The Carolina Hurricanes re-signed two key players from last year's Charlotte Checkers team, re-signing defenseman Bobby Sanguinetti and forward Nicolas Blanchard to two-way contracts.

Sanguinetti, who signed a one-year deal that will pay him $700,000 in the NHL and $105,000 in the AHL, was second on the Checkers in scoring last season and set career highs in goals (10), assists (40) and points (50) for Charlotte. He also played three games with the Hurricanes last season and should compete for a spot in Raleigh in training camp.

Blanchard received a two-year deal that will pay him $525,000 in the NHL and $105,000 in the AHL annually, with a guaranteed $125,000. Blanchard, a five-year veteran of the Hurricanes organization and alternate captain with the Checkers, had nine goals and 12 assists for Charlotte last season. The releases for both signings are after the jump.

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The Carolina Hurricanes came to terms Tuesday on a new two-year deal with defenseman Jamie McBain. McBain, who was set to be a restricted free agent this offseason, will earn $1.7 mIllion in 2012-13 and 1.9 million in 2013-14. McBain earned $735,000 last season ($850,000 cap hit), the final year of his entry-level contract.

McBain played in 76 games each of the past two seasons with Carolina, registering a combined 57 points. He set career highs in goals (eight) and power play goals (five) in 2011-12, and also had just four penalty minutes — tying him for the fewest PIMs in the NHL among those playing in at least 50 games.

The Hurricanes now have six defenseman under contract for next season, with McBain joining Joni Pitkanen, Tim Gleason, Justin Faulk, Jay Harrison and Derek Joslin among those with one-way deals. Both Bryan Allen and Jaroslav Spacek will be unrestricted free agents.

The release from the team is after the jump.

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The Carolina Hurricanes signed defenseman Beau Schmitz to a three-year, entry-level contract Monday. Schmitz, who played for the Peter Karmamos-owned Plymouth Whalers during his OHL career, was invited to play with the Hurricanes in the Traverse City prospect tournament each of the past two seasons. He set career highs in goals (14), assists (40) and points (54) with the Whalers this season, and was also tied for thid in the OHL in plus/minus at plus-37. He becomes the ninth current player in the Hurricanes' organization to have played for the Whalers.

The release from the team is after the jump.

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Either the Carolina Hurricanes don't want to pick high in the NHL Entry Draft, or they truly believe they still have a shot at making the NHL Playoffs. The Canes notched back-to-back road wins this weekend, rallying from a third-period deficit both nights to earn four points in the standings.

Chad LaRose scored in both games, Drayson Bowman had a three-point night in Minnesota, and Eric Staal shrugged off the Winnipeg crowd with two goals the next night to move Carolina to 29-29-15. The Canes are now in 11th place in the Eastern Conference with 73 points and nine games remaining. They are five points behind eighth place Washington, with Buffalo and Winnipeg both above them in the standings.

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The New York Rangers completed their season sweep of the Carolina Hurricanes, winning at MSG, 4-2, to extend their Eastern Conference lead to 12 points over second place Boston. The Canes fell behind 3-0, but got two quick goals in 32 seconds from Tim Brent and Drayson Bowman to make a game of it.

The loss drops Carolina 26-29-15 with 67 points, tied with the Islanders for 13th in the conference.

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The Carolina Hurricanes have recalled defenseman Bobby Sanguinetti from Charlotte of the AHL. Sanguinetti could make his Hurricanes debut Tuesday against the team that drafted him and dressed him for five NHL games in 2009-10, the New York Rangers.

Sanguinetti has had a bounce-back season after an injury-riddled 2010-11. He ranks second on the Checkers in scoring with 35 points (eight goals, 27 assists), and is tied for seventh in the AHL in scoring by a defenseman. The release from the Hurricanes is after the jump.

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The Carolina Hurricanes played their 17th and 18th overtime games on Tuesday and Wednesday, splitting the first two games of their five-game road trip with a win at Washington, 4-3, and a loss at Buffalo, 3-2. Chad LaRose scored both nights and Eric Staal extended his point streak to 12 games vs. the Caps before being shut out against the Sabres.

The Canes are now 25-27-15 with 65 points, tied with the Islanders for 13th place in the Eastern Conference standings.

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The Carolina Hurricanes will look to play playoff spoiler for the second straight night when they travel to Buffalo to face the Sabres. The Canes (25-27-14, 64 points, 14th in the Eastern Conference) are coming off an overtime win Tuesday in Washington, snapping a run of eight straight overtime/shootout losses and giving the team its first victory after regulation since a Dec. 29 overtime win over Toronto.

The Sabres (30-28-8, 68, 11th) had earned points in eight straight games until they lost a key game Monday in Winnipeg. Still, they remain in the playoff hunt with 68 points in 66 games but have three teams to climb over in they're going to reach the postseason.

Cam Ward, who made 46 stops in Tuesday's win over the Capitals, will be in net for both games of the back-to-back, while the Sabres will go with workhorse Ryan Miller, who was the NHL's first start last week and will make his 10th straight start.

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The Carolina Hurricanes lost just one game in regulation in all of February, but it took only one day to match that in March. The New York Rangers showed why they are the Eastern Conference's top team, overcoming a one-goal deficit Thursday to top the Canes, 3-2, at the RBC Center. Eric Staal extended his point streak to 10 games with two assists, and Jeff Skinner and Jay Harrison scored for Carolina.

The loss drops Carolina to 24-27-13, tied with the Islanders for 13th in Eastern Conference with 61 points.

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The Carolina Hurricanes exacted revenge for an earlier loss, topping the Nashville Predators, 4-3, Tuesday to close out February with a 6-1-4 record. Eric Staal had a goal and two assists, and Jamie McBain, Tim Brent and Bryan Allen also scored for the Canes. Cam Ward got the win after missing three games with an injury, stopping 26 shots to finish the month 4-0-2.

Carolina moved into a tie for 13th place in the Eastern Conference with the win, and the Canes now have 61 points and a 24-26-13 record, eight points behind eighth place Washington and trailing division-leading Florida by 11.

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With the NHL trade deadline in the rearview mirror, the Carolina Hurricanes can now worry solely about their on-the-ice endeavors. GM Jim Rutherford did not move out any players yesterday, but Tuesday's opponent, the Nashville Predators, were among the league's busiest buyers during the annual swap meet.

Still, the Canes will have a slightly altered lineup due to injuries, but will also get Cam Ward back between the pipes.

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Six weeks ago, the Carolina Hurricanes looked like they might have been the league's biggest seller come today's NHL trade deadline. But other than a minor January trade that sent Alexei Ponikarovsky to New Jersey for a pick and prospect, the Canes look similar to how they did when the calendar flipped to 2012.

Tim Gleason? Re-signed to a four-year, $16 million extension. Tuomo Ruutu? Back in fold for four years as well, getting a $19 million contract to stay in Raleigh. All that was left was to see if unrestricted free agent defensemen Bryan Allen and Jaroslav Spacek would remain in Carolina, or if a surprise move happened.

In the end, the big news was no news.

((UPDATE 5:45 Zach Boychuk recalled on emergency basis for Patrick Dwyer))

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It was a pivotal game for the Carolina Hurricanes and their dwindling playoff hopes, but despite holding a 2-0 lead in the third period, the Canes let two points slip away, falling to the Florida Panthers in the shootout, 3-2. Justin Faulk and Jussi Jokinen scored for Carolina, and Justin Peters made 42 stops and kept the team in the game with 19 first-period saves.

The Hurricanes earned one point, moving into 14th place in the Eastern Conference with 59 points and a 23-26-13 record.

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In what could be deemed their best performance of the season, the Carolina Hurricanes thoroughly overwhelmed the Washington Capitals en route to a 5-0 lambasting Monday at the RBC Center. Eric Staal scored twice, and Justin Faulk, Anthony Stewart and Andreas Nodl all added goals for Carolina. Justin Peters earned his first NHL shutout, stopping all 17 shots he faced.

The Canes improved to 23-26-11, tying Buffalo for 14th in the Eastern Conference with 57 points. They are eight points behind division-leading Florida, but the Panthers have two games in hand, and seven points out of eighth place in the conference.

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The Carolina Hurricanes pulled off an impressive home win Friday against the San Jose Sharks, 3-2, but saw the New York Islanders complete a season series sweep the next night, beating the Canes 4-3 on Long Island. Jussi Jokinen scored the game-winner vs. San Jose, while Eric Staal and Jiri Tlusty kept their respective point streaks alive by getting on the score sheet each night.

The split puts Carolina at 55 points with a 22-26-11 record, last in the Eastern Conference.

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The Carolina Hurricanes closed out their three-game road trip with a win, rallying in the third period to overtake the Canadiens and give Kirk Muller a 5-3 win in his first visit to Montreal as a head coach. Eric Staal scored twice, and Jiri Tlusty, Jaroslav Spacek and Jamie McBain added goals for the Canes, who collected four of a possible six points on their trip.

Carolina now stands at 21-25-11 with 53 points, still last in the Eastern Conference, but only two points behind 11th-place Montreal and nine out of the eighth playoff spot.

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For the second straight game the Carolina Hurricanes lost in overtime. Ryan O`Reilly forced Justin Faulk to turn the puck over in the neutral zone and ripped a slap shot past Cam Ward with less than two seconds remaining in the extra session to give the Colorado Avalanche a 4-3 win. Tim Brent, Jiri Tlusty and Eric Staal for Carolina, and Ward made 29 saves.

The Hurricanes are now 20-25-11 with 51 points, last in the Eastern Conference through 56 games.

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The Carolina Hurricanes fell victim to what some are calling "the blown call of the year," losing in overtime to the Anaheim Ducks after a non-call led to Corey Perry's game-winning goal. Tuomo Ruutu and Eric Staal scored for the Hurricanes, and Cam Ward made 31 saves in the overtime loss.

The Canes have taken home at least a point in seven of eight games and now sit at 20-25-10 for 50 points, last in the Eastern Conference.

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TSN's Bob McKenzie tweeted this morning that the Carolina Hurricanes will put forward Anthony Stewart on waivers Monday at noon. Stewart, who was signed this offseason, is in the first year of a two-year deal that pays him $800,000 this season and $1 million next year. He has six goals and seven assists in 50 games, playing mostly on the team's fourth line.

The Canes also reassigned Riley Nash to Charlotte today, so if Stewart is claimed — teams will have until noon Tuesday to make claims on him — Carolina will have just 11 forwards on the roster. If Stewart is not claimed, Carolina can assign him to Charlotte of the AHL or keep him on the NHL roster.

The Carolina Hurricanes fell behind early to the Los Angeles Kings but rallied to score the game's final two goals for a 2-1 win at the RBC Center Saturday. Jiri Tlusty scored and Jeff Skinner had the game-winner for Carolina, while Cam Ward made 24 saves for his third win in his last four starts.

The win moved the Canes to 20-25-9 on the season with 49 points, ranking them 14th in the Eastern Conference.

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The Carolina Hurricanes accomplished something never before done in franchise history, sweeping the season series from the Boston Bruins with a 3-0 victory in Beantown Thursday. Cam Ward made a franchise-record 47 saves in earning his third shutout of the year, while Eric Staal, Tuomo Ruutu and Brandon Sutter scored for the Canes.

Carolina improved to 19-25-9 with 47 points, putting them in a three-way tie with the Canadiens and Islanders for last place in the Eastern Conference.

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The Carolina Hurricanes made a surprising move Monday, removing veteran Tim Gleason from the trade deadline rumor mill by inking him to a four-year extension worth $16 million. The signing sets the groundwork for several dominoes and answers some burning questions about the course GM Jim Rutherford and the team plan to take.

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The Carolina Hurricanes have made few exceptions when it comes to in-season contract negotiations, but Tim Gleason is apparently one worth making an exception for.

The Canes signed their alternate captain to a four-year extension Monday that will pay the defenseman $16 million over the course of the contract. The deal will pay Gleason $3.5 million a season in the first and last year of the deal, and $4.5 million in each of the remaining years. Under the current collective bargaining agreement, his cap hit would be $4 million each season.

The move takes Gleason, who is in his sixth season in Raleigh, off the list of trade deadline possibilities. Furthermore, TSN's Bob McKenzie reports, via Twitter, that Gleason's deal has a full no-trade clause for the first two seasons of the new contract.

The release from the Hurricanes is after the jump.

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Center Riley Nash earned his second promotion of the season Monday as the Carolina Hurricanes recalled the second-year pro from Charlotte.

Nash has 18 points (six goals, 12 assists) in 41 games with Charlotte and earned an assist in his two games with the Hurricanes earlier this season. The release from the team is after the jump.

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The Carolina Hurricanes had scored just four total goals in three outings against Chris Mason and the Winnipeg Jets this season, but it took the Canes less than 10 minutes to notch two goals against their Southeast division foe Monday. Those two goals were enough as Carolina held off the Jets to win 2-1 in their final game before the All-Star break. Jeff Skinner and Tim Brent scored, while Cam Ward continued his hot play by stopping 29 shots. He is 8-3-3 since Dec. 23.

The Hurricanes improved to 18-24-9 and their 45 points leapfrogged them into a tie for 11th in the Eastern Conference — as well as eight points out of eighth place and nine out of the division lead — with a league-high 51 games played.

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The Philadelphia Flyers are a team in desperate need of help on defense. A long-term injury to the team's biggest name on the blue line has led to doubts that the Flyers are Stanley Cup contenders. Luckily for them they have a surplus of young forward talent, and the Carolina Hurricanes — who have stumbled to the bottom of the Eastern Conference — are looking to move out defense and add a young right winger that can play in their top six.

So it's only natural that the two teams make a deal, right? Truth is, they already did. On Jan. 20, 2004 — exactly eight years ago Friday — the Canes and Flyers swung such a deal a move that would later help propel Carolina to a Stanley Cup victory two seasons later.

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The Carolina Hurricanes made their first deal of 2012, kicking off what could be a busy trade season by acquiring forwards Evgenii Dadonov and A.J. Jenks from the Florida Panthers in exchange for Jon Matsumoto and Mattias Lindstrom.

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The Carolina Hurricanes played another solid road game Tuesday, taking the Pittsburgh Penguins to overtime before losing in the shootout, 2-1. Jamie McBain scored for Carolina and Cam Ward matched a season high with 40 saves.

The Hurricanes are now 3-3-2 since the calendar flipped to 2012, but outside of a 5-2 loss to Nashville, Carolina's other losses — in regulation or overtime/shootout — were by just one goal. The Canes are in a three-way tie for last in the Eastern Conference with 40 points and have a 16-24-8 record.

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