Hurricanes place Stanley Cup hero Kaberle on waivers

RALEIGH -- The Carolina Hurricanes on Monday placed veteran defenseman Frantisek Kaberle on waivers, believing they have enough depth on defense and wanting to shed salary.

Kaberle, 35, is in his fourth season with the Hurricanes but has missed 24 games because of leg injuries. He has five assists in 13 games.

Kaberle, who is to be paid $2.2 million this season, scored perhaps the most historic goal in franchise history -- the winning goal in the seventh game of the 2006 Stanley Cup final against the Edmonton Oilers.

"It's always tough to break ties with someone," team president and general manager Jim Rutherford said Monday. "He was a big part of the Cup run and scored the big goal.

"But at some point, it's a part of our business that you have to cut ties. The first half of the season, we talked about cutting our defense. We're getting to the point our defense is healthier, and we've had guys come in from Albany and do a good job as depth guys."

The Canes will rely on defensemen Joni Pitkanen, Joe Corvo, Tim Gleason, Dennis Seidenberg, Anton Babchuk and Niclas Wallin. Given a number of injuries this season, the team also has called up four defensemen from the Albany River Rats, their minor-league affiliate in the American Hockey League.

Kaberle's name was bandied about in trade speculation before the season. He broke a bone in his right foot Oct. 17 when hit by a shot against the Los Angeles Kings, missing 19 games.

Kaberle signed a four-year, $8.8 million contract with the Canes in June 2006, just after Carolina won the Cup. He missed the first 55 games of the 2006-07 after undergoing shoulder surgery but played in 80 games last season.

"We decided to move a contract and to give him a chance with someone else," Rutherford said. "If he clears waivers, he'll still be a part of our team."