As curious as the Carolina Hurricanes’ decisions were to bring back Cam Ward and give Raffi Torres a tryout, neither of those decisions are necessarily far-reaching.
No, the boldest move might have been stating firmly that Victor Rask is a core guy; he gives the Hurricanes just four players who have contracts covering at least the next three seasons after signing a six-year, $24 million extension in mid-July.
That term and money will shine a brighter spotlight on the 23-year-old, but what about that surgically repaired shoulder?
Rask told the Raleigh News & Observer that his shoulder is “100 percent” and that he’ll be ready for Hurricanes training camp.
He also seems at least somewhat aware of what that new contract means for his future and his connection with Carolina.
“I wanted long-term and I’m happy that they believe in me,” Rask said. “I’m just excited for the future and I think we’ve got something really good going on here … It feels like home for me, so it’s very nice to come back here.”
With a foundation of young players and sneaky-impressive possession numbers since Bill Peters took over, the Hurricanes are becoming a chic pick to make some gains in 2016-17.
Rask would be an integral part of such a turnaround, so Carolina needs him to be healthy and productive. So far, it sounds like he’s in a good position to enter next season without lingering effects from that injury.
Of course, we’ve heard plenty of players claim to be “100 percent” and then see their seasons go off course, so it remains to be seen if Rask’s optimism is actually justified.
