Dplaya knows people...

Dplaya over at HIW is reporting that Jamie McBain signed a contract w/ the Caroline Hurricanes last night, though nothing is "official" yet.

Dplaya's source also said that everyone else says they are coming back for another year of Badger Hockey. Yikes!!!!

If true this presents a series of positives and negatives.

The main positive, the team will be experienced and returning a shitton of talent and if they don't kick ass and take names, they never will. The blue line will be so full of talent other teams might not even take the ice to play the games. The only real ? will be at goalie.

The negatives are obvious, too many recruits coming in and not enough room for them all. A forward, a goalie and a dman are leaving for sure (along w/ two practice goalies). Incoming is expected 4 forwards, 2 blue liners and a goalie. That is where the real Yikes comes in here. As Dplaya points out that is 29 guys. And that doesn't even have room for a walk on goalie, which Eaves has to bring in at least one. That would make 30!!!

Not sure how all that is going to play out. On one hand the lack of potential early departures is awesome, on the other, the effect on recruiting and having to push kids back is not going to look good on the program. Eaves already has to look bad to a lot of kids, if more kids get delayed or told to hit the road (Zach Bearson style) it could be a rough road in the future. Speculation.

My guess would be someone else leaves, and Tyler Barnes and John Ramage are "asked" to play juniors next season, and Mark Zengerle decommits and joins Denver or CC or someone out East and I'm again forced into bitterness by the cruel hands of Badger recruiting.

Eaves got burnt bad by departures after 06 and 07, and he overcompensated, now kids are staying there just might not be room.

Stay tuned...