Canes acquire Ian White and Brett Sutter for Tom Kostopoulos and Anton Babchuk

By Brian LeBlanc
NCSportsTalk.com - Puck Drops
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Suffice it to say that the Hurricanes' recent performance did not go unnoticed on the fourth floor of the RBC Center.

In a deal designed to spark two struggling teams, the Canes and Calgary Flames completed a deal late Wednesday that sent Tom Kostopoulos and Anton Babchuk to the Flames.  In return, the Canes receive defenseman Ian White and forward Brett Sutter, a cousin of the Hurricanes' Brandon and the son of Flames GM Darryl Sutter.

At a hastily-arranged press conference just before the Canes' game against the Ottawa Senators, general manager Jim Rutherford said that this deal had been in the works for a few weeks, and the recent legal troubles surrounding Brett Sutter as a result of an incident outside an Arizona bar a week ago did not factor into the trade one way or the other.  White, who played under Canes coach Paul Maurice in Toronto for two seasons, was a player the Canes have had their eyes on for a while, and Rutherford said that the move to acquire him probably would have occurred regardless of the team's recent problems.

But when asked if the last two games have factored into the decision to pull the trigger now, Rutherford was curt: "Darned right."  White, a clear upgrade over Babchuk, will immediately see top-four minutes, likely playing over 22 minutes per night including some power play time.  He is signed through the end of this season at $3 million, and will be an unrestricted free agent at the end of the year.  Sutter has a two-way deal, and will be assigned to Charlotte to finish a conditioning stint begun on Sunday.  He will likely remain in Charlotte for the rest of the season, but will need to clear waivers to be permanently assigned to the Checkers.

Much more on this later...we're half an hour from puck drop at the RBC Center now.