It's easy to take a blind look at a situation and wonder what actually goes into the decisions that lead to issues. For an NHL hockey team, everything is magnified as well it should be.

For the Carolina Hurricanes, who have been subject to a lot of discussions lately among fans regarding their future, it's par for the course as the past ten years have been a whirlwind of bad management, questionable-at-best ownership, and constant pain among the fan base.

The thing is, people on the outside aren't wrong when they look at the Canes and chuckle. The little we know for certain pertaining to the latest episode of "As The Karmanos Clan Turns" leads most to believe the Hurricanes sit on shaky-at-best ground. They are on solid ground, though, as the NHL would most likely never allow Carolina to move (plus, any new owner who pays to escape what is easily the best arena leasing deal in the league from now through 2023 would be bonkers).

But I get the sentiment, folks, I really do.

I'm a bit biased, to be frank with you. I'm a Carolina Hurricanes fan. I grew up a die-hard Sabres fan and from a move to Raleigh in 1998, I got a unique opportunity to grow with a new NHL team. I got to see Eastern Conference Finals runs, division titles, and of course, the 2006 Stanley Cup champions. So sure, I'm not here telling you I don't have a vested interest in the welfare of this team. But where I might have a small issue is the piling on when people interject into a situation - powerful people to be sure, but people who, in the end, won't really matter in the long-term future of the Hurricanes.

And when I say that, I'm talking about Peter Karmanos.

Peter Karmanos has been a great leader for youth hockey and has done well in the business world. He brought the Hartford Whalers to NASCAR country and made it work. He put the right people in the right jobs (at first), and let them handle the day-to-day operations as he watched from afar.

But then he let things linger long past the expiration date. Whether distracted or just too loyal (or something else), he actively, in his inaction, let the Canes flounder. And now, with his personal squabbles becoming fodder for the masses, it's only going to make matters worse - for him, not the team.

So, whether he hangs on to the club for another decade, or sells a portion and maintains majority control (which is highly unlikely), in the end, it won't matter to the club's stability in Raleigh. Despite a decade of inaction, he has Ron Francis and Bill Peters in place and those two men will do everything they can to make the Canes a perennial contender. They both have top notch staffs who work tirelessly every day, ensuring the future of the franchise.

The best case scenario is that someone convinces Mr. Karmanos to sell the team outright. No matter what happens, the Carolina Hurricanes aren't going anywhere.

I'll be back shortly with more substantive articles. Been a long spring, and thank you all for you immense patience.

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