Hienoa!! Arturs Irbe todennäköisesti säylyttää ykkösmaalivahdin aseman Carolinassa. Ainakin nyt Carolinassa on moneen vuoteen on ihan kelpo(?) kakkosmaalivahti ja Irben ei tarvitse pelata kuin hullu...
Summer workouts have clearly indicated that the Hurricanes expect veteran goalie Tom Barrasso to be the backup for Arturs Irbe.
After sitting out a season, Barrasso signed a contract with the Hurricanes. He joins the organization as a 36-year-old free agent.
This should give more time for younger goalies in the system to develop. This is Barrasso's job to lose.
Last year, Tyler Moss and Jean-Marc Pelletier competed for the No. 2 goalie position. It didn't turn out to be much of a competition because Pelletier became injured and Moss was about the only choice.
But Moss didn't play much and the Hurricanes rarely showed enough confidence in him to replace Irbe in the lineup. That's why obtaining a backup goalie became one of the team's priorities in the offseason.
Barrasso's presence might take pressure off the younger goalies in training camp. But they'll still want to impress the coaches because their positioning in the minor leagues will be at stake.
Barrasso isn't just a token signing, though. The Hurricanes are serious about him playing a pivotal role for them. He has shown that he's serious about returning to the NHL through his offseason workouts. ...
The Hurricanes hired former NHL goalie Don Edwards as goaltender consultant. Edwards, 45, spent the last six seasons working with the Los Angeles Kings as an assistant coach and goaltending consultant.
He might be an ideal fit. During his playing career, he led NHL goaltenders in games played during one season. Irbe has led the league in that category the past two seasons.
Edwards replaces Steve Weeks, who left to become an assistant coach with the Atlanta Thrashers.
Edwards spent 10 years in the NHL with Buffalo, Calgary and Toronto before his retirement following the 1986-87 season. Edwards, a fifth-round pick (89th overall) by Buffalo in 1975, played a league-high 72 games in 1977-78. He also led the league with 38 wins and 4,209 minutes played that season. ...
The Hurricanes have offered a free-agent tryout to Rustyn Dolyny, a former Michigan State right winger, during training camp. They also list veteran defenseman Al Iafrate on their training camp roster, but it's uncertain whether he'll actually attend the tryout. ...
Players should be lining up for roster spots with the Hurricanes. There will be opportunities for rookies to compete for at least one forward position and one defensive position on the NHL roster.
If a rookie forward makes the team, he'll like come from last year's top minor league affiliate, which was the Cincinnati Cyclones. There doesn't appear to be another player like center Josef Vasicek, who emerged during training camp and was elevated to the NHL team.
That makes Erik Cole, Craig MacDonald, Ian MacNeil, Byron Ritchie and Jaroslav Svoboda the top candidates.
On defense, the Hurricanes are intent on giving Igor Knyazev, the team's top selection in June's draft, a chance to make the team. Knyazev is an 18-year-old player from Russia.
A more likely scenario could have defenseman Nikos Tselios, the team's top draft selection in 1997, making the move. Tselios has been groomed along the way and he might be ready for the next step in his progression. There's also Greg Koehler, who played one game for Carolina last year when he was called up to fill in because of injuries.
The Sporting News
Summer workouts have clearly indicated that the Hurricanes expect veteran goalie Tom Barrasso to be the backup for Arturs Irbe.
After sitting out a season, Barrasso signed a contract with the Hurricanes. He joins the organization as a 36-year-old free agent.
This should give more time for younger goalies in the system to develop. This is Barrasso's job to lose.
Last year, Tyler Moss and Jean-Marc Pelletier competed for the No. 2 goalie position. It didn't turn out to be much of a competition because Pelletier became injured and Moss was about the only choice.
But Moss didn't play much and the Hurricanes rarely showed enough confidence in him to replace Irbe in the lineup. That's why obtaining a backup goalie became one of the team's priorities in the offseason.
Barrasso's presence might take pressure off the younger goalies in training camp. But they'll still want to impress the coaches because their positioning in the minor leagues will be at stake.
Barrasso isn't just a token signing, though. The Hurricanes are serious about him playing a pivotal role for them. He has shown that he's serious about returning to the NHL through his offseason workouts. ...
The Hurricanes hired former NHL goalie Don Edwards as goaltender consultant. Edwards, 45, spent the last six seasons working with the Los Angeles Kings as an assistant coach and goaltending consultant.
He might be an ideal fit. During his playing career, he led NHL goaltenders in games played during one season. Irbe has led the league in that category the past two seasons.
Edwards replaces Steve Weeks, who left to become an assistant coach with the Atlanta Thrashers.
Edwards spent 10 years in the NHL with Buffalo, Calgary and Toronto before his retirement following the 1986-87 season. Edwards, a fifth-round pick (89th overall) by Buffalo in 1975, played a league-high 72 games in 1977-78. He also led the league with 38 wins and 4,209 minutes played that season. ...
The Hurricanes have offered a free-agent tryout to Rustyn Dolyny, a former Michigan State right winger, during training camp. They also list veteran defenseman Al Iafrate on their training camp roster, but it's uncertain whether he'll actually attend the tryout. ...
Players should be lining up for roster spots with the Hurricanes. There will be opportunities for rookies to compete for at least one forward position and one defensive position on the NHL roster.
If a rookie forward makes the team, he'll like come from last year's top minor league affiliate, which was the Cincinnati Cyclones. There doesn't appear to be another player like center Josef Vasicek, who emerged during training camp and was elevated to the NHL team.
That makes Erik Cole, Craig MacDonald, Ian MacNeil, Byron Ritchie and Jaroslav Svoboda the top candidates.
On defense, the Hurricanes are intent on giving Igor Knyazev, the team's top selection in June's draft, a chance to make the team. Knyazev is an 18-year-old player from Russia.
A more likely scenario could have defenseman Nikos Tselios, the team's top draft selection in 1997, making the move. Tselios has been groomed along the way and he might be ready for the next step in his progression. There's also Greg Koehler, who played one game for Carolina last year when he was called up to fill in because of injuries.
The Sporting News