1-year deal for Isbister
To wrap up their offseason pursuit of
free agents, the Carolina Hurricanes signed Brad Isbister to a one-year
deal this past Wednesday.
Happy with their acquirement, the
defending Stanley cup champions now have another threat to replace the
injured player Cory Stillman, who, according to the Team president and
general manager Jim Rutherford, will be missing up to 40 games due to the
surgery he had earlier this month, to repair a torn labrum in his right
shoulder.
"It gives us a player who has proven
in the National Hockey League that can score goals, Stillman's injury opens
up an opportunity for a lot of different players, and he's one of them."
coach Peter Laviolette said.
Isbister’s salary will be of $600,000
a year at the NHL level and $95,000 if he is sent to the Hurricanes' American
Hockey League affiliates in Albany.
During an 8-year career, he has 99
goals and 107 assists, with the Phoenix Coyotes, New York Islanders and
Edmonton Oilers. Last season he had six goals and 17 assists last season
for the Boston Bruins.
The 29-year-old Isbister already
had the chance to be coached by Laviolette for two seasons beginning in
2001-02 when both were with the Islanders.
"He's a big, strong, hard-skating
forward who can score goals," Laviolette said. Rutherford is not sure that
they finished acquiring players: "We've got quite a few guys signed, probably
to the point right now where maybe (there are) a couple more than we thought,
especially when we look at the whole organization with how many slots we
have in Albany," Rutherford said.
Besides signing forwards Jesse Boulerice
and Shane Willis along with defenseman David Tanabe, Laviolette is satisfied
that they could maintain the nucleus of the team that won the cup; players
like team captain Rod Brind'Amour, defenseman Glen Wesley and forwards
Justin Williams, Erik Cole and Eric Staal.
"There's a big core of our team that
came back, and to be honest, that was the strength of the summer," Laviolette said.
About the author: Marshall Smith
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Article Source:
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