RALEIGH -- Never mind the cruelty of the NHL schedule-maker, sending the Carolina Hurricanes to Toronto, the center of the rumor-mongering universe, on the eve of the league's trade deadline. What about the players left behind when the deadline passes?
Tonight's post-Olympic curtain-lifter against the Maple Leafs could be the last game for at least a couple and perhaps more of the Hurricanes, if they're not already shipped out by then. When the dust settles, the Hurricanes will be a younger, cheaper operation faced with two very differing missions.
On the one hand, it's a hockey player's nature - not to mention his job - to compete as hard as he can and try to win as hard as he can. The Hurricanes went into the Olympic break on a hot streak, winning five in a row and seven of nine. Who's to say they can't close that nine-point gap?
On the other, assuming the Hurricanes are unlikely to jump six teams in the standings and get back into the playoff picture, more wins only hurt the franchise. The difference between finishing ninth and 15th in the Eastern Conference means nothing from a competitive standpoint, but it could mean everything from a draft standpoint.
Pick in the top two, and the reward is Taylor Hall or Tyler Seguin, forwards who should be capable of stepping right into just about any team's top six. Pick third, and the consolation prize is defenseman Cam Fowler. Beyond that, it's the usual crapshoot of 18-year-old players.
As much as there's everything to be gained by making the playoffs, there's nothing to be gained by missing by a little, only by missing by a lot.
"That's not my job, and that's not the players' job," Hurricanes coach Paul Maurice said Monday. "If we're not able to close ground here, that should be a function of either health or players lost at the deadline. Our job is to compete. This team from December on has done that."
Certainly, some of the competitiveness will be dulled for them by Wednesday night, because Ray Whitney and Aaron Ward are almost certain to move, Joe Corvo and Scott Walker could draw interest and there's the possibility of a wild-card trade as well, with draft picks and prospects arriving in return.
Along with the previous departures of Matt Cullen and Niclas Wallin and the uncertainty surrounding goalie Cam Ward's back injury, that's a significant subtraction in terms of talent, with the gaps to be filled by kids coming up from Albany (AHL).
Over the course of his career, Walker has been in just about every situation: really good teams that didn't make the playoffs, teams that knew they had no chance but worked hard anyway and, for the first time last year, a team that went on an extended playoff run.
Whether he's around or not - he's willing to waive his no-trade clause, but it's anyone's guess whether another team will be interested given that tonight will be his first game in two months because of shoulder surgery - Walker knows the score.
"I don't think as a player you sit there and go, 'We want that first-round pick,' " Walker said. "Even as an organization, I don't think you ever think that way. But when you're that bad, you want that pick. As coaches, players and trainers, we're going to continue to work hard. If we lose, it'll be because we lost some guys at the deadline and 'Wardo' doesn't come back."
