All Ian White can do for now is keep doing what he's been doing.
Show up, practice, work hard, prepare to play. But whether the defenseman will be playing for the Canes or another team is still to be determined.
White was one of nine players on the ice today at the RecZone for an optional workout. General manager Jim Rutherford said Wednesday that the Canes were considering a trade offer for White, but White and Rutherford apparently have not discussed the situation and White remains in the dark.
For White, it's an awkward situation. He practiced today not knowing if he will be in the lineup tomorrow against the Philadelphia Flyers or on a plane headed somewhere else.
"Nothing has changed," Canes coach Paul Maurice said. "It's the same as yesterday."
White did not want to comment today on a possible trade but like most players in his situation indicated it's all part of the business. If traded, he'll again have to uproot and move his family. He did it in November, when the Calgary Flames traded him to the Canes, and it may happen again in the next day or so.
White was with the Canes in New Jersey but did not go to the morning skate at the Prudential Center, fueling speculation he was about to be traded. He was not on the team bus to the game Wednesday night but was at the game.
Maurice said today that White was handling things "as well as you can. He's on the ice working hard today and getting ready for tomorrow."
Center Ryan Carter was at practice today but Maurice said he was not confident Carter was ready to rejoin the lineup for the Flyers game. Jerome Samson, who was recalled from the Charlotte Checkers (AHL), has been used on the fourth line.
A Raleigh native, Chip has worked at the N&O since 1979 and is the Canes beat writer. He can be reached at
Comments
Double Amen!
Fri, 02/18/2011 - 14:02 — HockeydogPitkinen needs to be traded, both for contractual and performance reasons. I highly doubt Pitkinen accepts less than 4.5 mil per year for a multi year deal.The team should not just let him walk on July 1st and not get anything for him. The same can be said for White I guess, but I think he'd be more of an assest if the Canes make the playoffs- and other teams may think so as well. There are other players in the system who may not have the potential Joni has, but they are not as unpredictable either. Corvo, McBain, and Sanguinetti to name a few can supply some offence and puck movement from the d zone for less money.
No News is...no news.
Fri, 02/18/2011 - 11:03 — AN0NYM0USTrade Rumors: Ian White Remains In Carolina After Rumored Deal Shot Down
So Ian White was a Vancouver Canuck for about 30 minutes yesterday.
And what a memorable half-hour it was. So many memories.
Okay, so Ian White wasn't officially a Vancouver Canuck. The half-hour was about how long it took for GM Mike Gillis to refute the rumors that the team had acquired the defenseman. Now White is back with the Hurricanes and might not be going anywhere after all. According to Chip Alexander of the Raleigh News and Observer's Twitter, Jim Rutherford said they were considering a deal for White.
If you haven't noticed, the NHL doesn't handle trade drama well.
Alexander went into more detail on his blog, writing that White was still "in the dark" about a possible trade.
If Kaberle gets traded, White probably becomes one of the hot names that could go now before the trade deadline. He does have trade value, and the apparent rumor that exploded yesterday is proof there has to be at least some interest in him.
But I still get back to what do the Hurricanes want in return for White, who's one of their more experienced and dependable defensemen? And what does it say to the fan base that a key portion of the team is getting dealt off when you're smack in the middle of a Playoff race?
We'll just have to wait and see.
We finally get a bona fide D
Thu, 02/17/2011 - 22:43 — sftwareguyand you want to trade him? Trade Pitkanen.
AMEN!!!!
Fri, 02/18/2011 - 09:48 — Caniac5enough said!