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Canes center Eric Staal and goaltender Cam Ward have earned invitations to participate in Canada's National Men's Team orientation camp, it was announced today.

The summer evaluation camp will be held Aug. 24-27 at the Saddledome in Calgary to assist in preparation for the 2010 Winter Games in Vancouver.

A total of 46 players received invites, including both of Staal's younger brothers -- defenseman Marc Staal of the New York Rangers and center Jordan Staal of the Pittsburgh Penguins. 

In addition to Ward, the other goalies in the camp will be Marc-Andre Fleury of the Penguins, Martin Brodeur of New Jersey,  Roberto Luongo of Vancouver and Steve Mason of Columbus.

Staal was on Team Canada's "taxi squad" at the 2006 Winter Olympics in Torino, Italy.

From Talking Points: 

As far as the Hurricanes are concerned, it's funny how much can change overnight. When we went to bed Tuesday, general manager Jim Rutherford's last public statement indicated that Erik Cole was ticketed elsewhere and there was a chance Chad LaRose might return to the nest quickly after testing the market.

By the time the biscuits came out of the oven Wednesday, the door was open for Cole to return and LaRose had been bid farewell. So far, that's what has happened -- Cole signed for two years at an average of $2.9 million a year and LaRose remains a free agent, with Rutherford now dangling an impending signing in front of the fan base.

Read more here.

The Canes have agreed to new, two-way contracts with restricted free agent forwards Patrick Dwyer and Michael Ryan.

“Patrick and Michael add important depth to our organization at the forward positions,” general manager Jim Rutherford said in announcing the signings. “Both players had productive seasons last year and are capable of contributing at the NHL level.”

Dwyer, 25, made his NHL debut last year and played in 13 games for the Canes during three recalls from Albany of the American Hockey League (AHL). He scored his first NHL goal at Philadelphia on Nov. 28, and appeared in two Stanley Cup playoff games, recording one assist.

Ryan, 29, played in 18 games for the Canes, recording two assists while averaging 8:12 of ice time.

It's not quite like winning a Stanley Cup but it is a nice distinction: the Hurricanes have been named the NHL's best franchise in ESPN the Magazine's seventh annual "Ultimate Standings."

The magazine ranks the franchises in Major League Baseball, NBA, NFL and NHL in terms of "paying fans back for their investment of time, money and passion." The Los Angeles Angels got the No. 1 ranking and the Hurricanes were No. 2.

The criteria includes affordability, quality of coaching, fan relations, commitment of ownership, stadium or arena experience, team success and "bang for the buck." Among NHL teams, the Detroit Red Wings were ranked No. 4 and the Washington Capitals No. 6.

The magazine will be on newstands Friday.

From Talking Points: 

Either way, this isn't what the Hurricanes expected to happen today. Perhaps Rutherford overestimated the desire of Cole and LaRose to remain in Carolina. Perhaps he assigned a greater financial value to that desire than they did. And perhaps they intended to test the open market all along (for a player, the chase for that one big free-agent payday can be a strong lure).

Read more here.

Canes defenseman Tim Gleason has been invited to the U.S. Olympic Men's Ice Hockey Orientation Camp.

The camp will be held Aug. 17-19 at Seven Bridges Ice Arena in Woodridge, Ill.

Gleason, 26, completed his fifth NHL season in 2008-09, earning 12 assists in 70 games for the Hurricanes. He led all Carolina defensemen and ranked 16th among NHL blueliners in hits (171).