The Hurricanes today traded defenseman Niclas Wallin and their fifth-round pick in the 2010 NHL Draft to the San Jose Sharks for the Buffalo Sabres' second-round pick in the 2010 draft.
Wallin, 34, has spent his entire nine-year career with the Canes after being drafted in 2000. The Boden, Sweden, native ranks third among defensemen in franchise history with 517 regular-season games played and second only to former Canes defenseman Glen Wesley (729) since the team's relocation to North Carolina.
"The toughest part about this will be not being with the team that brought me here and taught me all about the game," Wallin said today. "We had a good ride. There have been some ups and down. We won the Cup. We had our run.
"Right now, I'm excited about being with the Sharks. This is like winning the lottery. I'm with a team obviously that has a chance to go all the way. I've been there and there's nothing like it."
The trade had been in the works for days, and the Canes believed it would be completed by Friday. Wallin was with the Hurricanes for road games at Buffalo and against the New York Islanders, and returned Saturday night with the team to Raleigh.
"The toughest thing in my life was getting off that flight last night," Wallin said.
Neither the Sharks nor Wallin would say if he had agreed to a contract extension with the Sharks. Wallin is due to become an unrestricted free agent after the season and has talked of taking his family back to Sweden.
"We'll see what happens in the future," he said.
A Raleigh native, Chip has worked at the N&O since 1979 and is the Canes beat writer. He can be reached at 
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Not only is Wallin playing
Mon, 02/08/2010 - 20:25 — ctillNot only is Wallin playing tonight for San Jose, so is ex-Cane Dwight Helminen.
More trades to come...when
Mon, 02/08/2010 - 17:30 — mokimanoMore trades to come...when you turn Wallin into a second rounder your doing something right, Nikky would have been gone for nothing in April, something is always better than nothing! Wait till we see what JR turns Whitney and Cullen and perhaps Corvo into in the next three weeks...the cupboard is about to get stocked up!
Some crazy NHL GM always overpays at the trade deadline, it's good to be a seller sometimes!
St. Baldrick's
Mon, 02/08/2010 - 15:10 — Biff_BeersWill Wallin still be shaving his head for charity? Perhaps that was a sticking point in the negotiations with the Sharks.
Bottom line Wallin wasn't
Mon, 02/08/2010 - 12:44 — rocheccwBottom line Wallin wasn't going to re-sign with the Canes. He said that he was going back to Sweden. It took giving him a NTC to re-sign him last time he was a UFA.
So we traded Wallin(who was a 4th round pick in 2000) and a 2010 5th round pick for a 2010 2nd round pick in a very deep draft...I'll take that deal any day of the week!!!
In the words of Howie Mandel "JR you made a great deal!"
gee
Mon, 02/08/2010 - 01:05 — esteban1949all this traffic so late @ night...must be all the wings everyone at watching the waiver wire and the super bowl at the same time. i wonder what Ron Francis thinks about all of this ? Or is he ewven allowed to say anything ?
The Canes are Good,My Grandkids are Better, and Life is Great !!
Go Canes !!
It's that time of year
Mon, 02/08/2010 - 00:09 — Biff_BeersCanes fans should shout out an extra cheer for each of the veteran players when we see then at the games. Each game could be their last in a Canes uniform. I don't think I'll make it to another game before the trade deadline so I've already missed my chance.
To be clear, we didn't get a
Sun, 02/07/2010 - 23:19 — ctillTo be clear, we didn't get a clean 2nd-round pick for Wallin; we got a trade-up from a 5th to a 2nd.
Exactly
Sun, 02/07/2010 - 23:36 — AN0NYM0USSharks get a proven veteran and we move up from an 5th round unknown to a 2nd round unknown. Could have been worse--JR could have given him up for 'future considerations'. I hope Nic did not sign a long term contract. He gave us a lot of great memories and we wish him the best.
he won't be missed....
Sun, 02/07/2010 - 22:20 — louis12580by either Montreal (miracle at Molson Center) or New Jersey. Nic had his problems from time to time, but when healthy he could be a force. Wishing him all the best in San Jose.
Wallin Trade is a Great Move for Canes
Sun, 02/07/2010 - 21:02 — abramsdougWallin for a second round pick (and the Cane's fifth round pick) is a no-brainer. Wallin is an outstanding person and a tremendous teammate; but he was ill-suited for the Maurice/Francis/Rowe system. This trade will likely extend his career while helping the Hurricanes add more talent into the system. The trade also bodes well for the value of Whitney, Corvo, and Cullen in a trade. If Wallin is valued as a second round pick, then surely Whitney, Corvo, and Cullen should have first round pick value.
Sudden victory
Sun, 02/07/2010 - 19:58 — Biff_BeersIf the Sharks win a playoff game on an overtime game winning goal from a certain Swedish defenseman, we won't be surprised.
Yay!
Sun, 02/07/2010 - 19:19 — rockstar15I'll miss the "Secret Weapon" but it is time for the team to try and get younger. I hope that we can find a diamond in the rough with this 2nd round pick. Best of luck to Nic in San Jose! GO CANES!
Finally! SOMETHING!!
Sun, 02/07/2010 - 19:05 — hockeyhickI'll take a 2nd rounder for an aging defenseman that probably wouldn't be re-signed next season. 2nd rounders are surely hit or miss, but it's organizational depth and an asset-decent return IMO.
Good luck to you Nic. Tell Joe "The Gentle Giant" Thornton that Hockeyhick from Methuen MA says "hey"! Thanks for all your contributions to the Canes and the community!
Let the re-tooling begin...