Hurricanes Reassign Gillies, Leighton and Sutter

[jarrelle10]

RALEIGH, NC—Jim Rutherford, President and General Manager of the National Hockey League’s Carolina Hurricanes, today announced that the team has trimmed its training camp roster to 25 players. Forward Trevor Gillies and goaltender Michael Leighton have been assigned to Albany of the American Hockey League, while center Brandon Sutter, Carolina’s first-round (11th overall) pick in the 2007 NHL Entry Draft, will return to his junior club, Red Deer of the Western Hockey League.

[Canes13]

Leighton is better than Grahame and Gillies deserves a fair chance. They are gonna need him or someone like him eventually anyway. Seems like kind of a bad move. Keep Gillies up and trade Grahame then keep Leighton up as well.

[JKidd]

Wow... with the way the East is shaking out, you'd think the Canes want a bit more than Tim Gleason and Mike Commodore - but I guess it'll take Eric Staal, Rod Brind'Amour or Erik Cole getting hurt like Dean McAmmond for them to realize it.

[shedthemitts]

I still don't know how Gillies outlasted Wade Brookbank...

No suprise here, Laviolette is a douchebag. I hope they get stomped all over the rink once the season starts.

[dipandmitts]

i hate the fkin hurricanes and hope they get run all year ..i think they are going to have to bring someone up though, eventually, the east is to tuff this year...

[bustoff]

Yeah, the Canes games will be entertaining again this year. Maybe when they get b!tch slapped by the other teams in the east, their coach will wise up.

[Podollan]

What a joke..
as a big gillies fan.. I checked..when he played this pre season..
He barely got ice time and if he get, the Canes played teams without fighters dressed.

But well..
Its great to see him in the AHL where he gets a chance to play and to fight.
And he will fight. He is awesome.

[Purely_Purinton]

Gilles Vs. Mirasty friday night anyone?

[Snipes19]

Wow.

I'm not happy that they sent Gillies down, but it was expected with the stupid Hurricanes. They are one of the weakest teams in the league, and they absolutely REFUSE to play a heavyweight.

The East is very tough this year with Laraque, Brashear, Peters, McGrattan, Orr, Thornton, Roy, Belak, and others, so I'm expecting the Hurricanes to get clobbered all over the ice. Tim Gleason and Mike Commodore are nowhere near enough - they are just middleweights.

This Carolina team will be boring to watch.... I'm expecting their guys to get destroyed left and right.

I just don't understand teams like this. I don't understand their decision to not keep a heavyweight at all. Are you just ASKING for your star players to get injured or what? Unbelievable....

[Canes13]

My favorite team but I'm disappointed too. Even Detroit is giving Downey a fair chance and has seen the need for a heavyweight. I guess Erik Cole's broken neck didn't stick too fresh in their minds. Never would have happened if the right person was dressed, instead after that happened it was Eric Staal who grabbed Brooks Orpik and then didn't know what to do with him. Stubborn is all it is.

[Captain Crunch28]

Well that sucks, I was looking forward to watching Gillies tomorrow!

[Mr. America]

I'm torn I love fighting, but from looking at the 4 lines we could put on the ice looks like we're gonna be to busy getting scoring chances to worry about fighting.

Also I don't buy for a minute that having a tough guy stops people from taking liberties with your team.

[Jensen]

Originally Posted by Mr. America

I'm torn I love fighting, but from looking at the 4 lines we could put on the ice looks like we're gonna be to busy getting scoring chances to worry about fighting.

Also I don't buy for a minute that having a tough guy stops people from taking liberties with your team.

So you're telling me that if you have a tough guy like Boogaard, teams are still going to take runs at players the same way they would against a team that didn't have a guy like Boogaard?

[PuckHogs29]

Originally Posted by Mr. America

I'm torn I love fighting, but from looking at the 4 lines we could put on the ice looks like we're gonna be to busy getting scoring chances to worry about fighting.

Also I don't buy for a minute that having a tough guy stops people from taking liberties with your team.

How about how having a tough guy can help your team win through the intimidation factor until another team calls up someone to counter him? Or were you out of the country when Boogaard was making Calgary and Edmonton look like 1st graders against the playground bully until Godard was called up? Or even in the east, the Rangers playing better hockey with Avery and Orr in the lineup, and McGrattan fighting Janssen till he stopped taking runs at various Ottawa players?

[Mr. America]

How many fighters did Ottawa have dressed the other night? If sombody is gonna do something stupid they are gonna do it no matter what.