Fear not friends with the middle of the month here now and the free agent signings slowing down quite a bit, coupled with the fact the Canes are likely to not do much of anything other then signing Brandon Sutter (RFA) to a long term deal, this is likely the last anti-Rutherford rant I will have for a while.

So what has our fearless leader/GM done to the team since we last spoke. We got 2 major deals and one minor re-signing. The minor re-signing was bringing back RFA Derek Joslin with a 2 year 700K deal (I predicted no more then 750K– holy cow I got one right!). Not a bad signing, he’s decent, and I liked the strides he took last year in his development. This pretty much filled up their defensive core for this season… or not… The Canes went out earlier last week and signed FA defenseman Tomas Kaberle (33 years old!), to a 3 year 4.25 mil cap hit deal. I don’t want to bash this deal too much. I have always felt he was a great offensive defenseman, who moves the puck well ESPECIALLY on the power play. He took some heat in the playoffs b/c he was mostly invisible and didn’t do a whole lot the whole time he was in Boston, but I don’t really care about that. His numbers as a whole last year were fine, and he is a very durable player. He’s only had one year where he missed more then the 10 or so game range. Sure the argument can be made that he doesn’t play physical (true) enough to even get hurt but he’s a true PP quarterback and 10x the PP player then our current point man Pitkanen (Sucks). This whole deal would have been A O K if only THE CANES DON’T NEED ANOTHER 4 MILLION DOLLAR DEFENSEMAN! I would have rather seen them sink 4 million into a stud forward we can root for and see put up 30+ goals. Passing is fine if you have some guys to put it in the net. The Canes currently have 3 guys max for this.

Next the Canes seeing they have an over abundance of D men and also just happening to get a phone call from Joe Corvo’s agent asking for a trade to a “contender” (really Joe? you are gonna pull that crap?), they pulled the trigger on a deal to move Corvo. If I told you this you would think… Oh wow, Traded Corvo, the last time they did that they got 2 players back from the Capitals and a 2nd round pick! So what did they get this time? They dealt Corvo to the Bruins for a FOURTH ROUND PICK. You have got to be FU@#$%$@ kidding me Rutherford. A 4TH ROUND PICK???? This has got to be single handedly the worst GD deal you have made in at least a week (I am still furious at them picking up Ponikorovski or else I would have said longer). He continues to make complete and bone head moves for this team with no eye to the future and the good of the franchise. I don’t care one iota if keeping Corvo around a few weeks puts them over their precious self-cap. The bottom line is this, you don’t trade a top 4 D man on a whim and a prayer for a 4th round pick. It’s insane and just dumb. All he had to do is hold onto him for a week or two and work the phones and you could EASILY have gotten something like a useful 2nd line forward, and or a 2nd round pick plus for Corvo. Instead we give away useful parts for nothing and look even more like laughing stocks to the already laughing SE division opponents.

So now the Canes have 2 4 million dollar men on the blue line, neither of which can play one minute of actual defense. I guess the Canes are planning on scoring a ton of goals and letting Cam Ward face 45 shots a night, hoping they win more then they lose with that strategy. They now are just under the NHL salary floor and with the eminent signing of Sutter, they will get there with no problems. As always (lately), I am just frustrated with another roster blunder that Rutherford has made. I would have been fine with the whole Kaberle thing, if they just got something to show for Joe Corvo.

Until they do something else stupid (and we know it’s coming)

-GJ out.

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