Carolina Hurricanes Sign Ron Hainsey: Analysis, Twitter Reaction & More

September 12th, 2013 by Mark Jones Leave a reply »

The Carolina Hurricanes wasted little time in the search for a Joni Pitkanen replacement.

General manager Jim Rutherford signed free-agent defenseman Ron Hainsey to a $2 million contract Thursday to help re-strengthen the team's blueline corps. Per TSN's Aaron Ward:



The news comes less than 36 hours after the club announced that Pitkanen has been ruled out for the entire 2013-14 NHL season with a broken heel bone. Rutherford promised swift action in response, and he fulfilled that statement quickly.



Hainsey's availability this late in the offseason was puzzling considering how well he performed in 2013. The 32-year-old averaged 22:51 in ice time for the Winnipeg Jets, finished third in the league with 123 blocked shots and tallied 13 points in 47 games (two more than any 'Canes defenseman did).

Rutherford also praised Hainsey's versatility in his official press release. Per team reporter Terrell Williams:

Ron is an experienced, two-way defenseman. He was very interested in joining our team this summer, and was patient as we waited for updated information about Jo ...

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