Since winning the Cup in 2006, the ‘Canes have been unable to even make the playoffs. It can be blamed on the massive numbers of injuries sustained over the 2 seasons since, it can also be blamed on a defense that was old and had more holes than this snappy little mesh number (for the guys). However, at the trade deadline last season, GM Jim Rutherford brought in Joe Corvo who was an instant boost on the blueline. This summer, golden oldie (as in, two years older than God) Glen Wesley retired and now works in the ‘Canes organization as Director of Defenseman Development. The oft-broken (also not getting any younger) Bret Hedican was not re-signed, he’s looking for a gig out west, no takers yet.

Additionally, Joni Pitkanen was brought in via trade with Edmonton for Eric Cole. Anton Babchuk and Josef Malichar have returned from playing in Europe. Tim Conboy, Casey Borer, Wade Brookbank, Tim Gleason, and Dennis Seidenberg all saw time with the ‘Canes last season as well (due to injuries). If you thinking “holy cow, that’s a lot of defensemen!” you’re correct. Toss in Nic Wallin and Frantisek “Pee-Wee Herman” Kaberle and you have eleven D on the ‘Canes roster. It’s unlikely Conboy or Borer or Brookbank will see a lot of ice, unless there are more injuries. ‘Canes have been trying to toss Kabby out as trade bait as often as Dion Phaneuf goes for antibiotic refills, but no takers. Since his fantastic season in 2006, he had shoulder surgery and hasn’t quite played the same. Wallin apparently has a no-trade clause which makes Kaberle the one most likely to be moved. Which is too bad, I hear he makes some yummy chicken. It’s worth noting that Kabs has had an exceptional camp, putting himself out there to be shopped or to (hopefully) earn a spot.

The offense has depth and talent, led by “Rod the Bod” and Erik “The Next Captain” Staal. Carolina needed help defensively which meant giving up a forward and Eric Cole was one of the most tradeable. It’s tough to see him go, he’s a gritty power forward who survived a horrific injury and came back to help the team win the cup. He will definitely be missed. Staal and Brind’ Amour are joined by Ray Whitney, Matt Cullen (if he stops seeing cartoon birdies flying around his noggin ), a rejuvenated Sergei Samsanov, Tuomo Ruutu, Scott Walker, Chad LaRose (click on it, you won’t regret it!), and Patrick Eaves. That’s a lot of decent talent. And with the aggressive offensive system employed by Peter Laviolette things are promising for the ‘Canes.

With the loss of Williams for pretty much the whole season, it opens up a roster spot. This is, of course, assuming Brandon Sutter makes the team, which the way the ‘Canes brass LLOOOVVVEEE this kid, it seems pretty much a sure thing. Granted, he’ll most likely be on the 4th line, but that will give guys like LaRose a chance to move up on the depth chart. So who will fill Williams’ slot? Ryan Bayda will get a chance to prove himself. Matt Murley has an excellent shot and has been impressive at training camp. Indeed, so has youngster Drayson Bowman. For comprehensive and near-psycho coverage of Bowman, check my site.

It could all be worthless if the Carolina players all get the dreaded Indifference-itis syndrome that seemed to run through their locker room at varying times last season. As in just after the start of the season and lasted until about a week a day an hour before the playoffs started–and they missed out by the skin of their teeth.

It also rests on the shoulders of a young and inconsistent Cam Ward. And his backup, AHL goalie of the year Michael Leighton. Since winning the Conn Smythe in 2006 Ward has been streaky at best. If he can put together a solid season they’ll be in good shape. But it hasn’t happened yet. Leighton is a capable backup and most certainly an upgrade from John “NASCAR helmet-wearing” Grahame.

‘Canes are projected by most prognosticators as 2nd in the Division, after Washington. Tampa is such an unknown, but the rest of the Division (Atlanta, Florida) is fairly weak. Carolina has many of the pieces to be 1st in the division, it’s whether those pieces can come together and be a success on the ice.

For my goalie-loving ladiez. For my Staal-loving sistas.

With the Vancouver Canucks waiving their number 10 pick around, coupled with the fact that they most likely won’t resign forward Brendan Morrison and the possibility that Markus Naslund will resign cheaper, the ‘Nucks will try something.

It is still unclear at this point if the Toronto Maple Leafs will resign Mats Sundin. What is clear however is that they are waiving their number 7 pick around and have been linked with Patrick Marleau, Olli Jokinen, and Vincent Lecavalier to name a few.

The Montreal Canadiens have also been rumoured to try and move up in the draft to make a deal go through. Andrei Kostitsyn should be signed by the draft. Marc Streit could be also although rumours suggest that he would be traded. The Habs are also being linked to Marian Hossa, Sundin, Eric Cole, Ryan Malone, and Lecavalier to name a few. In Hossa’s case the Habs are trying to trade for his rights.

The Carolina Hurricanes are rumoured to be in on Joni Pitkanen.

The Columbus Blue Jackets are rumoured to be in on Marleau as well as Malone.

The Calgary Flames are rumoured to be hunting Jokinen.

The Boston Bruins are hunting Hossa.

To be brief, just mentioning seven teams and one could see that the draft this year might live up to the hype that every media source is putting out there.

Perhaps the draft will be more exciting than the first week of July.

Let’s hope that this year’s draft will be one not to miss.

The entry draft is for minor league players to move up in life, unfortunately for the minor leaguers, fortunately for the fans, this year it should be more about NHL players changing addresses.

There are 30 teams in the NHL. Perhaps not all the teams will make something happen, but if one believes the hype, it should be a draft day frenzy.

According to Bucky Gleason of The Buffalo News, the Chicago Blackhawks GM Dale Tallon will try to move high-priced forward Martin Havlat and goalie Nikolai Khabibulin during the off-season.

Trading both players, who become unrestricted free agents next summer, would give the Blackhawks $12.75 million to spend in free agency.

If the Blackhawks don’t trade both players, Bruce Garrioch of the Ottawa Sun believes that the club will certainly deal Havlat.

Jim Matheson of The Edmonton Journal reports that Los Angeles Kings pending unrestricted free agent defenseman Rob Blake would like to continue his NHL career for one or two more seasons. And preferably with the Kings.

However, for that to happen, Matheson suggests that the veteran blueliner will have to take a significant pay cut down to around $3 million per season.

Matheson also reiterates earlier reports that the Ottawa Senators can buy out goalie Ray Emery between June 15 and June 30 at one-third of the $6.75 million left on the last two years of his contract. That translates to a salary cap hit of $562,000 each of the next four years. Matheson suggests that that the Senators will indeed take advantage of this opportunity to dump Emery.

Look for the Edmonton Oilers to shop defenseman Joni Pitkanen in the off-season, according to Aaron Portzline of The Columbus Dispatch.

Portzline also reports that Oilers pending UFA forward Geoff Sanderson will retire at season’s end.

Garrioch believes that the New York Islanders will not trade goalie Rick DiPietro despite the friction he and head coach Ted Nolan.

Garrioch also reports that Colorado Avalanche pending UFA goaltender Jose Theodore could be pursued by the Kings and the Tampa Bay Lightning should he decided to go on the market.

More from Garrioch, he reports on a number of non-trades leading up to last month’s trade deadline.

First off, word is that the Philadelphia Flyers were willing to part with forward Jeff Carter and their first round draft pick for Toronto Maple Leafs defenseman Tomas Kaberle. The deal fell through when Kaberle invoked the no-trade clause in his contract.

Secondly, the Atlanta Thrashers were unsuccessful in their attempts to move defenseman Alexei Zhitnik.

Lastly, Minnesota Wild GM Doug Risebrough wasn’t willing to meet the asking price for Florida Panthers forward Olli Jokinen.

Carbonneau stated earlier this month that whatever goalie wins, stays in goal. Does this mean with Price losing his last outing against the Columbus Blue Jackets, and his still being in goal for the next game that Huet will be dealt? Could there be a trade in the works? Possibly Huet, Micheal Ryder, a draft pick, and possibly Alex Emlin’s rights could go to the Edmonton Oilers for Jaret Stoll, Dwayne Roloson, and Joni Pitkanen?

Martin Havlat of the Chicago Blackhawks has been reported to be on the general manager of the Canadiens Bob Gainey’s radar, along with Robert Lang also of the Hawks. Does the fact that some players have exercised their no trade clause tie Gainey’s hands of sort being that he has coveted those players? Marian Hossa of the Atlanta Thrashers, and Olli Jokinen of the Florida Panthers have had their market value triple in the last few hours, does this mean Gainey has to revert to plan B and go after Havlat and Lang?

The Montreal Canadiens defence of late has been less than desirable, will the Habs reinforce their defence for the play-offs by getting Buffalo Sabers Brian Campbell? Would the Canadiens be able to sign him, and with the free agents the Habs have to deal with at the end of next season, how much could they afford to sign him for? The Canadiens need help at defence as it’s hard to believe that Patrice Brisebois will be the salvation of the team. Campbell would be another offensive threat from the blue line and be moderate in the defensive zone which, would be better than nothing, but would it be worth 4-6 million a year, which is probably what Campbell will be asking for.

Mathieu Garon, Edmonton Oilers ($1 million next season}
Edmonton GM Kevin Lowe will have a hard time finding a taker for goalie Dwayne Roloson, who is due $3 million next season, but he might have an easier time moving Garon, who has supplanted Roloson as the starter in Edmonton. Garon has been sensational in the shootout (he’s an unbelievable 8-0-0) and has a respectable 2.53 goals-against average and .914 save percentage. Would Garon give the Caps enough of an upgrade to get into the postseason? What about as a backup to workhorse Evgeni Nabokov in San Jose, where the Sharks need a long playoff run? If the Rangers make the playoffs, Garon might be a nice safety net for Henrik Lundqvist.

Joni Pitkanen, Edmonton Oilers (restricted free agent}
Hall of Fame hockey writer Jim Matheson recently compared Pitkanen to Florida stud Jay Bouwmeester. Pitkanen is a Finn, not a Canadian, and got a bad rap in Philadelphia before being dealt to the Oilers in the offseason. Can the Oil afford him, especially if teams will be looking for a little payback on GM Kevin Lowe with an offer sheet in the offseason? If Lowe thinks rookie Tim Gilbert is the puck-moving defenseman of the future, he might be tempted to move him. Pitkanen won’t be cheap, though.

Rob Blake, Los Angeles Kings (unrestricted free agent}
The big veteran has a no-trade clause but is believed to be willing to waive it under the right circumstances. He was hoping to be part of a renaissance in Los Angeles, but the Kings are among the NHL’s worst teams. So Blake might be happy to give it one more go somewhere else. If Colorado moves defenseman John-Michael Liles, Blake could return to Colorado, where he won a Cup in 2001. The New York Rangers will also be interested in shoring up their blue line.

John-Michael Liles, Colorado Avalanche (unrestricted free agent}
Liles has a lot of upside as a puck-moving defenseman, but it appears the Avs won’t be looking to re-sign him, so he’ll likely be on the move. Liles might be the kind of defenseman who could help a team like Chicago over the long term if they thought they could lock him up.

Ryan Suter, Nashville Predators (restricted free agent}
Suter, the seventh overall pick in the 2003 draft, may have taken a little longer to mature, but he’s maturing rapidly and would be an attractive target for a GM thinking of making an offer sheet in the offseason. GM David Poile has said he will sign the team’s top four restricted free agents — Suter, Shea Weber, Jordin Tootoo and Martin Erat — but if the moribund franchise doesn’t hit the revenue-sharing triggers because of soft attendance, it may not have the cash. That would again force Poile into a position in which he might have to move top-level talent.

Shea Weber, Nashville Predators (restricted free agent}
See above, although Weber is the far more attractive prospect because of his size and booming shot and will (should) be priority re-signing No. 1 for the Predators.

Brad Stuart, Los Angeles Kings (unrestricted free agent}
Once upon a time, the third overall pick in the 1998 entry draft was considered one of the cornerstones of the San Jose Sharks’ blue line. Dealt to Boston in the Joe Thornton deal, Stuart didn’t fit in Boston, or later in Calgary, and has languished like many of the Kings in Los Angeles. He is minus-14 and has just four goals. Still, he has tools and could help fill out a playoff roster for the Rangers or even in San Jose, where coach Ron Wilson is familiar with Stuart’s abilities.

Martin Lapointe, Chicago Blackhawks, RW (unrestricted free agent}
Lapointe has been a great presence in the Chicago dressing room, but he really doesn’t fit in the team’s rebuilding and it has Kevyn Adams (albeit injured) to fill the role of the character leader/defensive specialist. Still, Lapointe is as tough as they come and could be a nice addition to a Stanley Cup-caliber team. Lapointe’s old team, Detroit, might be interested, or Ottawa given it was pushed around by Anaheim in last season’s Cup finals.

Sergei Fedorov, Columbus Blue Jackets, C (unrestricted free agent}
One of the more enigmatic players in the league, the former MVP and three-time Cup winner (all with the Red Wings) is on the down side of a Hall of Fame career. But he will still be enticing to a number of clubs looking for offensive depth, including the Ottawa Senators (GM Bryan Murray had Fedorov in Anaheim), or back in Detroit, where he is a known quantity.

Michael Peca, Columbus Blue Jackets, C (unrestricted free agent}
If the Blue Jackets are serious about re-signing veteran defenseman and captain Adam Foote, it might make Peca more expendable as Columbus moves into a summer where it is expected to be active on the free-agent market. Peca was a key part of the Edmonton Oilers’ run to the 2006 Stanley Cup finals and would be a nice addition to a team like Ottawa or Detroit. Could the Buffalo Sabres use a little leadership right about now? Um, yes.

Ladislav Nagy, Los Angeles Kings, LW (unrestricted free agent}
The enigmatic Slovak will likely be looking at his fourth NHL home since the start of last season, having been in Phoenix, Dallas and now Los Angeles. Nagy has never produced at a level his talent suggests; the trend has continued this season as he has nine goals in 38 games. Ottawa and Colorado are looking for scoring depth, but Nagy won’t command the first-round draft pick Phoenix was able to coax out of Dallas a season ago.

J.P. Dumont, Nashville Predators, RW (unrestricted free agent}
Dumont presents another interesting dilemma for Poile. Poile has a passel of restricted free agents to sign before next season and Dumont entered the break with a 14-game points streak as the Preds have climbed back to the edge of the playoff bubble. Poile would like to sign Dumont, who turns 30 in April; but does Dumont want to stick around a team that has a limited future in Nashville? Buffalo would sure love to have Dumont back, as would any team looking for offensive help that won’t break the salary-cap or assets bank.

Jim Matheson of The Edmonton Journal, too, believes that with the emergence of pending RFA blueliner Tom Gilbert as an offensive talent, the Oilers could part with Pitkanen in exchange for a much needed scoring forward.

The Oilers also need to consider that Pitkanen, who currently earns $2.4 million, has played so well this season that he could get as much as $5 million per season on his next contract. Especially if he signs an offer sheet with another team.

So, would Oilers GM Kevin Lowe give Pitkanen $5 million per season considering he is already spending a $5.4 salary cap hit on defenseman Sheldon Souray? Not to mention that Gilbert could get as much as $3.45 million per season in the off-season.

But if Lowe decides to shop Pitkanen, what kind of return might he expect?

“Those guys aren’t easy to get,” said Carolina GM Jim Rutherford, who’s trying hard to find one of his own for his aging, slow back end, and for now is looking at Colorado’s John-Michael Liles. “You have to pay a good price to get one.”

Would Rutherford move Erik Cole and a prospect for Pitkanen? Would the Los Angeles Kings part with forwards Alex Frolov or Mike Cammalleri in exchange for the 24-year-old blueliner?

Bucky Gleason of The Buffalo News suggests that the Oilers may try to use Pitkanen to acquire Dallas Stars forward Lou Eriksson.

The likeliest candidate would be defenseman Joni Pitkanen, an impending restricted free agent. Pitkanen, a skilled blueliner, has a fairly low $2.4 million cap hit, so he would be easy to ship in exchange for a forward.

A possible destination could be Buffalo, where the Sabres may be looking to replace the injured Teppo Numminen. Numminen, who needs surgery to repair a heart ailment, is expected to be out of action for “undetermined period” of time.

Even with the uncertainty surrounding Numminen, the Sabres aren’t expected to make any hasty moves. And with Danny Markov still on the market, they can just sign the unrestricted free agent blueliner without trading any assets.

In a span of three weeks, the Oilers have gone from first to last in the “ridiculously competitive Northwest Division.” Adding to the misery, is the fact that they have also managed to put together the “NHL’s worst record for the last 10 games.”

Jones warns that if the Oilers continue on their previous pace for the next 10 games, “they’ll be out of serious playoff contention by the end of the month.”

Adding to all the troubles for the Oilers is that they will be without defenseman Ladislav Smid, who suffered a separated shoulder.

So something need to be done, and speculation has been for a while that Lowe is trying hard to acquire an offensive minded defenseman.

According to Chris Stevenson of the Ottawa Sun an Oiler scout was seen at Sunday’s game between there Ottawa Senators and the Philadelphia Flyers.

It’s believed that the Oilers have serious interest in Flyers defenseman Joni Pitkanen.