The next time you go to a yard sale or thrift shop, you might want to take Carolina Hurricanes president and general manager Jim Rutherford along. His ability to find a bargain is uncanny.
When it comes to making unlikely deals in the NHL that pay dividends, Rutherford may be the best. Of course, no one is perfect (Remember Anson Carter?). But his recent acquisition of Sergei Samsonov might give everyone pause before questioning any move he makes.
When the Hurricanes picked up Samsonov Jan. 8 on re-entry waivers from the Chicago Blackhawks, the smallish forward had spent the previous three years shuffling from Boston to Edmonton to Montreal and finally Chicago. |
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While he showed exceptional talent with the Bruins, posting 75 points in his first full season in 2000-01 and 70 the following season, he was plagued by a wrist injury and managed just 11 points in 2002-03. He never got back on track and Boston dealt him to Edmonton at the 2006 trade deadline.
Samsonov racked up 16 points in 19 regular-season games and 15 points in 24 playoff games with the Oilers to demonstrate that his skills had not eroded.
Still, apparently that was all the Oilers wanted of Sergei, and the Canadiens picked him up prior to the 2006-07 season.
The shifty Russian never fit into the Habs’ system. In 63 games with the Canadiens, Samsonov eked out 26 points (nine goals, 17 assists) before he was traded to Chicago last summer. Samsonov didn’t perform any better in the Windy City, putting up only four assists in 23 games before the Blackhawks put him on waivers.
Enter Carolina and Rutherford. From a financial standpoint, there was no downside to the deal. The Hurricanes were responsible for only half of his $3.25 million salary, actually just $880,000 since it was midseason when Samsonov became a Blackhawk.
"Even if there’s a chance a player won’t perform," Rutherford says, "you have to be comfortable that he will be able to fit into your team. We really did a lot of research on him. All the things that we were told prior to making the move -- that he was a really good person, that he’s a good team guy, hard worker in practice and still has a good skill level -- all came true."
The Hurricanes figured if they could provide Samsonov with an environment in which he could succeed, he would.
"It wasn’t a big gamble," Rutherford says. "We really liked him two seasons ago when he played against us in the [Stanley Cup] Finals. He didn’t put up a lot of points, but I thought he was one of Edmonton’s best players. He had an off-season last year, went to Chicago where we didn’t think he really got a good chance -- the kind of chance we would give him."
With more than 275 man-games lost to injury this season, and a locker room known less for egos and more for support and work ethic, Carolina seemed like the perfect place for Samsonov to find what he had been looking for: confidence and an opportunity on the ice to find it.
"My confidence could not have been too high after what I’ve gone through this year," Samsonov acknowledges. "Little by little you get the pieces back together. It’s been a turnaround for me and obviously it has a lot to do with my confidence."
In Raleigh, he was expected to step in and perform from his first shift with the club "Right off the bat," Samsonov says, "I got put into a situation where either you’re going to succeed or your not. I think my first game I played 20-some minutes and I haven’t played that, I think, in three years. I could feel right away that it would be an opportunity to get back to where I used to be."
To say that Samsonov is making the most of that opportunity would be an understatement. In the 27 games since following his acquisition, Samsonov earned 24 points, just three fewer than Eric Staal during that stretch.
Samsonov also has demonstrated an almost magical ability to handle and maintain possession of the puck, even in the tightest situations, and he brings a high level of energy to the ice on every shift.
And don’t think his teammates haven’t enjoyed having him on the team. "He was pretty good," said Staal after the Hurricanes beat Tampa Bay 5-1 on March 1. "That one power play, I had my stick in the rafters, letting him dance and feed me with one-timers."
Understandably, his performance has garnered the respect of the coaching staff, as well.
"No matter what, he’s on one of our top two scoring lines and he’s on the power play because he’s earned the time," coach Peter Laviolette says. "Really, he’s done absolutely everything we’ve wanted from him."
If the Hurricanes make the playoffs, the deal for Samsonov may have any even bigger payoff. With 39 points in 59 playoff games, he’ll add to the ’Canes’ postseason experience.
For now, Samsonov seems happy to be playing for a team that wants him as much as he wants to play.
"Things have fallen into place for me here" Samsonov says. "I’m lucky because if I was someone looking to pick me up then, I don’t know if I would have taken a chance on me."
If Samsonov maintains this level of play, you would think Rutherford would want to re-sign the forward when his contract expires July 1.
"We don’t renegotiate contracts during the season," says Rutherford. "But when the season is over we’ll talk to him. He’s certainly found a place where he’s very comfortable and we’re very happy with him. So we’d like to re-sign him."
Says Samsonov, "Yes, absolutely, I’d love to stay here. I definitely feel like this is the place to be."
Trade Pays Dividends
On Feb. 11, Carolina sent two messages when they completed a trade with the Ottawa Senators. First, no one is immune to being traded based on past production. Second, the Hurricanes haven’t given up on this season.
The Hurricanes traded free agents Cory Stillman and Mike Commodore, both contributors to the Hurricanes’ Stanley Cup championship two seasons ago, to the Senators for 23-year-old forward Patrick Eaves and 30-year-old defenseman Joe Corvo. Eaves is a move for the future; Corvo meets a need right now.
"It’s very tough to say goodbye to guys that we part of winning a championship," Rutherford says. "So this is a tough deal, but one that’s necessary."
Corvo, an offense-minded defenseman who excels on the power play, came to Carolina with 27 points this season, more than twice as many as any ’Canes defenseman. With one of the worst power plays statistically in the NHL this season, the team could use his help.
"It has not been a big secret," Rutherford says, "that we’ve been trying to get a guy for our power play who’s a more mobile defenseman."
Corvo is aware of the club’s and fans’ expectations.
"Just coming in with my numbers, I think that I have a little bit more responsibility to do things on the power play," says Corvo. "I understand that, and that’s what I’m going to try to do. I’ll just try to get shots at the net, and that will open up things for the other guys to make some plays once in a while."
The right-handed defender had five points in his first six games as a Hurricane, helping the team to go 5-1-1 after the trade.
"Having Joe Corvo back there is just a real pickup because he’s a right shot who moves with that unit," Laviolette says. "It’s not just about his shot; that’s important.
"But it’s the way he moves and brings [the puck] up the ice and the way they all slide and move together out there. It is just creating openings, seams and opportunities. We’ve been on the attack the last three or four games. I really liked the way we’re moving it around. It is another step in the right direction."
That movement allows the forwards more freedom to attack the net.
"We’ve got some skill [guys] back there now that are moving the puck," Staal says. "Me and Cole are now roaming around at the top of the crease setting screens and looking for rebounds. Trust me; they both have helped a lot. Matt’s offensive instincts and his ability just to see the ice, along with Joe, makes a big difference."
Eaves has contributed, too. It took him only two games to get on the scoresheet, assisting on a Cole goal in the second period against the New York Rangers on Feb. 28. He had another assist the next night in a 5-1 win over the Tampa Bay lighting. |
