Cam Ward's tenure in Carolina may not be up.
The veteran Hurricanes goaltender is set to become an unrestricted free agent on July 1, but general manager Ron Francis may be intent on retaining his services.
"Cam takes a lot of criticism, but Cam from December to the end of the year was one of the top five goaltenders in the league in goals-against and save percentage," Francis told reporters Thursday. "I think there’s some merit to revisiting that as we move forward."
While Ward did not see a heavy workload in the time frame cited by Francis, he did indeed have stretches of solid play.
| Month | Appearances | Record | Shots Against | Save % |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| December | 8 | 4-3-0 | 189 | .905 |
| January | 5 | 3-0-2 | 134 | .925 |
| February | 10 | 4-4-2 | 280 | .914 |
| March | 8 | 4-1-3 | 220 | .914 |
| April | 2 | 1-1-0 | 67 | .925 |
While Eddie Lack is under contract for two more seasons at a cap hit of $2.75 million, Francis doesn't appear overly confident in his abilities to be a full-time starter, while the price for acquiring another goalie via trade or free agency may not be worth the loss of a familiar, albeit aging commodity like Ward.
"I think we’ll make a decision fairly soon in that regard," Francis said. "When we look at Cam, part of my job is making sure I go through the meetings with my pro (scouting) guys and assessing what’s out there in the free-agent market and then talking to all the other GMs to see which goaltenders may or may not be available and for the ones that are, what the price is.
"As I sit here today, do I want to give up a first-round pick for a goaltender that may have a year or two left on his deal and then we lose him, an older guy? Not really the plan I’m looking for."
The 2006 Conn Smythe Trophy winner has appeared in 564 regular season games with the Hurricanes, posting a career record of 269-208-68 with a .910 save percentage.
