Jiri Tlusty reacts as he receives congratulations from Jeff Skinner after scoring in the second period against the Detroit Red Wings at Joe Louis Arena. Mandatory Credit: Rick Osentoski-US PRESSWIRE

I waited two days to blog about the Skinner extension because I knew if I wrote the minute I heard the news it would go a little something like this…

OMG! Seven years of Skinner! OMG! I love you JR! I love you Skinny! The End.

With my girlish fanhood in check, I would like to tell you the top five reasons why GM Jim Rutherford is Raleigh’s Man of (the freakin) Year…

5.  Mr. Rutherford re-signed our three broadcasters to new, multi-year contracts. That’s right, John Forslund, Chuck Kaiton, and Tripp Tracy will continue to be a staple in the Canes’ family.

4. JR continues to grow the young talent with the continued signings of Zach Boychuk, Drayson Bowman, Jerome Samson, Chris Terry, Brett Sutter, Justin Peters, John Muse, Brody Sutter, Nicolas Blanchard, Bobby Sanguinetti, and Justin Krueger. Not to mention the various entry-level contracts.

3. He extended the contracts of Jay Harrison, Jamie McBain, Jiri Tlusty, Tuomo Ruutu, Tim Gleason, and Jeff Skinner. I’ll count Joe Corvo as an extension.

2. Adding power to the Canes’ offense with the huge signing of Jordan Staal and the gutsy signing of Alexander Semin.

1. Let’s be honest, the Canes were reaching their expiration date on success. JR turned a stale loaf of bread into delicious breadcrumbs that are now coating a juicy chicken parm. It’s going to be a delicious season.

These five factors mean higher ticket sales for our franchise, a greater chance for success, and hopefully more money to the Kids ‘N Community Foundation. Perhaps, the greatest benefit reinforces the Canes’ Pride, Passion, Community tagline. Seasoned fans have a new hope and we are bound to attract new fans that will certainly fuel our pride and passion in this hockey community.

As always, thanks for reading. Keep up with us on Facebook and Twitter: @CardiacCaneFS, @Caniac176, @Caniac_John, and @PJT_Caniac.

Jordan Staal is a Hurricane. Nope. Still hasn't sunk in yet. (Photo: Charles LeClaire-US PRESSWIRE)

July 1st is coming upon us and that means two things: it’s hot as hell outside and NHL free agency begins. While Carolina made a controversial splash during the NHL draft trading their 8th overall pick, prospect Brian Dumoulin and center Brandon Sutter to the Pittsburgh Penguins for Jordan Staal, there are still several holes to fill on the team. While Jim Rutherford stated on Twitter that, “We will continue to look to add another piece or two before the season starts,” it is unclear whether Rutherford will make another trade or fill those holes via free agency. Either way, there are holes to fill on the team, including:

• Another true stay-at-home defenseman. With Carolina having so many offensive defensemen on their roster and in the system (Pitkanen, McBain, Murphy, etc) and with the strong possibility of unrestricted free agent Bryan Allen taking his talents elsewhere, the Canes need to look to add another strong defenseman that will solidify the core. With a goaltender like Cam Ward and Carolina’s goals against being one of the worst in the NHL, that’s an issue. With Ryan Suter most likely going to a bigger market (i.e. Detroit), look for Rutherford to go after Matt Carle or Dennis Wideman.
• A gritty, strong fourth-liner. Let’s be honest with each other. Carolina needs team toughness. They had several players in the past who would play that role including Tim Conboy and Troy Bodie. However, they have shied away from that type of player in the last couple of years and it has shown. Defensemen Tim Gleason and Jay Harrison are currently the likely candidates to scrap, but the problem with Gleason and Harrison fighting is that they’re also two of our best defensemen and Carolina can’t afford having them sit in the sin bin for 5 minutes.
• Another strong scoring winger. With Jordan Staal added to the mix, it will be up to head coach Kirk Muller how he’s used. He can either play center on the first line with his brother, Eric, or get placed as a second line center. Either way, adding another top 6 scoring winger will help the club out tremendously. This can be done via trade or free agency, but it can also mean that some of the players’ that have been waiting to get a legitimate shot at playing in the big leagues (Dalpe, Bowman, Boychuk, etc.) will need to step it up if they want to be considered for a top role with the club going forward. If Carolina looks to go the free agency route, I personally wouldn’t be surprised to see a familiar face come back (“Say hello to my little friend”).
• A third line center. With the departure of Brandon Sutter, Carolina loses key depth down the middle and one of their best (if not THE best) defensive forwards. While many assume that Jeremy Welsh will assume that role at some point, it’s unclear as to whether “some point” will be this season or not. The Canes will also look at Riley Nash, who received some playing time last season with Carolina before finishing out the season with Charlotte. Both Welsh and Nash will most likely be battling out for the third line center spot in training camp, assuming Rutherford doesn’t go out and acquire one via trade or pick one up through free agency.

As big of a deal it is to bring Jordan Staal into the mix, it certainly leaves us with more questions then it does with answers. Some of those questions will be answered over the next couple of weeks with whomever Rutherford decides to bring into the fold. My guess is that he stays true to his word and adds one or two key pieces (hopefully a forward and defenseman) and hopes that some of the players from Charlotte bring it during training camp. The Hurricanes are as desperate as ever to make the playoffs now than ever before and management knows that. They have given up one of their core guys to bring in a potential superstar, but there are still a few key pieces that need to be added to make them a legit playoff contender. We’ll see over the next couple of weeks if those holes can be filled.

How do you think Carolina will fill the needed holes? Will players from Charlotte who have been knocking at the door finally break through in training camp and pre-season in order to stick around? Let us know  on Facebook and Twitter: @CardiacCaneFS, @Caniac176, @Caniac_John, and @PJT_Caniac

Mar 17, 2012; St. Paul, MN, USA; Carolina Hurricanes defenseman Jamie McBain (4) shoots during the second period against the Minnesota Wild at the Xcel Energy Center. Mandatory Credit: Brace Hemmelgarn-US PRESSWIRE

Jim Rutherford, President and General Manager of the Hurricanes organization expressed interest in working on 24-year old McBain’s contract during exit interviews at the end of the season. McBain was asked to play for Team USA during the IIHF World Championships, which Rutherford had hoped he would participate in to gain the experience.

Rutherford said of the signing:

“Jamie is still a very young player who has established himself as an NHL defenseman,” said Rutherford. “He moves the puck well and has shown that he can contribute offensively, especially on the power play.”

McBain led Hurricanes defenseman in points and assists in the 2011-12 season. The 2012-13 season will be McBain’s fourth year at the pro level, after playing three years at the University of Wisconsin. The D-man spent most of the second half of the 2011-12 season paired with Jaroslav Spacek.

Some of the highlights from McBain’s NHL career so far:

-Scored his first NHL goal on March 20, 2010 with one second left in overtime against Pittsburgh Penguins netminder Marc-Andre Fleury.

-McBain was one of 12 NHL rookies to participate in the superskills competition at the 2011 All-Star Weekend in Raleigh.

-He played in his 100th NHL/Hurricanes game in the 2011-12 season on November 4 against the Washington Capitals.

-McBain celebrated a win with his Canes teammates in his home state of Minnesota when the Hurricanes defeated the Minnesota Wild 5-3 on March 17.

-He got his own bobblehead people!

McBain was one of the first in line to send a signed jersey and card from the Canes to Minnesota high school player Jack Jablonski. The 16-year old, who was once coached by McBain’s father, was paralyzed from a check into the boards in January 2012. Though doctors say he will never walk or skate again, Jablonski is determined to step back on the ice again in the future. McBain visited Jack during the 2012 All-Star break.

With McBain’s contract out of the way, the Canes now have six defenseman under contract for 2012-13: Justin Faulk, Tim Gleason, Jay Harrison, Derek Joslin, McBain, and Joni Pitkanen. The future of Spacek and Bryan Allen remain uncertain. Chip Alexander of the News & Observer reports via Twitter that Allen will test free agency on July 1, after turning down at least one reported offer from the Canes. The Hurricanes have also announced Bobby Sanguinetti, who impressed the organization not only during his call up late in the season, to a one-year, two-way contract. More about that here. In other signing news, forward Nicolas Blanchard has signed a two-year, two-way contract. The official release from the Canes can be seen here.

I’m sure we’re all looking forward to seeing Mr. McBain in deep thought on the Hurricanes bench prior to warmups for the next two years! Send your congrats to Jamie on Twitter @jbain4.

Excited to have Bainer officially on board? Chat with us on Facebook at  CardiacCane or on Twitter:@CardiacCaneFS, @Esbee92, @peacelovepuck, @caniac176 and @CaniacCaz.