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Joni Pitkanen News & Rumors

Muller: Pitkanen is 'ready to go'
March 21
Raleigh News & Observer
 
"Joni's back. Sidelined the past 44 games, Cane defenseman Joni Pitkanen has been activated off injured reserve and will be in the lineup tonight against the Florida Panthers. Canes coach Kirk Muller said today that Pitkanen would be paired with Jamie McBain. "He's ready to go," Muller said after the morning skate. "I talked to him this morning and he feels good mentally, physically. He's excited and it will be fun to get him back." Pitkanen suffered a concussion Dec. 6 in the road game against the Calgary Flames after taking a hit from former Canes forward Tom Kostopoulos. A decision later was made for Pitkanen, who has had some knee issues in the past, to undergo knee surgery."
Canes' Pitkanen may be out till March
January 25
Raleigh News & Observer
 
"The Carolina Hurricanes were hoping to have Joni Pitkanen back in the lineup soon after the NHL All-Star break. That's not going to happen, general manager Jim Rutherford said Tuesday. Rutherford said Pitkanen, the Canes' most skilled defenseman, might not return until early March. Pitkanen suffered a concussion during a Dec. 6 road game against the Calgary Flames, then had knee surgery Jan. 3. After the surgery, the Hurricanes said Pitkanen would need about four weeks to rehabilitate the knee. But his recovery apparently is going slower then expected."
Canes must march on without star players Skinner and Pitkanen
December 15
Raleigh News & Observer
 
"The Carolina Hurricanes have been losing games and now are losing players. The team confirmed Wednesday that both forward Jeff Skinner and defenseman Joni Pitkanen will be sidelined indefinitely with concussions. Skinner is the Canes' top scorer and a driving force offensively, and Pitkanen their most skilled player on the back end. Skinner, who won the Calder Trophy last season as the NHL's top rookie, missed the past two games in Winnipeg and Toronto. He returned to Raleigh with the team Tuesday night and was evaluated Wednesday by Dr. Sandeep Gavankar at Carolina Family Practice and Sports Medicine in Cary."
Can Canes afford Pitkanen?
October 13
Raleigh News & Observer
 
"You take the good with the bad with Joni Pitkanen. His talent tantalizes, which is why he was drafted fourth overall and has been traded for significant returns twice since. His inconsistency also frustrates, which is why he has been traded twice since. Given the Carolina Hurricanes' financial situation, along with their sudden surfeit of defensemen, it's fair to wonder whether Pitkanen is a luxury the Hurricanes cannot afford. He showed Wednesday, in a win over the defending Stanley Cup champions, just what he has to offer when he's at his best. Pitkanen's opening goal - along with a 5-for-5 performance on the penalty kill -- helped the Hurricanes to a 3-2 win over the Boston Bruins, not"
Pitkanen re-signs with Canes for three years
June 29
Raleigh News & Observer
 
"Joni Pitkanen won't be leaving the Carolina Hurricanes. General manager Jim Rutherford announced Tuesday that the NHL team had signed the smooth-skating defenseman to a three-year contract worth $4.5 million a season. The Hurricanes also reached an agreement Tuesday with versatile forward Patrick Dwyer, who was signed to a two-year deal. But Rutherford, while pleased to keep Pitkanen and Dwyer in the Canes' fold, said he now is becoming pessimistic about re-signing forwards Erik Cole, Jussi Jokinen and Chad LaRose. The three veterans will become unrestricted free agents Friday if not signed, and Rutherford said it appears the financial gap may be too wide in each case. "I'm very, very"
Canes hope to keep Pitkanen, Jokinen
June 27
Raleigh News & Observer
 
"The Carolina Hurricanes front office shifts its focus from future stars to proven stars this week. Coming off Saturday's NHL draft, general manager Jim Rutherford will work on re-signing a handful of players who become unrestricted free agents Wednesday. In recent weeks, it appeared unlikely that defenseman Joni Pitkanen or forward Jussi Jokinen would agree to terms. But Rutherford met with the players' agents during the past week."
Pitkanen hopes to stay
February 8
Raleigh News & Observer
 
"Joni Pitkanen is the Carolina Hurricanes' highest-paid defenseman. He can skate like the wind, he's strong, he plays big minutes, and he can produce points. In other words, there's much to like about the Finn's game. And yet, Pitkanen at times can be a hockey enigma. He will pass up a good shot for a tough pass. He doesn't have a lot of the big, bone-crunching hits. He will float out of position defensively, leaving others to scramble. At 27, Pitkanen has played almost 500 regular-season and playoff games in the NHL. At season's end, he's due to become an unrestricted free agent and could command more than the $4.5 million he's making this season. "He's at that age where he's still"
Finland's Pitkanen suspended for quarterfinal
February 23
TSN.ca
 
"Finland's Joni Pitkanen has received an automatic one game suspension and will not play in Wednesday's quarterfinal. The Finnish blueliner received a match penalty for a hit to the head of Patric Hornqvist in the second period of Sunday's round robin game against Sweden."
Canes' Pitkanen leads NHL in minutes
January 7
Raleigh News & Observer
 
"Twenty-six minutes and 56 seconds may not seem like a lot of time to most people. A short lunch break, maybe, or enough time for a light jog. But in terms of actual NHL ice time in a game, it's extensive, a heavy workload given the hard skating, physical pounding and aerobic demands. It's also the average time logged each game by the Carolina Hurricanes' Joni Pitkanen. In a season when the Canes aren't near the top in many league statistics, the defenseman ranks No. 1 in the league in average ice time per game. Not that he's complaining. "It's been OK," Pitkanen said. "Some games, you feel a little more tired. Sometimes it's tough getting to sleep after games. But overall, I feel pretty"
Three Canes make Olympics teams
December 31
Raleigh News & Observer
 
"The Carolina Hurricanes forward was hoping to learn before Wednesday's 11 a.m. practice at the RBC Center if he had been selected to play for the Canadian Olympic team at the 2010 Winter Games in Vancouver. He didn't get that call before taking the ice, adding a little to the tension, but he noticed after practice that he had missed a call on his cell phone from Steve Yzerman, executive director of Team Canada. "I figured that was a good sign," Staal said, smiling. About a half-hour after practice, Staal officially was made a part of the 23-man roster with an announcement from Saskatoon, Saskatchewan. In February, he will be part of a Canadian team shooting for a gold medal on home soil,"
Pitkanen, Walker will miss Canes' road trip
November 17
Raleigh News & Observer
 
"Carolina Hurricanes defenseman Joni Pitkanen and forward Scott Walker did not make the trip Monday and will not play tonight against the Montreal Canadiens. Pitkanen suffered a lower-body injury and Walker an upper-body injury Sunday in the Canes' 5-4 shootout victory over the Minnesota Wild. Stephane Yelle, who left the game in the third period after blocking a shot, is expected to play. Defenseman Aaron Ward, who missed the Minnesota game with a lower-body injury, also should return to the lineup."
Pitkanen has knee surgery
September 11
Raleigh News & Observer
 
"Carolina Hurricanes defenseman Joni Pitkanen underwent arthroscopic knee surgery Thursday and likely will be sidelined two to four weeks. Pitkanen has skated this week in informal workouts at the RecZone in preparation for training camp but left the ice early on Wednesday. He had knee surgery early last season for a torn meniscus and missed eight games. "I don't know exactly the nature of the injury, but it is my understanding he will be out for a couple of weeks," general manager Jim Rutherford said. "My understanding of it is that it is minor." Pitkanen led the Canes in average ice time last season (24:48) and was 15th in the NHL. Rutherford was in Traverse City, Mich., for the NHL"