The NHL and the Carolina Hurricanes released the official logo to the 2011 NHL All-Star Game. The announcements of the logo has been the biggest news since the announcement of the all-star game in Raleigh. The logo is underlined with the Hurricanes logo and looks great in my opinion.

The other news was the announcement of a 5,000 ft banner to hang off the RBC Plaza in downtown. The banner will feature former All-Stars Patrick Kane, Sidney Crosby, Alex Ovechkin, and Hurricanes captain Eric Staal.  The banner should be completed by Saturday for the 5th annual Raleigh Wide Open.   The NHL and Carolina Hurricanes will also be selling the first 2011 All-Star Game gear such as hat and t-shirts.  Hope to see all you Caniac’s at Raleigh Wide Open this weekend.

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Riley Nash 2007 Oilers 1st Round Pick looks to make impact for Hurricanes in 2010-2011

\The Carolina Hurricanes have only made a couple minor signings, as expected, over the last couple of weeks with the chance that some like Riley Nash could show huge return. The Hurricanes also went the way of cheap and two-way contracts to players such as Justin Pogge, Brett Carson, and Bryan Rodney.

The biggest decision the Hurricanes have made in the last couple of weeks was to give Justin Peters and Justin Pogge each two-way deals. With the deals it sees the Hurricanes parting ways with a guy I, and many others, would have liked to see come back, but in the end money wins in this deal as Manny would make considerably more money than Peters and Pogge. With that being said the adversity that is all but certain to happen with a young team in 2010-2011, it would have been nice to have a guy of Manny’s stature to help the young kids.

The news that I have liked the best is that Riley Nash has decided to forgo his senior season at Cornell and join the professional ranks with either Carolina or Charlotte next season. Riley Nash is a 2007 first round pick by the Edmonton Oilers that has played three years of NCAA hockey and averaged more than a point a game for all three seasons. Nash said that he felt he has a realistic shot of making the roster out of training camp with the retirement of Rod Brind’Amour and the deadline deal of Matt Cullen last season. Nash has the potential to be Carolina’s third or fourth line center next season behind Staal, Sutter, and Jokinen. I think Nash would fit in perfectly next year as a fourth line center and with line shifting maybe a third, either way this kid has serious potential over the next couple of seasons.

On the defensive end the Hurricanes resigned two defensemen that were mostly stable last season in Bryan Rodney and Brett Carson. The biggest surprise for me was the lack of qualifying offers from the Hurricanes to Brett Carson and Alexandre Picard. With the lack of offers, I was sure that would be the end of both their stays in Raleigh. Right now it still looks that way for Picard, but Carson took a lesser deal to stay with Hurricanes. Brett Carson was one of the most underrated of Carolina’s defensemen in 2009-2010. Carson showed real growth through out the season and became a pretty steady defenseman for the Hurricanes down the stretch, even scoring 2 goals and assisting on 10 more. Bryan Rodney has always been a traveled player and a power play specialist since joining the Hurricanes organization. Rodney has always hated being associated as the power play specialist and seems to have taken strides to improve his overall defensive play in order to become a more rounded play. Rodney usually is first in line to be called up if there is a defensive injury. This year Rodney would like to pass that role on and get more NHL time as this could be the year he has been waiting for and should be interesting to see if he can make the opening night roster.

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The Carolina Hurricanes have made very few moves in July, only signing three players to contracts with the biggest being the return of Joe Corvo.  With the team going young for next season the most interesting event happening in July was the prospects camp which included first round pick Jeff Skinner.

First off in a surprise move the Hurricanes brought back defenseman Joe Corvo for another two years at a cheaper rate for a total of 4.5 million.  “Joe has been a really good player for us over the last three seasons, and we feel that this solidifies our defense,” said Rutherford. “We appreciate him working with us to get this deal done. He said that he really wanted to stay in Carolina and this commitment confirms that.”  Corvo returns to Carolina after a trade line deal that saw Carolina recieve Brian Pothier, Oskar Osala, and a 2nd round pick in 2011.  With Joe’s return it gives the Hurricanes another veteran defenseman to help mold the young roster next season in to what everyone hopes will be a winner down the road.

The big event this week, prospect camp, gave us a look at the newest Hurricanes including Jeff Skinner and Jared Staal. Skinner impressed with a great shot and physical play even at his size. Jared Staal is much bigger and filled with potential. Staal and Riley Nash come in with prospect camp experience and it showed as they were the two that really stood out during the four day camp. During the camp the prospects learned proper nutrition and the way to a healthy lifestyle to further their careers. If the Hurricanes manage these players right, the future could be bright in Carolina.

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To no one’s surprise the Hurricanes were not a player in big names of the free agent market. However, I don’t think the Hurricanes fans fully expected another loss like Whitney even though we had been warned. I kind of expected either Cullen or Whitney might be back, but the only signing would be Babchuk, which is a horrible influence on the young team. In the meantime Matt Cullen signed with his hometown team the Minnesota Wild and Ray Whitney with the PhoenixCoyotes. The only other rumblings on day one for the Hurricanes was the talks with Joe Corvo’s agent on a possible return to Carolina, but its hard to read at this point.

Jim Rutherford has warned us this year was coming and soon. However, I never expected it to be this drastic. The major factor affecting the Hurricanes roster is the sale of fifty percent of the team. Once the minority owner is found you will see more money spent by the Hurricanes, at least I hope so. To quote Jeff Gravely, “It’s a lot more fun covering a winning team than a losing team.” Be prepared Caniacs, because its going to be a long couple of years.

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Rod Brind’Amour is the epitome of the definition of captain Brind’Amour will always be known for his leadership during the run for the cup in 2006, but to the people that know Rod and the caniac nation he will always mean so much more. Brind’Amour played for three different NHL teams during his career with his mainstay being split between the Flyers and Hurricanes.

Rod was drafted 9th overall in the 1988 by the St. Louis Blues, but would opt to play one year at Michigan State before joining the Blues at the end of the 1988-1989 season. Brind’Amour scored on his first shot in the playoff’s against the Minnesota North Stars.

In the summer of 1991 Rod was traded to the Philadelphia Flyers.  Rod became a instant fan favorite in Philadelphia because of his insane workout regiment and on ice work ethic.  Brind’Amour served as an alternate captain under Kevin Dineen and then Eric Lindros. Brind’Amour also became a fan for his ironman streak for 484 games.

In 1999 he was traded for the last time to the Carolina Hurricanes in exchange for Keith Primeau. It turned out to be a great deal for Carolina as it would lead to a championship, a conference championship, and a trip to the conference finals. Brind’Amour has been more of an influence on the Hurricanes than Ron Francis has in my opinion. He has always been a leader by example captain. Most people who do not have that personal story to tell, always go to the excitement of Brind’Amour raising the cup in 2006 and all the work he put in to be at that point.

Everyone will always have their own special Brind’Amour,because he was a true leader and will be the Hurricane to have his jersey in the rafters.

The Carolina Hurricanes entered the draft on Friday with 11 picks, most in the league. The Hurricanes began with the 7th overall pick. With Cam Fowler and Brandon Gormley falling farther than most expected, I was sure one of them would be drafted with the 7th pick, but instead the Hurricanes went after another forward named Jeff Skinner. Skinner was a figure skater til the age of 13, but then turned completely to hockey. Last season while playing for the Kitchener Rangers Skinner scored 70 goals and had 20 more during the playoffs. If there is any down fall to Skinner it is his height and skating ability. However, he was ranked the number ten prospect in the NHL. Skinner will have every chance of making the roster in the fall, but in all likely hood is at least a year away.

On day two of the draft the Hurricanes were really active as they added two former 1st round picks in Bobby Sanguinetti and Riley Nash. In total they added 10 more players including a couple that could play in Carolina next season. Bobby Sanguinetti was a high scoring defenseman when playing with Bramton of the OHL and he also saw his first NHL experience this year with the New York Rangers. ”He can skate, he can handle the puck and is a puck mover,” said Rutherford. “He’ll be given an opportunity to make our team.” Sanguinetti has a good shot to make the team out of training camp next season as the Hurricanes are on the rebuilding track. However, he is on a two-way contract next season so if he needs more time to grow he can be sent to Charlotte. “I really believe in Ron Francis and Glen Wesley and Jeff Daniels and all the people that are involved in developing these players,” said Rutherford. “The guys coming from other organizations really give us a good chance to mold these guys into NHL players.”

The other major addition via trade was Riley Nash. Nash was a 1st round pick of the Edmonton Oilers in 2007, 21st overall. He just completed his third season with Cornell scoring 12 goals and totallying 102 point in 102 games in his career. “Ronnie (Francis) had talked about Nash earlier in the year when he saw him play,” said Rutherford. “I had talked to Edmonton about moving him but they didn’t want to until today, so this is something we’re excited about. It gives us some more depth at center.” “He’s a very good center with creativity,” said MacDonald. “He’s got very good skill and he can make things happen. This guy is a talented, creative kid with tools and a guy that can make plays for his wingers. We’re pretty excited to get him.” The organization would really like for Nash to turn pro this season and go against more stiff competition. Ultimatly the decision is up to Nash, but I believe it would be best if he signed a pro contract.

The Hurricanes also selected or aquired seven other players during the draft. With the Hurricanes other second round picks the Hurricanes selected Justin Faulk, U.S. National Team Development Program, and Mark Alt, a Minnesota High School player. When moving to third round the Hurricanes had two picks that were spent on Danny Biega, freshman at Harvard University and Austin Levi, Plymouth Whalers. The Hurricanes waited til the next round to select another forward in Justin Shugg, Windsor Spitfires. The Final three picks were rounded out with kids that could have a potiential to surprise and one day make an NHL roster.

With the picks and trades made during the draft I believe the Hurricanes have set them-selves up well for the future, but next year will be just as important, because baring a miracle the Hurricanes will be a team near the bottom and have more top draft choices and a chance to continue to set the team up for the future.

Tonight will be one of the biggest nights for the Hurricanes for years to come. With the team going into full rebuild mode selecting the right players at tonight’s NHL Draft is key. The Hurricanes hold the most picks in this years draft with 11 selections, including 4 in the first two rounds.

The Hurricanes begin with the number 7 overall pick in the draft. If available I think Jim Rutherford would like to go with one of the top 3 defence in the draft, Erik Grudbranson, Cam Fowler, and Branding Gormly. If none of temp are still available at number 7 I think you look at finding a top winger that will bring out the best in Eric Staal. Zack Boychuk could be the guy, but I am not sold on him. According to TSN they believe that Fowler could possibly fall to seven and would be a great fit in Carolina and they would not pass him up. Rutherford also seems to want to package some of those 2nd rounds picks to get another firstrounder.

Now if the Hurricanes can find a good player or two in the later rounds you can look towards the future and feel good.

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The Hart Trophy (League MVP) - Sidney Crosby PIT

The Vezina Trophy(Best Goalie) – Ryan Miller BUF

The Norris Trophy (Best Defenseman) – Duncan Keith CHI

The Calder Trophy (Best Rookie) – Tyler Myers BUF

The Lady Byng Trophy (Best Sportsmanship) – Martin St. Louis TBL

The Frank J. Selke Trophy (Best Defensive Forward – Pavel Datsyuk DET

The Jack Adams Trophy (Best Coach) – Dave Tippet PHX

The Bill Masterton Trophy (Preserverance) – Jose Theodore WSH

The Ted Lindsay Trophy (MVP from Players) – Henrik Sedin VAN

Messier Award (Best Leader) -  Shane Doan PHX

Foundation Award (Core Values on and off ice) – Dustin Brown LAK

We will see how well I did after the awards show