Last season, he posted over 60 points for the second straight season.  He actually led his Adirondack Phantoms team in scoring with a solid 62 points.  In other words, he is about as NHL ready as Jerome Samson.  This player certainly can help a team trying to rebuild while looking like an NHL team.  They are especially weak at center as well, which helps his chances to make the team.  His competition consists of Patrick Dwyer and an endless list of forward prospects at the moment.

The Flyers took Matsumoto in the third round of the 2006 NHL Entry Draft out of Bowling Green State University.  After three seasons there, two of which when he lead the team in scoring, he was signed by the Flyers and played for the Adirondack/Philadelphia Phantoms where he played parts of four seasons.  At that point the Flyers had seen enough of him and took what they could get for him.

Could be a lucky find for Rutherford and the Canes.  In the last six years he has led his team in scoring three times.  A decent track record for a guy who could compete for the third/fourth line center job.

According to Greg Wyshynski of Puck Daddy, the Carolina Hurricanes probably will miss the playoffs for the second straight year. He noted the poor start to last year and the regression of most of the team (save for Jussi Jokinen, although that bright spot would be omitted).

His feelings on the rest of the team seem to be a mixed bag.  He cites how certain players like Jiri Tlusty, Chad LaRose and Tuomo Ruutu could rebound from bad seasons and that a full season of Cam Ward should improve the team but thinks there are too many question marks.  Well, my reaction to this too would be a mixed bag.

The Canes will look young up front but will feature a variety of good young players. Tlusty was taken very high and already has some NHL experience.   During his draft year his size and puck control was compared to Jaromir Jagr, expectations which may have gotten the best of him.  Drayson Bowman represented Team USA in the World Juniors and potentially could make the team.  Former first rounders Riley Nash, Jeff Skinner and Zach Boychuk also make their cases while Zac Dalpe and Jerome Samsom could be dark horses.  Too young? probably but we like the potential with these guys.

Last season, the Colorado Avalanche made the playoffs with their young core and an excellent goaltender.  The Canes already feature a netminder I believe to be better than Craig Anderson while holding a young core of Eric Staal, Tuomo Ruutu, Jussi Jokinen and Brandon Sutter.

If any team looks like the darkhorse in the Eastern Conference playoff race it could be the Canes.  Their core made the run before while they restocked their defense to be much more mobile than last year.  If they can avoid a huge swoon out of the gate, the team should have a good chance.

Riley Nash, like Bobby Sanguinetti, came over to the Hurricanes during the 2010 NHL Entry Draft. Due to an exorbitant amount of draft picks following the fire sale of 2010, GM Jim Rutherford and the Canes could afford to take some gambles on players falling out of favor by their current teams. This player just happened to be Riley Nash, who the Edmonton Oilers felt they could not sign this summer and would surely fall on the depth chart under rising stars Jordan Eberle, Taylor Hall and Magnus Paajarvi.

Nash came out of Cornell University where he played three seasons. Prior to his college career he also spent parts of three seasons with the Salmon Arm Silverbacks of the BCHL.

Nash models his play after two-way forward the Tampa Bay Lightning GM Steve Yzerman. Both players play a two-way game and Nash enjoys the shutdown nature of the game. The team offered him a contract this summer with hope that he would take over the third line role from a great shutdown center and former captain Rod Brind’Amour. His signing eliminates his NCAA eligibility making him bound for either Charlotte or Carolina.

Last season, Nash finished second at Cornell in scoring; a feat which should be expected considering his draft position and poor team. As far as development programs go both Nash and the Oilers took a chance by letting him pursue a higher education. At that position, he was a reach whereas where Rutherford acquired him there was nothing but low-risk, high reward. The drafting of both Justin Faulk and Mark Alt more than make up for the gamble on both Nash and Sanguinetti.

At very worst Nash would be a third line player– something this team really needs. At best, he contributes on the second line which makes this team’s depth even more impressive.

Previously posted on Hockey Independent

By now we all know who Jeff Skinner is but why is there an exceptional amount of hype around this kid?  Probably some sort of family lineage tying himself to Chuck Norris– a title usually reserved for most Leafs prospects (all hail the mighty Kahdri).

Without further adieu, why you too should love Skinner:

1. Leading his team in the playoffs.  During the 2010 OHL playoffs, Taylor Hall and the Windsor Spitfires steamrolled the majority of the league.  They steamrolled the Erie Otters in a 4-0 first round sweep and then did the same thing in the second round to second overall pick Tyler Seguin and the Plymouth Whalers.  Then along came the Kitchener Rangers led by the 20 goals scored by Skinner in just as many games.   The Rangers would eventually fall to the Spitfires 4-3 in the series but they literally were the only team to challenge them.
2. 70.  Despite his draft ranking, Skinner entered with the most goals of any draft eligible player.  There was no doubt the kid could finish as Chip Alexander of The News Observer points out so eloquently.
3. Draft climber. Nobody climbed higher in the draft.  Coming in ranked 34th amongst North American skaters by Central Scouting the Carolina Hurricanes took him seventh overall.  Although this seemed a reach at the time, his stock has only raised as he becomes a strong contender to represent Team Canada at the World Juniors.
4. The media hype. From Jeff Marek to everyone who cares about hockey in Carolina this kid has hype.  I remember listening to Marek just rave about this kid on RLD Radio leading up to the draft as Marek simply gushed about how special this kid could be and how he could rise.  While we saw Ryan Johanssen rise from a mid-first to a top five selection, the shock of Skinner at seven created a massive buzz for the better.
5. The moves.  Those last four weren’t enough?  This “razzle dazzle” could be the shootout goal of the year!

In an offseason where the Canes worked with their own salary cap and consider Joe Corvo their big free agent signing, the Skinner hype seems like all we really can chatter about.  A plethora of kids will get a shot to make the team and Skinner may very well be one of them.

Back in June the Canes acquired Bobby Sanguinetti during the second day of the NHL Entry Draft for a 2nd and 6th round pick.  There were several comments regarding the young defenseman who was taken 21st overall in the 2006 NHL Entry Draft.

GM Jim Rutherford spoke the day before about not drafting defenseman early as he considered their prime to be during their UFA years.  Less than 24 hours  later he sprung for an AHL All Star in Sanguinetti — putting the kid into the mix.  At  points Sanguinetti played with the Rangers last season but he simply did not have what coach John Tortorella expected and lost his spot to Michael Del Zotto.

Here in Carolina he may face the same scrutiny trying to overcome Jamie McBain.

Still his statistics over the past two seasons in the AHL have been impressive.  Leading his team in scoring, making two All Star appearances and breaking the fastest skater competition.

Back in 2006 he was drafted out of the Owen Sound Attack and finished his OHL career with a very strong Brampton Battalion team.  While his offensive instincts always showed true, his defensive game has always been a weakness.  He almost broke 30 goals in his last season in the OHL leading most Rangers fans to feel they had the second coming of Brian Leetch.

His inability to translate those skills to the NHL led to his demotion and possible trade.  As Elliotte Friedman of HNIC pointed out, most teams felt the Rangers  gave up on him early but Rutherford does not seem to mind.  The team received an excellent pickup who may make an impact, like every other kid, in the next year or two.

Just an interesting article I found while on Kukla. Luke DeCock of the News Observer essentially explains why the Hurricanes failed to spend money this offseason as they put themselves on a self-imposed.

Click here for the entire article and get ready to see some kids play this season!

Today is the Jimmy V Celeb Golf outing with former Hurricanes players in the mix.  Lets Go Canes has all the coverage, via Twitter

Yesterday, Bill Meltzer on Versus.com wrote a piece where he named former Cane winger Craig Adams a likely candidate for a coaching job.  Meltzer basically gushes over the 33-year-old:

Craig Adams (Pittsburgh Penguins): The 33-year-old Harvard alumnus possesses not only book smarts but one of the sharpest minds for the game of any active player in the league. Now entering the second and final year of the contract extension he signed with the Penguins last summer, he is the type of player who enters each season knowing that he can’t take a roster spot for granted. A member of two Stanley Cup winning teams, Adams knows what it takes to win. Despite scoring just 37 goals and 100 points in 589 regular season games, his defensive contributions at even strength and on the penalty kill have been crucial to his teams’ success. When he gets beaten, it’s rarely because of a mental mistake. This says it all: Adams was on the ice as Pittsburgh killed off the final harrowing 6.5 seconds of Game 7 of the 2009 Stanley Cup Finals.

When he chooses to retire, he certainly should have a spot somewhere on the Canes coaching staff.  Adams played parts of seven seasons with the team before playing for the Chicago Blackhawks and eventually the Pittsburgh Penguins.  Since the lockout he has won two cups; one with Pittsburgh and the other with Carolina.

Just a slow little Wednesday in the hockey world as every fan imagines their star player needing to sign a new deal and increasing cap hits. I thought this would be a great time to show the Hurricanes fans some of the better articles written about our boys from the past week.

Puck Daddy – Mount Puckmore - Where a columnist explains the four faces of the Franchise. Although this may be a bit tricky, this writer would have added a vote for Jeff O’Neill. Bob Wage of Canes Country still does an excellent job, as usual.

‘Canes can’t afford bad start in ‘10-11 by Brian Hunter – This article is part of a 30 in 30 by the NHL staff writers.  None of the information should be new to you, unless you don’t read this site.

Check out this photo gallery from Helsinki, where the Canes will open up the season.

Cory Lavalette of Hockey’s Future runs down the top 20 prospects in the system while Chip Alexander of The News Observer debates which young players will make an impact.  My money is on any of Zach Boychuk, Drayson Bowman, Jamie McBain, Riley Nash or Jeff Skinner.

Brian LeBlanc formerly of PuckDrops and now at NHL Hot Stove.com goes over the KHL/NHL debate.  LeBlanc is an accredited writer who is actually inside the Canes locker room every night!

For the fans in Raleigh, North Carolina the summer is hot and slow. We know the kids will get a chance and they certainly deserve it. We waived goodbye to longtime Cane winger Ray Whitney and hello to top prospects like Zach Boychuk and Drayson Bowman.

The one huge story is the feel-good rise of young center Jeff Skinner. Nobody rose more during the NHL Entry Draft, laughing at his mid 30s CSB rating en route to a top ten selection.

Skinner gets more press than most scoring forwards in the OHL have in recent years. I can barely recall the last time I heard the name Peter Holland; it seems to only be the OHL forwards who Canadian teams drafted who find themselves this much in the press. However, Skinner may be giving Nazem Kadri or Cody Hodson a run for their overrated money.

Neate Sager of Yahoo.ca recently wrote a piece on Skinner comparing him to hockey superstar Sidney Crosby. Seriously, Crosby.

But it is not Sager who makes the ill-fated comparison.  Rather it is former Carolina Hurricane and teammate of Crosby– Gary Roberts.  Something tells me he knows what he is talking about as he is lauded for not only his offseason work ethic but his ability to work with young players.  Only a few years ago Roberts mentored a young, naive and still whiny little Crosby.

If Skinner could turn into half the player Crosby will be, the Hurricanes will be set for the next ten years.  They missed out on Tyler Seguin clearly– although having a former Whaler would have worked for the Karmanos family– but Skinner really may be the next best thing.

As stated before, very excited to see what he can do with the big boys.

Jeff Skinner dazzled those watching at the Team Canada World Juniors Development Camp. Don’t believe me? See for yourself.

It should come as no surprise that Skinner could make an impact at training camp, with an incredibly outside shot of making the team.  Although a surprising pick at 7th overall, a player who scored 70 goals in the OHL and gave Taylor Hall and the Windsor Spitfires their greatest challenge in the playoffs deserves his credit.

Jeff Marek of CBC Sports believes this kid is the real deal and lets it known, he basically preaches the Skinner gospel on Twitter all day.  Mike Sundheim of Hurricanes.com is excited to see how he fares during camp the big boys.