July 1, 2008 | 1:15am ET
Hurricanes to pursue defenseman TheFourthPeriod.com
The Hurricanes will be looking to bolster their blueline today and the Raleigh News & Observer reports they might not have the necessary funds to add an impact player.
According to the paper, the Hurricanes might be forced to trade a forward before they can add a defenseman, as the club already has $44 million in salary commitments for next season.
"I don't think we'll be very active," Canes GM Jim Rutherford told the News & Observer. "Certainly there are some players there that we could consider, but I think in order to balance our team out to add the type of player we'd like to add on defense, it'd be more apt to be done through trade."
The Hurricanes could pursue the likes of Wade Redden and Ron Hainsey, while various reports suggest the team is talking to the Edmonton Oilers about restricted free agent Joni Pitkanen.
Meanwhile, the News & Observer claims the Hurricanes could try to sign center Eric Staal to a contract extension.
"We want to get through this period of time with the players getting ready for next year, for this season, and the sooner we get that done we can maybe look at [Staal] a little more seriously," Rutherford said.
