camp, and even if he doesn't make the final cut, the Floridian will likely be the first defenseman to get called up.

In the red-white game on Wednesday, Jeff Hamilton scored two goals. He's doing okay. Chad LaRose is already up and skating again. Frantisek Kaberle is up to full speed. Andrew Ladd skated. Justin Williams escaped serious injury after being hit on the ankle by a shot. As it looks right now, the injuries aren't going to be a factor on opening night.

Carolina will host Nashville on Friday night in its second exhibition game of the preseason. RBH will not have a presence there.

Canes enter camp banged up

Camp officially opened today, and already the Hurricanes are banged up.

Andrew Ladd is still nursing some undisclosed injury and did not skate today.

Newcomer Jeff Hamilton is also out with an undisclosed injury. What is this? The playoffs? What's this "undisclosed injury" thing? Forslund suspects that it's a groin problem. Nothing is known about when or if he'll be ready.

Frantisek Kaberle is working his way back to shape after having some knee surgery this summer. He's almost there.

Add Sharpie to the list. He caught a rut and threw his knee all out of whack. They're tentatively putting a window of 3-6 weeks on his return.

Opening night is still more than two weeks away, but with Ladd, Hamilton and LaRose all out, the Hurricanes need some answers. Trevor Letowski just got a free pass out of the press box and onto the fourth line. Suddenly, the idea of Brendon Sutter being offered a 10-day trial doesn't seem so far-fetched.

As a commenter rightfully pointed out, Sutter is too young to legally play in the AHL, so Albany isn't even an option. If you're under 20, that's the way it works. It's either the NHL, or back to your junior club. In his case, it would be the Red Deer Rebels. The team will still be owned by his dad, but obviously, Brent will be too busy coaching the New Jersey Devils to continue coaching the Rebels.

Word on the street is that Sutter was having a hard time with the drills and that Harrison Reed looked way better than he did. Obviously, Keith Aucoin and Dave Gove are good choices for call-ups. They both shuttled between Raleigh and Albany last season, with Aucoin being the more impressive of the two. Aucoin put up a very impressive 99 (27/72) points in just 65 games with the River Rats and added a lone assist in eight appearances with the Canes last season.

So the season will start with Sharpie on the shelf. It doesn't sound like Ladd and Hamilton have serious injuries, so they should be there. On the blue line, Hedican's status is still mysterious and Kaberle is on the mend. Snuggles Tanabe opted to attend the Blues camp instead of the Canes.

To fill LaRose's void, my money is on Aucoin. They're almost identical anyway. Both are tiny guys, standing five nine and weighing in at about 185 pounds. Both are very hard working guys with a surprising level of physical, scrappy play.

Still, though, the fans will be very interested in the way Sutter develops during camp.

I'm really looking forward to the first preseason game. Who wants to meet for beers?

A little bit more about Jeff Hamilton

When the Hurricanes picked up Jeff Hamilton last week, the general feeling shared by most Caniacs was "Who?!?!". We were mostly hoping for a guy like Todd White, with a more recognizable name.
After looking at his numbers, you couldn't help but be impressed. 18 goals and 21 assists for a guy mostly playing on the third line. The Blackhawks had some injury issues which forced Hamilton onto the second line, but his TOI average was just under 13:00.

High output with limited opportunity. I like that. I've mentioned it before, but I also like his quickness, his nose for the net, and his puckhandling ability. And he's quite good on the shootout. Carolina went to shootout six times last year. Out of 17 attempts, they only succeeded once. Once. Obviously, they didn't win any of those shootouts. Jeff Hamilton had ten shootout opportunities, and he succeeded five times. This is one of the things Carolina missed from Matt Cullen. In 2006, Cully went to bat nine times in the shootout and "scored" six times, including two game deciding goals.

According to this nifty thing, there were 70 hat tricks in the NHL last season. Jeff Hamilton had two of them.

Jeff Hamilton isn't Matt Cullen, but he's damn close. Hamilton is a little younger, but Cullen has several years of NHL experience, while Hamilton has just the one. Cullen has routinely reached the 40 point plateau. In Hamilton's only full season, he sniffed 40. We don't know whether Hamilton played over his head last year, or whether he's just a late bloomer. We're certainly hoping that it's the latter.

For your viewing pleasure, please enjoy this YouTube clip of Jeff Hamilton's highlights from 2006-07. It was posted three months ago, and the author of the video made the eerily prophetic decision to use "Rock You Like a Hurricane" by Scorpions as the music.

Canes sign Hamilton

This is NOT the news I was hoping to get today, but it'll do.

Carolina has signed Jeff Hamilton to a two-year deal at $800k per year.

Hamilton potted 39 (18/21) points on a very bad Blackhawks team last year.

The 29-year old Ohio native was undrafted, and entered the league after being invited to try out for the Islanders a few years ago.

39 points is 39 points, but I've never heard of this dude, and his profile on TSN makes him sound like a glorified AHL player.

>>UPDATE<< I just watched the NHL highlight reel for Hamilton, and I'm pretty impressed. He's got a lot of creativity, a deceptive shot, a nose for the net, and as Don Cherry would say, the guy can dangle. I think he'll be fine.

Carolina has accomplished the goal of picking up a third line center. Although he isn't of the "name brand" variety (ie Todd White, Brian Smolinski), he should fit in nicely. And at the end of the day, the Canes have come in $1.5M under budget.

Hamilton wore the unusual #51 for the Blackhawks last season. He can have it here, too.

Does this mean there could still be a movement of defensemen?