The soap opera that is the Carolina Hurricanes continues...

You've heard the story thus far -- Carolina signs Detroit free agent Sergei Fedorov to a six-year, 38-million-dollar offer sheet only to have the league declare the offer invalid. The sticking point? A 12-million-dollar bonus that would be paid to Fedorov, by the team that would sign him, should that team make it to the conference finals this season. If the team would not make it that far in the playoffs, the bonus would be paid over the next four years in three-million-dollar payments. Since Detroit could very well make it that far this year, and Carolina will most likely not, the NHL ruled that the offer is not in compliance with the current Collective Bargaining Agreement. Both Carolina and the NHL players union -- the NHLPA -- has taken the sheet to an independent arbitrator in an attempt to overturn the league's ruling,

As this story went to press, an independent arbitrator was expected to rule on the validity of the 12-million-dollar bonus either Thursday or Friday. Since the remainder of the sheet is not being questioned, Detroit will then have reportedly 56 hours, from the time of the decision, to either match the offer and sign Fedorov or accept five first round draft picks from the Hurricanes as compensation. The bonus clause will either be removed from the sheet altogether, made into four three-million-dollar payments regardless, or left as is. Regardless of the ruling, rumors out of Detroit say that the Red Wings will match the offer.

But, at the very least, Fedorov will be looking at raking in a 14-million-dollar signing bonus immediately, along with a base salary of $2.4 million the next five years. That's quite impressive without the additional $12 million. For a team that's set to lose around $25 million this year, it's a bold move for the Hurricanes. Since we all know how Fedorov fits in with the Red Wings (see the Stanley Cup for details), let's look at how his addition would affect the 'Canes:

-- Both Carolina owner Peter Karmanos and general manager Jim Rutherford think that Fedorov would be like a hockey messiah for the Carolinas. Rutherford has already compared his pending arrival with Wayne Gretzky's trade from Edmonton to Los Angeles in 1988. Rutherford feels that Fedorov could turn around the 'Canes franchise just like Gretzky did for the Kings. And that's not just on the ice -- that's off the ice, too. Rutherford has pointed out that Fedorov is popular with even casual hockey fans due to his Nike commercial. (You know, the one where he gets run over by the Zamboni. Interesting point -- I do believe that the driver of said Zamboni is a goalie in a Calgary Flames uniform. And who was the Flames goalie at the time the commercial was made? Why, none other than Trevor Kidd, current Carolina Hurricanes goalie.) Nevermind that the commercial hasn't been played heavily in about a year...

-- Many people are wondering just where Carolina will come up with that much money. Two theories: either Karmanos is a hell of a lot richer than any of us know, or, the financial windfall expected when the team moves to Raleigh in 1999 is just that -- a windfall. Giving Fedorov all this money will only make the 'Canes debt worse, so someone in the Hurricanes' accounting department must be predicting big things in Raleigh.

-- There is a possibility that, if Detroit does not want the draft picks as compensation, a trade may be worked out between the two teams. Many feel that Carolina does not have anything that Detroit would want. This writer disagrees. Does Detroit not need another veteran defenseman or two? Guys like Curtis Leschyshyn, Kevin Haller, and Adam Burt fit that bill. It is possible that a deal including some of the picks as well as a player or two could also be worked out. Giving up the picks fits in perfectly with Rutherford's philosophy. According to Rutherford, once you get out of the top 10, it's a crap shoot at best. Having Fedorov could very well ensure that those five picks are not in the top 10.

-- And finally, the important part -- how he would fit in on the ice. At the moment, the 'Canes top line of Keith Primeau, Sami Kapanen, and Robert Kron could stay in place, allowing Fedorov to play between Martin Gelinas and Nelson Emerson. Sort of like having lines 1 and 1A. It would most definitely mean a reduction in playing time for Jeff O'Neill, even though he could be shifted to wing. It's also good to keep in mind that even when he's not scoring, he's playing defense. That's something that the 'Canes are stressing this year -- good defensive play out of their forwards. That's why they made the deal with Vancouver that sent Geoff Sanderson west for Gelinas. Gelinas, like Fedorov, comes back more often than not.

So even though the signs point toward Fedorov returning to Detroit, especially if the bonus clause is removed altogether from the offer sheet, Hurricane fans can still dream. They can dream of a legitimate superstar and an all-world talent gracing the Carolina roster. Fedorov would be the biggest "name" player in franchise history since Brendan Shanahan whined his way out of Hartford a couple years back. For the sake of Hurricane fans, here's to hoping he finds the way to Greensboro... and soon.

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