Don't give Canes lumps for dealing Cole

I know that it is never easy for fans when a favorite player is traded away for an unknown entity and as Erik Cole heads to Edmonton in exchange for defenseman Joni Pitkanen, while unpopular to Canes fans, this deal had to happen. Erik Cole is one of my favorite players in the NHL, an American born winger who plays bigger than his size and has the skills to one day score 40 goals in the League and on top of that he is a good guy. To see him leave has many fans scratching their heads. Why Cole? He was the one player with high value and the Hurricanes could deal him without having to waive a no trade clause, and he was an unrestricted free agent at the end of the season. Also it is the age old adage in sports trades that you have to give to get.

Trading a popular player is never easy, but it has been two years since the Carolina Hurricanes made the playoffs and these past two seasons the Canes have been pretty much the same team that won the Stanley Cup. So GM Jim Rutherford and ownership felt changes needed to be made and change is never accepted without some resistance. So while the natural instinct is think the Canes could have gotten more for a staple of the organization, the franchise felt a new direction on the ice was needed. They are right.

Enter defenseman Joni Pitkanen, at 6’3” and 214 pounds the Finnish born player adds size on the blue-line and adds offense from the point. The Canes franchise continues the remodeling from the line-up that started last year. Rutherford felt the team had to become more mobile and physical on defense in order to shut down division foes like Alex Ovechkin of Washington and Vinny Lecavalier in Tampa and take pressure off of forwards to play in the shut down role. Pitkanen will not score 40 goals in a season, but he’ll be able to keep the highly talented forwards in the Southeast Division away from that mark.

Another area where Pitkanen’s impact will be felt is the power play, where he brings a booming shot and ability to carry the puck through the neutral zone to help set up the man-advantage. I spoke with Ron Francis, the Canes vice president of player development and one of the greatest power play players in NHL history, and he feels the addition will strengthen the attacking unit because no player will be forced into an uncomfortable role.

Take a look at this year’s champion the Detroit Red Wings, this a team that perennially makes the post season and they do it with big, mobile defensemen that move the puck and a forward corps that rolls line after line at you. That is a formula that Carolina has moved closer to with this deal.

You might not like the deal today if you are a Canes fan, but this is not a move about today, it is a move about the month of April when the playoffs start, and to hear cheers in the post-season is why a move like this had to happen. While it is tough to swallow now, it will be something that is cheered come April.