Two highly sought after upcoming free agents were recently extended by their respective teams in Ales Hemsky and Tuomo Ruutu. While both players have different skills and playing styles, Tambellini and Rutherford both thought each player was important to the future of their franchises by locking them up before free agency. Hemsky was extended for two more years with a cap hit of $5M. Ruutu was extended at slightly less, $4.75M cap hit, for an additional 4 years.

Both contracts could be considered risky for different reasons. Hemsky has shown the ability to pile up points but has had a very rough time staying healthy for the past few years. Meanwhile, Ruutu has been a little more durable and plays a more physical game but hasn't shown the ability to put up the numbers the way Hemsky has.

The question is simple - which team made the better signing?

When your team is battling in the basement of the league with the trade deadline coming soon, it leads to many of us thinking what we would do if we were in Rutherford's position. Of course, feel free to pick this post apart and disagree - the purpose is to generate a healthy discussion on what would be best for our beloved yet basement-dwelling Canes. I'm no expert on what our players will fetch at the deadline and these are merely guesses, which could be way off. Heck, I'm no cap guru so this could easily be impossible. Either way, here is what I would attempt to accomplish if I were JR in the coming weeks:

Continue reading this post »