News & Notes

• Forward Jacob MicFlikier has been reassigned to the Florida Everblades of the ECHL. MicFlikier was called up to Albany on October 24th after Steven Goertzen suffered a concussion. Goertzen is now healthy. In three games with the River Rats, MicFlikier had a goal and a +2 rating. Expect him back at some point this season.

• The Carolina Hurricanes have placed defenseman Jay Harrison on waivers. Harrison will likely clear waivers and be reassigned to Albany. He will hopefully provide some much-needed relief at the Rats' blue line. Harrison was filling in for Canes' D-man Tim Gleason, who is expected to return to action tomorrow night. 

• The Carolina Hurricanes have won just two of 13 games. General Manager Jim Rutherford is preparing to make some major changes. Trades and call-ups could be on the horizon, especially if the Hurricanes keep losing. 

• Carolina's top forward Eric Staal is expected to miss several games with an upper-body injury sustained over the weekend. He is listed as week-to-week. The Hurricanes have two extra players to insert in the line-up: Stephane Yelle and Tim Conboy. If the Canes are not satisfied with those options, well, you know the drill. 

• The River Rats' weekly recap is available here. 

• Watch the next installment of Murphy's Mailbag here.
  

Canes' update

The Carolina Hurricanes continue to struggle. With a 6-1 loss yesterday to Philadelphia and a 5-1 loss today against San Jose, the Canes' record now stands at 2-8-3. Carolina is one point away from occupying last place in the Eastern Conference. 

The team's line-up continues to shuffle. 

The Hurricanes today saw the return of Tuomo Ruutu, who just finished a three-game suspension, as well as Erik Cole, who suffered a fractured leg early in the season. Center Stephane Yelle, who was recently put through waivers, was scratched. 

Brandon Sutter, who was called up from Albany last weekend, replaced Yelle as the team's fourth-line center. Sutter scored the Hurricanes' only two goals this weekend. The chances of him coming back to the Rats are slim to none.

Eric Staal suffered an upper-body injury in the second period against San Jose. He did not return for the third. If Stall is unable to play in the Canes' next game on Wednesday, Stephane Yelle and former Albany captain Tim Conboy are available. But another call-up could always be in the works, especially with the team's recent poor performance. 

Tim Gleason is practicing in Raleigh and could return to action as early as this week. That would give the Canes an extra defenseman. Jay Harrison may or may not be sent down.

News & Notes

• Brett Bellemore may not rack up the points, but his smart defensive game is evident in his plus/minus tally. The Albany Times Union has more on Bellemore, who proudly leads the team with a +4. 

• Justin Peters has developed into a highly skilled goaltender and solidified himself as the Rats' go-to starter. The Troy Record catches up with the fourth-year netminder. 

• The Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins took over first place in the East Division Thursday with a win over the Manitoba Moose. Former River Rat Ryan Bayda scored 39 seconds into overtime to break the 0-0 tie. The Penguins have a one-point lead and a game-in-hand on the Rats heading into the weekend.

• Injured players should soon be returning in waves. Mike Angelidis, Steven Goertzen, Michael Ryan and Brett Carson should be coming back in the next few weeks. 

• Erik Cole of the Carolina Hurricanes, who fractured a bone in his leg earlier this month, is expected to return to action as early as this weekend. Cole, along with injured Canes' D-man Tim Gleason, are back at practice in Raleigh. Forward Brandon Sutter and defenseman Jay Harrison are Carolina's only healthy two-way players. Forward Stephane Yelle, who recently cleared waivers, is also eligible for reassignment. Yelle will become ineligible on November 26th at noon or after ten games of NHL play, whichever comes first.
  

Sutter competing for spot

There is no denying it. The Rats' parent club, the Carolina Hurricanes, have not started well. The Canes are 2-5-3 in their first ten contests and currently sit in 12th place in the NHL's Eastern Conference. They are winless in the last six games. 

Management is ready to shake things up. 

In an unexpected move, the Canes recently put Stephane Yelle, the team's fourth-line center, on waivers. Yelle cleared waivers today at noon, but his future with the Hurricanes is uncertain. Carolina obviously considers him expendable. 

The top candidate for Yelle's spot is Brandon Sutter, who was recently recalled to fill the void created by the suspension of Tuomo Ruutu.  

Sutter and Yelle are both expected to be in the line-up for the Canes on Wednesday and Saturday, but someone will have to sit out when Rutuu returns to action on Sunday.

The job is up for grabs.

If Sutter or another River Rat takes the spot, the Canes will have to make a choice in regards to Yelle. They could scratch him, release him, assign him to Albany or maybe make a trade. 

With the Hurricanes' roster in a state of flux, don't be surprised if more call-ups are around the bend.