The Hurricanes have set a target date for goaltender Cam Ward's return -- Dec. 5, against the Vancouver Canucks at the RBC Center.

"We're hopeful of that," general manager Jim Rutherford said Wednesday. "That would be the earliest. It may be longer."

Rutherford also said a decision would be made Thursday on bringing up a forward from Albany (AHL). He said it probably would be either Jerome Samson or Patrick Dwyer.

Canes general manager Jim Rutherford said today that goaltender Cam Ward would remain at a Columbus, Ohio, hospital another day and that the team may look to trade or sign another goaltender.

Ward suffered a laceration of the left leg in the first period of the Canes' 3-2 loss at Columbus on Saturday and was taken to Riverside Hospital.

"We'll have to see how it goes," Rutherford said today of Ward's injury and recovery time. "It appears it will be a fairly long period of time."

UPDATE: Rutherford said Sunday afternoon that Ward could be out a month but that the injury is not considered season-ending.

You would think that with how awful the Hurricanes have been to start the season, there would be no shortage of blame to go around -- players, management, coaching staff, everyone.

So it’s interesting that in general manager Jim Rutherford’s surprisingly critical self-analysis with the N&O’s Chip Alexander on Monday that he second-guessed himself for nearly everything he did, or didn’t do, in the summer -- everything except bringing back Paul Maurice.

Defenseman Jay Harrison, whom the Carolina Hurricanes picked up in free agency in July, has been reassigned to the Albany River Rats, the team’s AHL affiliate.

Harrison, 27, had scored a goal and two assists in 10 games this season with 27 penalty minutes and was -4 while averaging 12:05 of ice time per game. Harrison had been placed on waivers Monday.

Canes forward Erik Cole will be out four to six weeks after breaking a bone in his left leg, general manager Jim Rutherford said today.

Cole was bringing the puck down the left boards and was injured with less than three minutes to play in the Hurricanes' 7-2 loss Saturday at Boston in a collision with the Bruins' Dennis Wideman. Cole's leg hit Wideman's right leg as Wideman attempted a hip check.

Cole was traded by the Canes to the Edmonton Oliers after the 2007-08 season but returned to Carolina in March in a three-team trade. An unrestricted free agent after the season, he signed a two-year, $5.8-million contract with the Canes in July.

Tim Conboy will go into the lineup for Tuesday's game against Tampa Bay. In Sunday practice, Conboy was working with Stephane Yelle and Tom Kostopoulos. Scott Walker was on Rod Brind'Amour's line with Jussi Jokinen.

Canes general manager Jim Rutherford admitted it was a tough decision. Center Brandon Sutter did play well in training camp, did do all that was asked of him.

But here's what Rutherford said today about the decision to send Sutter to Albany (AHL) to begin the season:

"The best way to look at Brandon is that even if we were to keep him here right now, and he certainly played well enough to be here, does it do him any good playing on the fourth line and does it prepare him to be the player and be in the position we want him to be?"

Canes general manager Jim Rutherford said today that he could not completely confirm media reports out of Russia that defenseman Anton Babchuk had signed with Omsk Avangard of the KHL.

"There's a good chance it's true," Rutherford said. "I had conversations with his agent last night and I knew they had been talking back and forth. His agent asked Anton to wait until Monday.

"We're fine with it. He will be another year away from free agency and we retain his rights. He's still our property."

UPDATE: Babchuk's agent, Don Meehan, said it was his understanding Babchuk would play in Russia this season, although noting he had not yet confirmed it with Babchuk, either.

Rutherford had been trying to work a trade for Babchuk, a restricted free agent who played in Russia two years ago, forfeiting his arbitration rights. He said he talked with a team this week that initially had shown interest in a deal, backed away and then came calling again.

If you're a hockey fan, or of a certain age, and certainly if you're Canadian, you know of Paul Henderson.

While it's said fame is fleeting, Henderson's fame has endured for 37 years. It was his goal in the final game of 1972 Summit Series against the Soviet Union that beat the Russians, gave Canada a win for the ages and set off celebrations all over the country.

"From the country's point of view, it was the greatest goal of all," Canes general manager Jim Rutherford said today.

Henderson, who spends much of his time as a motivational speaker, will appear at the RBC Center on Wednesday night in an event hosted by the Canadian Expat Network and in conjunction with the Raleigh Youth Hockey Association. While he said he may talk of "pursuing dreams," he surely will talk of the dreamy events of '72.

Before leaving this week for the NHL Prospects Tournament in Traverse City, Mich., Canes general manager Jim Rutherford had a number in mind.

Rutherford believed about seven or eight of the Canes' prospects would be invited to the team's training camp that starts this weekend. But two days in Traverse City — and two victories — have changed his mind.

"Based on my talks with our people here, I think that number may get to 10," Rutherford said today by phone.

It's just that so many of the Canes' prospects have performed well in 5-3 wins over the New York Rangers and Detroit Red Wings.

The Hurricanes haven't participated in a prospects tournament since 2005 in Ottawa. So why this year?

"We decided to go back because we've built up the number of prospects we have," general manager Jim Rutherford says. "We got away from it and we wound up inviting players to training camp who weren't ready for training camp."

UPDATE: The Canes won the opener 5-3 Sunday over the New York Rangers team in Traverse City, Mich. Elgin Reid had the game-winning goal with 1:26 to play and Brandon Sutter added an empty-netter. Zach Boychuk, Drayson Bowman and Matt Kennedy also scored.