My "EYE" Is Yours...

Welcome to "EYE on the Canes," my new blogging venture here on WRAL.com. I'm pumped about this one ! This is your place for "daily"( that's right I said daily) blog updates on your favorite NHL entry from Raleigh. I know some of you out there will say with regards to a "daily" report, "promises, promises." Well, my friends we have the technology and if this middle-aged (ouch) hockey talker can "navigate" (wow, tech term) his way through this you should get daily updates right here!!!

For those of you concerned about Carolina Hurricanes.com, you can still go there for "Hey Hey Whadda YOU Say" which will be feedback directly at you, from you, on topics regarding the Canes and the National Hockey League. You suggest, I write.  Here is a "hard core" daily fix of what I'm thinking about. So, Caniacs, I've laid it out there...lets' go for it.

 HEDICAN...

I saw Bret Hedican and talked at length with him at the Friesen 5K run, which by the way raised a total of $38,000 for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society, and number 6 looks and sounds great. You got the feeling last year that although his heart was in the right place, it was not 100 percent on board with his personal well- being. As he explained to me, recovering from the kind of hip surgery he had after the Stanley Cup ordeal normally takes six or seven months - Hedican afforded himself only two and a half months. This past off-season (feels good to say that) gave him chance to recover and train. He looks extremely fit in my opinion, mentally as well as physically. The grind is coming and no one knows what that will bring, but I've been around this athlete enough to know he can handle the challenge.

 CULLEN...

The more I think about Matt Cullen being brought back into the fold, the more excited I get - a talented multi-dimensional player with a history here. The history I speak of is the most important one. The relationship a professional athlete has with his coach may be the most important. Have players and coaches worked without this before? Of course. Here, Peter Laviolette's understanding of how to utilize this player may be the underlying reason why you could argue that Hurricanes have one of the best collection of forwards in the NHL. Cullen will be used everywhere. He can play all three forward positions, but as a natural center we all know his spot on the depth chart lies behind Brind'Amour and Staal. Laviolette possesses a talent for getting the "right" bodies going at specific times within games. Although it's too early to talk about line combinations, you could place number 8 on all three right know and put him just about anywhere and it would fit. That's why it's a valuable addition for this group, so go ahead and get excited.

 QUICK HITS...

Some prominent names are starting to appear around the league in terms of free agent try-outs. Brent Sopel will attend Detroit's camp without a contract and Jim Dowd will do the same with Philadelphia. Names like Danny Markov, Peter Forsberg and Eric Lindros still don't have contracts. Two former Hurricanes are also without deals as of this post. David Tanabe and Nolan Pratt (most recently of Tampa) are seeking deals. There is word that Tanabe may be coming to Carolina on a try-out. ... We'll wait and see. Newomer Jeff Hamilton has yet to report to Raleigh. He has been at a conditioning camp and is set to report Wednesday night for Thursday morning physicals.

This day more than any, "Keep America in you thoughts and prayers."

Talk to you tomorrow.