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O’Neill Update

August 7th, 2008 by prplmnkydw

August in the NHL, so not a lot has been happening. Not much has gone on in Raleigh hockey lately, though today’s announcement that Jeff O’Neill will indeed be joining the team at training camp and competing for a roster spot in interesting. O’Neill has had a good career in Canes uniform, and it would certainly be nice if he were to return to something like a 25-goal 60-point form. I wonder, however, given our plethora of forwards, how exactly he will fit in….

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Dog Days

July 21st, 2008 by prplmnkydw

Nothing much happening in the hockey world at this, the nadir of the NHL calendar.

A couple of things worth mentioning. The recent NC Sports Poll has caused quite a stir among Canes fans, primarily due to the possibly disturbing fact that a solid 18% of those polled being entirely ignorant of the team’s very existence. My only reply is to quote Mark Twain and Disraeli: There are three kinds of lies: lies, damn lies, and statistics.

Also worth mentioning is the possibility of a new third jersey making its debut soon. I like the idea personally, though I know many hockey fans prefer the neat, simple, classic look to the often busy alternatives.

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Interesting tidbits

July 15th, 2008 by prplmnkydw

Two semi-interesting things surfaced today, courtesy of Luke DeCock over at the News and Observer. First round draft pick Zach Boychuk needed surgery to repair a wrist injury sustained during the WHL playoffs. The three month rehab time means he will still be well less than 100% come training camp. I wonder how this affects his chances of making the team (actually I don’t really wonder… he likely will not make the team).

The second item of interest is the possible return of Jeff O’Neill. I was an O’Neill fan, especially during the 2002 playoffs, but frankly I considered his trade to Toronto a good thing when it happened. He seemed to run out of gas or something, but his early luster was certainly gone. Still, the man is two months younger than me, and I like to think that I am still in good enough shape that one day the NHL will realize what they have been missing and come calling. So best of luck to O’Neill.

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Random Thoughts

July 14th, 2008 by prplmnkydw

No new news from Raleigh, though the News and Observer did run this nice piece on prospect Brandon Sutter. Sutter is the Cane’s best prospect, and is more than likely to make the team this fall.

My other thoughts revolve around two recent firings. First, our southeast rivals Tampa Bay parted ways with GM Jay Feaster. This move was pretty clearly coming after Barrie and Koules took over the franchise and began running things from the owner’s box rather than the GM’s office. Still, pushing out a GM who put together a Stanley Cup team was a bit of an amateur move, as have been many of the new owners’ free-agent activity. I was never a fan of Feaster, especially after the way he handled Dave Andreychuk a couple of years ago. The recent nonsense surrounding the trade of Dan Boyle was also remarkably like the dishonorable way in which they Stanley Cup team’s captain was forced out. Still, Feaster was smart and professional, something which Koules and Barrie are yet to establish themselves as.

Ted Nolan also got the axe recently (today). Bad move by GM Snow. Nolan got a lot out of next to nothing on Long Island the last couple of years. I guess that wasn’t enough.

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Larose signs

July 9th, 2008 by prplmnkydw

The Canes avoided arbitration with Chad Larose, signing the forward to a one year, $875,000 contract. This is a good signing for the team, as Larose is a corner-stone on the third-line.

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Does this team lack identity?

July 9th, 2008 by prplmnkydw

It was recently suggested to me at, with Erik Cole being dealt to Edmonton, the Hurricanes have totally turned the page from the 2006 Stanley Cup team. After two years of mediocre play, certainly something needed to be done to return the team to competitive form.

Still, there are, by my count, ten players (elven if Larose resigns) left from the championship team. Moreover, despite having a decent crop of prospects, there is no real youth-movement afoot in Raleigh. Pitkanen, Eaves, and Ruutu, all recent additions, do help bring down the average age of the team, but I don’t think the Hurricanes can be called a rebuilding team at this point.

So I’ll throw this question out: If we aren’t in a rebuilding mode, is this a team designed to win? What direction is the team moving in?

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Hurricanes Defense

July 8th, 2008 by prplmnkydw

As of today, July 8, the Canes are filled up at defense. With the recent re-signing of Dennis Seidenberg (1 year at $1.2 mil), there are eight NHL-caliber D-men on the roster (recently acquired Joni Pitkanen, Joe Corvo, Tim Gleason, Anton Babchuk, Nic Wallin, Frank Kaberle, Josef Melichar, and the aforementioned Seidenberg).

So something has to give. Last Friday the Ottawa Sun mentioned Ottawa as a potential trade partner, with Kaberle being the traded player. However, the Senators signed Jason Smith today, which may take them out of the equation.

So Canes fans/observers, what do you think? Who should Rutherford trade?

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Canes blog comes to life!

July 8th, 2008 by prplmnkydw

Hi, welcome to the Carolina Hurricanes section of hockeyanalysis.com. My name is Miguel, a long time North Carolina resident and Canes fan. I will be updating this blog regularly with Hurricanes news and notes, my opinion of the team’s state of affairs, and other related items. My thanks to Dave for giving me this opportunity to talk hockey more than I already do!

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Coming Soon

December 11th, 2007 by David Johnson

We are currently looking for contributors to contribute to this and other team blogs. If you operate a blog focusing on this team and are interested in moving your blog to this location or if you are interested in becoming a contributor to this blog please send an e-mail to david (at) hockeyanalysis.com. Thank-you.

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