Restricted free agent Tuomo Ruutu accepted his qualifying offer and is now under contract for this season at $2.25 million.
This is not an unexpected development; the Canes and Ruutu were in negotiations over a long-term deal that in all likelihood would have saved the Canes some money this season, but the path of least resistance for both sides was for Ruutu to accept his QO and worry about the rest down the road.
Qualifying offers were are due to restricted free agents today Wednesday. The Canes did not plan to qualify minor-league goalie Kevin Nastiuk. I'll check and see if there was anyone else cut loose. (That could include David Tanabe and Jeff Hamilton, who should clear waivers in about eight minutes.)
UPDATE, 12:40 p.m.: Tanabe and Hamilton have cleared waivers, so the Hurricanes are now free to initiate the buyout process with both.
As for what this contract means for Ruutu's trade status, I don't think it changes anything. He may even be a more attractive commodity now that he's under contract.
Remember, one of the reasons the Canes have considered moving him was because they were concerned about not having a long-term deal in place — and they don't. So I'd say he's still a possibility to be moved.
UPDATE, 4:18 p.m.: Ruutu's agent, Bill Zito, said the 25-year-old forward is excited about coming back to Carolina.
"He’s real happy there," Zito said "Sometimes guys need a fresh start, probably like anybody else in life. It's weird how just really a change of scenery sometimes can get a guy going and get him his confidence."
Ruutu had 11 points in 17 games with the Canes after arriving in a trade-deadline deal for Andrew Ladd.
Zito, who also represents Hamilton, said he didn't expect any issues with that buyout, but the Tanabe buyout could get complicated.
His agent, Neil Sheehy, said: "Carolina has started the process for a buyout. We'll have to enforce David’s rights under the CBA."
Hurricanes GM Jim Rutherford acknowledged that Tanabe has not received a clean bill of health: "If there are issues from an injury point of view, that's something that we'll have to take under consideration."
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
big names?
Wed, 06/25/2008 - 00:02 — Anonymous (not verified)I saw on hockeybuzz.com that the Canes and Patrick Marleau may have a connection and the Hurricanes were just added to the list of teams with possible interest in Brian Campbell on thefourthperiod.com's top 30 free agents. I'm sure there are more attractive teams (willing to spend more money) that want these guys, but I thought this was interesting.
consider the source
Wed, 06/25/2008 - 09:29 — ldecock (author)I would suggest that anyone who think the Canes need another highly paid forward -- let alone another center -- has very little idea what they are talking about.
Tucker instead of Hordichuk
Wed, 06/25/2008 - 10:12 — oswegocaneswhat do you think about Darcy Tucker, in regards to not signing Hordichuck, only reason I bring it up is because Toronto is on the hook for 2/3 of his salary, which might make it a decent deal. What is everyone's thoughts?
Tucker
Thu, 06/26/2008 - 00:39 — mdavidhallI would think this would be unlikely. While Tucker could be considered a "tough guy" - I prefer to view him as a punk - he is not really an "enforcer" in the strictest sense of the word. Assuming that you are proposing Tucker in the place of Hordichuck. As much as I hate to admit, he is too skilled. I'm not sure there would be enough ice time to spread around with our already overstocked forward corps. Tucker is not the kind of guy that is going to get by on 5-10 minutes of icetime per game , which is what you usually get from your "tough guy". Tucker is a 15-18 minutes a game 3rd line winger. Of course all of that could change if Cole, Williams or Ruutu are shpped out. But I would expect those guys to be packaged for a defenseman, not another forward.
Personally I would hate to be put into a position where I had to cheer for Darcy Tucker.
But that's just me and my two cents.
-m
Ruutu is tough and seems
Tue, 06/24/2008 - 19:20 — FLA Brian (not verified)Ruutu is tough and seems suited for the style of the Canes. We are not that far away from returning to the playoffs or the Cup. Perhaps a multi year deal should have been reached. Either way, I believe JR and company have a soild plan in the works...
Ruutu
Tue, 06/24/2008 - 17:35 — dabrams (not verified)I am optimistic that JR and Ruutu's agent will realize that it is in both the Hurricanes' interest and Ruutu's interest to come to terms for a longer deal. It may well take having Ruutu play this season and then both sides making an evaluation that is fair to both sides. I think Ruutu made a tremendous difference in the mental toughness of the Hurricanes. Ruutu also experienced the frustration of what can happen when a player's skill set and a coach's philosophy don't match well; and it seems Ruutu's style fits with the Hurricanes. I really hope the Hurricanes don't trade Ruutu.
Sorry, I will not miss
Tue, 06/24/2008 - 14:12 — Anonymous (not verified)Sorry, I will not miss Tanabe, too soft!
Great to see Ruuto sign (someone on this team will be traded after July 1st, hopefully not Cole).
Ruutu
Tue, 06/24/2008 - 14:05 — Chris (not verified)Agreed, this contract means one of two things: Ruutu's being dealt or if he has a good season, JR will make a Ruutu a long-term lucrative offer. In either case, the one year deal is probably the best position to be in. The only way it fails is if he has a lights out season, which I'll bet he won't.
Could Be Change Coming
Tue, 06/24/2008 - 13:46 — Carl (not verified)It is the 'Canes philosophy to not negotiate during the season, so I would think they will try and move Ruutu now or take their chances next summer before the deadline. 2.25 is a little high when you look at the numbers, but he does add more than to the box score. This makes the Samsonov contract a steal. Somebody is going to be gone, we have too many Forwards and not enough Defense. We have 10 forwards under contract and none of those are 4th line players, Eaves is the lowest paid at 1.1 million, and the rest are 2.25 or higher.
One has to wonder if he's
Tue, 06/24/2008 - 13:33 — Anonymous (not verified)One has to wonder if he's really worth the salary or if that 2+ million would be better spent on a solid defenseman.
I wondered about it only
Tue, 06/24/2008 - 13:18 — johnnyg (not verified)I wondered about it only being 1 year too, also the fact that he signed his qualifying offer.
I wonder if this puts him on the block with this signing.
Just thinking outloud...
or....
Tue, 06/24/2008 - 13:01 — wylde4canes (not verified)could be a sign and swap.
Sweet and possibly sour?
Tue, 06/24/2008 - 12:09 — penaltykiller74 (not verified)I like this deal, and it makes me wonder too.
This is a good thing, because it gives Ruutu and JR time to hash out a long term contract, and a chance for JR to evaluate how Ruutu plays for this next season to see if that would even be a great thing for the Canes.
Trust me, I like Ruutu, but you have to look back at how he was playing in Chicago, and hope he has truly stepped up his game.
This also brings into question, with signing of Ruutu, does this indicate that one of our other Forwards will be hitting the bricks soon?