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| news | | | articles | | | interviews |
| Canes waiting for free agency |
| Cullen, Ward weigh their options |
| Source: J.P. Giglio, Staff Writer NewsObserver.Com |
| June 29, 2006 |
| The pros are powerful on both sides of the decision for Carolina Hurricanes free agents Matt Cullen and Aaron Ward. |
| On one hand, they can stay with the team that just won the Stanley Cup, with teammates they like, in a city they like. |
| On the other hand there's probably more money, and perhaps a chance to play closer to home. |
| Stay or go, those are the choices facing all of the Canes' unrestricted free agents. But for Cullen and Ward, two players who struggled to find a niche during previous NHL stops, it's not just a bottom-line decision. |
| "Whenever you win a Stanley Cup, it's hard to leave, and you don't want to leave," Cullen said Wednesday. |
| "I never had so much fun on a team in my life. Obviously there's a business part and that's not a fun part." |
| Come Saturday, Cullen and Ward can test the open market. They have been offered deals by the Hurricanes but could likely get more elsewhere. |
| Cullen, 29, scored 25 goals and finished with 49 points, both career highs, all at the bargain rate of $668,800. |
| Ward, 33, made $1.52 million this season for his consistent defense but added a career-high six goals and 25 points. |
| Ward said Wednesday he wasn't in a hurry to make a decision. |
| "I'm going to wait until July 1 to see what else is out there," said Ward, who finished his 11th NHL season with a career-best plus-2 rating. |
| "Basically, I'm keeping all of my options open." |
| A Grand Slam |
| Given Canes GM Jim Rutherford's preference to slot player salaries, Ward is likely to get less than the $2.2 million Frank Kaberle signed for on Tuesday, and Cullen is likely to stay below Cory Stillman's $1.75 million salary for the 2006-07 season |
| Rutherford wouldn't disclose the offers he made to either player but understood the decision they're facing. |
| "We hope they stay," Rutherford said. "We also understand when you win a Stanley Cup, some players want to go and not just hit a home run but a grand slam." |
| Under the league's Collective Bargaining Agreement, unrestricted free agents are prohibited from talking to other teams until July 1 but that doesn't stop rumors. |
| Waiting on July 1 |
| Ward has long been linked for a return to Detroit, where he played seven seasons, while Cullen has been connected to Minnesota, his home state, and Toronto, who missed the playoffs due to lack of players like Cullen who excel in the new NHL. |
| Cullen, who signed with the Canes in August 2004, said his first choice is to stay in Raleigh. |
| "I don't know what's going to happen," said Cullen, who has played for three teams in eight NHL seasons. "If it means waiting until July 1, then I'll wait, but by no means does that mean that I'm not coming back." |
| After going one day without a deal, Rutherford expects business to pick up today and certainly Friday with his focus on locking up defensemen Niclas Wallin and Andrew Hutchinson, both unrestricted free agents. |
| Unrestricted free agent defenseman Glen Wesley, who is either going to retire or re-sign with the Canes, is less of a priority. |