Should the Canes be Buyers or Sellers?

I don’t profess to be an expert on hockey, but it seems to me that the Canes are an old team that may be nearing the end of its peak. If it was me, I’d set up a plan for both scenarios. If the Canes are out of it by late Feburary, or have lost major ground, start selling off veterans for picks and prospects. If we’re still in the race, try to acquire a decent scoring forward. One of the other advantages to fireselling type moves is that we’d score a higher draft pick this year. And from what I know about our farm, we could use all the help we could get.

I agree with David- although I would hate to watch the Canes sell off veteran players for prospects, even if we make the playoffs this year, I cannot see us going very far. I would rather mortgage the present to perhaps have a better future. Although we have been plagued by injuries over the past two years, had we been healthy, we still would not have been good enough to make a strong run at the cup. We need to go out and get lucky like the Pens and the Caps- draft the next Malkin or Ovechkin. Call me crazy, but this team doesnt have what it takes to make a deep run. I am a caniac, but I am logical about my expectations.

In a market like this, with teams allegedly struggling to pay their bills(i.e. Phoenix and Tampa) I don’t really think it’s a good idea to start a ‘rebuilding’ process just two years removed from winning it all. This is not an old team, we have a couple of older guys but the players who have the longest left on their contracts are young and talented. If the Canes are still in the hunt come playoff time, I’d like to see them go for a big physical guy that can score, ala Keith Tkachuk or Bill Guerin. If we aren’t in the hunt, look for a lot of new faces next year. Regardless of either however, it’ll be a busy offseason for the front office. Oh, and keep Ruutuu, for god’s sakes keep Ruutuu…

What veterans do you think we have to sell? Use 30 as the cut off, we got:
Brindy
Brookbank
Corvo
Cullen
Kaberle
Samsinov
Walker
Wallin
Whitney

These are the on ice guys. I look at that list and Corvo, Cullen, Samsinov, Whitney (maybe Walker) are the only guys you will get anything for and probably not much. So this “veteran” thing is absurd. JR dug a bif phucking hole and filled it with younger guys with “potential” and had a sprinkle of veteran savvy. Winning or losing, I see only two options for this team. The best option is they get together and start to kick ass. I have seen spurts of real good hockey, the D with a little time should be very good, I’d like the Kaberle/Wallin thing to go away, but whatever. Up front you have a very young core of guys that just haven’t found the way to score. They have in the past, just need the warm fuzzy of a stable situation and system they are into.

Other option is the fire sale. Sell real players. Cullen, Pitkanin, Williams, Corvo, Eaves, Larose, Ruutu, Sami, etc. They all have some value and shed cap weight until you get down to a level to make the minimum cap number and rebuild with whatever drafts and potential guys you can grab.

I just don’t see PK as the guy who’s gonna pony up for a single or two players. Face it, if we could get Gretz in his prime right now, it still would not look like a team that can make a deep run. Mostly, we will hit Boston and I don’t see any team in the East taking them 4 games. Yea that’s defeatist, it’s also pragmatic. Maybe doing a protracted sell off with eyes on one or two Vets later towards March that can be signed or picked up with years left on the contract.

In all honesty, even when this team is cooking, if, IF they make the PO’s they gotta take the craps 4 games. No easy task, then comes a round with Devils, Rangers, Habs and probably have to go through Boston no matter what. This year has just not worked real good. With another year together it could be a whole diff. ballgame. Maybe not. I just don’t think first round of PO’s is really worth much more than maybe hiring Mo for a couple more and I don’t know how I like that. The craps won’t trade O, the Wings won’t trade Zetterburg (or anyone else they keep), Pens Crosby/Malkin and we aren’t going to shed Staal. I also don’t think Sutter’s going anywhere. Other than that you got guys that aren’t tradeable, Brindy, probably Walker are two that are old enough to say hey I’m here and not going anywhere else. I don’t see JR and PK having alot of options. I think they are goping to keep this team, find a way to sign Ruutu and hire Mo. Maybe some goalie action, but Wards here to stay. I think JR’s hole is big enough that they don’t have a choice but, to try again next year with what they brung to the track.

I think Rod retires and free’s up enough coin to keep Ruutu.

My .02 and worth what ya paid for it.

A

Buyers. Any time you can make the playoffs, you need to do it. The extra revenue is one reason but for the health of the franchise. You can’t have your fan base thinking you aren’t willing to make a move. This team is no worse than the 2002 team. It can happen if you just get in.

Rod has looked better lately. I wonder if this break will help a bit. If he is not seeing improvement in the knee, he needs to consider hanging them up. Realistically.

I don’t think that question can be answered until the deadline, which is still about a month and a half away. A lot can happen between now and then.

If we make a deal, I would like to see the kind of move we made last year swinging Corvo and Eaves for Stillman and Commodore. No matter what happens, I don’t want to see us trading any higher end prospects or draft picks.

Rod retiring would free up actual money but not cap space. Because he was extended after the age of 35, Carolina will see the cap hit on his entire deal. Not a huge issue for the team b/c they work based on a budget, not the cap, but it could be a problem if the cap were to go down. Regardless, Rod’s not going to hang ‘em up yet, I don’t think.

I agree with Ken. Making it to the playoffs is big for this franchise, and while I wouldn’t swing anything big, I think a couple role players could suit the team well (think something like the Scott Pellerin acquisition a few years back). I think the best thing they can get is a body for in front of the net on the PP. Ruutu fills that role on one unit, but they could use another. I also wouldn’t mind someone like Laperriere who can play and enforce — though Colorado would have to be out of the race to start moving guys.

All this is dependent on the team playing well leading up to the deadline. If they don’t, I definitely think Seidenberg or Babchuk could go, maybe even LaRose. If a team gets desperate for a puck mover, Kaberle could go, too (regardless of if the team is a buyer or seller).

Our lack of depth at center is obvious (after Staal, the # 2, 3, and 4 centers are average and interchangeable – in my opinion). Sutter gets a pass, as he is just a teenager, and is part of the future of this team. With that said, I would like to think that Rutherford will pursue Antropov – only if he can be signed longer term – not just a rental. I believe he can step in as a legit # 2 center and make the coaching aspect of setting lines much easier – hence not a continual carousel of wingers bouncing around on all lines. An added plus is that Antropov can play all forward positions. I believe the return would be great. This transaction can be achieved by giving picks (this is what Toronto wants). Yet we have other players (see Cullen, Walker, Kaberle) that can be traded to other teams to help replenish what we would give for Antropov. Am not an expert – just my opinion, but not a road I would take unless we are confident he can be signed. Most importantly – I think this would make us a better team.

Paladin just blew my mind… slow down chief…

This team has never been one to make big moves at the deadline… the only exception being the 05-06 season… So I honestly do not expect them to do much or to give up much. I could see them trading Whitney or Walker for a couple younger players (not that I want that to happen) in a move that could be similar to the Stillman/Commodore for Corvo/eaves move… Or I could also see them trading away some younger (or not at all used in games) players like Eaves/Brookbank/Kaberle for a younger forward OR for a BIG BODY person who can decapitate everyone in his path…

But based on history w/ this team: I honestly don’t expect much in the way of a “What’s the Frequency Kenneth” (ala Dan Rather) move…

What we see is probably what we’ll get…

I know that Brookbank and Kaberle are not “younger” but they do fall in the category of “not at all used in games.”

So don’t go LordStanleyBlog on my a$$!!!!

Mateo,

I agree that JR probably won’t make any big moves…although, depending on how you look at it, that Stiller/Commie for Eaves/Corvo trade was fairly big. I don’t think Whitney and Walker are a possibility because, I believe ( I could be wrong), they both have no trades attached to their contracts. Also, nobody seems interested in Kaberle, most teams already have more “muscle” than we do so they wouldn’t need a Brookbank and Eaves, while playing marginally better than he had been, has not played up (not even close) to his potential. That doesn’t leave much room for JR to work with. Then again, maybe that’s because the choices he would have, are choices I’d rather not see him make (LaRose, Ruutu, Williams, Cullen, Seidenberg).

It’s true that nobody seemed interested in Kaberle while he was on waivers. Howver (according to JR) the trouble they were running into was that no teams wanted to spend the money for his contract.

This issue becomes less of a problem at the trade deadline because on march 4th the Hurricanes would have already paid the majority of his sallary for this season. More teams may be interested in Kaberle at the trade deadline than there were in October/November due to the fact that they would only have to pay him for a couple of months… That could give him more “movability.”

Keep in mind Kaberle is under contract for next year as well for 2.2 million.

Don’t remind me …

oh snap!

^^ Drop whatever pretense you have of getting something worth a crap and dump Kabs for a late round 2010 pick at the deadline. Freeing up the $2.2 million for next year is addition by subtraction, and Frank has done very little to warrant his spot on this team. I’d much rather see us go after some actual defensemen during the offseason to supplant Corvo, Pitkanen, and company.

Why is this a 50/50 question? It’s almost February, and we’re the 8th seed. We’re buyers! At least we should be; we all know how tight JR can be when we aren’t running away with things (a la this point in 2006). Of those on that list, Tkachuk and Guerin would seem to be rent a players, which, although risky, would give us some much need oomph on the wings. A 2nd rounder in the upcoming draft doesn’t seem too much to pay for a chance at getting deeper in the post-season, assuming we get there.

I’ve always liked Steve Sullivan. Imagine plugging him in on the third line with Larose and Walker. Talk about a rough, hard working trio. Add another move to shore up on D and we could be talking about winning the division.

Remember, we still have a lot of hockey to be played. If we can make a move or two to wake up that dressing room, we could be at worst sitting in the #4-5 seeds come April. This team has enough front-line talent…if they would just snap out of the Maurice-induced offensive boredom and start shooting the damn puck!

We SHOULD be buyers…. but we won’t be….

I thought Kabs was playing great until he got injured….

And that’s been his problem since the Stanley Cup season.

Only in the NHL would the Hurricanes be considered in 8th place. In every other sport, they would be in 9th. Florida, in 9th, has more points per game, which in every other scoring system would have them ahead. The NHL is horrible at math.
Problem is when the coaches and reporters don’t realize how bad the math is. This has cost the Canes the last 2 years. They played casually because they were in a playoff spot, as opposed to the eagerness they should have had as they were actually on the outside looking in.