Hurricanes Re-Sign McBain, Sanguinetti, Blanchard

The Carolina Hurricanes have announced that they have signed defenseman Jamie McBain to a two-year, $3.6 million contract extension.  The team also re-signed defenseman Bobby Sanguinetti to a one-year, two-way contract and left wing Nicolas Blanchard to a two-year, two-way contract.  McBain's deal will pay him $1.8 million per season, while Sanguinetti will earn $700,000 at the NHL level and $105,000 at the AHL level.  Blanchard will earn $525,000 if he plays in the NHL and $105,000 if he plays in the AHL.  All three players would have been free agents this summer.  In 76 games this past season, McBain had eight goals and 19 assists for 27 points.  Sanguinetti was held pointless in three games with Carolina.  He also appeared in 60 games with Charlotte of the AHL, scoring 10 goals and 40 assists for 50 points.  Blanchard had nine goals and 12 assists for 21 points and 103 penalty minutes in 68 games with Charlotte.  He has yet to appear in an NHL game.

McBain has lots of offensive upside and skill, as well as good size and plenty of talent for the power play.  Look for him to play a top-four role and continue to improve his defensive skills over the next two seasons.  Sanguinetti has plenty of offensive upside and size and could crack Carolina's lineup next season if he impresses at training camp in the fall.  Blanchard is really just a depth signing and will likely spend the majority of the next two seasons in the minors, where he will provide some offensive depth and toughness for Charlotte.  If he does see any action with the Hurricanes, it will likely be on the checking lines.

Hurricanes Make Several Trades at 2010 Entry Draft

The second day of the 2010 NHL Entry Draft was very busy for the Carolina Hurricanes, as they made three trades throughout the course of the day. The Hurricanes acquired center Riley Nash from the Edmonton Oilers in exchange for a second round pick in 2010, defenseman Bobby Sanguinetti from the New York Rangers for a sixth round pick in 2010 and a second round pick in 2011, and center Jonathan Matsumoto from the Philadelphia Flyers for a seventh round pick in 2010. Nash, a former first round pick of the Oilers, had 12 goals and 24 assists for 36 points in 31 games with Cornell University last season. Sanguinetti, a former first round pick of the Rangers, appeared in five games last season with New York, scoring no points. He also played in 61 games with Hartford of the AHL, scoring nine goals and 29 assists for 38 points. Matsumoto appeared in 80 games with Adirondack of the AHL, scoring 30 goals and 32 assists for 62 points. These aren't bad depth signings for the Hurricanes. Nash is a decent two-way center who is good on the faceoff and plays with plenty of grit. Sanguinetti has lots of offensive skill and is decent on the power play, while Matsumoto has good offensive instincts and has proven that he can score at lower levels. Matsumoto will likely spend most of next season in the minors, but if Nash and Sanguinetti are impressive enough at training camp, they could secure spots on the team next season.