At almost $5 million a year, Ruutu deal raises the bar

The Hurricanes have loved Tuomo Ruutu's intangibles from the moment he arrived at the trade deadline in 2008 -- his physical play, his honestly, his leadership, his hustle.

That's why they tried so hard to re-sign him when they could easily have dealt him to a contender for a relatively significant return, maybe even the player and first-round pick the Hurricanes were demanding.

The Hurricanes wanted Ruutu to stay. Ruutu wanted to stay. They found common ground Wednesday when Ruutu agreed to a four-year, $19 million contract extension. And the moment he signed that deal to stay here, the bar for Ruutu was set a little higher.

Ruutu scored 26 goals in his first full season with the Hurricanes, a big reason the team made the playoffs in 2009. Since then, though, he's scored 14 (in only 54 games), 19 and is stuck on 17 now while sitting out with a suspected rib injury.

Now that he's making an average of $4.75 million, $4 million next season and $5 million each year after that, it isn't good enough. A $4.75 million forward on a cap team has to deliver more than intangibles. He has to deliver goals: At least 25 a year. Preferably 30-plus, although in Ruutu's case he can compensate with other areas of his game. There's no doubt about that.

That's not asking too much of Ruutu. He's capable. At one point, he was considered the best player in the world outside of the NHL. He would have been drafted much higher than ninth overall if not for a draft-year knee injury. He's done it before, and if he stays healthy, there's no reason he can't do it again.

As far as the Hurricanes are concerned, he has to. He'll be their third highest-paid player, behind only Eric Staal and Cam Ward. Even in the world of a new CBA, with a leveled playing field, a player occupying that relatively large a chunk of a relatively tiny budget has to play at an All-Star level.

At $3.8 million, the cap hit of his expiring contract, Ruutu could get by on intangibles, even if the Hurricanes still need more scoring from him (and everyone else). But in the exclusive neighborhood where he will now reside, he has to produce as well.

His new salary is a big number. The Hurricanes need big numbers from Ruutu in return.