Kukla's Korner Hockey

Category: Carolina-Hurricanes

Evening Line

by Paul on 08/12/12 at 08:27 PM ET
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“Playing defense in the NHL is very difficult and playing at 19 years old is even more difficult. But as long as I’ve been around the game, even as far back as when I played, I’ve never seen anyone handle the position like Justin Faulk has as a teenager.”

“We’ve had defensemen come into the League like [Bobby] Orr, [Denis] Potvin and [Phil] Housley, who were great offensive players, but I’ve never seen a player play so well defensively and offensively at his age.”  I can’t describe it well enough to tell [fans] what they’re in store for having this great young player.”

-Jim Rutherford, GM for the Carolina Hurricanes.  More on the Hurricanes from Mike Morreale of NHL.com.

Filed in: NHL Teams, Carolina Hurricanes, | KK Hockey | Permalink
  Tags: jim+rutherford, justin+faulk

Jordan Staal Joins Ex-Teammates In Haiti

by Paul on 08/11/12 at 10:41 AM ET
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from Rob Rossi of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review,

Matt Cooke and Jordan Staal are not finished with one another yet.

Two-thirds of the Penguins’ former “Nightmare Line” (along with Tyler Kennedy), Cooke and Staal will join Penguins forward Joe Vitale on a humanitarian trip Haiti.

Cooke, Vitale and Staal — the latter spent seven seasons with the Penguins before being traded to Carolina on June 22 — will join team chaplain Brad Henderson from Tuesday through Thursday in Port au Prince, where Henderson’s Pittsburgh Kids Foundation has helped fund two orphanages.

“As professional athletes, we’ve been given the opportunity to give back,” Cooke said. “Shame on us if we don’t.”

continued

thanks to a KK member for the pointer

Filed in: NHL Teams, Carolina Hurricanes, Pittsburgh Penguins, | KK Hockey | Permalink
 

Carolina Makes Skinner Signing Official

by Paul on 08/08/12 at 12:04 PM ET
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RALEIGH, NC – Jim Rutherford, President and General Manager of the National Hockey League’s Carolina Hurricanes, today announced that the team has signed forward Jeff Skinner to a six-year contract extension. The deal will pay Skinner $4,350,000 in 2013-14 and $6 million per season from the 2014-15 season through the 2018-19 season.

“Jeff is a cornerstone player for our team, and his long-term commitment to the Hurricanes is great news for our franchise and our fans,” said Rutherford. “At 20 years old, he is still in the very early stages of his career, and we felt it was important to ensure he would be spending much more of it in Raleigh.”

Skinner, 20, completed his second NHL season in 2011-12, ranking second among Hurricanes skaters in goals (20) and third in points (44) in 64 games played. The Markham, Ont., native was third on the team in power-play assists (9) and power-play points (13), and fourth on the team in power-play goals (4), despite missing 16 games due to a concussion.

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  Tags: jeff+skinner

Carolina Signs Semin For 1 Year, $7M

by Paul on 07/26/12 at 05:21 PM ET
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RALEIGH, NC – Jim Rutherford, President and General Manager of the National Hockey League’s Carolina Hurricanes, today announced that the team has agreed to terms with left wing Alexander Semin on a one-year contract. The deal will pay Semin $7 million for the 2012-13 season.

“We have done a lot of research about Alexander, and discussions about his fit with our team have included people at many different levels of our organization, including players, coaches and staff,” said Rutherford. “What’s been clear throughout this process was his commitment to wanting to play in the NHL, and compete against the world’s best players.

“Alexander’s elite skill level and ability to score from the wing fill an important need on the ice, and we hope that a fresh start in Carolina will serve both Alexander and our team well.”

“I’m very happy to be a Carolina Hurricane,” said Semin. “It’s a great fit for me. I look forward to playing with great players, and putting together a winning season.”

Filed in: NHL Teams, Carolina Hurricanes, | KK Hockey | Permalink
  Tags: alexander+semin

Jay Harrison Signs Three-Year Extension With Carolina

by Paul on 07/24/12 at 02:09 PM ET
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RALEIGH, NC – Jim Rutherford, President and General Manager of the National Hockey League’s Carolina Hurricanes, today announced that the team has signed defenseman Jay Harrison to a three-year contract extension. The deal will pay Harrison $1.5 million per season beginning in 2013-14.

“Jay has developed into a consistent, steadying presence for our defense,” said Rutherford. “He is capable of providing both physicality and offense, and we are happy to now have him under contract for the next four seasons.”

Filed in: NHL Teams, Carolina Hurricanes, | KK Hockey | Permalink
  Tags: jay+harrison

Marc-Andre Gragnani Signs With Carolina

by Paul on 07/11/12 at 05:02 PM ET
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RALEIGH, NC – Ron Francis, Vice President of Hockey Operations for the National Hockey League’s Carolina Hurricanes, today announced that the team has agreed to terms with defenseman Marc-Andre Gragnani on a one-year, two-way contract. The deal will pay Gragnani $800,000 on the NHL level or $105,000 on the American Hockey League (AHL) level.

“Marc-Andre was in the NHL all of last season, and will push for a job with us in the fall,” said Francis. “He has good size and has shown the ability to produce offensively both in the AHL and the NHL.”

Gragnani, 25, split the 2011-12 season between Buffalo and Vancouver, totaling two goals, 13 assists (15 points) and 26 penalty minutes in 58 games. The Montreal native played 44 games with the Sabres and had a plus-10 plus/minus rating prior to being dealt to Vancouver along with Zack Kassian in exchange for Cody Hodgson and Alexander Sulzer on Feb. 27.

Filed in: NHL Teams, Carolina Hurricanes, | KK Hockey | Permalink
  Tags: marc-andre+gragnani

Eric Staal Hoping For Another Elite Forward

by Paul on 07/09/12 at 06:29 PM ET
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from Luke DeCock of the News & Observer,

So they didn’t land Zach Parise or Ryan Suter, and walked away from negotiations for Nash in the face of the Columbus Blue Jackets’ lofty demands. Staal, who enters his third full season as captain, is encouraged by the Hurricanes’ newfound ambition—as long as they’re not done.

“For me, just the fact that we’re even in the mix, that we threw offers out there to these elite guys, is exciting,” Staal said from Canada, where he’s avoiding the heat. “Sometimes you hear the same teams every year doing the same things. For us to be involved and make a pitch, it was big. We aren’t far off.

“We’ve got some very good pieces in place, and if we can add, like they’re saying, another elite forward, it will definitely put us in the mix among the top teams in the Eastern Conference. It’s exciting. I hope they’ll continue to push—and not just grab anybody, but the right person for our group.”

read on

Filed in: NHL Teams, Carolina Hurricanes, | KK Hockey | Permalink
 

Just Like That, The Canes Become A ‘Player’

by Paul on 07/01/12 at 10:45 PM ET
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from Luke DeCock of the News & Observer,

So what changed from all the years when the Hurricanes sat and watched as the top free agents in the game moved around the league? Money and ambition, of course. It wasn’t a total blank check, and Rutherford said the Hurricanes weren’t willing to offer the big signing bonuses other teams were throwing around, but owner Peter Karmanos was willing to authorize certain big contracts for certain big players.

That was enough to get the Hurricanes into the mix. Who knows how far that will take them.

It didn’t get them Parise, and it may or may not land Suter. As for Nash, the Columbus Dispatch reported he doesn’t have Carolina on the list of teams to which he will accept a trade, nor does he intend on changing that.

So all this intrigue may yet end up fizzling out, no matter how hard the Hurricanes push. They pushed, though. They pushed hard. They played the game. Parise had a difficult decision to make, as Suter does now, but the Hurricanes were and are part of the equation.

For at least one day, it was a different franchise. If Parise had come here, it might have changed the franchise forever. If Suter or Nash end up coming here, it still could.

more

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Canes Sign Joe Corvo And Justin Peters

by Paul on 07/01/12 at 03:12 PM ET
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via Carolina Hurricanes tweets,

Canes agree to terms w defenseman Joe Corvo on a one-year contract.

Canes agree to terms w goaltender Justin Peters on a two-year contract.

Filed in: NHL Teams, Carolina Hurricanes, | KK Hockey | Permalink
  Tags: joe+corvo, justin+peters

Jordan Staal Agrees To Long-Term Contract With Carolina

by Paul on 07/01/12 at 01:17 PM ET
Comments (8)

via Jim Rutherford tweet,

I’m very pleased we’ll be announcing shortly that Jordan Staal has committed to make his home in Carolina for a long time.

via Bob McKenzie tweet,

Jordan Staal agrees to terms with CAR. 10 years, $60M. Done

added 11:34am,

RALEIGH, NC – Jim Rutherford, President and General Manager of the National Hockey League’s Carolina Hurricanes, today announced that the team has agreed to terms with center Jordan Staal on a 10-year contract extension. The deal begins with the 2013-14 NHL season and extends through the 2022-23 season, paying Staal $6 million per season.

“We are very pleased that Jordan has chosen to commit to the Hurricanes organization and to make North Carolina his home,” said Rutherford. “At 23 years old he is just starting to come into his prime, and he now represents a cornerstone of our franchise for the long term.”

 

Filed in: NHL Teams, Carolina Hurricanes, | KK Hockey | Permalink
  Tags: jordan+staal

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