The Carolina Hurricanes were very busy on Monday for a team whose season ended more than a month ago, as the team re-signed forward prospect Nicolas Blanchard and defensemen Jamie McBain and Bobby Sanguinetti.
Bryan Allen, however, was not among those re-upping with Carolina on Monday, as team general manager Jim Rutherford said the veteran blueliner will test free agency on July 1. By the same token, Jaroslav Spacek also has yet to put a pen to paper to stay in Carolina, although that appears to be Carolina management's decision. Hurricanes beat writer Chip Alexander of the Raleigh News and Observer reported on his Twitter account (@ice_chip) that Rutherford said it would be "premature" for the team to re-sign the 13-year veteran at this point, although Spacek himself is willing to re-sign.
While it's understandable that Rutherford and his staff will want to explore their options, it's worth noting that as it currently stands, only one Hurricanes defenseman under contract for 2012-13 posted a positive plus-minus rating in 2011-12: Tim Gleason, who signed in January to a four-year contract extension. Given that the Hurricanes allowed 243 goals last season while scoring only 213, it's natural that there would be few players with positive ratings. However, in light of the Sanguinetti and McBain signings, it's clear that the Hurricanes will need high-quality defense-first blueliners in the fold for next season if the team hopes to improve on its fifth-place finish in the Southeast Division.
Rutherford said Monday that McBain has the potential to develop into a 40- or 50-point scorer from the blueline, and after the native of Edina, Minn., scored eight goals and assisted on 19 more during his second full season in the NHL, it's hard to disagree with Rutherford's opinion. However, McBain has no history of standout play in his own end.
In 2008-09, his final season at the University of Wisconsin, McBain was an offensive force, scoring seven goals and handing out 30 assists in 40 games, averaging nearly a point per game from the blueline. He was one of 10 finalists for the Hobey Baker Award, given annually to the top player in college hockey. He also posted a minus-10 rating, the worst on the Badgers' roster. He hasn't proven to be much better in that department at the pro level, posting a minus-8 rating in 76 NHL games last year and a minus-7 rating in 2011-12, and while it's true that the numbers would be much worse if McBain hadn't improved his all-around game, it's clear that the former collegiate star still has some significant work to do.
The stakes aren't quite as high with Sanguinetti, since the former second-round draft pick has only played eight NHL games and has yet to prove he can become a full-time NHLer, but by the same token, his gifts are clearly offensive. The New Jersey native posted a negative plus-minus in two of his four seasons of junior hockey in the OHL, and has a minus-27 rating through 241 games at the AHL level. If Sanguinetti does stick in the NHL, it will clearly be for his offense, making Carolina's need for more shut-down types on defense that much greater.
Naturally, Rutherford will have a lot to work on with his roster this summer, and the rumors continue to swirl about attracting Penguins center Jordan Staal to join older brother Eric in Raleigh. However, if McBain and Sanguinetti are significant pieces of the Hurricanes' future, they're going to need defensive help as well.
