Category Archives: free agency

Checkers Contracts Update

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First of all, a shameless plug… it’s not too late to vote for Chasing Checkers in the Charlotte City Web Awards.  The Checkers are also up for an award, so how about voting for both of us?

Here’s the latest on who is under contract with the Carolina Hurricanes/ Charlotte Checkers and will likely spend some time at the AHL level.  I have been following all of the major signings this summer, though some of the ones I am MOST anxious to read about still haven’t happened (though, I had this crazy dream that the Checkers hired a new coach who happened to be my favorite NHL player of all time… talk about a great dream to wake up to!  Too bad it wasn’t true!)

Chris Terry resigned with the Hurricanes and will return for another two years (at least!).  He is the all-time leading point scorer in Charlotte, and former AHL All-Star, so his skills will be appreciated by the Checkers.

This is a pretty big list of players under contract.  Recent two-way signings by the Hurricanes include veterans Tim Wallace and Marc-Andre Gragnani, both of whom spent the majority of last season in the NHL and will be vying for spots many believed would belong to some of the Hurricanes prospects including Bobby Sanuinetti, Ryan Murphy, Zac Dalpe, Zach Boychuk and Drayson Bowman, just to name a few.  A little competition never hurt anyone, but it will be even more interesting to see how many former Checkers are able to make the jump to the NHL level this fall, especially with how full the Hurricanes roster already is.

The Hurricanes also signed another goaltender who will likely spend the majority of the season in Florida.  NCAA alum Rob Madore was signed to a two-way AHL contract by the Checkers.  You can read the official release here.  Madore played for the University of Vermont.  With the uncertainty of Brian Boucher’s health though, the Checkers should see Madore between the pipes for at least the first couple of months of the season.

Updated contracts after the jump.

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Hurricanes sign G John Muse, and other Checkers contract updates

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Great news today came out of Raleigh with the announcement that the Hurricanes had signed John Muse to a two-way NHL contract.  The Hurricanes will still have to sign one more goaltender for the Checkers (and the Checkers will probably have to sign another goaltender to an AHL contract as well.)

Yesterday, the Hurricanes announced a number of significant hockey operations changes to the coaching staff and front office positions in Raleigh.  There is still no word on a contract extension for Checkers coach Jeff Daniels.

Already, the roster in Charlotte is shaping up.  Repeating the format I used last year, I figured I should post the latest on the Checkers contract front.  I will continue to update it as things change.

2012-13 Contract Update

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The one about schedule predictions, and more begging for blue line support

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The part about the schedule:

I had this whole post written about my theory on what the Checkers schedule matrix is going to look like, and what my dream matrix would be.  Briefly, my theory is we’ll play our midwestern opponents 8 times each, everyone else in the west four times, leaving 12 games vs. Eastern conference teams, which would probably be four each vs. Norfolk, Hershey and Wilkes-Barre.  So that is my prediction, anyway.

Of course, if I was in a dream/fantasy schedule world, we’d still play the midwest 8 times each, some of the west 4 times each, but maybe not everyone, leaving us more options for Eastern teams to include teams like Springfield (selfishly, I love that organization) and Binghamton, because a good rivalry formed during the playoffs last year.  I’d also REALLY like the excuse to visit St. John’s, Newfoundland, so maybe in my fantasy world we should play them too, though I know that isn’t going to happen since a St. John’s newspaper reporter has already leaked their schedule matrix.

 

The part about veteran leadership

Anyway, in my previous post that took a lot longer to explain and go into, but I have bigger fish to fry today.  And that is the topic of AHL free agency, and how I’m getting VERY impatient with the Checkers and Hurricanes, because I’m anxious to see what the rest of our roster is going to look like.

Yet unsigned RFA’s include Brett Sutter and Bobby Sanguinetti, though I am not particularly worried about either of these going unsigned.

I am desperate for the Checkers to sign a veteran defenseman.  I really feel this is going to be a key to the development of our incredibly young group of blue liners.  Every time I see another NHL or AHL club announce a signing, I cringe a little bit more, because I want to see the Checkers make that kind of an announcement.  I think our prospects are phenomenal, but they need a couple more key guys to round out the squad.

Today, Columbus announced they had signed the AHL Man of the Year Cody Bass (he beat out a much more deserving candidate for this award, I might add, our own Mike Murphy!).  Teams like Springfield and Hershey have been loading up on the veteran AHL talent, but that is typically what a squad like Hershey does (and has to be a big part of why they let a guy like Sheldon Souray play for them last year, despite stories of him being a cancer to young guys in the room in Edmonton).

Now clearly, we don’t have a lot of room to spare on our AHL roster, because Carolina has very effectively used the Checkers as a development squad, which is something I fully support, but I still think we have holes.  The Hurricanes signed Justin Soryal, who will likely play in Charlotte and take on an enforcer-type role that Zack FitzGerald played last season, but we STILL need defense, and someone who has more than a season or two under their bed in the A.

Jonathan Bomboulie has a pretty great chart of the best AHL free agents on the market, and if you notice, most of them have been signed elsewhere.

 

I know I’ve mentioned him before, and I keep hearing he might be headed back to Europe, but if the Checkers signed Andre Benoit…. I don’t know what I’d do I’d be so excited (I do have a blank Checkers jersey, one that could EASILY be customized with his name and number!).  But Benoit is a proven leader.  He had successful call-ups with Ottawa last season.  He’s worn the A for two AHL Calder Cup winning teams.  He’s offensively minded, speedy, and fun to watch on the ice.  He’d look fantastic in a Checkers sweater!

Another notables from Bomboulie’s list include another long-time favorite of mine in Danny Syvret.  He captained the London Knight’s to a championship(alongside teammates Corey Perry and Bryan Rodney), and has worn a letter in a few different AHL cities during his time with Edmonton, Philadelphia and Anaheim’s minor league squads.

I know, I’m probably beating a dead horse begging for a veteran blue liner, but I’m anxious.  Blame the fact it’s 110 degrees outside (or something close to that) and the hockey season seems way too far away for me to fathom, when in reality that first game in Charlotte is only 74 days away, when the Canes face the Jets, and camp is even earlier than that in Raleigh (which, of course, I WILL be attending, unlike prospect conditioning camp, which I missed due to a Broadway show at my theater!)

I guess only time will tell what happens to our blue line in Charlotte, but I have the utmost confidence in our organization(s) that I’m sure it will be a good thing!

 

 

A few quick hits:

  • Canes Country, the definitive site for Canes news, has some GREAT stuff on prospect camp, and players who may end up in Charlotte in the very near future.  Definitely check it out!
  • Zac Dalpe had a GREAT piece about him in the Brantford newspaper.  He tweeted yesterday that his team won the Walter Gretzky golf tournament.
  • Brett Sutter pled guilty to a misdemeanor for a cabbie fight last year in Phoenix.  He and Patrick Kane should compare stories, I think!  I bet Kane has more than two cents to say about his incident (more like $0.20, I’d guess!)  He has to go back to court in September.  Phoenix is NOT a place I’d want to be caught doing something if I was a professional athlete.  Anyone remember Kurt Busch or Nikolai Khabibulin and their DUI situations?  The jails in Maricopa County are some of the scariest in the country!

 

The one about updated contracts, as of 7/4/11

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About a month ago, I posted a number of spreadsheets that listed Checkers players under contract for next season, and those who still need to be re-signed.  Here’s an updated list, and a bit of analysis.  There are still a lot of key signings that need to be made, but I have a lot of confidence in a Checkers squad next season that includes these guys.  It will be great to look to the veteran leadership of guys like Nicolas Blanchard and Chris Terry, and new talent like Justin Faulk and Justin Shugg.  (Just a note, the Checkers could have as many as five Justin’s on the team next season… and we thought we had a Zac(k/h) problem last season!)

A few notes:  While I list Zach Boychuck, Drayson Bowman Jerome Samson and Zac Dalpe on these lists, it is unlikely that all three will return to Charlotte in the fall.  Dalpe is probably the front runner for getting  a spot with the Hurricanes, but Bowman and Boychuck are also contenders.

According to CapGeek,  the Hurricanes have 10 forwards under contract (not including Samson, Dalpe, Bowman and Boychuck), with negotiations ongoing with RFA Brandon Sutter, who will most certainly be re-signed by the end of the month.

The Hurricanes have six defenseman under contract, plus RFA Derek Joslin who received a qualifying offer, but has not signed yet.  The Hurricanes picked up defenseman Ryan Murphy in the first round of the 2011 draft, but unless he has an incredible camp, I would expect him to return to the OHL for another season with the Kitchener Rangers.

So, without further adieu, here are the Charlotte Checkers contracts for 2011 and beyond:

Under contract 2011/12:

As mentioned earlier, one or more of these players will most likely start the season in Raleigh with the Hurricanes.  Frontrunners include Dalpe, Bowman, Boychuck and Samson.

There are four defensemen signed and willing to play in the AHL.  (Kruegar and Kivisto are maybes based on their European Transfer agreements).  Two additional D-men are RFAs and have received qualifying offers from the Hurricanes (Bellemore and Sanguinetti).  I hope that a guy like Casey Borer or Bryan Rodney returns to fill the veteran presence we need to help our young core of prospects.

The Checkers have between 10-12 Forwards signed for 2011/12.  Variables include which Zac(h), Drayson or Samson makes the Hurricanes, and if a guy like Jared Staal is ready to play at the AHL level.

The Checkers have two goaltenders, but will need to sign a third to an AHL/ECHL contract.

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The one about future Hurricane Justin Soryal

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The Hurricanes signed Left Wing Justin Soryal to a one-year, two-way contract that will pay him $80K at the AHL level.  He was undrafted after his four seasons in the OHL, and signed with the New York Rangers where he spent three seasons in their minor league system.  Soryal is a big, physical forward who was 11th in the AHL in penalty minutes last year with 220.  (For Checkers fans keeping score, Zack Fitzgerald was ninth with 229).  An interesting note is that Soryal was second on his team in PIM’s.  Devin DiDiomete led the Whale with 303 PIMs, and was third in the AHL.  I’ve heard nothing but great things about his time in the OHL and Connecticut, so I can’t wait to see him in a Hurricanes or Checkers uniform!

Soryal is also a former teammate of Jordan Staal.  The two played together for two seasons with the Peterborough Petes in the OHL from 2004-06.  Since the Hurricanes like to collect Staals (almost as much as they collect Sutters) I think Soryal’s Staal connection will serve him well.

In Soryal’s four games against the Checkers last year, he had zero points, but racked up 9 penalty minutes (They all came in the same game, our first of the season.  Five minutes for a fight vs. Nic Blanchard, and two additional roughing penalties.)

I would have to believe that Soryal’s similarity to Fitzgerald in the physical sense, and his willingness to drop the gloves, might be a final nail in Fitzy’s Hurricane coffin, as I would be surprised for the Canes to sign two players with a similar fighting talent, but we must not lose all hope for fan favorite Fitzy!

The one about day one of Free Agency, with an AHL focus

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Well, day one of free agency is wrapped up.  Some of the big stories of the day include Jaromir Jagr signing in Philadelphia, the Florida Panthers spending more money in one day than I would ever see in about ten lifetimes, and Brad Richards still not signing anywhere.

On the personal front, my favorite NHLer of all time signed a one-year deal with the Detroit Red Wings after a disastrous 2010-11 season.  Mike Commodore, a former Hurricane (and North Dakota Fighting Sioux) went to the dark side and signed with my most despised NHL team.  Fortunately, my affection for Mr. Commodore runs deep, so I will support him during his time in Detroit, just maybe not the logo on the front of his sweater!

Carolina Hurricane’s fan favorite Erik Cole decided to head north of the border and signed a four year deal worth $18 million with the Montreal Canadiens.  Once considered to be a Hab-killer with his incredible ability to defeats the Canadiens, he’ll now be wearing the bleu blanc et rouge in a city that has their team underneath a microscope like no other.  I wish Cole the best of luck!  He was a favorite of mine over the years.

 

AHL Thoughts and news of note:

The Hurricanes did nothing on day one of Free Agency to bolster their minor league squad.  While teams across the league(s) made key signings that improved their depth, Checkers fans are still left wondering who is coming back for season number two in Charlotte.  The Checkers have a number of UFAs on NHL contracts in Bryan Rodney, Casey Borer, Nick Dodge and Zack Fitzgerald.  (The latter of whom will probably not be re-signed by Carolina, but could still get an AHL contract directly with the Checkers or other AHL squads).  

This seems to be the way of the Hurricanes, which is contrary to some of the powerhouse squads in the AHL like Hershey and Wilkes-Barre.  The Hurricanes use their AHL team in a  truly developmental manner.  They didn’t have a single player last year who was considered a veteran under the AHL guidelines that limit the number of vets you can play in any given game, whereas many teams in the AHL would have to bench some of their older, more experienced players in favor of young guys with fewer games under their belts.  

I actually like this a lot about the Hurricanes, because they are using their Charlotte team to train and develop their own talent pretty darn effectively, but the hockey fan in me would LOVE to see some heavy hitters signed to beef up our local team!  The Checkers also only had two players (Herauf and Micflikier) on their regular roster who weren’t property of the Hurricanes (and another small handful of guys who spent most of the season in Florida with the Everblades).  

While I still wouldn’t anticipate any major depth signings that will affect the Checkers for a while longer, I have a lot of confidence in the core we DO have.  Unlike so many AHL teams that had a lot of veterans and UFAs, we are looking at the core of our team to look very similar this October to the squad we had in the Calder Cup Playoffs last season.

A few key AHL signings from around the league:

  • The Edmonton Oilers signed Defenseman Corey Potter to a two-way deal.  Potter is a former ECHL Checker, and spent last season with Wilkes-Barre, though he did play one game in Pittsburgh.  He has four and a half seasons of AHL experience, and if he ends up in Oklahoma City, the Barons will have a great player on their roster.
  • The Pittsburgh Penguins signed Colin McDonald to a one-year deal.  He’s a depth signing, and there’s a good chance the former OKC Baron will spend most of his time in Wilkes-Barre.
  • Ryan Potulny was a beast when he faced the Checkers during the Eastern Conference finals this season, scoring six points (4G, 2A) in the four games against Charlotte.  Washington picked him up on a one-year deal, and if he ends up playing in Hershey, AHL fans in our division should be worried.  (Unless of course, the Checkers move west, then Potulny can torment the WBS Pens instead of us!)

 

Other NHL Hurricanes signings:

  • The Hurricanes signed veteran goaltender Brian Boucher.  He’s an American netminder with loads of playoff experience, who has played in a number of cities over the years.  He will back up Cam Ward in Raleigh, giving the Checkers the goaltending duo of Mike Murphy and Justin Peters.
  • The Hurricanes signed a fourth-line center in Tim Brent to a two-year deal.  Brent was drafted twice by the Anaheim Ducks in 2002 and 2004.  After not signing with his team after the first draft, he re-entered and the Ducks claimed him a second time.  Since his first professional season in 2004, he spent most of his time in the AHL, never playing more than 15 NHL games until 2010-11, when he finally made the big club on a full time basis, playing 71 games with the Toronto Maple Leafs.
  • The Hurricanes signed a one-year contract with Alexei Ponikarovsky. Previously, Ponikarovsky played under Hurricanes coach Paul Maurice for two seasons in Toronto.  He spent most of his career in Toronto until being traded at the deadline to Pittsburgh in 2010, and spending the past season with the Los Angeles Kings.