Morning Notes: Hurricanes, Sabres, Rangers

After a report came out last month that indicated Chuck Greenberg, former minority owner of the Texas Rangers, had signed a letter of intent to purchase the Carolina Hurricanes, there had been little news from current owner Peter Karmanos on whether the sale would go through. Today, Chip Alexander of the Raleigh News & Observer caught up with Karmanos who told him that around a dozen groups had already expressed interest in buying the team, and that he’d wait to see what Greenberg’s offer is.

The $500MM report—that seemed unrealistic at the time—may not have been premature as though it doesn’t seem like Greenberg has submitted a formal offer yet, the asking price is indeed $500MM for now. For a club that is struggling immensely to draw enough fans every night, despite the positive direction the hockey operations staff is taking the on-ice product in, new ownership could breathe fresh air into a stagnant franchise.

• The Buffalo Sabres have hired former NHL defenseman Mike Komisarek as a development coach, bringing him into a franchise that he knows intimately from his time with the Montreal Canadiens and Toronto Maple Leafs. After Komisarek’s retirement in 2014, he returned to the University of Michigan to complete his degree, where he also served as an assistant coach with the men’s hockey program. In 551 career games, Komisarek registered 81 points and 679 penalty minutes.
• The New York Rangers have hired Joe Mormina as an assistant coach for their AHL team, bringing him back to the league after only retiring from his playing career in 2016. Mormina spent last year as an assistant coach for Mercyhurst University, but has eleven years of experience as a player in the minor league. Only getting into a single NHL game throughout his playing career, the hulking defender was a staple on several AHL franchises for many years. In 670 AHL contests, he recorded 151 points and 837 penalty minutes.