Canes Reloading, not Rebuilding

[DaveG-Canes]

The Carolina Hurricanes now have had their season end in disappointment after strong regular seasons. But don't expect a whole bunch of trades to shake things up. To quote GM Dave Greybill's mentor Jim Rutherford "we like our group".

The 3rd line is going to have to be retooled. A group that previously was comprised of youngster Teemu Pulkkinen, the reliable Matt Cullen, and the ageless Ray "The Wizard" Whitney will inevitably be losing the later two this offseason. In their place expect young playmaking centerman Artem Voronin, who has bounced between the NHL and AHL levels the past few seasons, and a plethora of young, talented players vying for ice time and their NHL shot. How they develop over the offseason will have a lot to say about that, but expect Tom Wilson, Samu Markulla, Dmitri Mikhailov, Andreas Dahlstrom, and Nick Cousins to all make runs at the spot. Everything else up front is expected to remain as is, with some likely special teams tweaking here and there.

Expect the defense to be much the same with the emergence of stud prospects Kevin Gravel and Bohumil Jank's resignings being top priority this offseason. First round pick Jon Diaby isn't expected to sniff the NHL level for a few years yet, but last years third rounder Slater Koekkoek could be another matter entirely. For a defense that should shake up a good bit over the next few years, it's going to be a slow process. This years draft picks both should be fixtures long term though, and might even make an interesting physical pairing down the road that would be a menace to play against.

[Commish Bub(NYR)]

...To quote GM Dave Greybill's mentor Jim Rutherford "we like our group"....

EHM life > real life.

[DaveG-Canes]

heh, figured I need to work a few Canes board memes in here and there when needed. Just wait for my draft review.

[SharksGM]

Raleigh fans were clamoring for a rebuild after a 105 point season, eh? I think most would just be happy to make the playoffs regularly and not keep signing the dregs of the league for NHL roles.

[DaveG-Canes]

after not making the conference finals for 3 years, yeah, a bit of a retool is needed. The real Canes could only hope to be that consistent, but it is what it is.

[Commish Bub(NYR)]

after not making the conference finals for 3 years, yeah, a bit of a retool is needed. The real Canes could only hope to be that consistent, but it is what it is.

One playoff appearance in seven years seems pretty consistent to me.