RALEIGH - Amid a very active OTHL offseason, the Carolina Hurricanes have not been watching from the sidelines. GM Norm Donovan has been burning up the phone lines looking for a #1 or #2 C or LW, and although he has yet to land one, he has kept himself busy by tinkering with his defensive corps.
First, promising forward Radim Vrbata was traded to the Florida Panthers for hulking young defenceman Mathieu Biron. Some experts have noted that the Canes might have gotten more for a player of Vrbata's potential, but GM Donovan disagrees. "We had a number of teams express interest in Vrbata, but none were willing to cough up a quality offer for him. Eventually, we just felt that we had an asset that just didn't fit into plans and it was unfair to keep a young guy like Vrbata dangled like that. The trade rumours were really affecting him. In Biron, we get a young kid who is what, 6'6"? The one thing you can't teach in hockey is size, and Biron has that in spades. He has the tools to make an immediate impact on our lineup and I think there is ample room for development."
Next, the Canes packaged Cory Cross - acquired a week ago from Edmonton - with a mid-round pick for veteran Jon Klemm and a high 2nd round pick. Although they add some salary in the deal, Donovan is happy with the return. "Klemm is a rock on defence. Cross may have a slight edge in some other areas but we feel that overall Klemm can do just as well for us. More important was the opportunity to move up in the draft. As an organization, we really want to focus on re-stocking our prospect pool."
Finally, Donovan traded defensive standout Sean Hill to the Pittsburgh Penguins for goalie J-S Aubin, winger Tom Kotsopoulos and defenceman Michal Roszival. Although losing Hill is a significant blow to the Canes blueline, the additions add some much-needed depth and, unlike Hill who is in his final contract year, some potential for the future, was the impetus for the deal. The acquisition of Aubin is quite likely the final nail in the coffin for Arturs Irbe as well, who will likely be moved for the first offer Donovan receives.
Sources have indicated that as the draft approcahes, Donovan is continuing his efforts to acquire picks in the first 3 rounds. Reports vary widely, with some indicating that he will be trading down his #8 overall pick while still others claiming that he will be trading up in the draft from his #25 pick. Whatever the case, look for more deals to be made as early as today.