Who Will The Hurricanes Sign Next?
By John Shannon
October 15, 2010; Pittsburgh,PA, USA; New York Islanders right wing P.A. Parenteau skates with the puck against the Pittsburgh Penguins during the 3rd period at the CONSOL Energy Center. The Pens won 3-2 in overtime. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-USPRESSWIRE
Greetings Canes Fans! Wow, what a weekend for Caniacs. The Carolina Hurricanes made a blockbuster deal on Friday evening acquiring Pittsburgh Penguins Jordan Staal. Then on Saturday they drafted several blue chip players which included University of Michigan’s Phillip DiGiuseppe and Brock Mcginn (who plays for Scott Walker in Guelph).
Today I am going to continue where I left off with my previous article covering free agency and what options the Carolina Hurricanes may take. Free Agency begins this Sunday July 1st and had it not been for the Staal deal on Friday, Canes GM may have had his alarm clock set for 12:00 AM and immediately speed dialed the agent representing Zach Parise, or possibly even Ryan Suter. However you feel about sending Brandon Sutter to Pittsburgh, in exchange for Jordan Staal, the fact of the matter is that both teams received exactly what they were so desperately in need of.
In Carolina’s case, we have got a solid center who has had experience in the playoffs and has the physical attributes to not only be a scoring machine but also be a key asset for killing penalties. Either Jordan plays center on his Brother Eric Staal’s line and Eric moves to the wing, or Jordan bumps down a line and we have two Staal’s running the offense on the first two lines. Coach Kirk Muller will have an entire pre-season to do his tooling of the lines and see what works. Another thing we have to consider is that the Canes will be looking at every option, via free agency, to pick up a reliable wing to add to the newly acquired Jordan Staal. I think it would be foolish to think that since we’ve got a solid center now that we are ready to become an elite team and make a serious playoff run. There is more money to be spent and more movement within the organization to become a better and more consistent team. That is where a player such as P.A Parenteau would come into play. I still believe he would complement Eric Staal well on his line leaving Eric at the center position and Parenteau at the wing along with Jiri Tlusty. As the free agency period begins we will get a better understanding of what Parenteau’s asking price will be. Some say that since he is somewhat of a late bloomer, statistically his asking price will come down significantly. This past season was Parenteau’s best point wise as he contributed 18 goals and 49 assists. However the Islanders are so top heavy at the forward position that they are willing to let Parenteau test the free agent market. Their loss could be our gain! That is if we can get the forward at a fair free agent price. Considering how weak the market is it may be very possible for the Canes front office to open the wallet a little more and solidify The Canes offense. Will Parenteau come to Raleigh? I do not know. I am sure that the Canes are not settling on a single player acquisition and are still considering several options.
All this could change after Sunday’s free agent frenzy begins though. There may be deals already in the preliminary stages or it could draw out all summer. Between free agency and the first stages of the Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) beginning, it could make for a dramatic summer. Canes fans, if you are going to hit the pool or the beach it is important to put on your sunblock but more importantly, check back with Cardiac Cane for all your Canes updates.
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