The 39-year old center is starting his 21st season in the NHL. He played in 80 regular-season games (16g, 35a) and 18 playoff games (1g, 3a) last season.
Erik Cole
The 26-year old right wing was the first-round draft pick of the Hurricanes in 1998. He played in 80 regular-season games (18g, 24a) and 18 playoff games (0g, 4a) last season.
Tim Conboy
The 27-year old right wing is starting his third season with Carolina. He played in 28 regular-season games (0g, 1a) and 3 playoff games (0g, 0a) last season.
Matt Cullen
The 32-year old center reached the 20-goal plateau for the second time in his 11th NHL season. He played in 69 regular-season games (22g, 21a) and 18 playoff games (3g, 3a) last season.
Jussi Jokinen
The 26-year old left wing had three game-winning goals in last season’s playoffs for Carolina after being acquired from Tampa Bay. He played in 71 regular-season games (7g, 20a) and 18 playoff games (7g, 4a) last season.
Tom Kostopoulos
The 30-year old right wing joined the Hurricanes as a free agent signee during the summer. He played in 78 regular-season games (8g, 14a) and 4 playoff games (0g, 1a) last season with the Montreal Canadiens.
Chad LaRose
The 27-year old right wing played his best season since joining the Hurricanes as a free agent signee in 2003 with career highs in games played, goals and assists. He played in 81 regular-season games (19g, 12a) and 18 playoff games (4g, 7a) last season.
Tuomo Ruutu
The 26-year old right wing posted career-best numbers last season in his first full year with the Hurricanes. He played in 79 regular- season games (26g, 28a) and 16 playoff games (1g, 3a) last season.
Michael Ryan
The 29-year old left wing spent most of last season with Albany and was the River Rats’ leading scorer when he was called up. He played in 18 regular-season games (0g, 2a) but did not participate in any playoff games.
Sergei Samsonov
The 30-year old right wing had 11 multi-point games last season. He played in 81 regular-season games (16g, 32a) and 17 playoff games (5g, 3a).
Eric Staal
The 24-year old center finished fifth in the NHL with 40 goals. He played in 82 regular-season games (40g, 35a) and 18 playoff games (10g, 5a) last season.
Scott Walker
The 36-year old right wing missed 41 games because of injury last year but scored the biggest goal of his career in Game 7 against Boston to end the series. He played in 41 regular-season games (5g, 10a) and 18 playoff games (1g, 6a) last season.
Ray Whitney
The 37-year old left wing led the Hurricanes in points last season and established a career high in assists. He played in 82 regular-season games (24g, 53a) and 18 playoff games (3g, 8a) last season.
Stephane Yelle
The 35-year old center joined the Hurricanes as a free agent signee during the summer. He played in 77 regular-season games (7g, 11a) and 11 playoff games (0g, 1a) last season with the Boston Bruins.
Andrew Alberts
The 28-year old defenseman joined the Hurricanes as a free agent signee during the summer. He played in 79 regular-season games (1g, 12a) and 6 playoff games (0g, 1a) last season with the Philadelphia Flyers.
Joe Corvo
The 32-year old defenseman matched his career highs in goals and games played in his first full year with Carolina. He played in 81 regular- season games (14g, 24a) and 18 playoff games (2g, 5a) last season.
Tim Gleason
The 26-year old defenseman led Carolina with 171 hits and was second on the team with 133 blocked shots. He played in 70 regular-season games (0g, 12a) and 18 playoff games (1g, 4a) last season.
Jay Harrison
The 26-year old defenseman joined the Hurricanes as free agent signee during the summer. He played seven games with Toronto but spent most of last season with the Zug of the Swiss A League.
Joni Pitkanen
The 26-year old defenseman led Carolina in average ice time (24:48) a year ago.
He played in 71 regular-season games (7g, 26a) and 18 playoff games (0g, 8a) last season.
Niclas Wallin
The 34-year old defenseman matched career highs in assists and points a year ago. He played in 64 regular-season games
(2g, 8a) and 18 playoff games (0g, 0a) last season.
Aaron Ward
The 36-year old defenseman returns for his second stint with the Hurricanes after being a member of the 2006 Stanley Cup championship team. He played in 65 regular-season games (3g, 7a) and 11 playoff games (1g, 0a) last season with the Boston Bruins.
Michael Leighton
The 28-year old goalkeeper matched his career high with six wins. He played in 19 regular-season games, posting a 6-7-2 record but did not see any action in the playoffs.
Cam Ward
The 25-year old goalkeeper was third in the NHL with 39 wins, including six shutouts. He played in 68 regular-season games, posting a 39-23-5 record. In the playoffs, he played in 18 games with an 8-10 record.
