Since the Carolina Hurricanes just announced that Scott Walker had surgery on his left hand this morning and will miss up to six weeks of action, it looks like another job just opened up for somebody, albeit a temporary one.
Twenty three players can be kept for the opening night roster. Here are my picks-
- Eric Staal
- Cam Ward
- Michael Leighton
- Ray Whitney
- Patrick Eaves
- Matt Cullen
- Chad LaRose
- Rod Brind'Amour
- Sergei Samsonov
- Ryan Bayda
- Brandon Sutter
- Wade Brookbank
- Tuomo Ruutu
- Joe Corvo
- Joni Pitkanen
- Tim Gleason
- Frank Kaberle
- Anton Babchuk
- Joe Melichar
- Dennis Seidenberg
- Nic Wallin
- Dan LaCouture
- Tim Conboy
At this point, it's obvious that Dan LaCouture needs to be signed if it can be done at a reasonable cost. If not, is Mark Parrish still a possibility?
I expect that Boychuk, Williams, and Walker will be placed on Injured Reserve.
In this scenario, Joe Jensen and Trevor Gillies would return to Albany.
Tim Conboy is typically a defenseman by trade, but he would have to fill in as a forward if he makes the team right now. Not counting Conboy, the Canes have eight defensemen all signed to NHL contracts. At the beginning of the offseason they were thinking of trading someone, but with this team's perpensity for injuires they would probably be wise to keep these eight.
Funny thing, the Hurricanes have Conboy listed as a right winger on their depth chart, but he is listed as a defenseman everywhere else. Is that a sign of confusion or a sign of things to come? The utility player has already been quoted as saying that he doesn't care what position he plays.
Any other opinions out there?