While it would be hard to imagine Paul Maurice not getting a new contract and continuing to coach the Carolina Hurricanes, general manager Jim Rutherford said today that it may be a week to 10 days before a final decision and an announcement is made.
Rutherford said he would first conduct exit interviews with the players and coaches, then meet with team owner Peter Karmanos Jr. to discuss the plans for next season and beyond.
"Paul and the whole coaching staff did a very good job in helping us recover from an average start to having a very good second half to getting to the (Eastern) conference finals," Rutherford said. "Paul did an extremely good job, did everything he was asked to do."
Maurice was named coach Dec. 3 after Peter Laviolette was fired. The Canes reached the playoffs for the first time since winning the Stanley Cup in 2006, and the franchise finished in the black financially after reaching the conference finals.
"We had a lot of good things happen at a time when we needed them to -- returning to the playoffs for the first time in a while, and in some tough economic times," Rutherford said. "I'm really proud of this team, even though it was a disappointing way to end the season, and thankful for the way our fans responded. They're probably the classiest fans in the league."
The Canes have some tough decisions to make in resigning their restricted and unrestricted free agents. Rutherford said a budget for next year would have to be set before beginning that process -- Carolina had a budget of $49 million this season, Rutherford said.
"I think the nucleus and the core that we have can win the Cup again," he said. "It's a matter of making a healthy run. We just need to regroup and put together a good team for next year."
Rutherford said a draft priority would be finding a player or players with size, whether on defense or at forward. He said the Canes would have the 27th pick with the draft order reworked.
"I think adding a little size would be good for us," he said. "But you never know how the draft will work out. You have to take the best player available."
Rutherford said a few days ago that "something extraordinary would have to come up for this coaching staff not to return."
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 just replayed
Mon, 06/01/2009 - 14:31 — esteban1949The press conference with JR & Mo and Mo looks tired...the bags under his eyes were something else...make me glad I am NOT a Coach in the NHL...
Go Canes !!
Goalie?
Thu, 05/28/2009 - 11:50 — LesPaulCaninacYes, Cam is the man... no question about it. However, I wonder if we had someone who could have rested him against Pittsburg would that have helped his back? I know most of the games were close until the middle of the 3rd... but just thinking. Haven't heard anyone mention what we should do for a backup goalie.
GO CANES!!! Great season. One you should be proud of!
Size Does matter
Wed, 05/27/2009 - 22:46 — esteban1949But many of us forget that no team can have what isn't there or available at the time. Between the draft and off season trades, the canes can and will be a wee bit different next season. But that is up to JR and His Boss the team Owner isn't it ? As far as giving Mo a new contract, I am all in favor of that. But instead of a long term, make it a 2 year contract. Why ? Ubtil the Canes can get out having to keep on Paying the Leaf's and PL...there might NOT be that much cash in the cookie jar for anything longer that 2 years for Mo...as the Cap only relates to the Players. But knowing and watching JR closely for the last 3 years especially, i have ever confidence that he will do what is best over all for the Canes...even if it causes some of fans some grief initially. It looks like History will be repeating it's self...The Red Wings beat Chicago in OT...last years teams are this years teams. Could Detroit be trying to start a "dynasty" ??
Size with speed
Wed, 05/27/2009 - 14:06 — Canes73It took a while but JR has finally realized that you can't win with speed and skill alone...this isn't 2006 anymore. Even size isn't enough on its own. There are plenty of big pylons in the NHL as well. The trick is finding those big physical players that can also skate. I wonder if there is a Milan Lucic (50th pick in 2006) type player that has slipped through the cracks...highly unlikely...but you never know. It makes you realize how important scouting is. Look at Detroit who keep finding these gems without the benefit of a top end pick (Lidstrom #53, Fedorov #74, Holmstrom #257, Datsyuk #171, Zetterberg #210, Kronwall #29, Hudler #58, Franzen #97, Helm #132). I don't know what they are paying their scouts but it can't possibly be enough.
This should be a very interesting off-season. I know I'm probably in the minority but I'd like to see them re-sign Cole (as long as his contract demands are reasonable). I know he had a rough playoff but he sure fit in nicely at the tail end of the regular season and he does have that combination of speed, size and skill the Canes need. Ruutu and Larose are no-brainers; we need their physicality and energy. I liked Jokinen too, but if we can find a player with a little more size, I'd prefer to go that route. Defense needs some serious work. We all love Babchuk's shot but he needs to commit to picking up his defensive game if we are going to re-sign him. I don't mind Seidenberg but we already have too many #5/#6 d-men, so he has to go, which is too bad because I would prefer him over Wallin or Kaberle. With Corvo and Pitkanen and possibly Babchuk, we have enough offensive d-men, but we need some legitimate shut-down guys on the back end.
JR clearly has his work cut out for him. Here's hoping he can pull another rabbit out of his hat.
Seidenberg is a must keep
Wed, 05/27/2009 - 15:09 — Canesfan1287I fail to understand how Seidenberg is a 5th or 6th defenseman. He lead the Hurricanes in the Regular Season and Post-Season in Blocked Shots (160 and 39 respectively). The latter lead the NHL in the postseason in blocked shots. Further, he was only a -9 in the regular season while averaging over 22 minutes of icetime. I will take him anyday of the week in our number two pairing. Neither Wallin or Kaberle can step up into that position and no one out of the draft will be ready. If anything I would like to see Rodney and Borer move up to the 5th and 6th slots respectively. Benching Wallin and Kaberle.
Only a -9?
Thu, 05/28/2009 - 08:25 — Canes73That is by far the worse +/- on the Hurricanes this year in the regular season. Add that to his -5 in the playoffs and I don't see how you you would want him in your number two pairing. The fact that he is averaging more than 22 minutes of ice time further emphasizes the Canes problems on defense. I like Seidenberg too but it's unfair to ask him to fill the roll of a top 4. If by season's opener, Wallin and Kaberle are gone and we pick up at least one legitimate top 4 shut down defensman, I'll be a happy man.
you dont measure a
Wed, 05/27/2009 - 21:42 — clementnormanyou dont measure a defensmen's worth by blocked shots. his TOI is by default not due to his skill level. remember this guy was aquired for kevyn adams straight up. in other words hes average, and small.
thats right shot blocking
Thu, 05/28/2009 - 19:03 — Canesfan1287thats right shot blocking isn't an important facet of the game. especially when the starting goalie has no glove hand or rebound control. or crumbles when he sees too many shots in a game.
obviously neither of you watch a lot of hockey or have ever played. most likely your band wagon fans from the 06 season. he is one of the best defenseman on the canes team. I will take him in my top 4 any day considering what the Canes have to choose from (i'd scratch Wallin and Kaberle permanently and bring in Rodney and Borer). JR and PK aren't going to go out and spend the money to get anyone else, and the draft isn't deep enough to draft a top 4 defenseman.
Wha???
Fri, 05/29/2009 - 10:16 — Canes73First of all, I am no bandwagon fan. I have been a fan of this franchise for 24 years. Secondly, I'm a Canadian who has been playing hockey since I was 3 year's old. Your love affair with Seidenberg is very evident and as I said, it's not that I don't like him or think that he isn't a capable defensman. I agree, right now he is one of the top 4 defensmen on the Canes team, but that doesn't mean that he is a legitimate top 4 defensman, which is why changes have to occur on our blueline.
Shot blocking is important but it's not the most important aspect of a defensman's job. Check the leaders in shot blocks, you won't find names like Chara or Lidstrom up there, and yet they are seen as the best defensmen year after year. The names you will find at the top are names like Zbnek Michalek, Brett Clark, and Greg Zanon....not exactly household names, are they? Shot blocking is just one of many aspects a D-man needs to have in his game. You're on here telling us that we know nothing about hockey, when you’re calling out Cam Ward for having no glove hand or rebound control. Around the NHL, Cam Ward is known for having impeccable rebound control and during the last game HNIC colour commentator Greg Millen (also a former goalie in the NHL) stated that he thinks Cam Ward has one of the best glove hands in the NHL. Yes, he let a floater in during the last game and he certainly didn't have his best series, but for you to call him out like that, shows your true hockey knowledge...Ward is 25 years old, 6-1 in playoff rounds, Conn Smythe, and 4-0 in game sevens...I think he's done pretty well for himself and for this hockey team.
JR and PK will not be
Fri, 05/29/2009 - 11:14 — Canesfan1287JR and PK will not be spending the money required for a legit top 4 defenseman. Therefore, I would like to see them keep Seidenberg as he is more capable then his replacements. If there was no self-imposed cap by PK and they would spend to the cap, I would support letting Seidenberg go and replacing him with a better defenseman. However, we will never have a Chara or a Lidstrom as they are too expensive.
They say you can't always believe what you hear. I don't listen to any commentators. I base my opinion on watching the game. In the Pittsburgh series he continuosly put rebounds in bad positions for his team and towards the Pens players. It is one of his weak spots. One that Barrasso has been working on him with. Further, if you didn't know the book on Cam Ward is high glove. More goals are scored there or between his legs. He is a positional goalie, not an athletic goalie. Therefore, he relies on being in good position. If you look at his series against Pitt he was consistently out of position (not hugging the post on Malkin's 3rd goal for the trick) and let in several weak shots over his glove.
You may know your hockey and may have played since 3. But I stand by the fact that the other commentator (whose post I was directly replying to just unfortuanetly looped you in with) is most likely a bandwagon fan.
And also on that list of top shot blocking defenseman you'll find, mike komisarek, roman hamrlik, niclas havelid, jay mckee, and anton volchenkov among others. Ones I would consider household names.
You don't have to break the bank on a top 4 defensman
Fri, 05/29/2009 - 12:36 — Canes73I'm not talking about picking up a Chara or Lidstrom...although it would sure be nice. There are some #3/#4 D-men out there that would fit the bill and allow Seidenberg to fall into a #5/#6 spot. We have a couple of decent offensive guys now in Corvo and Pitkanen but they each need to play with a shut down type player in order to be an effective pairing. Gleason has been working well with Corvo but we need someone to work with Pitkanen. If JR can find another Gleaso-like player that would be great.
Regarding Ward, It's not fair to judge him based on that last playoff series. He is the first to admit that he didn't play anywhere near his best and his positioning, rebounds, etc. were not up to his usual standards.
Ideas on who this #3/#4
Fri, 05/29/2009 - 22:12 — Canesfan1287Ideas on who this #3/#4 defenseman would be?
Size was available last year
Wed, 05/27/2009 - 12:46 — mokimanoSize was available last year at the draft with Tyler Myers and Colton Teubert, two hulking defensemen lurking and available right around the time that the Canes had their pick, a next to nothing deal was made by another team to draft them off the board right before the Canes...those are two types of guys that are exactly what the Canes needed, and JR had his chance. I like many of his moves, but he has preferred smallish, quicker guys over larger, big, banging types and now he finally recognizes the need for size...quit talking about it and start bringing it in.
Well, exactly!
Wed, 05/27/2009 - 13:55 — wxray1That's why I'm glad to see he made the admission. He seems to have been in denial. Having a bunch of little bees buzz around the lumbering giant hornets seemed to work for a while, but not anymore. Teams adjust, and the NHL is not enforcing the rules as they did in 2006.
Time to get a hornet or two.
boychuk
Wed, 05/27/2009 - 13:52 — clementnormanhe was the best player on the board at the time. they are also gettin prepared for brindy, whitney, and walkers careers ending. boychuk and sutter both were extremly low bust guys.
How Wishy-Washy!
Wed, 05/27/2009 - 12:04 — SkylinerPretty weak statement Mr. Rutherford when you say a man has done an exellent job and done all that you asked him to do then you have to conduct exit interviews and talk to others. Why, do you need someone to tell you what to think? If you don't know how players feel about him now you've not been doing your job. And what can any man do if he has (by your own words) done all that you asked of him, and all that he could, what else can be expected of him? Your remarks are of a left-handed variety and not at all those of a strong, independent thinking manager. You should be in there fighting for him instead of giving off weak sister remarks equivalent of non-support. Please get about the business of giving Mr. Maurice a long-term contract and shell out some $$$ for Ruutu, LaRose and Joklinen and stop overpaying apparently non-performing defensemen who even Pittsburgh fans sitting next to us say are not doing their job.
rutherford
Wed, 05/27/2009 - 13:49 — clementnormanyou have to think about publicity and the media. he has to do whats best for the team and what PK wants. MO will be back next year but he cant be throwing out promises the night of a loss. JR is a great GM he works on a tight budget and still has competitive teams. also look at the drafts ever since cam ward.
Mo must........ STAY!!!!
Wed, 05/27/2009 - 11:36 — HockeydogI fully believe that Maurice will stay, and he should. We'll see if Ronnie Francis has the desire to stay behind the bench as well.
As far as the team that will wear the Canes sweater next fall, it will be interesting. Ruutu, Jokinen. and LaRose are must haves. Ruutu and Larose are the eye of this storm. Jokinen is very versatile, and is good in the face-off circle. As sad as I feel about saying this, Cole should not be signed unless he is willing to take a big discount. Rutherford has a lot of the team locked up already, so barring any trades there shouldn't be a lot of turnover, so unless JR gets creative the size issue isn't going to get a huge makeover anytime soon. Cole has some size and physicality but health and consistency ( maybe one in the same) have been his issue. If any of the young guns make a convincing argument in camp Rutherford is going to have a lot of extra players around.
Size, Size, and More Size
Wed, 05/27/2009 - 10:16 — abramsdougI think there would be virtually a unanimous vote among coaches, management, and fans that adding size is a key piece to the Hurricanes team for 2009-2010. I am hoping that the draft will be focused on finding among the most physical players available in the draft who have the size and speed needed. The only other consideration for me would be if a player available had blazing speed and there was not a comparable player talent-wise with size. I'd pick a diamond in the rough with size and intensity over a more polished player 5'10" and 190 lbs (which is pretty much the size of many of the Hurricanes players). I am completely confident Jim Rutherford and the coaches and staff all recognize this need and will be scouring the hockey world looking for players who fill this need.
Size
Wed, 05/27/2009 - 09:59 — wxray1Finally the admission about size. Great team, but we need some size. Besides the "mental weardown", the tough series against Boston and Penguins also showed the physical weardown (among other things).
Size does matter.