Cole was traded one year ago today from Carolina for Edmonton's Jani Pitkanen. The trade saw Pitkanen play solid defense for the Hurricanes, but things did not go so well for the Oilers' end of the bargain. Cole registered just 16 goals in 63 games with Edmonton, before being traded back to Carolina for Patrick O'Sullivan as part of a three-way deal with Los Angeles. Cole added two more goals with Carolina in 17 games, but the real story was the resurgence of Canes' captain Eric Staal with Cole on his line.
Staal caught a lot of attention with his lackluster play during the season, but Cole helped rejuvenate Staal's numbers. In the playoffs, Staal became one of the NHL elite once again, lighting the lamp 10 times and recording 15 points in eighteen playoff games. The reuniting of these two players sparked the team, and was a major contributor to the team's run to the Eastern Conference Finals.
Cole may not be putting up the numbers that he was intended to, but he plays a big part in the success of his friend and captain. That is reason enough to bring him back for two more years.
Keywords: carolina hurricanes, eric staal, erik cole, jani pitkanen, nhl, patrick o'sullivan
