In case you missed the morning paper, Chip Alexander and Luke DeCock had articles published today which are worth discussing.
First, Chip interviewed Hurricanes owner Peter Karmanos, who reportedly is selling the Florida Everblades as well as their arena. But while the 70 year old Detroit tycoon is selling that aspect of his hockey operations, he has no interest in relinquishing control of the Hurricanes.
"I like owning the Hurricanes," Karmanos said.
Chip got the following quote as well.
"I keep saying we have one of the best arena deals in the league. We have one of the best facilities. We’re in one of the fastest-growing markets in the country. Why would we ever move?
While Karmanos is selling small portions of the team to interested parties, he apparently still wants to keep control.
The owner blamed the team's dismal record this year on injuries and says all will be fine next year. Be sure to read the entire article at the following link:
Hurricanes Owner Says He Is Committed
Next up, N&O columnist Luke DeCock wrote an article about Jim Rutherford which included the following:
Rutherford has to ask himself: Is he still the right man for the job?
While the statement may seem harsh, the one time highly regarded general manager has a club with many questions about it.
Does this franchise have any credible depth?
How can he re-vamp arguably the worst defense in the league?
Is this team too "soft", "small", "fragile", or "easy to play against"?
When asked what happened this season to the Hurricanes, the easy answer is injuries, especially the injury to Cam Ward. But all hockey teams face injuries and this team has failed to make the playoffs four years in a row.
Team defense has been a recurring problem and it was again this past season.
Over the past three years, Carolina has allowed more shots on goal than any team in the NHL. Here are the team rankings for average shots and where they placed in the league over that time period:
- 2012-13 - 32.2 - 26th
- 2011-12 - 32.4 - 30th
- 2010-11 - 33.2 - 30th
It is no secret that the team needs to improve in this area.
DeCock speaks about the draft and player development in his article. Be sure to check it out here:
GM Rutherford should review his own performance
There are many issues to look at but the bottom line in this business is winning. Has Rutherford done enough of it lately?