Meant to post earlier: GM Jim Rutherford says he expects all Canes UFAs to go into market next month. Says may later sign one or two.

— Chip Alexander (@ice_chip) June 8, 2013

The plan is to allow all of them to hit the market and then Rutherford could possibly attempt to sign one or two of them if he feels the deal is right.

The Canes’ free agents include:

• Dan Ellis, G, 32 years old, $650,000 made last season
• Bobby Sanguinetti, D, 25 years old, $700,000 made last season
• Marc-Andre Bergeron, D, 32 years old, $1 million made last season
• Joe Corvo, D, 35 years old, $2 million made last season
• Tim Brent, C, 29 years old, $750,000 made last season
• Chad LaRose, RW, 31 years old, $1.7 million made last season

I would guess that Bergeron, Corvo, Brent and LaRose are not on Rutherford’s list of players that he would like to re-sign. Bergeron and Corvo are aging offensive defensemen that are ready to be replaced by players already on the roster. Brent does not fit the mold of a fourth-line player and did not have a strong season.

It’s also likely that the Canes will add a couple of veteran defensemen in free agency.

LaRose has been a Hurricane for a number of years, but this past season may have been his worst in a Canes uniform. He skipped the end-of-year conference this season, which may spell doom for his future in North Carolina.

Rutherford will most likely attempt to replace him in free agency with another bottom-six grinder.

As for Ellis, it’s a little surprising that Rutherford will not sign him before free agency.

Dan Ellis earned six wins in his first season with the Hurricanes. Mandatory Credit: Bruce Fedyck-USA TODAY Sports

It seemed that the Hurricanes brass was impressed with Ellis’ play at the beginning of the year and wanted him as a backup again this year. It’s possible that Rutherford wants Ellis to see there is no market for him in free agency, so he can re-sign the former-Lightning goalie to a cheaper contract.

Sanguinetti probably has the best chance of being re-signed than any of the other defensemen, but still not that high of a chance. If Rutherford cannot bring in other defensemen, Sanguinetti would be a good option to bring back to the team.

Do not expect the Canes to re-sign any of their UFAs before July 5. From there, it looks like only a small number could be back in a Hurricanes’ uniform.

Chad LaRose: Larose has been part of the Hurricane’s roster since 2005 and has played in the Canes organization since 2003. He was on the Stanley Cup winning team in ’06 and has been an instrumental part of the team playing on Eric Staal‘s line in previous seasons. But things change. This past season, LaRose only scored two goals and was replaced by Alexander Semin on the top line. LaRose brings nothing more to the table than Patrick Dwyer can. Verdict: Do Not Re-Sign.

Tim Brent: After scoring career highs in goals and assists last year with the Hurricanes, Brent did not score a single goal this season and only had three assists. He also missed the last two weeks of the regular season with an injury. Coach Kirk Muller said the Hurricanes need players that specialize in killing penalties and Brent does not fit that bill. The Canes need to replace him with somebody that fits the fourth-line role better. Verdict: Do Not Re-Sign.

Dan Ellis: Ellis played well at the beginning of the season when he was in the back-up position, but when he was thrown into the starting role after Cam Ward‘s injury, he had a hard time earning wins. But Ward will be healthy at the start of next season and Ellis has proven he can be a better back-up than Justin Peters. The two will compete for the back-up job at training camp should Ellis be re-signed. Verdict: Re-Sign.

Joe Corvo scored scored six goals and 11 assists this season. Mandatory Credit: Bruce Fedyck-USA TODAY Sports

Joe Corvo: Corvo was brought back in the off-season after spending a year with the Boston Bruins. His best offensive days are behind him and will most likely never score over 10 goals or 30 points again. The 35-year-old did not have a bad season, but there are better players that can replace him in the Hurricanes’ organization. Verdict: Do Not Re-Sign.

Marc-Andre Bergeron: Bergeron was brought in at the trade deadline to help the Canes’ power-play which was dreadful at the time. The man-advantage  eventually did turn around, but not due to just Bergeron. The former Tampa Bay Lightning is a one-dimensional player with limited defensive play, which is the last thing the Canes need. Verdict: Do Not Re-Sign.

Bobby Sanguinetti: Sanguinetti’s rookie season saw him score two goals and add four assists. Not a huge amount, but he did score 50 points in 60 games in the AHL in 2012. He also made some mistakes in his own end, but that is expected of a rookie. Sanguinetti is still young, at 25-years-old, and can improve on his first season. It would be worth it for the Hurricanes to sign him to a one-year contract. Verdict: Re-Sign.

Tuomu Ruutu

Ruutu required hip surgery in early January before the lockout was over. At the time GM Jim Rutherford announced that Ruutu had passed a post-season physical and did not know how the injury had happened. The Finnish-forward made a speedy recovery and was expected to take his spot back in the top-six when he returned.

After missing over 10 months of NHL action, it is unrealistic to expect Ruutu to come out and lead the Hurricanes in scoring, but it would be nice to see Ruutu contribute a little to the scoring front. The 30-year-old had a prime scoring chance in the game against the Washington Capitals on Thursday night after receiving a pass in the slot from Riley Nash, but shot the puck right into Braden Holtby‘s chest.

These are the type of chances that Ruutu should score on. He has scored around the 20-goal mark in the past four seasons and the Canes need him to contribute when goals are hard to come by.

Ruutu’s return from injury also played a part in Rutherford’s decision to trade Jussi Jokinen. Since Jokinen joined the Pittsburgh Penguins, the left-winger has scored three goals and two assists in three games.

Ruutu’s first goal this season could give the forward a lot of confidence and right now the whole offense is in a slump, but Ruutu can change that by bearing down and scoring his first goal.

Chad LaRose

LaRose should obviously not be too relied on for scoring, but the American-native should be able to give the Canes a presence on the forecheck and play a gritty game.

Chad LaRose needs to do the small things to help the Hurricanes. Mandatory Credit: Debby Wong-USA TODAY Sports

However, the right-winger did score 19 goals for the Hurricanes last season and only has two this year through 27 games. Some depth scoring could go far for the falling Hurricanes.

So far LaRose has not been able to create a presence for himself as he has done in previous seasons. With the team finding it difficult to score doing the little things that LaRose can provide should help the team make a turnaround.

Justin Faulk

Faulk has only played two games since returning from injury, but has contributed more than Ruutu and LaRose have. Faulk is responsible for the Hurricanes improved transition game that has led to more chances in the past two games.

The American-defenseman also played 22 minutes in both games and has been a strong defensive presence.

But Faulk only had one shot on goal in the game against the Capitals, while the Hurricanes shot 44 times in total. Carolina desperately needs the power-play to start clicking and Faulk should be able to help that by providing a wrist shot that can find the back of the net on the man-advantage.