No Easy Path for Rutherford - Mark Parrish on Speed Dial?
You have to feel for Justin Williams. To work so hard, only to have another set back like this one must be devastating. But not only is the winger’s injury tough on the skater himself, it obviously affects the whole organization.
For instance, Peter Laviolette’s job status is probably riding on the team’s success or failure in the next few months, and one of the Hurricanes best players won’t be on the ice. Yesterday’s heartbreaking news affected everyone on the team in one way or the other.
The man who has the responsibility of putting the best team that he can on the ice is General Manager Jim Rutherford. What are his options? What would you do if you were in his shoes?
The good news is that he has many alternatives. The bad news is, none of them equal Justin Williams.
Several fans are ready to give Jeff O’Neill the job by default. Let’s slow down a bit here. O’Neill has not played organized hockey in over a year. Perhaps it would be wise to watch him play a bit, and have him prove that he is capable before the Canes hand him over a contract. Someone like Joe Jensen might end up looking better than “O”.
There are other options as well, such as Drayson Bowman, who scored 42 goals during the regular season last year and then added 6 more while leading his team, Spokane to a Memorial Cup Championship. He had a great camp last year and could very well outplay O’Neill this camp.
There are going to be several players who will be giving it their all during the next three weeks, thinking that they have a legitimate shot to make this club.
But keep in mind that there are other alternatives to choose from, besides the players who are already invited to camp.
If I were a betting man, I would wager that Jim Rutherford is working the telephones. There are still some unsigned free agents available who need to find a home yet. Of course they are not at the top of anyone’s hit list at this point. If they were, they wouldn’t still be available. But they do have experience and could be worth a look-see.
Let’s take a look at some of them, and determine who is the cream of the crop.
- Mark Parrish
- Brendan Shanahan
- Glen Murray
- Martin Gelinas
Mark Parrish would have to be at the top of this list. He scored 16 goals in 66 games for an offensively challenged Minnesota squad last season. The Wild bought out his contract because they were disappointed with his overall play as well as his injuries over the past couple of years. But he played for Laviolette before while on the Island and could be a nice fit here for the right price.
I really can’t see Brendan Shanahan fitting in here, but you never know. He is an option. The winger scored 23 goals in 73 games last season and would look good on the third line if he left his attitude in New York.
Glen Murray is another victim of a buy-out. He scored 17 goals in 63 games last year for Boston and is dangerous on the powerplay, but slow and ineffective in his own end.
Martin Gelinas has still not been signed yet, although his name has been thrown around a bit recently. The latest rumor has him hooking up with Ottawa. Could he end up back in Carolina? Marty’s health is also questionable as he only scored 9 goals in 57 games for Nashville last season.
It wouldn’t surprise me to see any of those players here at camp this weekend. Would they come on a try-out basis? That remains to be seen. Bottom line, there is a job that is available and we will see who wants it the most come training camp.
About the Author: Bubba is a hockey fan/citizen journalist who has always wanted to be a sportswriter and is pursuing his dream. He also writes a Hurricanes blog for 
Cory | Sep 18, 2008 | Reply
I think Shanahan’s history with the org (which led to the trade for Keith Primeau, which in turn led to the deal for Rod Brind’Amour) would keep him off the list. Glen Murray is intriguing, but you have to wonder how much he has in the tank. Gelinas would be a great pickup — but he’s not a top six guy, IMO.
On to Mark Parrish — this could work. And Michael Russo over at the Star-Tribune thinks so, too. He mentions the Laviolette-Parrish connection, his familiarity with the Southeast and also — something I hadn’t thought about — the fact he was teammates with Matt Cullen at St. Cloud State.
Blog link here
Mateo | Sep 18, 2008 | Reply
This is a good perspective! Each year I look forward to Training camp because it’s a chance to see guys who you will not see for the rest of the season (or ever). But with the recent developments it makes training camp interesting because of you we MIGHT actually see a whole lot of….
It should be interesting to see how things unfold for sure…
Bubba | Sep 18, 2008 | Reply
I’m thinking along the same lines as Russo? I don’t know if that’s good or bad.
Canesrdabest1 | Sep 18, 2008 | Reply
I think that Mark Parrish would be an interesting fit. However, his injury problems lead to another situation. I can’t wait to see what happens in training camp.
Mark | Sep 18, 2008 | Reply
The only player that seems to fit the canes uptempo style would be gelinas. If oneil doesnt work out, I would look for murley to be motivated to step up his play, he has sniper capability, good hands, vision, etc. and may be one of those players who excels in the canes system.
wylde4canes | Sep 18, 2008 | Reply
I really did not see Gelinas in his stint with the Preds, but I do remember his time with the pussycats in Sunrise. He looked a step slower than he did in Ottawa, does he still have the wheels.
Mateo | Sep 18, 2008 | Reply
I think he played in Calgary after he played in Carolina and before he played for the cats. Gelinas was a very good player for Carolina while he was here. I know that the fans loved his style and we all appreciated the fact that he was a hard worker… I thought of him as a more-serious-and-much-older version of maybe Chad LaRose…
Josh | Sep 18, 2008 | Reply
I think Parrish would be a stopgap for now, but I think we have players that can step in and fill the void: Ruutu, Eaves, Walker. Not going to replace JW, like you said, but they would do fine.
C-Leaguer | Sep 18, 2008 | Reply
An interesting thought, and one I don’t think has a chance of happening, is making a play for Selane.
I doubt anyone gets signed. Between O’Neill, Sutter, Bowman, Boychuk, Dalpe, Bayda, and Murley there are too many options in house and too much money already spent. My guess is Sutter and Bowman for the first ten games followed by Bowman getting returned to his Junior team at which point it is either Sutter and Bayda or Sutter and O’Neill. My guess is Sutter and O’Neill. O’Neill can maybe bring the goals and Sutter can bring the PK aspect.
Mateo | Sep 18, 2008 | Reply
…. And that is the thing about J. Williams. We almost have to have TWO guys to replace him… there is not any one guy available who can bring everything that he brings to the game…
This is a tough loss for sure.
wylde4canes | Sep 18, 2008 | Reply
Mateo,
You’re right, my memory was off……..
marc | Sep 18, 2008 | Reply
There are still other options out there besides free agents. Several teams need a D - with Kaberle, anyway, it’s all about who will be willing to pay him after a trade. I believe that there is more than enough young (and worthy) talent, under contract already & who “tried out” last season, to fill the JW hole. O doesn’t have a contract yet, and is still TRYING OUT. He is NOT a member of the team YET. I wouldn’t rush into a trade or a signing, and I wouldn’t rush to anoint O with a spot on the squad just because he has played here before. I do wish all involved the best of luck, and would like to see O play here again.
Cory | Sep 18, 2008 | Reply
They need to sit back, try the guys they have and if they don’t work, hope that a D goes down somewhere and JR can Kaberle to send their way — either for the cap relief or to get back a forward.
Too bad TB’s in our division … they need D and have a surplus of forwards.
wylde4canes | Sep 18, 2008 | Reply
Yeah but I think Tampa is not done yet, they are on a course to skate 6 forwards all the time, and using Hollywood special effects to tend the pipes. This won’t result in many wins, but the special effects team will also be adding a good foot and a half to St Louis’ appearance.
Swenk | Sep 18, 2008 | Reply
I think that Parrish is the only one mentioned that has the skating speed to fit our system…plus history with Coach and Cullen
repenttokyo | Sep 18, 2008 | Reply
I think signing any of the players mentioned in this article would be a terrible mistake.
Cory | Sep 18, 2008 | Reply
To start? I agree Repent … but it’s an option the team needs to keep open in case the current options don’t pan out.