One of the most well-received signs at the Carolina Hurricanes' final game proclaimed, "Ray must stay." Less than a week later, Ray Whitney is staying for another three years.

Whitney, the Hurricanes' leading scorer with a career-high 83 points, agreed today to a three-year contract worth $10.5 million. He was eligible to become an unrestricted free agent on July 1.

The Canes now have five players under contract through the 2009-2010 season — Rod Brind'Amour, Frantisek Kaberle, Niclas Wallin and Justin Williams are the others — and if Whitney stays for the duration of his new deal, it would represent his longest stint with one team since he left the San Jose Sharks, who drafted him in 1991, in the summer of 1997. The Hurricanes are his seventh NHL team; he'll be 37 at the end of the contract.

"You always have concerns when you do long-term contracts regardless of what age the player is," Hurricanes general manager Jim Rutherford said. "In this case, based on what Ray has done here, everybody felt very strongly that where he was in his career wasn't going to change — how he plays and how he approaches the game."

Going into the offseason, Rutherford said re-signing Whitney and Scott Walker represented his top offseason priority. That task is halfway done.

The Canes have until July 1 to re-sign Walker and decide if they want to re-sign their other unrestricted free agents: David Tanabe, Josef Vasicek and Anson Carter.

Glen Wesley, 38, also is an unrestricted free agent but may retire; Bret Hedican, 36, has a player option for $2.4 million next season but is considering retirement as well.

04/16/07 at 12:26
Good. Not a 3rd line ceneterman and if Hedican retires, a big fast defenseman. BTW, I also want a Bently but not I will get that either. '

I have no problem with Wesley playing another year. Not the fastest but by far the smartest.