Hurricanes Place Cam Ward on LTIR to Create Much Needed Cap Space
by Bob Wage on Nov 18, 2009 2:28 PM EST
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PrintThose of you who have been following Canes Country closely might be wondering about the Hurricanes' tight cap space and their growing number of injuries. Following up on an article we posted here last week, the club has serious salary cap issues and they are making adjustments now.
The Hurricanes are currently not able to ice a full 20 man roster for tomorrow night since a number players are still injured. Carolina management has decided to put Cam Ward on Long Term Injured Reserve, which gives them some salary cap flexibility so that they can recall more players from Albany.
Paul Branecky writes about the problem and possible solutions in his most recent article.
Tim Conboy became a cap casualty on Wednesday, as he was assigned to Albany of the American Hockey League to provide space for the recall of goaltender Justin Peters.
And there are more moves to come:
Similar transactions are on the way. According to Rutherford, Joni Pitkanen and Eric Staal are not due back until next week, and Scott Walker is out for at least two more weeks. Michael Leighton is week-to-week after an already-existent groin strain worsened in Montreal, with Rutherford still unsure if the team will play Legace exclusively or try to work Peters into the lineup.
Cam Ward's projected return date is December 5, which allows the team to make this move.
Look for the GM to discuss this more when he speaks on 99.9 The Fan at 3:25 this afternoon.
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So is this “already-existent groin strain” the reason Cam was ridden so hard?
5 seconds left.
Do you believe in miracles?
YES!!
Nah. It’s because Leighton is mediocre and the organization wants Cam to be Brodeur, playing 72 games a season.
greaticepectations.blogspot.com
by Great Ice-Pectations on Nov 18, 2009 2:53 PM EST up reply actions
I wonder what Cams take on it is
Does he want to play 72 a season?
by camwardsaysno on Nov 18, 2009 3:05 PM EST up reply actions
Whether or not he wants to, I think he shouldn’t. It’s a rare breed of keeper that can handle that kind of load (Brodeur, Nabokov, Kipprusoff, Luongo) and we see what happens to Nabokov and Kipper every year in the playoffs. They’re overworked.
Cam is great, but I think he needs to play more like 62 and leave 20 for a competent and able backup. I’ll be interested to see if the ’Canes dump Leighton at years end and try to get Legace to stay for cheap.
greaticepectations.blogspot.com
by Great Ice-Pectations on Nov 18, 2009 3:13 PM EST up reply actions
He still gets paid $500,000K/year, but if you clear waivers and are assigned to the AHL, your cap hit comes off the books.
by Cory Lavalette on Nov 18, 2009 3:30 PM EST up reply actions
So would it be possible to send say Brindy and clear a big chunk? Rod, Wallin, A. Ward, there’s a bunch that “could” in my book, go. Rod down and Lil’chuck up woulod be the smartest thing they could do, in my not even remotley humble opinion.
A
The Canes are like a box of expired chocolates......
Heck, at this point they might as well send a handful of guys down for a week or so and test out some young guys. I’d like to see how Bowman and Terry do as well as Boychuk.
greaticepectations.blogspot.com
by Great Ice-Pectations on Nov 18, 2009 3:55 PM EST up reply actions
Oh, then Samson I guess. I guess what I’m suggesting is, if we are realistically out of the hunt already, and we have these pieces here that we know aren’t working, we might as well try some other pieces to see if they work.
I know there’s the mentality that you don’t want to taint their careers by bringing them into a mess and placing the pressure on them to clean it up, but I think these kids are pros now and they know nobody is expecting them to walk on water, but maybe just get a taste of the NHL so they know where their game needs to be at to compete.
greaticepectations.blogspot.com
by Great Ice-Pectations on Nov 18, 2009 4:02 PM EST up reply actions
Samson and Dwyer’s names have been mentioned as call-ups.
by Cory Lavalette on Nov 18, 2009 4:03 PM EST up reply actions
Atta boy. Wondering – was it difficult growing up with the name Drayson?
Hurricanes Hockey: Never for the faint of heart.
by Carolyn Christians on Nov 18, 2009 10:12 PM EST up reply actions
Actually Wallin's doing well.
I think A Ward has gotten the message too.
Rod? I think he knows I don’t know if he still has it.
When all else fails, read the instruction manual.
If your deal is signed after your 35, the entirety of it counts against the cap regardless of if you’re reassigned or retire. The only way to get it off the books is via trade. Wallin and Ward could, conceivably, be put on waivers and — if unclaimed — be sent to Albany and have their cap number come off the books. They would, however, still be paid.
I think the team holds Aaron and Nic in too high esteem to do it to them.
But not in too high esteem to try and trade him, twice. Seems like a double standard.
greaticepectations.blogspot.com
by Great Ice-Pectations on Nov 18, 2009 3:56 PM EST up reply actions
Wallin that is.
greaticepectations.blogspot.com
by Great Ice-Pectations on Nov 18, 2009 3:57 PM EST up reply actions
What's wrong with Wallin:
- Pos Player GP G A P +/- PIM PP SH GW S S%
7 D Niclas Wallin 20 0 3 3 -3 8 0 0 0 17 0.0
41 D Andrew Alberts 20 0 3 3 -3 26 0 0 0 21 0.0
13 L Ray Whitney 18 6 8 14 -1 6 1 0 0 35 17.1
36 L Jussi Jokinen 20 5 7 12 -6 12 1 0 1 33 15.2
15 R Tuomo Ruutu 17 5 5 10 -2 23 1 0 0 46 10.9
I still don’t understand why so many think Wallin’s been a liability.
When all else fails, read the instruction manual.
I just think he’s a one dimensional player that got a contract extension out of sentimentality and his play has improved or progressed from that time. He’s overpaid for what he contributes and his mediocre play might not scream out from the stat sheet, but most nights he’s little more than a warm body on skates.
greaticepectations.blogspot.com
by Great Ice-Pectations on Nov 18, 2009 4:11 PM EST up reply actions
correction:
not “has improved” i meant “hasn’t improved”
greaticepectations.blogspot.com
by Great Ice-Pectations on Nov 18, 2009 4:13 PM EST up reply actions
I guess I don't see that.
He gets decent ice time and his numbers are better than most of the rest of the team. Even Corvo is about a -11 or so.
He’s a bit slow but his positioning seems to be very good, hence the better +/-
When all else fails, read the instruction manual.
Corvo’s +/- is worse because he’s usually out against the other team’s top lines, Wallin isn’t. Of course Corvo would have a lower minus going out against Crosby rather than Wallin going out against Craig Adams.
greaticepectations.blogspot.com
by Great Ice-Pectations on Nov 18, 2009 4:55 PM EST up reply actions
I like Nicky, but this guy would be a 7th man on most NHL squads and somehow he swung a No Movement Clause. We could have had Joni for he straight up at one point, but he quashed it. We ended up having to trade Cole for him.
it always burns within
the downward spiral never ends
when driven into sin
your salvation's found in a sinner's deed
by Douchebag St John on Nov 18, 2009 6:04 PM EST up reply actions
There’s a big difference between “we want to trade to another NHL team” and “enjoy riding the buses through Albany, Rochester, Springfield, ect. ect.”
by Cory Lavalette on Nov 18, 2009 4:02 PM EST up reply actions
Good point. and I agree after all they’ve given to the club they deserve that respect, but it has to be apparent the team doesn’t see his play in terribly high regard if they tried to trade him off before.
But yes, those are very different circumstances.
greaticepectations.blogspot.com
by Great Ice-Pectations on Nov 18, 2009 4:05 PM EST up reply actions
Plus, they could’ve treated him like Tampa treated Dan Boyle and basically force him to waive his NTC. They didn’t do that.
by Cory Lavalette on Nov 18, 2009 4:13 PM EST up reply actions
Which makes even less sense because Dan Boyle is a STAR defenseman. I guess that just goes to show you that Carolina treats their players well.
greaticepectations.blogspot.com
by Great Ice-Pectations on Nov 18, 2009 4:15 PM EST up reply actions
put roddy on waivers
i know it sucks and is mean, but the old gotta go. i mean his contract is like 3.7-3.9 million, isn’t it? that’s a shitload of money to spend on someone who at this point should be benched the entire time. maurice did this nonsense with the leafs by playing tucker and it got him fired. the only reason he won’t get fired this time is cause jr can’t afford to do it. maurice has got to stop being mr. nice buddy to the vets and get these young guns doing shoot outs..etc..i mean really. do we just WANT to be 30th? if that’s mo’s aim then good job!
his money would still count toward the cap. it would solve nothing. see above concerning players who sign contracts at 35+
by Cory Lavalette on Nov 18, 2009 4:05 PM EST up reply actions
Did they ever settle whether Pronger fell into that +35 category or not? I remember they thought because they signed him before his 35th that he didn’t, but the league said because his contract started after his 35th he did.
greaticepectations.blogspot.com
by Great Ice-Pectations on Nov 18, 2009 4:07 PM EST up reply actions
I haven’t heard any more on that … it’s very interesting b/c it was clearly a deal meant to circumvent the cap. I’m sure just about everyone is hoping the Flyers get screwed on it.
The deal there, I believe, is he signed the deal at 34, but it doesn’t kick in until he turns 35. A huge blunder if it costs Philly. Which reminds me … I saw somewhere that Laviolette’s name is getting kicked around if John Stevens is fired there.
by Cory Lavalette on Nov 18, 2009 4:13 PM EST up reply actions
I’m still dumbfounded that Marc Crawford was hired before Laviolette.
greaticepectations.blogspot.com
by Great Ice-Pectations on Nov 18, 2009 4:15 PM EST up reply actions
The book on Laviolette now has to be that you’ve got 3 years before the players start tuning him out. When it happened with the Isles people looked at Alexei Yashin setting a bad tone in the locker room for an excuse, but Carolina was a highly professional team with zero malcontents on the roster (plus or minus a Babchuk that had no influence in the room) and the same deal happened.
That 17-year-old Hokie sitting in the rafters in Greensboro didn't see any of this coming.
Cory not true from 1 angle. The money we pay him is already spent, whether he is here or not. I say the man is a waste of a roster spot, so waivers and bring up some bodies that will play. At this point friggin’ stormy would be better than Rod. Even if you don’t bring someone up, still get rid of Rod. He is a virus. So we gotta pay him? Fine let’s not compound that with also letting him destroy a SO, moral, a line or anything else.
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The Canes are like a box of expired chocolates......
Rod Brind'Amour and Waivers
Is it correct that asssuming Brind’Amour were to be waived a team could claim Brind’Amour on re-entry waivers and pay $1,500,000.00 if his salary? In any event, I personally think it is very unfair to other Hurricanes that Rod Brind’Amour continues to be played when he is simply awful. As fans, it is disheartening on a number of different levels; but for the other players, their livelihood is at risk. Their families will have to suffer through a move to another State and will be uprooted. The players’ careers could be shortened or dramatically altered. You could put Ovechkin on Brind’Amour’s line and even A.O.,’s numbers would drop.
Although it is probably unlikely that it will occur, I think there are much worse ideas being considered than simply waiving Brind’Amour and seeing what happens. The worst that happens is he has to undergo the same indignity that Yelle and Conboy suffered. He’ll get over it; and the message would be loud and clear — play hard and give 100% of the organization will find another place for you and will put somebody in your place who will.
its just not like that. its not like he is playing on the top line.
he is the captain, and he is winning faceoffs.
3.5 mill for a guy that ONLY wins FO SOME of the time is absurd.
This inane loyalty to a guy that is done is absurd.
Having him as Captain and getting squat for leadership is absurd.
Mo trying and failing to get a spark from him in a shoot out is absudr.
Waiving him makes absolute sense.
First rule of medicine is do no harm. A good rule that applies to many things. I think it’s applicable here. Rod is hurting this team in many ways. He’s taking up a roster spot, worst +/- in the league two yrs in row, his play sucks, he’s slow and his leadership is gone.
If we got to pay him and we do, then at least minimize the harm. Send him to the AHL, maybe the kids will spark him to life, maybe he and Chelios will fall in love, whatever, I don’t care, I just want him gone. Stick him in the press box as a liason or better yet, shoot trip tracey and give the job to Rod.
Allowiung that man to continue to drag on the team is also absurd.
A
The Canes are like a box of expired chocolates......
Ya know he’s probably a nice guy. But dam he’s irratating as a commentatr. I’m pretty sure Forslund could make it without him just fine.
A
The Canes are like a box of expired chocolates......
I like Tripp Tracy. I think he brings an interesting twist to Forsuland’s expertise.
by hotchipsnsalsa on Nov 18, 2009 7:13 PM EST up reply actions
Your eyes decieve you......
Clearly you are not watching the same games that I am….. Rod has made reckless, foolish passes the entire season. His faceoff percentage is fine but three faceoff wins per game do not a winning record make. His stats are bad….he deserves the stats that he logs. His plus minus is horrible. There is no way to just dismiss it. He is what his stats show. He is no longer an affective player. His play is terrible and since he leads by example, he is no longer an affective player …..period…that is the cold hard reality. Deal with it.
WINNING FACEOFFS?
Chris – watch a game would ya. His face-off percentage is average and who cares?
by THE_NEW_CANES on Nov 18, 2009 6:49 PM EST up reply actions
I thought his comments on Sutter were much more positive than I would have expected. I thought he would be less giddy on the record with his praise. EXTREMELY high on him, and they now potentially see Sutter to be in the same talent and production category as Staal.
I thought overall his comments were not really focused on how to salvage a playoff berth this season anymore, as much as taking the long-term outlook (talking about transitioning this season in reference to the Albany call-ups). He is resisting making desperate trades now, that he would regret a month later. Still believes the team will find confidence and can turn this season around – but it sounds like he knows that is just what he’s “supposed to say”; he was not arguing that it is too soon to count us out of the playoffs with any strength. He knows the deal.
He’s past the panic – though he sounds pretty resigned to bad bad series of events; now with Leighton out for awhile. They joked about Barrasso being next in line, not himself. Thankfully Tripp’s name did not come up.
He sounds like he’s been really through some very challenging, tough weeks and is very disappointed with the results and all the key injuries that just don’t stop. Frustrated with the cap situation and compares it to Calgary last year, when they couldn’t dress a full roster. He apologizes to the fans again. He was very humble.
Interesting to listen to back-to-back with the Forslund NHL Live piece from yesterday, over in the fanshots. They are very different people, but really say the same thing.
Hurricanes Hockey: Never for the faint of heart.
by Carolyn Christians on Nov 18, 2009 8:07 PM EST up reply actions
Brind'amour & Waivers
1. I don’t think Brindy isn’t playing hard. In fact, I think he is. My hunch is that he simply can’t play to the level he could before his knee injury.
2. Sending Brind’amour to Albany would certainly be a disgrace, and I don’t wish that upon him. However, Brindy should realize that he is being paid a salary that demands more productive play and that he is not immune from sanctions.
3. The real mistake here is JR signing Brindy to the contract after the Cup win in 06. There is simply no way that any prudent GM should have signed a player that old to such a long-term, high-paying contract with a no-trade clause. I realize that Brindy put up great numbers in 06-07, but it’s been downhill after that. I remember thinking in the summer of 06, “Brind’amour will never play as good as he did this past season.” I think it was irresponsible of JR to give Brindy that contract.
4. I believe that Brindy is under contract for next year as well. What will JR do about this, if anything?
We will be suffering AGAIN through another season for 1 guy who is the “king of faceoffs” but the worst in +/- and slow as snot
I can’t believe the glee you people take in berating Brindamour. The man was a beast for us, for a long time. He captained us to a cup. The year after his big contract he still put up monster numbers as well. I am not saying that he has not slowed, and that he is not a shell of his former self. I am also not saying that his ice time shouldn’t decrease. But what I am saying is that attacking the guy like this is pretty low class. He deserves better from us as fans for what he has done. It is one thing to say, I think Brindamour is hobbling the team and needs to relinquish the C or Take a 4th line role. It is another entirely to take joy in making fun of his decline as a player, and to insinuate that somehow he is dictating his own role and ice time is ridiculous.
+1
Two years ago we all wanted his jersey. There has to be a middle ground between shooting Old Yeller and keeping him on the 3rd line. The guys gonna be a HOFfer, it may benefit the Canes to avoid alienating him entirely. I’m sure he’s aware of his declining skills, and I’m sure he hates it. As we all age, we would want our company to give us the respect we’ve earned over the years. Put him on the 4th line, let him get some PP minutes, keep him happy, and just maybe he’ll become another coach for the new guys whose arrival becomes more inevitable with every loss.
when things are this bad....
I think it’s a symptom of needing a scapegoat or a miracle sure. Ugly to see, but not really unusual. Depends if you take an all-business attitude or feel for what things (people) mean.
Probably a good lesson to vets wondering when it’s time to retire. When you’re “public figure”, you take the risk of putting yourself in this kind of vulnerable position. And his silence makes it that much easier to de-humanize him and make him the bad guy.
Hurricanes Hockey: Never for the faint of heart.
by Carolyn Christians on Nov 18, 2009 9:08 PM EST up reply actions
miracle cure
Hurricanes Hockey: Never for the faint of heart.
by Carolyn Christians on Nov 18, 2009 9:08 PM EST up reply actions
I don’t buy the silence thing. I haven’t seen Cullen or Whitney on the scrums lately either, but no one’s on them. NHL players voted him the second best C in the NHL a couple seasons ago. Are you saying that all of that is hone and he’s a coward? He also talked to the media before the Habs game.
by Cory Lavalette on Nov 18, 2009 9:13 PM EST via mobile up reply actions
I agree. When we were winning Rod was a great Captain, now we’re losing and he’s an awful Captain? I was a huge Rod fan and now it really pains me to see him struggling so badly. I just don’t know what we should do…Is he making the team better? It doesn’t appear so on the ice, but who knows how he is in the locker room…
The traits that made us all love him two years ago have become his own demise -the man just won’t quit. He’s out there giving it all he’s got (I vehemently deny all accusations of his not giving 100%), but it’s just not enough anymore.
How do you best deal with a player who deserves to go out on his own terms, but just doesn’t have it anymore?
Still not a crook!
I remember arguing with Paladin (I was taking up for Rod and Paladin was ….well, you know) over the summer. I said that Brind`Amour would give everything that he had this season. I said it would either be a) very inspirational or b) really embarrassing. I think we’re at “b”.
Hurricanes Hockey: Never for the faint of heart.
by Carolyn Christians on Nov 18, 2009 10:24 PM EST up reply actions
this is news?
Hurricanes Hockey: Never for the faint of heart.
by Carolyn Christians on Nov 18, 2009 10:32 PM EST up reply actions
Follow up to that – I was the one who saw where the Rats had posted the strength and conditioning test results the first day of Camp, with Brindy blowing away the competition. I was so excited by this news I emailed Bob on a Saturday night and he put up a post about it.
I am as disappointed about it as anyone. I’m not gloating. But I’m not surprsed by the reaction here because Rod (and Mo?) seem to be the only ones not dealing with reality and it’s feels like it’s costing the entire franchise. That’s selfish (or nostalgia) – not leadership.
Hurricanes Hockey: Never for the faint of heart.
by Carolyn Christians on Nov 18, 2009 10:29 PM EST up reply actions
Cory – Cullen and Whitney are performing as expected. I would like to see Whitney (Alt Capt) speak more, but his face is front and center on the video links at the Canes website now. He hasn’t got any explaining to do. They have very little personal criticism coming there way that they need to get ahead of.
Do you have a link on the Habs pre-game? I guess I didn’t see it. Was this to the Montreal coverage or to local (NC) media?
Rod is glaringly underperfoming for his current salary. When he’s silent, it’s like a politician, he is presumed guilty. Even Forslund isn’t talking too nice these days. It’s easy to forget there’s a real person in this media intense world when all you see is a guy in full gear on the ice, with his reputation (unfairly?) snowballing. Even a twitter account would work wonders. I’m just talking public relations – when we’re observing what a disaster his public image is here among some rabid Canes fans.
Remember when AWard was everywhere….not so much now. Silence unfortunately says a lot.
Hurricanes Hockey: Never for the faint of heart.
by Carolyn Christians on Nov 18, 2009 10:22 PM EST up reply actions
Forslund has made a couple of post-game and other interview comments where he’s specifically mentioned Ray’s words and leadership in the locker room.
Sisu
by Jamie Kellner on Nov 18, 2009 11:56 PM EST up reply actions
It was in the Montreal media stuff (saw it on Habs Inside Out).
I would disagree on Cullen and Whitney. Cullen is on pace for 12 goals and 36 points and is minus-10. As for Whitney, before he had four points in the last two games, he was on pace for a well-below-average 50-point season. Now, both have played better than Rod, but neither has been “as expected” in my opinion.
Finally, I hate throwing in the salary thing into the mix. No one talked about how he played way above what he was making a couple years ago. We’re not talking about someone who signed a new deal this offseason. What about when he was a point-per-game player making just $4M a few years back? Now, if you want to make the argument with Larose I’m with you, b/c he just got a new sweet deal and has failed miserably.
by Cory Lavalette on Nov 19, 2009 8:59 AM EST up reply actions
Minor point:
2-3 seasons ago, $4M was a decent salary for a point-per-game player.
That 17-year-old Hokie sitting in the rafters in Greensboro didn't see any of this coming.
Not saying he was playing for pennies. But TB had three guys making 50 percent more than that or more. Olli Jokinen, Saku Koivu, Miro Satan and Pavol Demitra were making more. He was a better value than all those guys, b/c not only was a point-per-game guy but one of, if not the, best defensive players in the game.
by Cory Lavalette on Nov 19, 2009 11:33 AM EST up reply actions
Brind'Amour
Isn’t it also a reasonable question to consider whether a player such as Brind’Amour is having a negative impact on the careers of other players and coaches? As one tries to balance how to deal with an aging player with loyalty and compassion, it seems fair to me that the impact the player is having on other teammates ought to be considered. I feel certain in my own mind that Jim Rutherford will sometime this season begin trading veterans and that some of the veterans may well have a shortened NHL career as a result. There is no question in my mind that had Brind’Amour retired and a younger player been obtained, the team would be playing better. How much better nobody can say other than to guess.
I also don’t understand why Brind’Amour should receive better treatment from the organization and fans and less scrutiny for his quality of play than Walker, Whitney, or Cullen. I think all players are equally accountable to the team and the fans for their play and deserve the same loyalty and kindness. In my view, being a team’s captain places a higher burden on the player to produce and to assess his impact on the team rather than giving him a lowered burden. I also can’t imagine it being fair to say that the only problem with the Hurricanes this year is Brind’Amour. That approach to me is as unfair as saying his play this year and last year has been stellar and a model of how a captain should play. From my perspective and I acknowledge I could be mistaken, as I watched Brind’Amour in 2006-2007 and before his knee injury two years ago, I felt his fire was substantially diminished and his skills were deteriorating. In 2006-2007 I hoped against hope that it was a case of his being worn down from the Stanley Cup run. As the next seasons progressed, it didn’t look like a temporary slump. I feel sad for him because I had hoped he would be one of those aging players who maintained his health and youthfulness. It’s painful to watch because he doesn’t seem to accept what is happening to him; and seems to feel he can cheat time.
by abramsdoug on Nov 18, 2009 10:03 PM EST up reply actions 1 recs
What he said. There’s plenty if blame to go around on this team. Now that the team is losing and Rod is playing poorly, he’s a poor leader. But last year the team overachiever when he was playing similarly. I’m guessing he had nothing to do with the good stuff, just the bad, right?
by Cory Lavalette on Nov 18, 2009 9:07 PM EST via mobile up reply actions
Is that the last year he was leading the worst +/- for most of? Or the little spurt he put on at the end that he can’t duplicate?
He’s sucked for 2 yrs since the first injury after the cup it’s been a well greased slide down.
A
The Canes are like a box of expired chocolates......
You can’t blame his for problems in the room when things go bad and ignore him when the team has success. That’s selective nonsense. No one is saying he’s not playing well below expectations, but questioning his character is BS.
by Cory Lavalette on Nov 18, 2009 9:18 PM EST via mobile up reply actions
i think the point is Rod does still have some value to the Canes. Is he worth the $3.6 mill of his salary? Prolly not at his recent level of performance, but there are a lot of fingers to point this year. We can’t trade him, sending him to Albany solves nothing. Let’s get behind the guy and root for a renaissance instead of crucifying him. This team has a lot more troubles than just Roddy’s play.
Again I disagree. His weight on the cap for what he produces is disgusting. he is a negative…to the 17th power on this team. Send him down, put Staal on the LTIR and bring up the kids. Rotate them and go back to where this whol;e fiasco started and have friggin’ try out. Rod had his and failed.
Would anybody with an IQ over 6 sign this guy for the money and length of his contrct still remaining? Hell no. So minimize the damage and make the best of it.
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The Canes are like a box of expired chocolates......
ok ill bite
What does it do to a locker room when a guy like Brindamour, whose contributions aside, is well liked, works hard, and has a position of distinction with the club, get sent down to the minors to ride a bus? This does more harm than good imo. 4th line and decreased ice, I am listening to you, sending him to the A, nope. Bad mojo.
My take is this roster, team, franchise has the remainder of the year to get in as much rebuilding as they can before next year. This year is over, no PO are on the horizon. So you throw Brindy into or under the bus and every single dynamic of the locker room and the team changes. Which is exactly what they need. It speaks volumes of the franchises commitment to winning and the future. It says if you don’t perform, money be damned we will find somebody that will. It also says that no matter what was, now is now and you have to be able to produce today to play tommorow. It would give the opportunity for whomever to step up and take the leadership role. It would give the only opportunity to lessen the financial detriment Rod is on the team.
I’m tired, but I got more…
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The Canes are like a box of expired chocolates......
sure but next offseason is fishing season for new UFA’s round here. You play your cards with a vet like Rod wrong and risk spoiling the bait……People will say, o look at that they will send a potential future HOF’er down to the minors, a guys how captained them to a cup. They got no loyalty, I think Ill sign in Columbus instead…….
by wylde4canes on Nov 18, 2009 10:05 PM EST up reply actions
Happened to Francis and he retired here. Gretz was traded. I think the overwhelming opinion of this franchise to the whole world is loyal to a fault.
Mo, Cole…come on.
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The Canes are like a box of expired chocolates......
You know dang well that Francis ASKED to be traded to Toronto for a chance to wear the colors he followed as a boy and to make just one more run. JR honored the request and we got a pick for it. Ho hum.
And there’s been reams written about the Gretsky deal, You’ve bound to seen one piece on it, so you know that deal was done with his eyes wide open, too.
Not valid counterpoints.
Again, sending Rod to Albany solves no problems. Yes, it would cleasr cap space, but do you think PK will spend $2M or more to replace him? They’d still have to pay him, and while the cap is an issue now, moving Rod to Albany to clear cap space does not equal opening the pocketbooks and spending that money.
by Cory Lavalette on Nov 19, 2009 9:02 AM EST up reply actions
Got nothing to do with opening the pocket books. I think….pause for effect….Rod is worthless as a member of the roster.
Not news I know. My point is that since he gets paid no matter what. Where the best place for the Canes to have Rod? I believe if sent to Albany that not only a shot across the bow, it’s an H-Bomb. It further takes a sub par player out of the mix and frees up cap space.
Replacing Rod isn’t the point. Getting his ass off the ice is. He’s hurting this team by being there. He showed it again last night, the man is out of his league. It’s a no win scenario, but what’s best for the team?
I firmly believe Rod not being there is best for the team. Paying for a cancer you can ship to Albany and at least get use out of makes sense to me.
A
The Canes are like a box of expired chocolates......
This franchise is bigger than one player
no matter who it is.
I dont think a majority of the folks are taking glee in berating Brindy or are making fun of his decline. Facts are facts – cant escape them. Brindy is not playing well, hasnt played well for a while, and wont play well consistently again. At what point do you say enough is enough? The quicker we deal with this situation, the sooner we and the team can move on.
Do you think its fair to hinder the development of this team (post-Brindy era) and sacrifice the chances for others all because of what Brindy used to be?
Should this franchise continue to let the weakest link help drag this team down?
This is a business…no bonus points are awarded for being nostalgic. What do you think the next C of the team is thinking right now – “Wow, I can get that ice time, that paycheck, and play at that level.” Its a shitty example to set.
Look – I hate it that 17 is not playing well, and its gotten this bad. The reason I hate it though, is cause its hurting the team. My loyalty is with the Hurricanes not Rod Brind’amour.
Having said what I said, I want to also point out I love the debate of Brindamour, it is good to be objective about it. But I have no use for the outright bashing. He earned his contract and the right to dictate the terms by which he leaves the game.
Hitler earned the “most influential” title for the last century. Don’t mean he was a positive contibution to it. Not that Rod’s satan either. It’s the simple fact his career is over and the “right” you say he earned is now a crippling financial and leadership blow to this whole team.
I think the Lavi contract was a mistake, the Rod contract was a msitake and the Mo contract were.
Leads us right back to a biblical failure on JR’s part….
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The Canes are like a box of expired chocolates......
I think the Rod contract was a little long in the term. The mo contract was definitely one I had contentions with. We disagree on the Lavi issue. He was not canned bacuase he lost the locker room, IMO. He was canned because eh did not tow the company line.
See, I disagree. I think he earned the spot that he negotiated from. I think the franchise screwed the pooch signing a guy that age to a contract of that amount for that length.
I mean they even set the “35” yr old as a litmus test and have seperate rules. That basicly state if your dumb enough to sign an old geezer you gonna retire him come hel or high water. return is no longer an issue.
And they are gonna retire him and we ain’t getting squat for a return.
A
The Canes are like a box of expired chocolates......
Fair enough, we’ll agree to disagree. At the end of 06, Rod was a top 10 center in the NHL, just off a Cup win. Signing him long-term benefited the team at that point.
See I almost got you all the way..
“signing him long term benefitted the team at that point”
Yup and then the franchise went punch drunk and rather do bonuses and maintain the great relationship they signed a monster turd of a contract.
I ain’t blaming Brindy, i’m blaming the mng. I am also offering ways to resolve it that are not kind on Brindy, but they adress one major issue this team has. Rod.
A
The Canes are like a box of expired chocolates......
this is one place we agree, Management got crazy with the contracts following the cup. But I am hesitant to throw JR to far under the bus for that. It aint like he has a whole ot of precedence for dealing with a post cup win roster LOL
by wylde4canes on Nov 18, 2009 10:08 PM EST up reply actions
Grant ya that for sure.
BUT!! He ain’t gonna anymore he doesn’t learn from all this. This next squad over the next couple years should be pretty nice…
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The Canes are like a box of expired chocolates......
Yeah, the kids could be killer in a few years. With a shrewd UFA signing we could be a contender again soon.
by wylde4canes on Nov 18, 2009 10:17 PM EST up reply actions
Sign and shed some dead weight. Next year will be a bust, but better hockey on all fronts. The next year I would expect some pretty good things. That’s a 2.5 yr+ rebuild. Pretty awsome in of itself.
I hate to admit it, but man the #1 pick in the next draft would be nice…
That said I think we will get enough kids up and playing to get ourselves several spots above where we are. Enough so that we won’t get the “little extra” out of trhe draft.
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The Canes are like a box of expired chocolates......
Yes. The anger when it comes to Brind’Amour should be directed at management, not Rod. Rod did everything right en route to his contract extension. JR should have been more judicious with a player his age and signed him more short term.
Still not a crook!
Brind'Amour and his long term contract
I believe based on what I’ve been told that loyalty to Brind’Amour for bringing the Stanley Cup to the franchise played a significant role in the decision to give Brind’Amour a long term contract. Many organizations would not take that approach and would be more cutthroat. So if Brind’Amour is to be entitled to loyalty for what he did in the past, as far as I am concerned, it is equally reasonable to acknowledge Jim Rutherford showed loyalty to Brind’Amour in giving him a long term contract. I personally doubt Jim Rutherford would pass a lie detector test that the long term contract with Brind’Amour was purely business. That belief about the circumstances of the contract certainly influences how I think Brind’Amour ought to be handling the deterioration of his abilities.
I also am mystified why Brind’Amour won’t compensate for his loss of nuanced skills by becoming a grittier and more physical player and doing the most he can with the skills he now possesses. Given the fact Jim Rutherford went out on a limb for him, it puzzles me why a person as fit as Brind’Amour won’t do that for the team. If he were hitting and banging, I’d feel entirely differently about the loose passes and the poor defensive coverage, and the missed scoring opportunities.
You have hit the nail on the head. The adjustment that needs to be made is for Rod the Bod to begin to use that fabulous body he has sculpted to bang some enemy bodies. His role on the team needs to shift.
We’ve never seen him that physical before, so whether he can make that transition is unknown. But, that’s the role for him to now fulfill, along with key penalty kill and fill-in powerplay duty, when needed.
Otherwise, it will be time to have a frank talk this summer about retirement (join the org?) or buyout, with playing onward not an option. Tough workday for JR that day.
The other issue:
Mo has to be strict about using him in that role, and not slip back into thinking RBA is the reliable 20+-minute guy he was for so much of his career.
That 17-year-old Hokie sitting in the rafters in Greensboro didn't see any of this coming.
Brind'Amour's contract
Here’s my issue with the discussion on Brind’Amour’s contract. In 2006 he captained this team to the Stanley Cup. Four days after he hoisted the Cup he took a $1.3m decrease in his next year’s salary, presumably so the Hurricanes could afford to re-sign some of the other players on the SCF roster and stay in budget. He was due to make $5.3m a year in 06-07 and took a pay cut to $4m, at a time when other leading players in our division (and granted some of this is apples to oranges, players at different points in their career, I understand that) were making between $5m and $7m (O Jokinen, Hossa, Lecavalier, Federov just to name a few). No one probably would have batted an eye if at the time JR had offered hiim a 3-year, $18m contract. Instead, he offered him a 5-year, $18m contract, because that worked better for the way our GM runs the budget for his hockey team. And yes, it hurts us this year, but it helped us – a lot – for the last three years. Yes, he’s not performing to the level we want him to. Yes, his TOI should be cut. Yes, I’m being emotional versus rational. Yes, I’m living in the past. Yes, I’ve been playing bunko all evening and I’m not a little tipsy. But for me personally, I owe the man some dignity for what he’s done for this organization, and I might not be happy about having to do it, but I’ll live with the next two years if I have to. In my opinion he earned my continued support. My head might think otherwise, but my heart can’t go there quite yet.
Sisu
by Jamie Kellner on Nov 19, 2009 12:33 AM EST reply actions 1 recs
Yes, you remember well. There was discussion on many fan boards at the time that this was a somewhat risky structure for Brindy’s contract. But, the consensus was that it helped the org’s cash flow at a critical time and that it was a good gamble, considering his physical condition.
Some games lost to injury was assumed. A diminished role in later years was assumed. A graceful exit for a legendary warrior for the org was also assumed.
I’m pretty sure this is JR’s world view right now.
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