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Here are a few news clips regarding the Hurricanes you may have missed.
On NHL.com, as part of their "30 teams in 30 days" feature, they covered the Hurricanes on Wednesday. John Kreiser started out with an article about scoring - Hurricanes need more offense
They also had an article about - Questions regarding Eric Staal and Jeff Skinner
There is reason for hope - Young defense gives reason for optimism
Then they list the franchise's top five prospects, (hint, none of them are forwards) - Hanifin tops list of prospects
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Sean Tierney of "Today's Slapshot" wrote an in-depth article about the Carolina defense. It includes a bit of speculation about how "NHL ready" Noah Hanifin is.
There is little doubt that his skating is already NHL quality but as Yogi Berra once said, "Playing is 90% mental, the other half is physical".
Hurricanes will trust an under-rated blueline
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Scott Burnside from ESPN asks "Who is the Hurricanes most important player?" The answer may no longer be Eric Staal.
The other day we had a discussion here about why there was talk of re-signing Staal but not Cam Ward. Burnside offers his take.
"If Staal and Francis can’t decide on dollars and term, they have to find a place for Staal where he has a shot at winning a second Stanley Cup -- he won his first in 2006 -- and determine what kind of assets Staal might bring back to the organization. Francis has the same issue with netminder Cam Ward, but Ward’s value, to the Canes and as a trading asset, is not nearly as significant."
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"Along the Boards" got an interview with prospect Warren Foegele, who recently showed off some speed and skill at the Canes prospects development camp. Foegele is hoping for an injury free season this coming year.
Aren't we all Warren, aren't we all.
Foegele craves complete campaign
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For those of you who were wondering about last year's second round pick, Alex Nedeljkovic, the goalie is recovering this offseason from recent hip surgery. The injury turned out to be a torn labrum.
Alex not only missed Carolina's development camp but is also missing USA hockey's evaluation camp at Lake Placid this week.
Nedeljkovic recovering from offseason hip surgery
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Friend of the blog, Matt Karash, has started a new site, "Canes and Coffee" which is worth a visit if you have not seen it yet. I'm not sure if he is going to continue writing at Hockey Buzz or not, but I will be having lunch with him soon and will find out more.
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The next big thing for Hurricanes hockey is when the youngsters go to Traverse City to compete in the annual tournament up north. The "Junior Canes" will open on September 11 versus the Wings.
The Red Wings site has the complete schedule up now. Check that out here. I'm sure the Hurricanes staff will be posting the club's roster as soon as that information is available.
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Finally, our own Jamie Kellner participated in Puck Daddy's "A to Z" summer series. Great job Jamie!