Chip is on vacation, so I'm filling in this week with the Monday question. In desperate need of another experienced NHL defenseman, the Hurricanes signed Joe Corvo for a relatively affordable $4.5 million over two years.
The question: Given the presence of other offensive-minded defensemen like Anton Babchuk and Jamie McBain, would the Hurricanes have been better off spending that money on a more defensive-minded player?
Or, given Carolina's financial constraints as well as Corvo's salary and desire to return, would they have been hard-pressed to do any better than Corvo? (Not to mention the failure of last summer's push to add more defensive defensemen....)
Have at it.
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
Worth noting...
Wed, 07/14/2010 - 09:50 — jgrant641Before everyone piles onto what Jim Rutherford should or shouldn't be doing, lets look at one major issue.
at the end of the '11-12 season (2 years from now) the current CBA is set to expire. GM's are all expecting the salary cap to drastically drop to around $48mill, from its current which is upwards of $60mill. If this happens it puts a lot of teams in huge binds.
Now I am not suggesting that JR is tanking then next 2 seasons for this reason, but to further understand his budget and pre-planning makes a lot of sense. We all remember how he planned ahead for the CBA in 2005, right?
As of today we only have Ward and Staal signed beyond '11-12. Talk about flexibility.
*one correction, we do have Dalpe, Jordan, J.Staal, and Kennedy signed to minimal contracts beyond '11-12.
worth noting
Wed, 07/14/2010 - 10:18 — louis12580Correct. I have posted similar thoughts before as well. The focus needs to be on the long term. After this season, Erik, Chad, Joni, and Tuomo all their contracts will expire. After the following season, Tim's contract is up. The team needs to be financially prudent so a to be in a position to sign Joni and Tuomo and then Tim. We don't want to see a Chicago situation with too many untenable contracts thus having to jettison the "meat" of the team. While Dale Tallon can be praised for his draft picks, he can also be roasted for some of the signings (monetary and length wise). Those choices lead to his firing and now the Hawks have lost too many players and especially those who be termed to be "physical." We as fans need to be rational, unlike those fans in Toronto. Don't need Leaf mentality creeping in.
Agree. JR played the
Wed, 07/14/2010 - 10:39 — ctillAgree. JR played the expiration of the last CBA perfectly. He may do so again.
I wonder how long it will take NHL players to notice what's happening in the NBA. NBA players are beginning to assemble teams of their own choosing and then negotiate with the GMs accordingly. It's easier to do in the NBA where just three players can make a team, but it's a landmark shift in power from the GMs to the players.
If the NHL insists on a smaller cap in the next CBA, I'd expect the NHLPA to strike again. But if they don't, or if they fold early, the players could adopt NBA tactics as a fallback. Wouldn't that be interesting.
I still think that the Canes
Tue, 07/13/2010 - 19:15 — DesertCaniacI still think that the Canes should've added a defensive D-man, which Corvo is not. We already had four offensive defensemen before Corvo arrived (Pitkanen, Babchuk, McBain, Sanguinetti) and now we have five. Do we really need that many? This was JR's chance to add a defensive D-man (which we really need) to help out Gleason, and he didn't necessarily do that.
Now, that being said, I like Corvo a lot and I think this was a fine signing because we are getting a great blueliner for a great price. It's a fantastic value so I simply can't be upset with this acquisition. Likewise, it will be great to have Corvo and these other puck-moving defensemen and we'll surely benefit from their offensive productivity. Also, he really wanted to play for Carolina and took a paycut to do so. I'll welcome him back because he loves this organization. This was a classy move on his part.
I still think JR could go out and get a defensive blueliner (most likely through a trade) even though the D ranks are currently filled. Trading one of our offensive D-men for a defensive one makes sense and I believe we'll be a better team as a result. I would consider shopping Pitkanen for a gritty defensive blueliner like Marc Staal. That would more or less be a salary neutral trade, and it would address a big need for us. Just a consideration...
But who, specifically? Not
Tue, 07/13/2010 - 19:37 — ctillBut who, specifically? Not Brett Lebda or Carlo Colaiacovo; they've already signed. Jordan Leopold, Zbynek Michalek, and Mark Eaton signed and got more money than Corvo. Even the often-despised Nic Wallin got more money than Corvo.
Lukas Krajicek is still available, but his +/- isn't impressive. Likewise for Garnet Exelby. And nobody's sure about Brad Lukowich.
There just aren't that many UFA defensive D's this year who are in the $2M range per season and also under the age of 35. There are a lot of guys at $1M or less, but I doubt they'd be significantly better than Harrison, Picard, Carson, Rodney, or Borer.
Well obviously it's out of
Tue, 07/13/2010 - 20:21 — DesertCaniacWell obviously it's out of the question to sign another free agent. That's why a trade will be the only way to go if JR wants to add a defensive blueliner, like I stated earlier. Now, in terms of who it would be, that's up for debate and conjecture. If he's willing to make a trade, I'd consider swapping Pitkanen for Marc Staal. The devil is in the details, but their salaries would more or less be the same. It's not like the Canes would add a ton of salary to get Staal if they moved Pitkanen. And if that doesn't work out, then JR can look at someone else if he wants to.
I like Pitkanen a lot, but this is just an option. Maybe JR signed Corvo and Babchuk (two offensive D-man) because he knew he would shop Pitkanen at some point. This is conjecture of course, but JR usually has pretty good reasons for doing things.
I suspect JR has already
Wed, 07/14/2010 - 10:46 — ctillI suspect JR has already tried to trade Cole, Samsonov, and/or LaRose -- no taker.
Unclear whether a straight-up Pitkanen/M-Staal swap would improve the team.
I also suspect JR will try to move Babchuk. . . particularly if no strong 3rd-line center has clearly emerged by mid-September. Staal and Sutter cannot carry this team on their backs, and we need a better facebook man as well as someone who can get points from the 3rd line. Two-line teams almost always lose.
Positive...gotta be better than last year
Tue, 07/13/2010 - 11:52 — Canes73As Luke points out the bargain basement defensive d-man experiment we went through last year clearly didn't work. I'll admit I was optimistic heading into last year with the look of our D. I thought the signings of A. Ward and Alberts would be great additions and would add that much needed grit and stay at home defensive aspect we needed. Clearly I, along with JR and many others, were wrong. Corvo, although he doesn't exactly fit the specific top 4 role we need, is a legit top 4 d-man and at 2 million, is better than any defensive specialist available. Many have said that had we not signed Babs, that Corvo would be a great signing. I agree, but I also don't anticipate Babs to be here too long. I think that he will either be traded at some point during the season or will not be resigned next year.
This will be an interesting year, I don't expect it to be as bad as many think. Our D won't be great but will be better than last year, hopefully Ward will stay healthy, and we have an influx of young exciting forwards. The team was very slow last year...we won't have that problem this year.
I think JR wants to see how things progress this year and if he, and the ownership, feel that we are ready to contend, they will go out and get that prototypical shut-down defensman then.
Good signing
Tue, 07/13/2010 - 13:19 — buffalo66thCorvo is a great team guy; and this faciliates us trading high-salaried Pitkanen (our best player last year in my opinion), if we tank in the standings.
Great value for money
Tue, 07/13/2010 - 08:25 — Biff_BeersI don't see how the Canes could have gotten a better defenseman for the money. I thought the Canes needed a third veteran defenseman but wasn't sure they could afford one.
Pro, Very Much Pro about Corvo Re-signing
Mon, 07/12/2010 - 21:09 — abramsdougI really like the Corvo re-signing. I totally disagree with those posters suggesting Corvo is a detriment on defense. To the contrary, Corvo and Gleason played very well together. Corvo skates well and has had plenty of outstanding defensive plays. Like every other defenseman on the Hurricanes team, Corvo made mistakes and some of those mistakes ended up in goals. To a large degree, Corvo was the victim of some slow-footed defensemen last year. Aaron Ward, Wallin, Harrison, and Alberts struggled last year and all four were supposed to be standard, stay at home defensemen.
With Gleason, Pitkanen, McBain, Corvo, and Sanguinetti the Hurricanes have some excellent talent at defense. Babchuk will bring a much-needed offensive threat on the power play; and I think his defensive play will be fine this year. I would like to see Carson or Picard re-signed. In my view, the signing of Corvo goes a long way toward solidifying the Hurricanes defense.
pro, very much pro about Corvo re-signing
Tue, 07/13/2010 - 08:39 — louis12580As I have stated earlier, I think this is a great signing. Joe knows the system and is comfortable with it. He and Tim did have a chemistry together which will make the reintegration process easier. As for Anton, he will give us that "presence" from the point on the power play. Hopefully his thought process will have become better and that he reacts more quickly when pressured. The one glaring problem he had was his footwork. That needed to be corrected and hopefully it has. Had he played here, Glen could have worked with him on that aspect.
Having lots of puck-moving
Mon, 07/12/2010 - 15:27 — imayagainknowantonHaving lots of puck-moving defensemen does not necessarily mean that the team will be bad defensively as many seem to be assuming. I'd rather have "offensive" defensemen that can actually get the puck out of their own end and to the forwards than "defensive" defensemen who consistently get hemmed in their own end, then spend 20 seconds making a never-ending series of D-to-D passes before throwing it into a teammate's skates, who will then gather the puck and be forced dump it into the offensive zone as the opposing team had all day to set up a brick wall at their own blueline.
That pretty much describes the failure of last season's defense, where for much of the season the only defenseman that could be even loosely described as a puckmover was Pitkanen. Strange, then, that the team got absolutely slaughtered on the ice continuously with these "defensive defensemen", which is simply a codeword for slow, lumbering defensemen who lack any sort of skill in the transition game, let alone the ability to actually do something in the offensive zone other than throw the puck around the boards to restart a cycle that will inevitably fail.
A defense consisting of Pitkanen, Corvo, Seidenberg, Gleason, Babchuk, Wallin and Kaberle led this team to allowing the 8th fewest goals in the league in 08-09. That is the only time since the lockout that the team has finished higher than 19th in goals against. It's also the only time since the Cup win that the team has made the playoffs. Odd.
It would be nice to have some more defensive defensemen on this team. I'd rather have a *Top 4* defensive defenseman than Joe Corvo. But I'd rather a have a Top 4 offensive defenseman in Joe Corvo than another #5/6 pylon who can't be trusted to play more than 15 minutes a game. Adding Joe Corvo made this team and this defense better and it was at a bargain price.
You know what? I'll take it one step further and say that I'd rather have offensive defenseman Bobby Sanguinetti on this team than defenseive defenseman Jay Harrison simply because Jay Harrison sucks at hockey. I'd rather have a "soft" Brett Carson than a "physical" Jay Harrison because Brett Carson doesn't resemble an ECHL player every shift.
Saying that a defensive
Mon, 07/12/2010 - 16:46 — TheReaper49Saying that a defensive defensemen is a code word for a pylon couldn’t be more wrong. Defensive defenseman are players who are able to prevent scoring chances against your team, even against incredibly talented, explosive forwards. Sure, there are slow-footed ones who can’t make a first pass to save their lives, but those guys make the league minimum and skate on your third pairing (a la Harrison) against bottom 6 forwards. Good defensive defenseman are worth just as much as good puck-movers and they make millions in the league, they win Norris trophys and Conn Smyth trophys and are often largely responsible for Stanley Cup wins.
Do you not understand my
Mon, 07/12/2010 - 17:29 — imayagainknowantonDo you not understand my argument or are you just electing to cherry pick one line that was clearly in reference to the cast of #5/6 pylons that occupied our defense last season..not defensive defensemen as a whole? The point was that I'd rather have a defensive group full of GOOD offensive defensemen than BAD defensive defensemen and that many of these offensive defensemen are considerably better in their own end than the defensive defensemen. Do you REALLY believe, after watching last season, that Jay friggin Harrison is better defensively than McBain, Pitkanen or Corvo? Sorry, but a "defensive mindset" doesn't make up for a total lack of talent. Jay Harrison would be lucky to crack a roster spot on more than 4 or 5 other NHL teams.
Man, you've got a real
Tue, 07/13/2010 - 09:43 — TheReaper49Man, you've got a real hate-on for Jay Harrison.
Of Course, Harrison is not ‘better than’ McBain, Corvo, or Pitkanen. For one, he’s a completely different type of player and it’s obvious why he’s here: to lend some much needed grit to our defense. Rutherford himself said that relying solely on one guy (Gleason) to provide all of the physicality back there is unfair and a mistake. You can argue whether Harrison is the guy or not, but the need is definitely there when none of our other defensemen will so much as throw even the softest of bodychecks. They are just too easy to play against.
I am not ‘anti-Joe Corvo’. I think that if we had not added Babchuk, a 2 million dollar top 4 dman who can move the puck would be a phenomenal move. But having Babchuk and Corvo and Pitkanen in our Top 4 is a mistake. There is not enough defense there. If Babchuk regains his scoring form, maybe they’ll put up enough points to overcome the scoring chances they’ll be giving up. I’m just not convinced.
I think if Rutherford had been able to sign a Top 4 defensive d-man for Corvo dollars (admittedly a difficult proposition with what is out there) or if he had been able to trade Babchuk and another asset for such a player (again a difficult proposition), then I think our D would be in good shape. Apparently, he saw no low-hanging fruit in regards to the above and went for the Corvo signing. I see why he did it, I just think it's a mistake. I also fully expect him to sign Carson to a one-year, one-way league minimum to round out the D.
D corp will be OK
Mon, 07/12/2010 - 15:16 — hellfishHold on here! Gleason may be the only stay at home Dman we have now ,but the pairings we have now will surely score more than they give up...I would've like to had Carson back ,but I do think that Corvo/Pitkanen/Mcbain/Babchuk can easily score 120pts between them. With Tim Gleason having Harrison to help with the enforcing this year i think we'll be fine...Hey i'd rather have Harrison as Pothier he's bigger/faster/tougher and can score just as much or more than Pothier for less $$$. Pothier showed class going from a contender to a non-playoff team ,but i see why the Caps let him go...(1) he's NOT a good skater and (2) he takes alot of penalty's for that reason ,and like Wallin the other team seems to score on everyone of the penalty's he takes ,and i'm sure that's why JR showed no interest in resigning him. Carson though is a mistery for me he played well enough to warrant a spot in the lineup it seems ,but for what ever reason (maybe his agent) him and the front office could'nt come to a contract.
Pothier is a much better
Mon, 07/12/2010 - 15:31 — imayagainknowantonPothier is a much better skater than Harrison.
Pothier had 21 minutes in penalties last year, so I'm not sure where the idea that he takes too many penalties comes from. He had three minor penalties and one fighting major in 20 games with the Hurricanes and five minor penalties in 41 games with the Capitals.
Pothier >>>> Harrison.
Wallin
Mon, 07/12/2010 - 14:38 — ctillWe had a stay-at-home D in Nick Wallin, and folks couldn't wait to see him gone.
There's nothing new about JR's interest in scoring D's. Wesley was one, at the time he was acquired by the Whalers. So were Hedican (that's how he was described when obtained), Kaberle, Ozolinsh, Tverdovsky, Tanabe (when drafted), Hill (who did also play mean D), and Hutchinson. Maybe more. Some of them worked out well, others did not. But JR has consistently tried to have scoring punch on the blue line... even to the extreme of spending big money on Ozo.
To quote someone earlier
Mon, 07/12/2010 - 15:15 — TheReaper49To quote someone earlier “I am amazed at the pedestrian outlook of some people on this forum“. Of course that was in reference to a comment of mine…
There is nothing wrong with an offensive-minded defenseman. You need offensive defensemen. You just do not need a whole corps of them. Someone has to actually play defense and stop the opposing forwards from getting a ridiculous quantity and quality of scoring chances. Right now, the only defensemen we have who have proven that they can consistently play defense are Gleason and Harrison. Gleason is great, but is injury prone and Harrison has never played a full NHL season.
Let’s be clear, the likes of Corvo, Babchuk, McBain, and even Pitkanen, are not “Two-way” guys. And if Rutherford is counting on them as such, he is woefully miscasting them. He might as well make Staal our enforcer or Kotsopolos our top line center or, even worse, Kotsoplos our enforcer… Oh wait, nevermind…
It's way too early
Mon, 07/12/2010 - 17:40 — ctillIt's way too early to call McBain a one-dimensional D. He might turn out that way, but remember: in 1994 nobody would have considered Wesley a shut-down D, but that's what he evolved into... somebody we couldn't have won the Cup without. McBain has plenty of time to decide what kind of player he will become.
I agree that the D needs balance. I would have felt better with Seidenberg for 2010-11 than Corvo, but the hard reality is that Seidenberg is getting paid $1.25 million more. What shut-down D could JR have gotten for $2 million?
I disagree that Corvo and Pitkanen are one-way only. There were home games when Corvo was put on the ice directly against the visiting team's top line -- Pittsburgh, Washington, etc -- and he did about as well as anybody, except for the all-star D's like Lidstrom. Less often, perhaps, were the times when Pitkanen had a stellar game on his end of the ice. But Pitkanen also had to play a lot of minutes when the only other healthy D's on the team were Albany call-ups.
This is kind of funny to
Mon, 07/12/2010 - 11:41 — jgrant641This is kind of funny to me.
Here it is July 12th, not quite 2 weeks after free agency opened up and some of you guys have our summer as being over and the season starting tomorrow.
JR's way is to hang around and capitalize on other teams getting desperate. Power play offense is not easy to find and we seem to be stockpiling it. This will give us trade options later this month or early august when other teams start to panic, it gives JR more of a play on the RIGHT player for us.
I liked Corvo, and was a little surprised/puzzled by his signing, but I can see an upside if we explore the trade route.
The problem with making quick moves on July 1st is that a lot of "best-available" players get over hyped and teams pounce and over pay for players.
Con
Mon, 07/12/2010 - 11:04 — galatians220While it made sense to add a veteran to our young group of D, it needed to be a guy who is stable and reliable. Corvo does many things well, but he has a tendency to be out of position and make horrible turnovers. This is yet another baffling move to re-acquire a former player. If we weren't going to add a defensively sound D, it actually made more sense to save more money and fill the last spot with another young guy.
One thing is for sure, we will have to play an up-tempo style centered on puck possession if we want to have any success this season. Our D is not good enough to keep us in games if they get hemmed in their own end.
Another thing- Cam better be healthy and on his game!
It's often said...
Mon, 07/12/2010 - 10:42 — AllenH...that defense wins games for you and it looks like JR is trying to add more goals from the blueline. My thinking is that the D is to keep the OTHER team from winning.
I'm OK with signing Corvo but not so much with Babchuk. Yeah he put up 16 goals in '08-'09 but none in the playoffs nor toward the end of the season when opponents put somebody in his face and his goals dried up. He has been available for a trade for 3 years with little or no interest, so much for moving him.
Instead of Babchuk, we shoulda re-signed Pothier. He does a decent D-man's job.
Pothier will probably sign
Mon, 07/12/2010 - 11:27 — ctillPothier will probably sign for more than the $1.4M Babchuk signed for. In the new PK/JR economy, I don't think they could afford both Pothier and Corvo -- at least not without unloading another of the higher-paid veterans.
I have seen Aaron Ward
Mon, 07/12/2010 - 10:39 — Hockeydad92Corvo is fine on the powerplay but how much of the game are we playing on the man advantage? I have seen Aaron Ward around town a lot in recent days, my guess is he is JR's last minute economy defensive D man signing. He lives here in the off season and he has said he would like to finish his career here.... Corvo / Ward / Harrison man I bet Cam has trouble sleeping these days...
I remember during the first
Mon, 07/12/2010 - 11:30 — jgrant641I remember during the first half of the season there was some stat that had us at the top of the league with power play opportunities. We hardly converted. I really feel a stronger first half power play could have been the difference last season. In some of those closer games had we converted on 1-2 power plays we could have tied/won the game and accumulated enough points to make the playoffs.
A lot of "what-ifs" but I think JR is looking at correcting the dismal power play first.
Things in Common...
Mon, 07/12/2010 - 10:43 — CanarseJR seems to have another thing in common with his D signings...attitudes. Babchuk is pretty obvious, but Corvo is another. Stories have it that he's a moody so-and-so in the room. Throw in Aaron Ward and they could have a soap opera.
PRO.
Mon, 07/12/2010 - 10:03 — gf101112Glad he's back!
What's wrong with puck moving defensemen? I thought that's what they all do throughout the NHL. Can't Paul, Tom Rowe, and Glen Wesley devise a scheme to keep 1 D-man back a little and NOT ALWAYS go in too deep??? Sounds simple to me. When does camp begin? This season won't be ugly. It's going to be EXCITING!!!
A Bold Experiment
Mon, 07/12/2010 - 10:01 — ocolumnA few years back, a buddy and I had had a few too many beers to celebrate his landing of a patent. He was sure that he was on the brink of making billions with it. The conversation shifted to the Canes and how we would simply buy them from Karmanos. He said I could be the G.M. only if I consented to his bold experiment. He wanted to play the whole game with six skaters and no goalie. As silly as it sounds, we got in a really heated dispute about this and I got angry about what he would be doing to the Canes. I don't think he ever made a dime on the patent and, after we both sobered up, the story was good for a few laughs.
As I look at our defense comprised almost entirely of offensive-minded defensemen, I wonder if JR and my buddy didn't get together at some point and come up with something close to the original bold experiment.
Joe Corvo at 2 years for
Mon, 07/12/2010 - 09:08 — TheReaper49Joe Corvo at 2 years for 4.5 is a good signing when looked at in a vacuum. When viewed as part of the big picture of our current defense, especially with the addition of Babchuk, it doesn’t make any sense at all. Puck Daddy on Yahoo said it best when he asked if there was a stranger defense in the league and that Rutherford seemed to be collecting offensive, power-specialist D-men like it was his hobby.
This team sorely needs a defenseman who can play defense and Rutherford, once again, did nothing to address it. Jay Harrison is not a terrible player and does help out Gleason when it comes to the toughness factor needed on good defensive corps. However, he is a 6th or 7th d-man at best. We needed someone to play in the Top 4 who can shut down opposing forwards.
Corvo is not that guy either. He needs to be paired with a guy like that to be effective. So, pair him with Gleason you say? And then what? Babchuk and Pitkanen as our Top pair? I hope Cam is getting is getting plenty of rest this summer…
Once again, Rutherford shows he has become obsessed with a player proto-type. He seems to have completely forgotten how to provide a balance of versatile player types across a roster (which he had done in the past with great success). Now, up front, he drafts and trades for smallish, speedy wingers who play on the perimeter. On the back end, he drafts and trades for puck-moving, offensive defensemen who aren’t known for their defensive skills.
Time will tell, but this season could be ugly.
What would you do?
Tue, 07/13/2010 - 23:02 — beer210Parts of your criticism are potentially acurate, but you've offered no suggestions. Its pretty easy to say "that was dumb", but what would have been smart. Who would you have signed for 2.25 a year? Lets hear how smart you are.
I would have taken the 1.4
Wed, 07/14/2010 - 22:48 — TheReaper49I would have taken the 1.4 Rutherford paid for Babchuk and the 2 million that he paid for Corvo and then done an assessment if I could do better in the Free Agent market or via trade with my 3.5 mill. My two big targets would have been Volchenkov and Michalek via free agency. If the dollars were too steep for them, which they were, I would have tried plan B which would have been to trade for Bieksa. Rumor was he could be had for fairly cheap out of Van. If I couldn’t swing that, I would have moved to plan C and signed two guys like Foster and Ledba hoping one of them could be a top 4. And then, if that failed, I still could have moved to plan D which is signing Babchuk and Corvo because both of them would still be sitting there after a week of Free Agency hoping their phone rang…
Instead, Rutherford immediately signed Babs, before Free Agency even began, limiting himself to only a few remaining dollars, then went back to an ‘fail-safe’. No risk, no reward.
What would you have done?
Sun, 07/18/2010 - 18:28 — beer210Well done! Those all would have been nice additions. Maybe the Canes felt they need more depth of D with NHL experience and got two instead of just one?
Corvo's value
Mon, 07/12/2010 - 11:11 — KJUNKANESometimes, I am amazed at the pedestrian outlook of some people on this forum. If only we possessed the vision of JR, I should think that we could figure out what he has in mind for the Canes this year.
With regard to the Corvo signing, 1st of all, I think that this was an excellent deal, to bring back experience as well as an obviously loyal player. How can one not be excited in sports when you see loyalty by a player, when so often we see the athlete selling their prowess to the highest bidder, or conscripting their championship recognition ala Labron James!
Now to put a different spin on things, how do we know if part of Rutherford's plan is to amass these puck moving defensemen, see how they perform in training camp, then choose the best and trade the other for our defensive defenseman we all desire? It would seem that some team must need that "puck mover" that some on here are so loathe to take. By doing this, Rutherford may also be shrewdly increasing the value of an asset by holding or amassing valuble assets.
Of course, I am not the hockey whiz that many of you on here are, more of a neophyte, but I long ago learned not to underestimate Jim Rutherford's abilities and foresight.
Corvo, Babchuk, Pitkanen,
Mon, 07/12/2010 - 08:51 — mokimanoCorvo, Babchuk, Pitkanen, McBain and Sanguinetti...all five of those guy's are known for their offense, and all five of them are currently pencilled in to the starting 7 on the Canes blueline this coming season. So either Jimmy Rutherford is trying to set an all-time record of points for one group of defensemen or he is planning on playing alot of 8-6 games next season. Corvo was a bit of a bargain at $2 million next year and he does bring a veteran presence and can log alot of minutes...but the Canes really need a shutdown defenseman that can balance out all those offensive guys on the blue line. Perhaps Babchuk could still be moved this summer via trade or carson is brought back for the $500K one way deal he was offered...but as it stands now, way too many run and gun guy's and not enough stay at home guy's for the Canes defense core.
Corvo Is Not The Issue
Mon, 07/12/2010 - 08:46 — SkylinerA better question is why did the Hurricanes sign Harrison? It seems that was a wasted $500,000 that could have been put to better use, especially with Bobby Sanguinetti on board who almost has to be a better D-Man than Harrison..
The Babchuk situation should be interesting. He has been a recalcitrant, pouty-type figure whose mood swings approximate the peaks and valleys of King Kong's EKG. I would not be at all surprised if he was signed just to get something for him in a trade.
But if both Corvo and Babchuk would shorten their back swings on those cannon shots that would give opponents less time to get ready to block and make them more effective.
All of that notwithstanding, I'm already excited about the season's advent.
because Harrison is a
Mon, 07/12/2010 - 11:22 — jgrant641because Harrison is a physical stay-at-home blueliner.
I could be wrong...
Mon, 07/12/2010 - 09:44 — CharlotteCaniacI could be wrong on this, but didn't Maurice have some experience with Harrison in Toronto before he joined Carolina? If so, that would adhere to the "known commodity" track record.
I like that joe
Mon, 07/12/2010 - 08:30 — esteban1949Corvo is back...and the plus factor is that he came and was willing to settle a few dollars less...and i feel and while he was glad to go to the caps and try to win a cup...but he like dorthy in OZ...he found out ther is NO Place Like Home...and Home for The Corvo family is Raleigh,VC and him playing for the Canes..Good to see ya Luke...enjoy the cooler weather..
Go Canes !!
Like it
Mon, 07/12/2010 - 08:26 — louis12580I like the fact that Joe Corvo was re-signed. With the accent on youth and speed, it is incumbent that we have defensemen who can skate and pass. Corvo along with Pitkanen and McBain can skate and pass. Can he be a liability at times, yes. So can every other defenseman in the league. I still feel that Jim is not done with the defense. I'm sure he's eyeing a player or two to play that stay at home role. We'll just have to stay tuned to this site for further details.
As I said before...
Mon, 07/12/2010 - 07:31 — CharlotteCaniacThis signing would have made a lot more sense had we NOT signed Babchuk. It seems a bit redundant, and I do think we need another shut down defenseman since we lost the likes of Wallin and Alberts (although they weren't exactly top tier).
It seemed as though we really tried to stock up on physical guys last offseason, and since that didn't work we are going in the complete opposite direction this offseason. How about a balance between the two?
The Canes needed help on D,
Mon, 07/12/2010 - 07:31 — ctillThe Canes needed help on D, and they also needed a senior presence in the locker room. Corvo is good offensively. Although his defensive game is not impeccable, he has shown that he's more capable on defense than the "uh oh Joe" nickname implies. For the money JR will pay him, I doubt the Canes could have done better. It doesn't appear that JR was willing to spend more, so I'd say this is a plus.
Guess we'll have to wait for training camp to clarify the situation on a free agent center.