Seeing Peter Laviolette take the Philadelphia Flyers to the Stanley Cup finals hasn't changed Peter Karmanos' feelings about his former coach. The Hurricanes' owner, who famously blasted the coach who won the Stanley Cup a month after he was fired, had this to say Wednesday:

"Our biggest problem from a business point of view is we havent been consistent, OK?" Karmanos said. "One of the reasons Laviolette now is in Philadelphia is his lack of consistency. We missed the playoffs for two years after we won (the Cup) and we would have missed the playoffs again. Paul (Maurice) came in and took us to the final four and then this year we couldn’t even finish dead last, we had to finish somewhere around 23."

Karmanos also talked about the Rod Brind'Amour situation, the chances of the Hurricanes moving up to get Tyler Seguin, who plays for Karmanos' junior team in Michigan, and his relationship with Red Wings owner Mike Ilitch.

No decisions have yet been made for next year on veterans Rod Brind'Amour and Ray Whitney, Canes general manager Jim Rutherford said today.

Rutherford said he has met individually with both forwards since the team's exit interviews and will meet with them again next month. Whitney is playing with Team Canada in the World Championships in Germany.

"We wanted to give everybody a little more time to get away from the regular season and let things settle down," Rutherford said.

The Canes' Rod Brind'Amour, the oldest player on the team at 39, said today that no decision has been made on his future with the team.

Brind'Amour had his exit interview today but said he would talk with general manager Jim Rutherford at a later date about next season. "I want to hear what they tell me. I respect Jim a lot.," he said.

Has Rod Brind'Amour played his last game -- for the Hurricanes, in his career?

That's a question without an answer, Canes coach Paul Maurice said today. Maurice said Brind'Amour suffered a groin injury Thursday in the 5-2 win over the Canadiens and will not play in the season finale Saturday in Boston against the Bruins.

Forward Jerome Samson is being recalled from Albany (AHL) to replace Brind'Amour, who was seen in the weight room in the Canes' locker room, working out, following Thursday's game.

Brind'Amour, who will be 40 on Aug. 9, has not indicated whether he intends to play next season or retire after his 21st NHL season.

The Carolina chapter of the Professional Hockey Writers Association has selected Rod Brind'Amour as the Hurricanes' nominee for the Masterton Trophy, which honors perseverance, sportsmanship and dedication to hockey.

Brind'Amour's willingness to give up the captaincy he had held since the fall of 2005 helped the Hurricanes look to the future, and in his 21st season he continues to play a valuable role for the Hurricanes.

Brind'Amour was previously nominated for the Masterton Trophy last season and in 2004.

Manny Legace is always the life of the party. Or, at least, the life of practice.

The Canes' goaltender is always "chirping," as he puts it, with the forwards when they try to score on him. It's good-natured stuff and keeps things loose, Legace said, but also is done with a purpose.

"Guys can go through the motions at practice and it's a long year," Legace said Tuesday. "The more they get mad at me, the more they want to score. The more I challenge them, the more it keeps me interested."

The Canes have four players in Vancouver and none will return until at least Sunday. And those who play for the gold on Sunday may not rejoin the team until the morning skate Tuesday in Toronto, coach Paul Maurice said.

How will playing in the Olympics affect their games when the regular season resumes? There's so much emotion, so much tension, so much pride in country, that those competing in the Games surely must experience
some kind of letdown.

But those who have done it say it's not that hard to get back to "normal."

"I think you can hop right back in," said Sergei Samsonov, who played for Russia in the 2002 Games in Salt Lake City. "It's such a quick tournament. There's a lot of emotion, but it's a fun tournament and a short tournament."

PHILADELPHIA — Canes goaltender Cam Ward finally will get a day off. He also will have the chance to break the franchise record for career wins at home.

Canes coach Paul Maurice said today that Manny Legace would start tomorrow against the Philadelphia Flyers, ending Ward's streak of 17 consecutive starts. Legace has not played since relieving Ward in the Dec. 23 game against Montreal and has not started since Dec. 12 against Ottawa.

Of everything Rod Brind’Amour has ever done for the Carolina Hurricanes, his willingness to turn the captaincy over to Eric Staal may be the most honorable.

That changing of the guard may have been inevitable, but no one would have held it against Brind’Amour if he wanted to finish out the season and make the transition, quietly, over the summer. Instead, Brind’Amour acknowledged that his generation -- the old guard of 2006 -- is on its way out in Carolina, and better now than later.

Rod Brind'Amour says he will not make a big issue of it, noting simply, "It is what it is."

The Canes' captain did not like being benched last week, being made a healthy extra against the Pittsburgh Penguins. It was a first for him, certainly with Carolina, and it stung.

But it's not as if Brind'Amour has been waiting a week to blast Canes coach Paul Maurice for the decision or turn it into a divisive issue in the locker room. In fact, he said Monday, the less said about it the better.

"It's a tough situation, that's about all I can say," Brind'Amour said after practice at the RecZone. "I don't want to be a distraction. It is what it is."