The Stanley Cup champions, Carolina Hurricanes, have re-signed left winger Erik Cole. Cole and the Hurricanes agreed to a three-year, $12 million deal today. If you remember, Cole missed the last 22 games of the season due to a neck injury. However, the managed to score 30 goals. He also had 29 assists and 59 points in 2006. It’s quite amazing considering the shortened playing time.

If Cole had an entire season, who knows what he would have done. Jim Rutherford, Carolina’s team president and GM, has nothing but praise for Erik Cole. When asked about Cole, he said, “Erik has developed into a dominant power forward. His size, speed and skill make him the ideal player for today’s NHL.” If that wasn’t enough praise on Cole, he went on to call him “one of the cornerstones of our team.”

As far as the Hurricanes are concerned, they locked up one of the key components to their future success today. Carolina got banged up at the end of last season, but rode a magical vehicle all the way to the Stanley Cup. Re-signing Erik Cole is a key component to returning to glory. No one knows what next season will hold, the Hurricanes are taking steps to repeat.