There's the sense that the Hurricanes are anxious to get back to training camp, which begins in mid-September. By mid-August, more players had assembled for informal on-ice workouts.

This isn't a surprising development, particularly with reports that captain Rod Brind'Amour has been going through heavy-duty workouts as he prepares to return from last year's season-ending knee injury and surgery. Brind'Amour tends to set the tone in terms of work ethic for the team.

The Hurricanes should be itching to get going after missing the playoffs in back-to-back seasons. That's enough for motivation, not to mention the second consecutive extended offseason created by the lack of playoff participation.

Because of the irritation stemming from the two sub par seasons, a degree ...More