I just listened to a rather pathetic interview of Alberts on 850. The guys just wanted to talk to him about playing on a team with guys he’s scrapped with. Poor Andy – hopefully he’ll meet some Raleigh press who want to ask him about playing hockey. I was kind of embarrassed if this conversation was his intro to the Canes market.

However, the radio folks got on youtube as they were talking to Andy, and found the Alberts vs Kosto fight that was posted here yesterday (way to research your topic, you so-called sports journalists). They announced that in Alberts vs Kosto, it was voted a draw; and Alberts and Walker have fought twice and split, according to hockeyfights.com. Radio journalism at its finest.

I wish Bubba got a chance to handle these things. Maybe Canes PR can arrange some sort of interview he can post for the apparently more knowledgeable hockey fans than those listening to 850 on the morning drive.

that makes a lot of sense. IS there really a chance the cap would go to $50mil? That’s going to be a tough pill to swallow for half the teams (and all those hotshot players with $7mil+/yr contracts out there).

Maybe some of you CBA gurus can write up an “Idiot’s Guide to the CBA” as a fanpost to explain how all this works. Seems like some major changes are in store in the NHL business offices.

This was at 5pm, after the Alberts signing

The signing crosses another to-do item off the Hurricanes’ summer list, with restricted free agent Tuomo Ruutu yet to be resigned and another defenseman still likely to arrive before the season starts. That defenseman could still be Dennis Seidenberg, who remains on the market as an unrestricted free agent and has resumed negotiations with the team.
However, that need could still be met via trade. Rutherford acknowledged that the addition of Kostopoulos gives the team enough depth to consider moving a forward for a defenseman if the need should arise.

I don’t know how clued in he is to JR’s brain, but considering he’s the blogger on the Canes site, I’d like to think we’re in for another guy.

I agree with all of this statement. JR did say that about Rodney, and I also like the idea of all the guys playing together in the A. These guys all seem to have come in around the same time, they’ve all been developing in dif places. Sutter playing i forget where, McBain in college, Im not sure where all the young forwards played, but Boychuk was in Lethbridge, Sutter was in Red Deer, Bowman was in Spokane, etc, etc, etc. It’ll be detrimental for all these guys to get to know each other, and develop that bond as teamates and as friends. It bodes well for the “chemistry” thats all too important. Im really liking where all this is going! Its good to be a canes fan these days!

Here’s Javier Serna Canes Now quoting JR, posted when (after) they announced the signing of Alberts:

Rutherford said the signing doesn’t rule out re-signing defenseman Dennis Seidenberg.
“We’re still working on adding one more defenseman,” he said.
That, Rutherford added, would allow the team to buy out the final year of defenseman Frank Kaberle’s contract at about two-thirds of the $2.2 million he would have otherwise made this year and spread the payments over the next two seasons.
Defenseman Anton Babchuk, Rutherford said, does appear to be out. Babchuk, with no arbitration rights, wants more than the $1 million he’s been offered, and has threatened to play in Russia next season.
“I don’t believe so,” Rutherford said of Babchuk still being an option. “Based on conversations with his agent, his position hasn’t changed and ours’ hasn’t changed.”

Sorry if that’s not good news for all our great D prospects in Albany……