
Remember Jeff O'Neill? Once upon a time, he was a promising young Power Forward for the Carolina Hurricanes, and then a lazy, under performing marshmallow for the Toronto Maple Leafs.
It would be easy to forget O'Neill, especially since he took last season off to grieve his brother's death. It's not as if O'Neill was making an impact on the ice when he was playing, either.
Now that O'Neill is in a better state of mind, he hopes to return to the NHL. The avenue of choice?
Carolina, his former club, who have offered him a training camp tryout."In training camp, the door is open for players to make the team," Rutherford told The News & Observer. "That's the opportunity we'll give him. He said he plans to come in early and work out with the guys. He has the right mind-set."
"We have talked about a contract, but it makes sense for him to come to training camp for the tryout and then us talk about a contract."
Yes, Jeff O'Neill is a former 30-40 goal scorer, but that was SIX years ago. O'Neill's last three full seasons saw the offensive-minded winger garner just 34, 38, and 42 points. I'm sure I don't need to remind you that his attention to defense was/is atrocious, much like Todd Bertuzzi's.
I realize that there is little risk and investment involved in giving the guy a training camp shot, but why do the Hurricanes need another offensive-minded forward? The Canes certainly do not problems scoring goals, and their forward corps are already full with the likes of Staal, Brind'Amour, Whitney, Williams, Samsonov, and Ruutu.
The Canes need another offense-first forward like Dick Cheney needs a new rifle. Shouldn't the Canes be spending their time looking for defensive help instead of worrying about lazy, washed-up forwards who haven't played hockey in a year? Thumbs down, Carolina!