So far this off season, new contract signings have been few and far between for the Carolina Hurricanes. Other than Sergei Samsonov, Trevor Gillies, Michael Leighton, and Patrick Eaves, the rest of the unsigned Canes are still waiting for contracts.
LSB recently reported that negotiations between Jim Rutherford and restricted free agents Tim Gleason and Tuomo Ruutu have "stalled". Rutherford was quoted as saying that the process will "just run it's course".
There are other RFA's as well who still need contracts. Here is a listing-
- Tim Gleason
- Tuomo Ruutu
- Chad LaRose
- Dennis Seidenberg
- Tim Conboy
- Mark Flood
- Joey Mormina
- Joe Jensen
- Brandon Nolan
- Kevin Nastiuk
- Pat Dwyer
While it has been mentioned that the franchise will not offer goalie Kevin Nastiuk another contract, how difficult can it be to lock up a few of these other Albany guys?
Mormina reportedly played very well in Albany last year, as did Nolan. Joe Jensen was hand-picked by Ron Francis to be here late last year. It's a surprise that he hasn't been signed.
The good news for Caniacs is that since these players are restricted, the Hurricanes will have the final say concerning their eventual whereabouts this summer.
If the two sides can't come to an agreement by July 1st, a couple of different scenarios could play out.
The parties could end up going to salary arbitration where a one year contract amount will be determined by a neutral entity. If the amount is too high for the Hurricanes liking, they would have the option to walk away from the award which would automatically make the player an unrestricted free agent and allow them to negotiate with any other team.
Another possible situation which could arise is that the RFA could receive and accept an offer from another team. The Hurricanes would then have the option to match the offer, or receive compensation in draft picks if they choose not to match it. (the number and ranking of draft picks is determined by the amount of the contract)
As you can imagine, it can get a little complicated and nerve-wracking if things continue to drag out.
In addition to the RFA's, there are some UFA's who need contracts as well. The following players will be free to negotiate with any team come July 1st if they remain unsigned.
- Keith Aucoin
- Ryan Bayda
- Wade Brookbank
- Trevor Letowski
Of course Carolina management also has the draft coming up this weekend. They will certainly be busy for the next couple of weeks.
Speaking of the draft, we will start to look at possible selections and trade scenarios within the next day or two. The Canes currently have the 14th overall pick.
The blog has a new poll on the right sidebar.
Do you think that the Canes should trade up and get a higher pick? Should they trade down and perhaps get two lower picks? Maybe they should include their top pick in a trade for a top 4 defenseman? Maybe they should just stay put and take the best rated player available at that time?
What do you think?
Guns 'N Roses