RALEIGH -- The Carolina Hurricanes front office shifts its focus from future stars to proven stars this week.
Coming off Saturday's NHL draft, general manager Jim Rutherford will work on re-signing a handful of players who become unrestricted free agents Wednesday.
In recent weeks, it appeared unlikely that defenseman Joni Pitkanen or forward Jussi Jokinen would agree to terms.
But Rutherford met with the players' agents during the past week.
"I'm at the point now that I do have hope that we're going to be able to sign both players," he says.
He may complete some of the deals today.
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The Carolina Hurricanes did not win the Stanley Cup in 2002. That would come later. But what the Canes did win a decade ago perhaps was just as precious and hard-earned: acceptance. 
As Carolina’s long list of one-time forward prospects fail to make an impact in the NHL, it’s time to reassess the Hurricanes’ draft performance compared to the rest of the NHL. 
Goaltender Mike Murphy made his NHL debut this past season for the Carolina Hurricanes. Murphy announced Tuesday he is making a move to Russia. 
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Former Carolina Hurricanes forward Justin Williams is back in the conference finals for the first time since he won the Stanley Cup with the Hurricanes in 2006, and his opponents include fellow ex-Canes Ray Whitney and Radim Vrbata Keep up with the latest sports stories with our free e-mail newsletters, delivered to your inbox!
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