Things went from bad to worse for the struggling Carolina Hurricanes over the weekend, losing starting goaltender Cam Ward for at least 3-4 weeks after he suffered a laceration to his upper left leg during a 3-2 loss to the Columbus Blue Jackets on Saturday. 

With little confidence in backup Michael Leighton to carry the load and few options in their farm system the Hurricanes delved into the unrestricted free agent market today, signing former St. Louis Blues netminder Manny Legace to a one-year, two-way contract worth $500K at the NHL level. 

Legace, 36, was playing in the AHL for the Chicago Wolves. TSN reports his record was 2-2 with a 3.21 goals-against average and an .898 save percentage. 

Those aren't numbers likely to inspire Hurricanes fans, who've witnessed their

The Carolina Hurricanes continue to add experienced, affordable depth to their roster via unrestricted free agency, signing veteran forward Stephane Yelle to a one-year, $550K contract. 

Yelle, 35, played last season with the Boston Bruins as a checking line center, netting 7 goals and 18 points in 77 games with a plus-minus of +6. He'd previously spent five season with the Calgary Flames and seven with the Colorado Avalanche. 

Hurricanes general manager Jim Rutherford said Yelle would add depth and experience to his club's center position as well as on the penalty kill. 

Yell will also add invaluable playoff experience. He won two Stanley Cups with the Avalanche and was part of the Flames run to the Stanley Cup Final in 2004. 

-The NHL career of former Dallas Stars defenseman Sergei Zubov is over. 

It was reported today Zubov, 39, signed with St. Petersburg of Russia's Kontinental Hockey League. 

The 16-year NHL veteran tried to find another NHL team to sign with this summer but his age and concern over his health (he missed most of last season to hip surgery) made most NHL teams leery of signing him. 

Zubov was one of the league's best offensive defensemen in his heyday, and played a key role in the NY Rangers and Dallas Stars Stanley Cup championships in 1994 and 1999 respectively. His best NHL season was 1993-94 when he led the Rangers in regular season scoring with 89 points. 

He finishes his NHL career with 771 points in 1068 regular season games, and 117 points in 164 playoff games. 

In a move which could be a harbinger of a possible re-signing of forward Phil Kessel the Boston Bruins today shipped veteran defenseman Aaron Ward to the Carolina Hurricanes in exchange for forward Patrick Eaves and a fourth round pick in the 2010 entry draft. 

This move marks a return of Ward, 36, to the Hurricanes. He spent four seasons with the 'Canes from 2001-02 to 2005-06 and was considered a key player in their march to the 2002 Stanley Cup Final and their 2006 Stanley Cup championship. 

Ward is a defensive blueliner whose speciality is shot-blocking, and his salary was worth $2.5 million against the Bruins cap this coming season. With the Bruins sitting at just over $2.1 million in available cap space they needed to free up space to re-sign restricted free agent Kessel. 

The Carolina Hurricanes added to their defensive depth recently, signing former Montreal Canadiens forward Tom Kostopoulos and former Philadelphia Flyers defenseman Andrew Alberts. 

Kostopoulos' new deal, signed on July 14th, was for three years, $2.75 million, or $916K per season. Alberts contract, signed July 15th, is a two year, $2.1 million deal, worth $1.05 million per season against their cap.

Following the Kostopoulos signing there was some concern this mean talks weren't going well with restricted free agent Tuomo Ruutu but Kostopoulos is not coming in as a potential replacement for Ruutu. The former Hab is a checking line right winger who'll likely see fourth line duty.

Alberts signing however creates an interesting situation on the Hurricanes blueline. He's a physical

One of the heroes of the Carolina Hurricanes surprising run to the 2009 NHL Eastern Conference Final will be staying in the fold.

27-year-old winger Chad LaRose agreed to a new contract on Thursday with the Hurricanes, signing on for two more years at an affordable $3.4 million or $1.7 million against the cap starting next season.

LaRose is not only coming off a career-best regular season performance for goals (19) and points (31) but in the post-season he was one of the reasons the Hurricanes upset the heavily favored New Jersey Devils and Boston Bruins en route to the Conference Final before falling to the eventual Stanley Cup champion Pittsburgh Penguins in a four-game sweep.

His 11 points in 18 playoff games made him the second-highest scorer on the Hurricanes this spring.

It