Walker could return; LaCouture on waivers
Canes forward Scott Walker, sidelined the last month with a hand injury, said today there was a chance he could return this week.
"I'm pretty close," Walker said today after a workout at the RBC Center. "I just want to make sure there are no setbacks, no pain."
UPDATE: Due to blog technical problems, this could not be posted for a few hours -- the Canes have placed forward Dan LaCouture on waivers with the intent of reassigning him to the Albany River Rats, general manager Jim Rutherford said Monday.
Asked if he might play this week -- the Canes play at Toronto and Washington, then home against Ottawa -- Walker said, "Hopefully sometime this week. It's all in how it feels. It feels pretty good today but how will it feel tomorrow?"
Walker had surgery a month ago after hurting his left hand during a fight in a preseason game against Philadelphia. A pin was inserted, but had to be removed because of an infection.
Ironically, Walker said the infection may have helped speed up his recovery, although he will need to wear a protective device on the hand.
"It's a little bit better because I got the pin out early -- I've got a little more movement," he said. "In some ways the infection set me back. But also in some ways it pushed me forward.
"They're confident everything is moving good. Hopefully we can go forward."
The Canes were without center Matt Cullen (groin injury) in Sunday's game against Toronto and then lost forward Patrick Eaves to an illness during the game.
"Scott's close," Canes coach Peter Laviolette said. "Matt's day to day,
Scott's day to day right now, so we'll make some decisions here."
Laviolette said Eaves was "still a little bit under the weather" but hoped Eaves could make the two-game road trip.
LaCouture scored the game-winner in the season opener. But the emergence of Dwight Helminen and Patrick Dwyer in the last week led to the decision to move LaCouture, Rutherford said.
Chip Alexander
A Raleigh native, Chip has worked at the N&O since 1979 and is in his second season as the Canes beat writer. He can be reached at chip.alexander@newsobserver.com. You can follow him on Twitter at @ice_chip.
Comments
The Canes had the 11th
Sat, 11/08/2008 - 12:40 — robotron2084The Canes had the 11th highest payroll by the end of last season. So, do half of "every other team in the NHL" know they're cheaper than the Canes?
LaCouture
Wed, 11/05/2008 - 15:12 — Del (not verified)Unbelievable, when are we going to get a GM.?
Coaching and Management don't get it...
Tue, 11/04/2008 - 10:58 — MR (not verified)Bummer. We actually get a physical player who can play the game. Has more goals than half our other forwards, and Laviolette wants him gone to make room for a smallish, speedy, non-productive player. What a surprise… The guy does not get it.
We have too many perimeter players. We need guys who can drive the net and wear down opposing forwards. Yeah, Lacouture is no Tkachuk or Thornton, but he bangs bodies and has some size. Of course, Laviollette wants nothing to do with him. He was probably intimadated by having a physical player who could actually play the game. Figured it would disprove his whole theory of soft, sissy hockey.
Of course it is all about
Tue, 11/04/2008 - 08:00 — FuquayCaniacOf course it is all about the business. LaCouture doesn't kill penalties and Dwyer can. Walker, when he returns, will bring toughness. JR is removing redundancies and freeing up a little cash in the process. Add Helminen's play in the mix and LaCouture'e average of 4 minutes/game isn't worth his pricetag.
Still sucks. His is a good story, I hope he stays on track for himself and his family.
It sucks Danny only averaged
Tue, 11/04/2008 - 07:10 — Anonymous (not verified)It sucks Danny only averaged three to four minutes a game and yet he's done more than some of the regs on the team. Brookbank averages even less time yet they keep him around. It's not like we need him as an enforcer the way the team is being pushed around. Danny could have filled that role if needed. Best wishes to Danny & his family.
This is all about money,
Tue, 11/04/2008 - 07:02 — ctillThis is all about money, isn't it? If another team claims LaCouture off waivers, the Canes will be relieved of his salary. Sutter has proved he's NHL-ready, and now we see that Helminen and Dwyer can play without getting embarassed. Assuming that Walker, Cullen, and Sutter are back soon, ice time for the low-ranking players will be harder to come by. One assumes Brookbank isn't going anywhere.
Of course
Tue, 11/04/2008 - 00:02 — Anonymous (not verified)Well, I'm relieved to know Rutherford decided to send down a hard-working, physical player that gave his all on every shift. Goodness knows we don't need that type of player on the Hurricanes!
I see Mark Parrish has signed a contract with Dallas. Please recall the off-season timeline: Parrish turned down a pro tryout contract with the Canes. Then he signed a tryout contract with Bridgeport - the AHL AFFILIATE of arguablythe most abysmal franchise in the NHL (with apologies to Atlanta). And now Parrish has signed a one year deal with a team so dysfunctional the former captain (Modano, c'mon people!) has resorted to calling out fellow teammates in the media. Now class, pay attention: is this a good sign? (And for every Rutherford apologist who's busily crafting their post on Parrish's love of the Long Island area since they drafted him: don't. We already know, and that doesn't make one bit of difference to a guy who's desperate for any chance to stay in the NHL.)
Please explain why Pitkanen has not been placed on IR. We all know his injury isn't day-to-day, he'll be out at least a month. So why is he still on the active roster, necessitating the need to send a player down?
Somehow, I sense cheapness is at the root of this situation.
Best of luck to LaCouture, who has overcome much adversity in his career.
Cheapness
Tue, 11/04/2008 - 11:58 — Anonymous (not verified)Cheapness please .............. the Hurricanes are already over thier self imposed budget. We all are on some kind of budget - right ?
I guessing you were probably one of the ones who screamed the loudest when parking increased.
The constant whining by the fan base is amazing - The Hurricanes are trying to run a business not a NPO and this was nothing more than a business decsion.
A journeyman role player gets sent back down. Thats what he is here for and he knows it .... he is still living the dream and he has not been wronged in any kind of a way.
"self imposed
Sat, 11/08/2008 - 00:38 — Anonymous (not verified)"self imposed budget"
"Hurricanes are trying to run a business"
Poor thing...you just can't understand. And you didn't answer any of the questions, did you, sweetie?
Nope, easier to accuse the fanbase of whining to divert attention from the incompetence of the organization - that's a great way to make your point!
The Hurricanes are CHEAP, & very other NHL team knows it.
SORRY PETE!!!
I wondered if Zack going
Tue, 11/04/2008 - 06:34 — Anonymous (not verified)I wondered if Zack going back to juniors after a couple games was also cheapness. If he was good enough to play as much as he did, couldn't we have used him in the past several games? Then he still could have gone back...
But my post about it at the time somehow got lost...
Good luck Dan
Mon, 11/03/2008 - 21:34 — AD (not verified)Canes Insider posted this article today, before DC was placed on waivers later today.
http://hurricanesinsider.com/viewstory.jsp?from=feed&storyId=fc648ab07cf...
I was really happy for him and his family after reading this. Then a couple of hours later he's sent back to the minors.
I hope Dan and his family will make the best of this and better yet, hope their future is bright wherever they are.
LaCouture does a yeoman's
Mon, 11/03/2008 - 21:15 — caneshockeyfanLaCouture does a yeoman's job and works hard on the ice. As a fan, it's easy to root for him and I hope that he continues to succeed wherever he's at. The business side of hockey is especially tough for the guys that are on the bubble. I'm sure this wasn't an easy or fun decision for Canes management, but I trust their judgment. There's no way this team has a winning record so far this season without some very good personnel decisions being made, especially with the role players.
Softer than ever
Mon, 11/03/2008 - 21:13 — Anonymous (not verified)Well, with LaCouture gone the Canes are now even a softer team. If that is even possible.
Business is business...
Mon, 11/03/2008 - 20:58 — Anonymous (not verified)Unfortunately, I go to all the games! Very shortsighted of management. I wonder if Sergi also is on thin ice for 1 point/0 goals in 11 games. When the effort is there, the points will come. If Dan doesn't clear waivers it will serve us right!
LaCouture going ?
Mon, 11/03/2008 - 20:29 — esteban1949Not sure what his numbers or rating were thus far this season,but that stinks. And sadly this is what I hate the most about the Business end of hockey...sorta like calling for a war, and then no one gets to fight or has a way to get there...totally stinks ! Junk like that,makes me glad I can't go to raleigh for home games. to the President of the canes...Bah ! Humbug !!