Much of the media attention today was centered on Jeff Skinner and Jared Staal and their experiences on the first day of the Canes' prospect conditioning camp, and that's understandable. Skinner is the team's first-round draft pick and Staal the youngest brother of Canes captain Eric Staal.
But Riley Nash is an intriguing player. He's the player the Edmonton Oilers drafted but couldn't sign. He's the player the Canes' Ron Francis wanted. He's 21, having played three college seasons at Cornell. He's also a center.
The Canes obtained Nash on the second day of the NHL Entry Draft, giving up a second-round pick. And he said Wednesday that he will decide after this week's conditioning camp whether to return to Cornell for his senior year or sign a pro contract.
"I'm not going to leave everyone hanging around too long," Nash said. "I'm hoping to have enough information and be wise enough after this camp to make an educated decision. That's what I've been taught my whole life, so why not stick to that?"
The Canes are in need of a playmaking center. That's what the Oilers believed they were getting when they made Nash their first-round pick -- 21st overall -- in the 2007 draft, but could not get Nash signed to an entry-level contract.
"I just felt I had better opportunities elsewhere," he said. "I knew I'd have a tough time making (the Oilers roster) with all the transition they were going through. It just didn't feel right to me.
"Hopefully they're happy with what they got, and I'm happy with what happened for myself."
Francis was closely watching today at the RecZone as the prospects worked out on the ice, and had plenty of help. Assisting him were Rod Brind'Amour, Glen Wesley, Tom Barrasso and Jeff Daniels.
On Nash's pending decision, Francis smiled and said, "If he's smart enough to go to an Ivy League school, he's smart enough to figure that out. I think he knows where I'm hoping he'll decide.
"I've seen him play for a while and I really like his talent and I'm getting to know him more as a person here. In talking to his (college) coach, great kid on and off the ice and great teammate. The games I've seen him play, he's done some pretty special things."
A Raleigh native, Chip has worked at the N&O since 1979 and is the Canes beat writer. He can be reached at 
Comments
I hope he signs but....it should be a 2 way
Fri, 07/09/2010 - 09:14 — Caniac324There is a spot open for the taking but to give him a one way deal as his first contract does not send a good message work ethic wise. Most first NHL contracts are 2 way deals...admittedly some players are too young for AHL which limits Teams choices. Seems Nash has the talent to be a good NHL Center he just needs to have the confidence in himself to be willing to prove it on the ice. That is what a 2 way deal is all about in this situation, JR has no intention of signing a veteran Center if one of the young guys can handle the job. That said he can not cave to Nash and give him a one way...every good prospect that comes after him will demand the same thing...making signing them even harder. Fair is Fair, if Sutter, Staal and other top prospects have taken 2 way deals and earned there right to be on the Canes then so should Nash, it is what is best for him and the Team!
I hope he signs but....it should be a 2 way
Fri, 07/09/2010 - 09:14 — Caniac324There is a spot open for the taking but to give him a one way deal as his first contract does not send a good message work ethic wise. Most first NHL contracts are 2 way deals...admittedly some players are too young for AHL which limits Teams choices. Seems Nash has the talent to be a good NHL Center he just needs to have the confidence in himself to be willing to prove it on the ice. That is what a 2 way deal is all about in this situation, JR has no intention of signing a veteran Center if one of the young guys can handle the job. That said he can not cave to Nash and give him a one way...every good prospect that comes after him will demand the same thing...making signing them even harder. Fair is Fair, if Sutter, Staal and other top prospects have taken 2 way deals and earned there right to be on the Canes then so should Nash, it is what is best for him and the Team!
I feel the kid will go back
Thu, 07/08/2010 - 21:33 — esteban1949To College...as it would be a CYA ( Cover YourA-- thingy...but still will all the talent we have now in that posistion...it could work in his IF he was to sign and return to college...but then again,will JR allow or permit that ?? Only time will tell huh ?
The Canes are Good,My Grandkids are Better, and Life is Great !! Go Canes !!
"IF he was to sign and return to college"
Fri, 07/09/2010 - 00:38 — NCBuff_CaniacEsteban, I am pretty sure he cannot sign with the Canes or any other professional organization and return to Cornell and play hockey. Those pesky NCAA rules prevent it. If he wants to go back to Cornell, then in all likelihood he will become a UFA after the next college season. I suppose he could sign after the end of the college season, but that would likely be an AHL contract and it seems he does not want to play in the AHL.
"If he was to sign and return to college"
Fri, 07/09/2010 - 09:53 — louis12580Once you sign a contract you forfeit your eligibility. Now, once upon a time, you could sign a contract in one sport, but not lose your eligibility in another. John Elway once signed a minor league contract with the Yankees, but still was able to play football at Stanford.
Russell Wilson
Fri, 07/09/2010 - 15:17 — richardfocThe two sport thing is still in place. Russell Wilson is playing minor league ball this summer and will be playing football at State College in the fall. Trajan Langdon also did it when he was at Duke.
Interesting Situation
Thu, 07/08/2010 - 17:38 — CanarseEven if the guy doesn't want to go to the AHL he has to consider how open the Canes are at center. He'll probably cost himself some cash by waiting until next year unless he kills it at Cornell. Even if he doesn't start in the NHL it's wide open in Carolina. His options will likely be less attractive next summer. Hopefully he'll sign, but a Cornell degree is a good thing. I hope JR doesn't lowball him, but it wouldn't surprise me.
There is a spot
Thu, 07/08/2010 - 12:16 — Hockeydogopen for him if he does well in camp. The team only has 2 centers right now. If he doesn't disappoint Francis this week I'm sure he ( Ron) will be lobbying for a one way deal. If he goes back to school they could still bring him back once the college season ends, but it seems to me if he chooses school he'll stay all year and get himself to UFA status so he can be more in control of which team he plays for as canicacforever posts. If he won't sign now then the team needs to try and move his rights because he will go elsewhere next summer.
Third Line
Thu, 07/08/2010 - 09:01 — CaniacforeverThere is a wide open spot available for Nash on the 3rd line at the center position. The players he would be competing with there would be Zac Dalpe and Jeff Skinner. Both guys profile as better professional wingers than centers. Nash is defensively responsible and more of a pass first player than either of those guys too which is an option we need with Cullen gone.
The problem is that if we don't sign him now and he goes back to Cornell for his Senior season, he becomes unrestricted in June next year. R.J. Umberger did the same thing to the Vancouver Canucks and eventually was traded for peanuts to another team that tried to sign him but failed. He ultimately signed with the Flyers as an unrestricted free agent and the Rangers, who traded for him, picked up a 2nd round compensatory pick.
This kid is clearly trying to angle for an NHL roster spot or he will comfortably go back to Cornell, finish his degree, and choose his own destination next summer. He will not play in the AHL and has made that pretty clear. That's why Edmonton traded the 21st overall pick in '07 for a 2nd rounder.... because he wouldn't sign there either.
It's going to be interesting to see if this kid signs with us.
Also, note to Chip here. He's not of any relation to Rick Nash as far as he knows. That was a rumor.
When would the Canes
Thu, 07/08/2010 - 08:12 — NCBuff_Caniaclose rights to him if he doesn't sign? He sounds like a good if not great prospect but how soon would he end up either being a true free agent or going back into the draft if the Canes don't sign him? I assume that it would be after next year at the latest. Can anyone enlighten me?
I've got a feeling he is
Thu, 07/08/2010 - 07:33 — CharlotteCaniacI've got a feeling he is going to head back to college. If he doesn't want to play in the AHL, I don't see a spot for him on the roster this year unless he really does something special in camp and pre-season.
Having said that, if he does choose to go back to school, I hope that management will be more patient with him then they have been with other players in the past. We gave up a good asset to get him and I would hate to see us pout and dump him hastily if he chooses school first.
This just in Nash has called
Wed, 07/07/2010 - 22:36 — jgrant641This just in!...
Nash has called for a 1 hour special to air on ESPN after the LeBron special, to announce his decision. I think Nash will join Wade and Bosh in Miami...
wait, what is the question again?
From the Ithicajournal.com
Wed, 07/07/2010 - 21:06 — AN0NYM0USCornell is awaiting word on whether Riley Nash will return for his senior season. Nash's NHL rights were recently traded by the Edmonton Oilers to the Carolina Hurricanes. Edmonton traded up in the 2007 NHL Entry draft to select him 21st overall. He recently told his hometown newspaper, the Kamloops (British Columbia) Daily News, that he'll "probably" decide after the camp whether he'll return to Cornell or not. The camp runs through Saturday in Raleigh, N.C.
"Even now, I don't know if I'm ready to step out yet," Nash told the paper. "Jobs not being all that abundant, (a Cornell degree) means that much more. It's not something you just give up easily." Cornell coach Mike Schafer has been in contact with Nash this summer. The conversation has been similar to the past two off-seasons where Schafer hasn't tried to convince Nash to come back, rather just point out the benefits of returning to school.
"He wants to play in the NHL. He really doesn't want to play in the (AHL)," Schafer said. "He's a very methodical kid when it comes to if he's ready and if there's opportunity for him. That's what he's tried to figure out every year since he's been here. "He's a smart kid. He knows the pros and the cons of staying and leaving. It's up to him to make his own decision, and then we move from there. We just adjust accordingly." Schafer said there isn't a timetable for Nash to make a decision, and he isn't sure which way Nash is leaning. "It's not like the LeBron thing," Schafer joked. "We have no idea, and we won't know until he ends up ... saying he's decided one way or the other."After a slow start and missing four games with a quadriceps injury, Nash finished the season leading the team with 23 assists and was third with 12 goals and 35 points.