Hurricanes Ink Joni Pitkanen to Three-Year Deal

[Thrillhouse]

RALEIGH, NC—Jim Rutherford, President and General Manager of the National Hockey League’s Carolina Hurricanes, announced today that the team has signed restricted free-agent defenseman Joni Pitkanen (YOH-nee PIHT-ka-nuhn) to a three-year contract. The deal will pay Pitkanen $3.5 million in 2008-09, $4 million in 2009-10 and $4.5 million in 2010-11. The Hurricanes acquired Pitkanen on Tuesday from the Edmonton Oilers in exchange for forward Erik Cole.

Pitkanen, 24, scored eight goals and earned 18 assists (26 points) in 63 games in 2007-08 to rank second among Edmonton defensemen in scoring. The Oulu, Finland, native averaged 24:07 in ice time per game last season, ranking him second among Oilers skaters, and 22nd among all NHL defensemen. Pitkanen (6’3”, 210 lbs.) has played in 269 career NHL regular-season games with Philadelphia and Edmonton, scoring 33 goals and earning 109 assists (142 points), with 12 goals and 52 assists (64 points) coming on the power play. The Flyers selected Pitkanen in the first round, fourth overall, in the 2002 NHL Entry Draft.

Pitkanen has represented Finland in numerous international competitions. He helped his country claim the bronze medal in 2002 and 2003 at the International Ice Hockey Federation World Junior Championships, and won the Directorate Award as the tournament’s best defenseman in 2003. He was a reserve for Team Finland as it claimed the silver medal at the 2004 World Cup of Hockey, and was named to Finland’s Olympic team in 2006, but withdrew due to injury. Pitkanen was also a member of the Philadelphia Phantoms in 2004-05, when the Flyers’ top minor-league affiliate claimed the Calder Cup as the American Hockey League’s champion.

[bupz91]

Good job by the Canes, I've never minded pitkanen, I think he's pretty talented.

[Philly Fan 27]

now they just need to trade for a set of balls for pitkanen

[Canes13]

Not bad, it's what they would have spent on Cole this season and maybe even less in years 2 and 3. From what the fans are saying though this guy better be the real deal or Rutherford is looking at fan mutiny. Not too many happy comments so far, especially the ones who know that this time last season we could have got Pitkanen for Wallin, and this year we give up one of out heart and soul guys.

As for the balls... I think he's gonna be paired with Gleason so he's gonna be put into some situation where he is gonna have to at least act like he wants to fight sometimes. If not Gleason has balls for the both of them.

[PhlyerPhanatic]

I give it 1 season...2 tops...and the Canes are buying out his remaining contract.

[SirYohans]

Originally Posted by PhlyerPhanatic

I give it 1 season...2 tops...and the Canes are buying out his remaining contract.

I dunno, I kinda like the move by the Canes here despite the lack of toughness. Not a bad move, they already addressed their toughness bigtime.

[chilly666]

Originally Posted by PhlyerPhanatic

I give it 1 season...2 tops...and the Canes are buying out his remaining contract.

i agree with you on this one. not worth that much. not worth a lick in the d zone.

[Isles4life]

The money value fits in the current market, not a bad deal.

[Killah_punk]

Is Pitkanen worth Jeff Finger money?

[staal4pm]

Originally Posted by Canes13

From what the fans are saying though this guy better be the real deal or Rutherford is looking at fan mutiny. Not too many happy comments so far, especially the ones who know that this time last season we could have got Pitkanen for Wallin, and this year we give up one of out heart and soul guys.

Ehh, I disagree. Not about the fan's part. But let's face it, most of them are idiots and/or stuck in the spring and summer of 2006. This is NOT the same team as then, make no mistake about it. The thing about Wallin for Pitkanen you have to remember is that this was a 3-team deal which are very difficult to orchestrate and even harder to pull off. The last thing I heard was Wallin and Cole to Edmonton, Stoll and someone (can't remember the second Oiler) to Philadelphia, and Carter and Pitkanen (who was still a Flyer at the time) to Carolina. Unless I'm mistaken (it's been almost 2 years so that's highly possible) Cole was always part of the deal for Pitkanen. Having Jeff Carter would have been sweet, though.

As for Cole, I think this was a very good time to move him and I have been wishing we would since rumors of that deal came up. Cole will turn 30 in November and, given his style of play, realistically only has about 2-3 good seasons left. Anything after that and he will be a shell of his former self, which you can argue that he already he is (remember, he was on pace for over 40 goals before his injury). Which brings us to the real meat of the issue...his neck. He is ONE good hit away from never walking again, let alone ever playing hockey again.

It will be hard for a lot of people to say goodbye to Cole, what with the Click It Or Ticket campaign and everything. He was a core member of this team and a big part of the community. But to get good things, you have to be prepared to part with good things. Pitkanen is only 24, and is exactly the type of player Rutherford and Laviolette have been looking to acquire for the past 2 seasons. Corvo was meant as a stop-gap and look at how well he has turned out so far. Rutherford has a good eye for under-rated players ready for break-out seasons (Whitney and Stillman post-lockout, Cullen, Samsonov, Corvo) and this is a guy he's had his eye on for quite some time. He has the potential to explode in our system and playing alongside Gleason will give us a young top-pair defense that is primed for the future and ready for the present.

[Juha82]

Cole is better player, more solid one.
I think it's tough to hate him.
Pitkanen is now better defensive defenseman who has a potential for good pointman as well.
But this trade wasnt so good one.

[goaliefighter]

too much money for pitkanen/ just watch him in his own zone, you'll see the wasted money.