Beat-writer Chip Alexander had a chance to chat with Canes owner Peter Karmanos recently (here's the article: http://blogs.newsobserver.com/canes/...ring-investors). The gist of it is that Karmanos is looking to sell somewhere in the ballpark of forty-nine percent of the ownership of the team, which he currently wholly owns. The articles suggests that Karmanos' preference is to attract investors from the Raleigh area and that a realistic time-line is three to six months.
Why do we care? The Canes spending has been kept at a minimum with the hope of attracting investors to the team. Perhaps an influx of minority owners will bring some additional money to be spent on payroll!
Also, Karmanos said in another interview that he's been happy with the team's recent play, though he had expected them to be higher up in the standings at this point in the season. When asked whether he would be willing to take on salary at the trade deadline if the team was in playoff contention, he indicated that he would increase the payroll if the team was competitive and the right deal came along. Given that the team has fairly good system depth at every position, the Canes could afford to package to deal prospects/picks for a player that could have an impact more immediately. Good news for Canes fans and, more importantly, fantasy owners!