Hurricanes general manager Jim Rutherford said the trade market has been quiet during draft week, didn't get any offers worth considering for the 27th pick and doesn't expect to make a deal anytime soon.
Famous last words — things can change quickly when GMs get bored during the second day of the draft — but Rutherford said contract negotiations with Erik Cole and Chad LaRose are currently the only items on his agenda. And even if they hit the market, he plans to lay low for a while.
“Our goal really is to bring back as much of the team as we finished the season with,” Rutherford said Friday. “We’ll have a better idea in the next week if LaRose and Cole are going to get signed. And if they’re not, we’re going to back off the early part of July, because I think teams pay a premium (for those free agents) during the early part.
“We’ll sit back and see what players filter down to us. There will be a lot of players available in August. With that being said, I hope we don’t get to that point. I hope we can re-sign our own players.”
After expressing initial optimism over the Cole and LaRose negotiations, Rutherford has started to backtrack a bit. (Consider this pointed posting on the Hurricanes' team Web site.) That kind of posturing is natural and ordinary at this time of year, but openly considering the future without Cole and LaRose is another, significant step up the ladder.
As for potential deals, the Hurricanes still hold Anton Babchuk's rights — for the moment. As his perceived value was inflated by his 16 goals, he may end up getting better offers to return to Russia than from the Hurricanes. If there's an NHL team that wants the restricted free agent for its power play, his rights could move for a draft pick in a hurry during the second day of the draft. The Canes wanted a second-round pick for him last year; here's guessing they'd take a fourth-rounder tomorrow.
Luke has worked for The N&O since 2000. He covered the Carolina Hurricanes and the NHL before becoming a sports columnist in August 2008. A native of Evanston, Ill., he graduated from the University of Pennsylvania. He can be reached at (919) 829-8947, @LukeDeCock on Twitter or
Comments
No offence taken - to Robotron
Mon, 06/29/2009 - 10:17 — esteban1949Again i see and understand you points...maybe i am too naive and gullible. But all i do know is what i as a child was taught. If you are a person of integrity,honesty, and credibility, then you will be Honest & Open. So with that i'll close and stop here...again have a good day & great week !
Go Canes !!
Esteban
Sun, 06/28/2009 - 20:51 — robotron2084I think that's a pretty naive literal interpretation. So if LaRose say's he wants to stay, should JR just go ahead and offer him $500k and declare him a liar if he turns it down? I have no doubt he likes it here and IF the team is making a fair market offer for his services, then I would expect him to stay, all things being relatively equal. He may even give one of those "hometown discounts". But there's no way I expect him to turn down a significant pay raise if he's offered one. Nor would I expect him to not even listen to offers. It costs him (virtually) nothing. In fact, wouldn't most employees, even if they love their current job, tell their employer they have an offer for a big raise to see if their current employer wouldn't try to match it? That's what unrestricted free agency is all about. And if your current employer doesn't "value" you as much as another team, then maybe you should move on.
The other naive aspect is the way agents work. The player usually is not involved in the negotiating process at all until it's time to sign the contract. That's the nature of the business. Go back and see what players like Weekes have said in the past about it.
And what should Larose say? "Sure Carolina is ok, but if I see dollar signs elsewhere I'm on the first train outta here!" These guys have a very limited time to cash in on their ability and sometimes that means moving on even if you like where you currently are. It's all about posturing. Players get fans on their side by saying they want to stay. Owners do it by saying they tried to make a fair offer but they have a budget to maintain.
In 99% of the cases, this is still about being a business and if you believe it's ever about love for the game, you're being naive. No offense. ;)
Robotron2084
Sun, 06/28/2009 - 16:14 — esteban1949i have been told before that i do seem seem to live in the past...I do understand your point, and yes they are very valid point. But in my defense, Let me say this please. i am basing my thoughts and comments based on LaRose's own words. He said he wanted to stay ! If what he said is true, and he wasn't lying, then why would a player who publicly said i want to stay go out & look, act and tell their agent,lawyer or whom ever he has employed to go and see what other deals we can get? If i am guilty of something, it would be that i do take a persons words at face value. If Chad LaRose said " I want to stay & Come back" than how is any reasonable,prudent person who understands English to take, understand, comprehend, interpret what the player meant, implied, or intended to say when they said " I want to return again next season ? Yes, I may very well sound very naive or 4 aces short of a full deck. But as person, a fan, any other hat i wear in my time as father,grandfather & etc in this life ( or anyone else for that matter) I do have a "reasonable expectation" that when Chad LaRose said I want to come back, he meant that. IF he said that but didn't say or added BUT i am going to see what else could or might out there, then i have to come to only ONE Conclusion, the man wants or desires to come back and play yet another year for the Carolina Hurricanes
because as this fan is concerned if he had other motives when he said I want to return...then he from the human perspective is a liar sir...as would anyone else be...whether they are a sports figure, a public official, state & federal elected representative...or the President of the USA!And you have to admit, that even here in North Carolina we too have seen and heard our fair share of liars have we not ?
have a safe and good week !
Go Canes !
Esteban, I think you should
Sun, 06/28/2009 - 09:13 — robotron2084Esteban, I think you should take a good look around at player salaries because I think you're probably living several years in the past.
Aside from that, why the heck WOULDN'T an unrestricted free agent not wait it out until July 1st to see what other teams are offering. It's the right they've earned for their endurance in the NHL. You'd simply have to be an idiot to take one team's offer before even hearing what 29 other teams might be willing to pay, agent or not.
I like Jokinen as much as the next Canes fan, but aside from a couple of extremely timely playoff goals, what exactly has he done to earn his current nearly $2 million salary, much less a raise? Larose had 3 times as many goals this past season and more than Jokinen has ever had in the league. Chad's season was certainly better than anything Samsonov has done over the past four years.
Yawn !! Too Quiet
Sat, 06/27/2009 - 18:05 — esteban1949the sad part is until all the ink is dry and it is a done deal,we the fans will never know who and what is going on...but then again, do we really want to ? i have to say that i have looked at LaRose's exit interview several times now, and the guy sounds and acts sincere, but i'm willing to bet a kidney and 4 gall stones it's the agent & lawyers mucking things up ..Ahhh the fun end of Business here in the NHL...go figure !! Now and for the record, i am not begrudging Chad laRose from making an honest dollar and to get the best deal he can, but hey dude, look at your stats...if you owned the Hurricanes and you were the GM...would you be busting your butt to try and give a player like you a healthy & raise ? I don't think so sir...Love you and your efforts, heart, grit you have played and freely given, but dude...don't get freaking greedy, that agent of yours will NOT die and blow away if he can't and won't get you 2.2 million for 2 years or less...now if you scored 35-goals for the last 2 seasons with 80 other points...then maybe we have something to work with. but until that happens...it aint gonna happen...again love ya man...but playing The Game" in negotiations aint getting the love or support or respect from this fan...Good Luck but trust me, Don't hold your breath, as there are other players in the NHL & AHL that can and will take your place in a heart beat...but it is your life..your career.......
Go Canes !!!