So the Hurricanes finally took a defenseman in the first round, for the first time in six years and the fifth time since Peter Karmanos and Jim Rutherford took over in 1994. Ryan Murphy doesn't have to do much in a Carolina uniform to rank as the best of the bunch.

The Hurricanes’ refusal to take defensemen in the first round has always smacked of stubbornness. It’s almost as if they said, “We’ve been burned before and we’re just not going to bother anymore.” And maybe for good reason: Two of the Hurricanes’ four previous first-round defensemen were total, complete and utter busts: Nikos Tselios, 22nd overall in 1997 and Igor Knyazev, 15th overall in 2001.

The David Tanabe saga with the Carolina Hurricanes has ended. So has Tanabe's hockey career, according to his agent.

Hurricanes general manager Jim Rutherford said today that the team had reached a settlement with the defenseman that will pay the former first-round draft pick $850,000 over the next three years.

Neil Sheehy, Tanabe's agent, said the player had been advised by doctors that it would be dangerous to continue playing hockey.

"His career is over," Sheehy said. "The reality of it is the doctors told him not to play and he will not play. He will not be signing with a European team or any other team. His career has ended."

The Canes took the ice this morning at the RBC Center for their first training camp practice sessions. Among the missing: David Tanabe.

General manager Jim Rutherford recently said the defenseman was obligated to be at training camp as a player under contract.

Tanabe missed much of last season with an apparent concussion and still not been ruled healthy enough to play by doctors.

The Canes sought to buy out Tanabe’s contract but a grievance was filed by the NHLPA because of his injury. Rutherford said today that an arbitration hearing will be held in Washington, D.C., to resolve the issue. The date has not been set, but the hearing probably will be mid-October, Rutherford said

“Either rule that he’s a roster player and he’s injured, and he reports for rehab and hopefully we can get him healthy and play again, or rule he’s a player who can be bought out,” Rutherford said. “That’s all we ask.”

Tanabe is due to be paid $900,000 this year.

The Canes may go into training camp with the David Tanabe situation unresolved.

One little piece of overlooked fallout from last week's Erik Cole deal: Rod Brind'Amour and Niclas Wallin are the only players remaining from the 2002 Eastern Conference championship team.

(Technically, David Tanabe is the third, but "buyout pending" keeps him off the list.)

In addition to Cole, Glen Wesley and Bret Hedican have also left the team this summer, while Craig Adams left during the season.

It's buyout season in the NHL. While the Hurricanes have already bought out one player (Jeff Hamilton) and moved to buy out another (David Tanabe), the rest of the NHL is following suit.

Jeff Hamilton's buyout is official. David Tanabe's buyout, as reported here, is being challenged by the NHLPA.

The Canes have removed both players from the roster page on their web site. That may have been done when they put the two players on waivers Monday, but I just checked now and they're gone.

Restricted free agent Tuomo Ruutu accepted his qualifying offer and is now under contract for this season at $2.25 million.

UPDATED: David Tanabe and Jeff Hamilton, meanwhile, have cleared waivers and the Canes have filed buyout paperwork. Tanabe's agent says he will "enforce David's rights under the CBA."

The Hurricanes have placed David Tanabe and Jeff Hamilton on waivers with the intention of buying out their contracts.

Tanabe is under contract for $900,000 this season and Hamilton $800,000, so the Canes will be out $1.13 million in cash — $600,000 for Tanabe and $533,333 for Hamilton — and take a cap hit of $416,667 in 2008-09 and $566,667 in 2009-10.