As the NHL's free-agent market prepares to open next week, the Carolina Hurricanes still have some unfinished business with their restricted free agents.
At the NHL level, Chad LaRose and Dennis Seidenberg remain unsigned, although the Canes tendered both qualifying offers by today's 5 p.m. deadline to retain their rights — one-year contracts worth $550,000 for LaRose and $935,000 for Seidenberg.
They cannot be accepted until Tuesday, although players can start negotiating with other teams today. They can't be tendered an offer sheet until Tuesday as well.
(Tuomo Ruutu, who signed earlier this week, accepted a contract equal to what his qualifying offer would have been, $2.25 million.)
It's unlikely LaRose or Seidenberg would be the target of an offer sheet — Carolina's most attractive restricted free agent, defenseman Tim Gleason, signed a new four-year contract last week — so their negotiations will continue.
The Hurricanes also tendered offer sheets to a number of minor-league players — all except goalie Kevin Nastiuk, who is not being retained.
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
Chad LaRose
Thu, 07/03/2008 - 14:33 — Artyart (not verified)Sign Chad LaRose
Sign Chad LaRose
Sign Chad LaRose
Sign Chad LaRose
Sign Chad LaRose
Any questions about my position on this?
Rather play against him?
Sign Chad LaRose, Jim.
Chad LaRose
Fri, 06/27/2008 - 18:41 — esteban (not verified)While Chad May NOT be the greatest at RW...but you have to give the man his due...who else but Chad LaRose would bust their chops to get back on the ice as fast as he did...play his heart and guts out...Not that there aren't players around the NHL or AHL who can't or won't...But Rosie has the heart that the canes need and if i was the ownwer...or Rutherford...I'd work just as hard as Rosie did to keep him here for at least another 2 years at least...and give the guy a raise...of a couple of Hundred G notes...for the 08-09 season and if he still preforms as well as he has and stays healthy...then for the 09-10 season a couple more Hundred G notes...again the guy is no superstar type...but he is there...gives 120% all the time hurt or well...he reminds me of some of the real old timers who loved the game so much they'd play for peanuts ( as LaRose Is doing now) if it would help the team...Just don't want to see him go as a used up washed up has been...the guy is worth more than that...but we all know guys like Rosie are a dime a dozen in the NHL & AHL...But I was around Playing Hockey on ponds when Gordie Howe & the the esposito brothers were snot nosed kids...what would i know ???
LaRose
Thu, 06/26/2008 - 23:53 — dlee (not verified)Because LaRose's qualifying sheet is for less than $863,156, there is no compensation due to the Canes if some other team makes a better offer and lures him away. Although he is technically a RFA, for all intents and purposes, he is an UFA.
In the end, I think he'll be re-signed to a two-year deal, and for a little bit more than the qualifying sheet. He'll probably make Kevyn Adams-type money. $650k or so.
LaRose is not a UFA for all
Mon, 06/30/2008 - 11:19 — HP (not verified)LaRose is not a UFA for all intents and purposes. If another team signed him to an offer sheet, the Canes would have the option of matching it and keeping him.
Also, the compensation the Canes would get is not based on the qualifying number, but whatever is in the offer sheet he signed. If LaRose signed an offer sheet above the $860K amount, and the Canes didn't match, they would be compensated. If the offer sheet was under that amount, the Canes would not be compensated, but I'm guessing if that happened they would simply match the offer.
except for nastiuk
Thu, 06/26/2008 - 13:20 — ldecock (author)My understanding is all of the RFAs have been qualified except for Kevin Nastiuk.
Tim Conboy and Joey Mormina are Group VI unrestricted free agents, a category for minor-league players no longer on their entry-level contracts who have not played a minimum number of NHL games.
At this point, I do not believe any of Carolina's other UFAs -- Aucoin, Bayda, Brookbank, Letowski -- have been offered contracts, but that's not unusual. Letowski won't be back and minor-league guys are rarely re-signed immediately unless they are a priority (Trevor Gillies, for example, fell into that category.)
In any case, the Canes made it clear in April it was unlikely Aucoin or Bayda would be retained, in an attempt to add size to Carolina's fourth line. They'll have better NHL chances elsewhere, although it's possible one or both could end up back with Carolina later in the summer.
Conboy and Mormina
Thu, 06/26/2008 - 14:22 — Dave (not verified)Does it sound like Conboy and Mormina have been given offers, or would they fall into the same category as Bayda and Aucoin?
JOEY MORMINA
Thu, 06/26/2008 - 09:09 — MORMOWNED (not verified)Can we infer that Joe Mormina, the prince of pucks and the ace of spades has been tendered an offer?
Also...
Thu, 06/26/2008 - 05:31 — johnnyg (not verified)any word on potential UFA's ...
AUCOIN, KEITH, (III)
BAYDA, RYAN, (III)
BROOKBANK, WADE, (III)
LETOWSKI, TREVOR, (III)
are close to or looking to sign these guys?
Others?
Thu, 06/26/2008 - 05:28 — johnnyg (not verified)Have we qualified the other RFA's?
CONBOY, TIM, (VI)
MORMINA, JOEY, (VI)
DWYER, PATRICK, (II)
FLOOD, MARK, (II)
JENSEN, JOE, (II)
NOLAN, BRANDON, (II)
I know Nastiuk will not be qualified.
I think LaRose brings a lot of heart to this team and is very well liked in the dressing room. Seidenberg is fairly young and I think is becoming a sturdy #5,6 d-man.
don't read too much into this
Thu, 06/26/2008 - 00:10 — ldecock (author)This is merely a bureaucratic move to retain LaRose and Seidenberg's rights, and merely another step in the typically lengthy process with restricted free agents. Really, it would be shocking if they hadn't qualified either of them.
larose
Wed, 06/25/2008 - 22:46 — cpjuengeim sorry
that went a little over my head.
is this good news regarding the return of larose or not?
i really hope we can resign him, hes worth it.
am i wrong?
-c
LaRose
Thu, 06/26/2008 - 00:05 — mdavidhallWell, it's decent news if you are looking towards LaRose returning to the Canes. Buy tendering a qualifying offer the Canes are essentially saying that they want to keep him, and they can keep negotiating on a contract, probably at or near the price of the qualifying offer.
The only catch is that now any other team can now also make an offer on LaRose, and if their offer sheet is for more $$$, the Canes will have to match that offer or let him go. As I understand it the Canes would then be compensated in some way - a draft pick I believe - for the loss of La Rose. But I am not 100% clear on the nuances of said compensation and someone can correct me if I'm wrong.
Basically, if you are really keen on keeping LaRose, you should hope that no other team values him at more than $550,000. And as Luke pointed out, that seems unlikely.
Personally, I hope we keep him as well.
Now we just have to wait and see.
-m