Ernesto didn’t make that big a splash in the Triangle (and thank Thor for that–I didn’t feel like having to get out the hip-waders to go pre-order “Burning Crusade” at the Crabtree Valley EB location), so of course the talk has turned to trades.

No really, it has.

The Toronto Sun is reporting the rumor that a Jack Johnson for Jordan Staal trade is in the works (head down to the bottom of the page, after the bit about Derek Boogerhead (or however you spell his name) getting busted for smacking down some poor slob at a nightclub in Saskatoon (I know, the thought of a nightclub in Saskatoon surprises me too).

This has been floated around more than a few times–mostly on message boards–and I’m wondering “why?”

Granted, Johnson has some discipline issues–hopefully Red Berenson will burn those out of him during the rest of the boy’s time at UMich. Granted, it would be nice to have two Staal brothers playing on the same team. Granted, the n00blets in the Caniac Nation (est. 1997) would be happy to see Johnson gone, since they’re too clueless to understand that the boy’s always been up-front about a national title with the Not-Named Team err Wolverines being his top priority.

HOWEVER:

The ‘Canes need defense. Badly. Would this be the grievous wound that the Wesley trade signing was back in ‘96? No–but the Hurricanes’ top three defensemen are 36, 37, and 32 respectively, and there are precious few NHL-ready guys behind them. Mind you, I like Anton Babchuk and Mike Commodore–but the cupboard’s a little bare for my liking, prospect-wise.

So yeah. I’ll believe that little rumor when I actually see a trade, because right now I am just not seeing the wisdom in it.

AND SPEAKING OF SEEING THE WISDOM IN THINGS…..

The ‘Canes have signed David Tanabe and Brad Isbister. At first, I was wondering what the hell JimR was thinking in continuing the 2001-2002 Reunion Tour–but the more I think about it the more I’m willing to take a “wait and see” approach. It’s very odd, really. All these guys that didn’t do well under Chairman Mo are coming back into the fold, and I still find myself asking “why?” because I keep forgetting that the paradigm has shifted radically from the “defense-defense-defense” days that marked the Hurricanes’ first 8 seasons in North Carolina.

And, finally, a cozy little feel-good piece from Toolbag Junior about former Hurricanes defenseman Aaron Ward, who will be heading up to the Big Apple next week to prepare for training camp with the New York Penoilercanes. And of course, since it wouldn’t be a Toolbag Junior column otherwise, the piece leads off with an egregious gaffe.

Aaron Ward, a big contributor to the Carolina Hurricanes winning the Stanley Cup, was traded to the New York Rangers two months ago. But he’s having trouble getting from traded away to gone away.

I’ve considered dropping the guy a line and saying “Hey Ned, AWard wasn’t traded–he was signed as an unrestricted free agent”, but I already know what the response will be:

“Well it’s basically the same thing.”

The more things change….

(edit @2248 hrs, 5 Sept: The article’s been updated. Many thanks to Ashley for the heads-up)