CANES ADD ANOTHER OFFENSIVE VETERAN

Carolina

The Canes, who have been exceptionally busy this offseason, have tried to fill in the holes that they felt were there all of last season. With a spurting goal production, especially late in the season, the Canes wanted to get players who were more than willing to help spark the team and put some numbers on the board.

Smallish offensive dynamo Ray Whitney fits that mould.

Whitney, a veteran winger, comes from Chicago in exchange for newly added Taratuhkin and Mike Cirillo, along with a draft pick. The speedy playmaker has a knack for finding the open man and should help bolster a second power play unit that will feature another smallish playmaker in Marc Savard along with the big frame of the gifted goal scorer Rick Nash.

“I think adding a guy like Whitney really solves a lot of problems we could have encountered,” said head coach Joel Quenneville. “He excels in various aspects of the game, he is collected when making plays and he will distribute the puck quickly and get us the scoring opportunities we need to be successful. Right now I envision him with Savard and Nash, but things can change. He has a lot of gifts to the game that he can lend us. We shall see where he fits in.”

Whitney was said to be happy about his move and is looking forward to his new life in Carolina.