On the Carolina Hurricanes, Ryan Murphy and Addressing Relocation …
Darren Dreger of TSN: There is more trade talk going on around the NHL lately, with defenseman a hot commodity.
Dreger doesn’t get the sense that Dougie Hamilton is truly in play by the Calgary Flames. If a team is willing to overpay, that could change things.
Hurricanes defenseman Ryan Murphy doesn’t seem to fit with coach Bill Peter and has been used as trade bait by the Hurricanes for months. They are now actively shopping him.
The Hurricanes were one of the teams interested in Anaheim Ducks defenseman Cam Fowler. The Hurricanes could use Murphy in a trade to upgrade their blueline.
Chip Alexander of the Raleigh News & Observer: Hurricanes president Don Waddell held a press conference yesterday to dispute the rumor that the organization could be sold and relocated. Waddell added that Hurricanes owner Peter Karmanos Jr. is not actively looking to sell the team.
A report came out by a Canadian media outlet that Karmanos might be close to selling the team and it could later be relocated.
“That’s where it starts and it grows like a wildfire,” Waddell said of the media report. “There is absolutely nothing (that’s) changed from a year ago.”
Gary Bettman has also said this year that the Hurricanes will not be relocated.
“If someone came along and wanted to buy it, I’m sure we’d talk about it,” Waddell said. “But we’re not actively out there trying to find investors. If someone calls and says, ‘Hey, I want to buy the team,’ we’re taking that call.”
There has been some interest in buying the franchise. Karmanos could be looking for $400 million or more in a sale.