Raymond signed with the Checkers in January and played in 44 games recording 18 points. In his last 13 regular season games, Raymond scored 11 points and added four in five playoff games. He had played for the Florida Everblades before signing with the Checkers and had previously played for the Binghamton Senators.

Checkers’ defensemen Marc-Andre Gragnani and Justin Krueger signed in the Czech Republic and Switzerland, respectively, earlier this summer.

The trio made up the three oldest defensemen on the Checkers’ roster. The experience and depth that the Checkers’ lost in those three will have to be replaced this summer as most of the Checker’s defensemen are young and have little experience at the pro level.

Raymond will not be as big of a loss to the Hurricanes’ organization as Gragnani was. Gragnani could have been a valuable option as an injury call-up, but Raymond was not likely to ever hit that potential.

However, the loss of Raymond will have a negative effect on the Checkers’ roster and the Checkers’ GM will have a busy summer replacing the players the team has lost.

Mandatory Credit: gocheckers.com

The jerseys are similar to the ones that the Canes will be sporting next season.

The home red jersey has three stripes at the bottom, which are all different colors (red, white and black). This is different than the Hurricanes’ which use two white stripes and make their jerseys look more like the Phoenix Coyotes.

The stripes will also be featured on the arms of both home and away jerseys, along with the neck lacing. Checkers’ jerseys will also include the Canes’ logo on each shoulder, which is a common thing for AHL affiliates to do with their NHL logos.

The white jerseys are also identical to the Canes’, except that the neck lacing is on the Checkers’ white jersey and not on the Hurricanes’.

Personally, I like the Checkers’ new jerseys more than the Hurricanes’. I feel that the Canes’ jerseys are far too similar to the Coyotes’ and it’s good to see that the Checkers’ used lacing on both jerseys, which is always a nice touch.

The jerseys will go on sale on June 30. More information can be found on the Checkers’ website.

The left-winger played for the Florida Everblades in the ECHL for the first half of the 2012-13 season before signing a PTO with the Checkers in February.

In his time with the Checkers, Marquardt moved up and down the lineup because of injuries. He played in the top six and on the power-play in times of need for Charlotte. The Ontario native scored five goals and eight points in 27 games for the Checkers.

During the playoff series against the Oklahoma City Barons, Marquardt formed a tough fourth line with Jared Staal and Brody Sutter, while scoring two points in four games.

It’s unlikely that Marquardt will see any time with the Canes or any NHL team. He is already 25-years-old and was signed to an AHL-only deal and would need to sign another contract to play with the Canes.

However, the Hurricanes could invite Marquardt to training camp in September if they choose. Marquardt’s best asset is his size. He stands at 6-3 and could help a bottom six with his size.

Marquardt was a seventh-round pick of the Columbus Blue Jackets in 2006 and scored 40 goals twice in his junior career. He has previously played for the Providence Bruins, Springfield Falcons and Barons in the AHL, but has never played a game in the NHL.