Archive for September 6th, 2009
Puck September: Carolina Hurricanes
This past summer has been all about the money. There was the unrestricted free agent *frenzy.* That was around the same time the Phoenix Coyotes financial problems came into the spotlight, when BlackBerry billionaire Jim Balsillie threw his two cents into the fray and the league kept talking out of both sides of its mouth. You know, the place they seem reluctant to put their money in.
Screwed up contracts — both legitimate Chicago fuck-ups and the over-spending variety — became commonplace, and some players decided to gamble on the bigger payday in Russia. Terms like “escrow” and “cap numbers” came to be a part of the conversation, too. Then there was even more change — and even less sense — from Patrick Kane, who allegedly tag-teamed a Buffalo cab driver with his cousin over 20 cents.
It seems talk of climbing out of this recession has put money on the mind and our mind on the money, so in the spirit of cash, let’s take a look at all 21 teams 30 teams as training camps get set to fire up this month. Like most financial ventures, some teams will offer a greater return than others.
CAROLINA HURRICANES
Southeast Division
2008-09 record: 45-30-7, second in the division, sixth in the conference
Cap space: $2.133 million
Tip sheet:
Twenty-six wins at home. Only three other teams in the conference won more games while in the darks…Eric Staal might be the most under-rated player in the NHL…Goaltender Cam Ward is nothing more than a younger J.S. Giguere…The team mascot wears a Ric Flair costume. This just in: That is Ric Flair.
Fun fact:
The old goal horn from the Hartford Civic Center, where the franchise once toiled as the Whalers, remains in use at RBC Center. (Wikipedia)
You should really invest in this club because…
Staal. Led the NHL with four hat-tricks last season. A streaky scorer, no question, but imagine if he had some talent around him. Note: Ray Whitney does not qualify as ‘talent.’
The bottom will fall out with…
The lack of depth at all positions. Lose Staal for any time, and the offence suffers. Lose a defenceman like Joe Corvo or Niclas Wallin and defence is just a theory. If Ward goes down…Michael Leighton is on deck. Yikes.
Key acquisition:
Stephane Yelle. My girlfriend calls him “Yell-e.” By that logic then, his first name would be “Stephan-e,” which would probably end up with a punch to the eye.
Bottom line:
I don’t know how they do it, but Carolina always seems in the playoff hunt. They’ll never be a Top Three team in the conference until they address the lack of size and skill up front, but as they proved with their ride to the conference final last spring, you just have to get in the playoffs — hard work and grit will take care of the rest.
