It started simply enough, with center Derek Ryan signing a new contract with the Carolina Hurricanes.
Ryan agreed to a one-year deal Monday and soon tweeted “Thanks for the opportunity” along with a tweetpic of his jersey – No. 33.
Before long, goalie Scott Darling, a former University of Maine player, chimed in.
Darling, acquired by the Hurricanes two months ago from the Chicago Blackhawks, offered up this tweet: “I’ll trade you 3 dinners, 2 dog walks and 1 night of babysitting for that number #ThinkAboutIt.”
Darling wore No. 33 for the Blackhawks.
Ryan, clearly in the spirit of things, quickly tweeted: “Oh this could get interesting! Make it 2 dinners, 1 whole foods gift card, and at least 2 goals allowed in every practice and we have a deal.”
That’s a high asking price. But Darling thought about it.
His tweet: “The best I can do is 1 dinner, 1 Whole Foods gift card and 3 goals per practice (pending league approval).”
That was enough, it seems.
Ryan: “Deal! 33 is yours. I’ll draw up the paperwork and have my people call your people.”
As of Monday night, the Hurricanes’ roster still listed Derek Ryan as No. 33. Maybe the trade didn’t make it to Toronto in time to be official.
But the dialogue continued.
Darling: “Pleasure to do business with you! But what number are you going to wear now?”
Ryan: “Good question! We can make a dramatic reveal on Twitter once I pick one.”
FLAMES: Calgary will sign coveted college free-agent forward Spencer Foo.
A standard players’ contract with the 23-year-old from Edmonton will become official when free-agency begins Saturday, the Flames said.
Foo had 26 goals and 36 assists in 38 games as a junior for Union College last season.
The 6-foot, 185-pound right wing was a finalist for the Hobey Baker Award that goes to the top player in NCAA Division I men’s hockey.
Foo played two seasons for the Alberta Junior Hockey League’s Bonneyville Pontiacs before his college career.
Calgary finished fourth in the Pacific Division last season and lost to Anaheim in the first round of the playoffs.
BLACKHAWKS: Chicago agreed to a one-year contract with defenseman Ville Pokka.
Pokka spent last season with Rockford of the American Hockey League, finishing with six goals and 24 assists, but could get a longer look from the NHL club this year. The Blackhawks traded defenseman Niklas Hjalmarsson to Arizona last week, and Brian Campbell and Johnny Oduya are free agents.
Chicago acquired Pokka, 23, when it traded Nick Leddy to the New York Islanders in October 2014.
WILD: Minnesota re-signed center Pat Cannone to a one-year, two-way contract.
Cannone, 30, made his NHL debut last season for the Wild and appeared in three games. He spent most of the season in the AHL, registering nine goals and a team-leading 29 assists in 73 games for Iowa. In 421 career AHL games for three teams, Cannone has 89 goals and 152 assists with a plus-54 rating.
The deal will give Cannone a $650,000 salary while he’s in the NHL and $225,000 in the AHL.
RED WINGS: Detroit signed center Ben Street to a one-year contract extension.
Street, 30, played six games for the Red Wings in 2016-17 after signing as an unrestricted free agent last offseason. He also appeared in 62 games for Grand Rapids of the AHL.
Street previously played for the Calgary Flames and Colorado Avalanche. In 35 career NHL games, he has no goals and three assists.
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