Tim Gleason and some of his Carolina teammates were on the ice Tuesday for an informal skate and he stated that he's hopeful about the club's chances this season. "For the players, not making the playoffs, it's a long summer," he said after a 50-minute skate. "We feel like we've got the right fit now and we're excited about getting going." The Hurricanes brought in Jordan Staal and Alexander Semin to add more fire power up front and Joe Corvo was signed to help augment the team's defense corps. Unfortunately, Gleason didn't appear to be optimistic when it came to avoiding a lockout. He said, "I think it's going to get worse before it gets better."