From Tarik El-Bashir of the Washington Post:
It's believed that Fedorov is seeking around $4 million per year, which is about
$2 million more than the Caps are comfortable offering. There could be some
bonuses involved (one a year deal) in order to close some of the gap.
From John Vogl of the Buffalo News:
The Sabres have taken one of their restricted free agents off the market, agreeing to terms with Paul Gaustad on a four-year deal worth $9.2 million. The big forward and fan favorite will earn $1.7 million this season and $2.5 in each of the three years after that.
From Aaron Portzline of the Columbus Dispatch:
-- The Blue Jackets will take a major swing at defensemen Wade Redden. Not
saying they'll get him, but they'll make a hell of an offer.
Over at Fox Sports, Spector discusses some free-agent signings that went awry.
Signing a top free agent may be more expensive than drafting a potential young star, but at the very least a general manager knows that via free agency he's getting an established NHL player who can help his club right away.
History, however, has shown that a major free-agent signing can sometimes turn into a disastrous move.
Illegal Curve is also wary of the big-ticket signings, as they rarely ever cover their contract. That being said, teams can find some gems if they are willing to sort through the bargain basement bin.
The Hockey News columnist Ken Campbell is of the opinion that long term contracts only set a team up for future pain, and will eventually lead to more labour unrest. The entire article can be found here.But mark my words, as the CBA deadline gets closer, the league will direct teams not to sign players past 2011-12, the same way it did prior to the last lockout. And don’t think the owners won’t be looking for big changes in the next deal; there’s little doubt all those contracts that carry over after ’11-12 will be on the table as one of the negotiating points.
Illegal Curve sees the point Mr. Campbell is trying to make, but can also see how teams like the long term certainty the contracts provide. If the salary cap keeps rising, some of these deals may end up being bargains a few years down the road.
Sportsnet's Ian Mendes took the Senators' first-round selection to Ikea to get to know the prospect a little better.
The entire article can be found here. As we cruise down the 417 highway towards IKEA, our conversation flows effortlessly from topic to topic. Erik explains how he worked out with NHL players last summer near his hometown of Landsbro, Sweden. He proudly mentions that he scored three times on five penalty shots against New York Rangers superstar Henrik Lundqvist during one session.
Though these pieces are largely fluff, it still offers some insight into the prospect that hockey fans will surely enjoy over a long, hockey-less summer.
TSN is reporting that the Florida Panthers has re-signed forward Rostislav Olesz to a 6-year, $18.75 million dollar deal.Olesz, picked 7th overall in the 2004 draft by the Panthers, was on the verge of a breakout season but was hampered by a hand injury most of the year. He ended up with 14 goals, 12 assists and 26 points in 56 games.
From TSN:
The Atlanta Thrashers bought out Zhitnik after he had a disappoitning season. The 15-year veteran was acquired from Philadelphia for defenceman Braydon Coburn on Feb. 24, 2007. Last season, the Kiev, Ukraine native recorded three goals and five assists with a minus- 8 rating.
The 35-year-old Zhitnik was a 4th round selection, 81st overall, by Los Angeles in 1991.
Fanhouse features an excellent article about the current troubles of a select group of NHL owners, and wonders if the NHL is doing enough due diligence in examining membership applications to it's exclusive club.But when you look at what some NHL owners have done in recent days, you begin to wonder what in the world the selection process to become one entails. I imagine it's got a lot more to do with sweet talking NHL HQ and having the appearance of riches than what your management principles and moral values are.
Illegal Curve acknowledges the fact that examining every facet of a multi-millionaire's life is tough, but the more these allegations come out, the more one wonders if there is some truth to the rumour that the NHL is not interested in additional Canadian teams.
Gregg Drinnan over at Taking Note has done an excellent job in compiling brief histories of all the Memorial Cups going back many decades. I have lost track of where I left off linking the stories during my absence, so I encourage everyone to take a look when you have time. The pieces include some fascinating tidbits about Major Junior's premier event.
Tom Gulitti of northjersey.com says that the New Jersey Devils may be in the market for Marion Hossa in order to propel the Devils back the Eastern Conference lime-light. Secondary targets might be Wade Redden and Brian Campbell.
Although pursuing such big-name players would seem to be out of character for Lamoriello, he suggests otherwise.
"All of that goes on behind the scenes and we don't talk about it," he said. "If we can do something that makes our team better, we'll do that. You try to do that during the regular season, but you can't always do it."
*******************
I do not foresee the Devils making a big splash in the market. They have some good young talent up front already and spending big dollars on Hossa or Campbell seems to be too big of a departure from their team building model.
The Hockey News recently polled the top draft picks on their plans for wearing visors in the NHL.
____________________________________________________________________________
“A visor?” Toronto’s Luke Schenn said with a chuckle. “That’s a ways away. I’m notPublish Post too sure.”
“Oh yeah, of course (I’ll wear a visor),” Nikita Filatov said, laughing as if there wasn’t any need to think over the decision.
___________________________________________________________________________
Though Illegal Curve feels it should be the player's choice, the writing is on the wall. Visors will be mandatory sooner rather than later.
Free Agent (Betting) Frenzy and 2009 Stanley Cup Odds
Every year, on July 1st, two significant events occur that people in Canada care about and Americans don’t. The first is that unrestricted free agents can be pursued in the NHL. Can you guess the second? Though not the most exciting year for free agents, there are more than a few impact players available this year.
As I’ve mentioned many times in my column, one of the advantages the hockey bettor has over people betting on other North American sports is that few people pay attention to hockey. The fewer people betting on hockey, the less reactive the futures market is to changes in team personnel.
Hockey is so insignificant, though, that I was only able to find two sportsbooks offering odds on next year’s Stanley Cup winner: 10bet and Bet365. I have never used the site 10bet, but they are rated C by Sportsbook Reivew and do not allow American players.
Perhaps I am reconstructing history, but I remember more sites having futures markets up last year. Specifically 5dimes and Betfair. I remember scrambling to bet money on Philadelphia after they signed top-tier free agents.
You see friends, the hockey futures market, especially in the summer, is not a priority for sportsbooks. Therefore when a difference maker like Brian Campbell is signed, you will probably have time to bet on his new team at the same odds as before he was signed.
What you will likely have to do, is wait until August, when more sportsbooks release odds for the 2009 Stanley Cup Finals and then determine if these odds are based on each team’s performance last year or if teams' free agent acquisitions are incorporated.
Below are the 2009 Stanley Cup Futures odds from 10Bet and Bet365. I was surprised to see that the Montreal Canadiens are next year’s Stanley Cup favorites. If you find any other sites offering 2009 Stanley Cup odds or have a comment about these odds, feel free to use the comments section or to e-mail illegalcurve@gmail.com.
Team………………………………..10Bet………………………Bet365
Montreal Canadiens……….......…...+555………………………+550
Detroit Red Wings..........................+555................................+600
Pittsburgh Penguins........................+650................................+650
San Jose Sharks.............................+1000...............................+1100
Anaheim Ducks.............................+1400..............................+1400
Washington Capitals......................+1400..............................+1400
New York Rangers........................+1500..............................+1400
New Jersey Devils........................+1500...............................+1600
Ottawa Senators............................+1550..............................+1600
Minnesota Wild............................+1800..............................+1800
Dallas Stars..................................+1800..............................+1800
Philadelphia Flyers........................+2000.............................+1800
Colorado Avalanche......................+2000.............................+1800
Calgary Flames.............................+2000.............................+2000
Buffalo Sabres..............................+2000.............................+2500
Vancouver Canucks.......................+2600............................+2500
Carolina Hurricanes.......................+2500............................+2800
Boston Bruins...............................+3000............................+3500
Tampa Bay Lightning....................+3500............................+3500
Nashville Predators........................+4000...........................+4000
Florida Panthers.............................+4200...........................+4000
Chicago Blackhawks......................+6000...........................+3000
Phoenix Coyotes............................+5100.............................+5000
Edmonton Oilers...........................+5200..............................+5000
Columbus Blue Jackets..................+6500..............................+6500
St. Louis Blues..............................+6500.............................+6500
Toronto Maple Leafs......................+6500.............................+6500
New York Islanders.......................+7000..............................+6500
Atlanta Thrashers...........................+8100..............................+8000
Los Angeles Kings.........................+10000...........................+10000
For illegal curve, I'm Ari Baum-Cohen
May 22 Frozen Assets w/Links to 2007-2008 Columns
From Joanne Ireland of the Edmonton Journal:
"Although it's tough to see good players and good people move on, we feel we've made a step towards improving our overall offence," general manager Kevin Lowe said in statement released by the team. "(Visnovsky) has been one of the premier offensive defencemen over the past five years."
In making this deal, Lowe telegraphed another - acquiring Visnovsky means Pitkanen is about to become part of a package deal for a forward.
What does this do to the Oilers defense? The first thing I'd like to point out is that the Oilers have made the correct choice in the Smid vs. Greene choice for the bottom pairing, since in addition to his higher upside and younger age, Smid's already a better player. Secondly, the obvious answer is that Joni Pitkanen is on his way out of town, because there simply isn't room for 4 defensemen in the 4M+ range. As nice as it is to imagine that the Oilers have Sheldon Souray on the way out, it just isn't happening, and Tom Gilbert just signed a long-term deal, so Pitkanen's out, likely for a top-6 forward with grit. My guess would be Erik Cole, but there are other possibilities. It's too bad, really; Pitkanen's a better player than we've seen to date.
From David Pollak of the San Jose Mercury News:
Today, for example, General Manager Doug Wilson could send captain Patrick Marleau to another team before the no-trade clause in his two-year, $12.6 million contract extension takes effect Tuesday. Rumors over the past two months have had Marleau wearing several different jerseys next season.
But a source familiar with the situation said Sunday that Marleau is not the subject of any trade talk, making it all but certain he will remain a Shark.
From Aaron Portzline of the Columbus Dispatch:
The Blue Jackets have one restricted free agent who could attract interest -- goaltender Pascal Leclaire, considered a budding No. 1 goaltender. Center R.J. Umberger might have a market, too.
"I'm not worried about offer sheets," Howson said. "We'll match any offer. We have the (salary cap) room, and we'll match."
From Larry Brooks of the NY Post:
It's not going to be easy for Sather to seal the deal now. It's not going to be easy for the GM to convince Jagr to sign a one-year contract with easily achievable bonuses that would justly make him the Blueshirts' highest-paid player while giving them the maneuverability to: A) add Sundin on the same type of over-35, one-year deal; B) retain Sean Avery ; and C) re-sign Michal Rozsival as the No. 1 defenseman.
It's not going to be easy for the Rangers to appeal to this immensely proud man, not with the clock about to strike midnight and the GM having allowed the sands to slip through the hourglass without a care in the world.
From Michael Russo of the Minneapolis Star Tribune:
"Whether we get something done with Tampa or not, we haven't talked to Tampa yet. We have 24 hours," Rolston said in a phone interview. "But as far as I'm concerned, it's no different today than it was yesterday. I'm a free agent July 1. I wanted to go to July 1 and see where I'm at in the NHL market. This is the last
time I might become a free agent."
From Rich Hammond of the L.A. Daily News:
"It's never easy to give up a player of (Visnovsky's) caliber, but for the direction of this franchise, this exchange allows us to add two players who fit the long-term vision for this team," Kings president and general manager Dean Lombardi said in a statement.
From Dan Wood of the Orange County Register:
"Right now, having profiled the guys that are there and how much money they'll get, I doubt we'll do much on July 1," Burke said. "Second-line center is a void, but we might have to get this player the old-fashioned way, and trade for him."
Having added 10 prospects during the entry draft earlier this month, including seven in the first three rounds, the Ducks have some chips to play.
"There is trade bait in the system," Burke said. "If we don't like the price tags on July 1, we'll wait. We don't play a game that counts in the standings until October."
After reading that Ryan Malone had signed a 7 year, $31.5 million dollar deal on Sunday afternoon, I have to admit, I wasn't overly surprised. The Bolts have made it be known they are going to be spending money, and all signs pointed to Malone getting a massive deal. Now that the deal is official, I can't say I think it is a good one.
I just have one question:
Is Ryan Malone that much different than Jarret Stoll?
If provided with the career numbers for both of these players, it would be almost impossible to determine who's who. Malone's career points-per-game is 0.57; whereas Stoll's career points-per-game is 0.58. Malone has played 299 career NHL games; whereas Stoll has played 286 career NHL games. Malone has averaged 18:10 minutes of ice-time over his career; whereas Stoll has averaged 17:00 minutes. Malone is a -27 +/- for his career; whereas Stoll is -12.
The list could go on and on, but the fact is that Malone is now making an average of $4.5 million per season and Stoll is coming off a season where he made $2.2 millon per season. Stoll will be hard pressed to make over $3 million next season. Without the public perception, these players' production are shockingly similar.
If Stoll were to get a 7 year contract worth $31.5 million this off-season from the Kings, would you approve? Not likely. In fact, the NHL would almost certainly be in an uproar. Even though Stoll is actually three years younger than Malone, can play the point on the power play and takes face-offs. Not to mention Stoll has never played with linemates named Malkin or Crosby.
Sometimes perception is not reality.
From Michael Russo of the Minneapolis Star Tribune:
9:57 pm update: OK, here’s the best it’s been described to me. Rolston’s rights were traded to Tampa Bay for a third in 2010. However, if the Ryan Malone contract is approved as expected, the pick becomes the 2009 fourth round pick Tampa traded to Pittsburgh.
HOWEVER, if Rolston signs there, that fourth becomes a third again — either San Jose’s third-round pick in 2009 that Tampa Bay owns or Tampa Bay’s third in 2010 — at the Wild’s option.
From TSN:
Ryan Malone has agreed to a seven year, $31.5 million contract with the Tampa Bay Lightning.
Malone, who would have drawn considerable interest from around the NHL as an unrestricted free agent, will earn between $7 and $8 million in each of the first two years of the deal.
Tampa Bay traded a third-round draft pick in 2009 to the Penguins in exchange for the exclusive negotiating rights to forwards Ryan Malone and Gary Roberts on Saturday. On Sunday, the Lightning and Malone's camp got a deal done.
From TSN:
Sources tell TSN that Liles and the Colorado Avalanche have agreed to terms on a four-year contract worth an average of slightly more than $4 million per year.
Liles was scheduled to become an unrestricted free agent on Tuesday. The deal is likely to be formally announced Monday.It's also expected the Avalanche will announce then that they have also re-signed Foote.
Sources tell TSN Foote's deal is believed to be for two years and a total of $6 million, or $3 million per year.
From Lowetide:
The Edmonton Oilers have acquired defenseman Lubomir Visnovsky from the Los Angeles Kings in exchange for C Jarret Stoll and D Matt Greene.
A hat tip to Bob Stauffer from Team 1260 for getting to this before everyone else.
The trade just happened so I think it's important to take a look at it one item at a time.
Visnovsky: His contract is 7M, 7M, 6M, 5M, 3M and isn't complete until the summer of 2013. The annual cap hit is $5.6M, effectively making him the highest paid player on the roster.
From Mike Heika of the Dallas Morning News:
"Honestly, we might only have room for one right now," Jackson said.
Jackson said he is seeking a right-handed right wing with scoring ability. However, he added that the team is on a budget and won't spend to the salary cap of $56.7 million. So they might have only $2 million to $3 million for unrestricted free agents.
"We won't be bidding on any of the big free agents," Jackson said.
From Mark Everson of the NY Post:
Contract talks between Bryce Salvador and Lou Lamoriello yesterday produced significant progress yesterday, the agent for impending unrestricted defenseman told The Post yesterday.
"We made progress on several items, and still have a few more to go," agent Carlos Sosa said. "We'll continue talking with the New Jersey Devils through Tuesday, and after Tuesday, too, if we still have more to do."
From Greg Logan of Newsday:
The free-agent market opens Tuesday, but Snow said: "We're not going to be
major players on July 1. We're going to kick tires, and we'll try to make our
team better if it makes sense in our overall plan ... The emphasis for me is on
the plan we've been talking about, which is developing our own players."
From Larry Brooks of the NY Post:
THIS is either a ploy by Glen Sather to allow the competition to es tablish a dollar value for Sean Avery that he will match, or it is evidence that the GM simply doesn't understand what the New York Rangers have in this impending-free-agent difference-maker.
Slap Shots has learned that Sather late last week granted permission to Avery's agent, Pat Morris, to negotiate with any interested NHL team in advance of Tuesday's official opening of the free-agent market.
From Larry Brooks of the NY Post:
Sharks are on Marian Hossa's short list on which the New York Rangers, Penguins and Red Wings also appear, a source reports. If San Jose adds Hossa, who is believed seeking between $7.5-8M per, they will intensify their efforts to deal Jonathan Cheechoo, who was dangled at the draft. Blueshirts will be all ears.
Brian Campbell, good but hardly a difference-maker, is seeking $7M a year. That's why there is going to be so much interest - cough, cough, Rangers - in Montreal's Mark Streit, who compiled 52 of his 62 points from the point this season and will probably come in at half Campbell's cost.
From Michael Russo of the Minneapolis Star Tribune:
I talked with Andrew Brunette this early evening, and he’s interested in returning to Minnesota as you can read in this article. The Wild isn’t permitted to talk about potential free agents, but I think the team is interested in Brunette returning.
So this could very well come into fruition.
If you watched Brunette the last three years in Colorado and in the playoffs against the Wild, you know he can still play the game at a high level. Brunette could be a positive addition, not just on the ice, but in a locker room that’s going to definitely lose Keith Carney and Sean Hill, and almost certainly Brian Rolston (see below post), as well as Todd Fedoruk – four beloved veterans. The Wild will need Brunette’s type of character.
From Aaron Portzline of the Columbus Dispatch:
-- Center Brendan Morrison, according to a report in Vancouver, is on the Blue Jackets' free agency wish list. When you look at the list of available centers, Morrison is clearly at the top of the list, so it's not a surprise. Howson will not comment. He's not allowed to until Morrison is a free agent, on July 1. At 32 years old, Morrison is coming off two significant injuries, to his wrist and his knee. Doctors have sent an email to select clubs informing them that Morrison will be 100 percent by the start of training camp. When Morrison is healthy, he's a very good NHL center.
From TSN:
The Tampa Bay Lightning's new ownership group vowed to be "staggeringly aggressive' in the NHL's free agent sweepstakes and they are trying to get a head start on that.
The Lightning have traded a fourth-round draft pick to the Pittsburgh Penguins in exchange for the exclusive negotiating rights to forwards Ryan Malone and Gary Roberts, who are scheduled to become unrestricted free agents on July 1.
''We said earlier this week we would be aggressive in our pursuit of free agents in order to win and compete,'' Lightning owner Oren Koules said. ''This trade today doesn't guarantee anything, but we believe it gives us a leg up in our attempt to sign these two impact players.''
From Tim Wharnsby of the Globe & Mail:
If a team signs a restricted free agent to an offer sheet, it has to surrender a draft pick or picks as compensation — and the price can be steep depending on the size of the player's new annual salary:
$863,156 or less — no picks
$863,157 to $1,307,812 — a third-round pick
$1,307,813 to $2,615,625 — a second-rounder
$2,615,626 to $3,923,437 — a first- and a third-rounder
$3,923,438 to $5,231,249 — a first-, second- and third-rounder
$5,231,250 to $6,539,062 — two first-, second- and third-rounders
More than $6,539,062 — four first-rounders
From Damian Cristodero of the St. Petersburg Times:
Steve Stamkos has a right-handed shot. He signs autographs with his right hand. You’d figure those would have been clues to the ad agency the Lightning hired to put together the 47-foot tall collage of four players, including Stamkos, hanging on the exterior wall of the St. Pete Times Forum at the corner of Morgan Street and Channelside Drive.
Alas, Stamkos, the No. 1 overall pick in last weekend’s draft, the player the team is hyping as the next face of the franchise, is shown holding his stick left-handed. The good news, I guess, is his image only covers 10 feet.
From Pat Hickey of the Montreal Gazette:
Sundin talks continuing: The negotiations between the Canadiens and Mats Sundin are becoming as tiresome as a Russian novel. The latest news is Gainey emailed Sundin yesterday and the two will talk during the weekend.
There are continuing reports the New York Rangers are waiting for Tuesday to offer Sundin a contract, but their interest might wane if Jaromir Jagr sticks around. He has been offered megabucks by the new league in Russia, but the Rangers, who seemed anxious to dump his contract last season, have a renewed interest in his services.
From Kevin Mio of the Montreal Gazette:
According to RDS, it looks like utility man Mark Streit will be able to offer his
services to the NHL's 29 other teams next Tuesday.
The all-sports network is reporting that the Canadiens have yet to offer the Swiss player a new contract.
From Aaron Portzline of the Columbus Dispatch:
"He was asking me about it, yeah," Westcott said. "I told him it was a great city, a great bunch of guys int he room, great fans and an awesome building. It's a great place to play and raise a family, right? He and his wife just had a little one. And, you know, the way Ryan plays, he'd be a perfect fit in Hitch's system. Hitch likes big, physical wingers who get the puck deep and just wear people down. I think he'd be great there, if that's how it works out. I told him that, too."
Now just think about that for a second. Westcott was, in essence, fired by the Blue Jackets. Yes, he got a nice going away present, but he's being paid not to play, which has to hurt one's pride. And here he is, selling the Blue Jackets to a prospective free agent.
From Jeremy Rutherford of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch:
"You know that I can tell with David Perron ... he wants it as bad as anybody in the NHL," Blues President John Davidson said. "Now that he's made the NHL, he wants to come back and prove that he can play at another level. The passion that that kid has is special.
Davidson was sitting next to Blues assistant GM Doug Armstrong this week and "Doug turned to me and said, 'Boy, the puck really follows that kid, doesn't it?' That's true. David's got a long way to go yet, but he's making every concerted effort possible to go to the next level, and I have a lot of respect for that."
From David Pollak of the San Jose Mercury News:
"This hasn't been the most enjoyable experience," the 29-year-old defenseman said in a phone interview Friday from southern Ontario. "There's been a lot of tossing and turning, and I'm looking forward to getting it done. It's an opportunity, but there's also a lot of pressure."
From Kevin Tatum of the Philadelphia Inquirer:
Jeff Carter didn't want to leave, and the Flyers wanted him to stay, so yesterday the club signed the center to a three-year contract worth a reported $15 million.
From Larry Brooks of the NY Post:
Sather has repeatedly said that he wants to re-sign the captain. He told The Post on Thursday that remains his position. Still, it is believed the Rangers are unwilling to offer Jagr, who will turn 37 in February, anything other than a one-year deal that would allow them to include bonuses that could be deferred to 2009-10.
"I don't want to negotiate in the papers or speak for Jaromir, but I don't think that's something that would interest him at this point," Brisson said.
From John Glennon of the Tennessean:
Colin Wilson calls Canada home, but the U.S. is his nation of choice.
Wilson was born in a Connecticut hospital and spent his first three years in New York, but has lived ever since in Winnipeg, where his father — former NHL player Carey Wilson — grew up.
The younger Wilson was in the midst of trying out for a Canadian national junior team at age 15 when U.S. National Training and Development Program officials spotted him.
From Michael Arace of the Columbus Dispatch:
There is a notion that the Blue Jackets' franchise is unstable, and can be easily packaged for transport to Kansas City, Mo., or Hamilton, Ontario. This notion is not born of random patter.
Although the Jackets have improved their on-ice product -- from 62 points in 2003-04, before the lockout, to 80 points last season -- they've been well behind the curve of other recent expansion teams. They're the only team in the 30-team league that has yet to make the playoffs.
From Dan Wood of the Orange County Register:
"This is dictated by our cap situation and our budget situation — nothing more, nothing less," Burke said. "It's a tough day for me because obviously I've been through a lot of battles with Todd Bertuzzi. He played some great hockey for me. There's no beef with the player whatsoever."
From David Pollak of the San Jose Mercury News:
Brian Campbell’s agent says that San Jose remains very much in the running as the 29-year-old defenseman decides where his NHL future will be.
I talked with Larry Kelly a few minutes ago. While he would not get into specifics, he did acknowledge that Campbell is being tugged in two directions as the July 1 opportunity to become an unrestricted free agent nears. And that family matters are indeed a factor.
From the National Post:
Continuing their offseason house cleaning, the Toronto Maple Leafs on Friday bought out the remaining year of goaltender Andrew Raycroft's contract.
From the L.A. Daily News:
Question: Did you know much about the Kings before they drafted you?
Teubert: To be honest with you I didn't know much. They had the second overall pick and did not have the thirteenth yet, so I didn't expect to go to them at all. But it is exciting and I am looking forward to getting to know the city and the organization.
From Larry Brooks of NY Post:
"Jaromir and I spoke last night and this morning, and his goal first and foremost is to play in the NHL for another two or three seasons," Jagr's agent, Pat Brisson, told The Post this afternoon. "His objective is to sign a new contract with the New York Rangers , and that has always been his priority.
"But his mindset is that it's not where he wants it to be with New York and (if) it doesn't work out with the Rangers, he will be on the market for other NHL teams. He believes that he can play at a very high level for another two or three years."
From TSN:
The Calgary Flames announced Friday that the team has re-signed centres Craig Conroy and Daymond Langkow, left wing Eric Nystrom and goaltender Curtis McElhinney.
"Conroy and Langkow are two of our top centremen who are strong role models for our team both on and off the ice," said GM Darryl Sutter in a statement. "Especially with more young wingers in our line-up next season, their experience and leadership will be important. We are happy to be able to make it work by fitting them into our salary structure."
From Sportsnet:
The Anaheim Ducks have placed forward Todd Bertuzzi on waivers for the purpose
buying out his contract, Sportsnet has learned.
From Joanne Ireland of the Edmonton Journal:
In the end, the Edmonton Oilers elected to submit qualifying offers to centre Jarret Stoll and defenceman Joni Pitkanen, their two key restricted free agents.
They could have taken one or both to arbitration, which would have prevented opposing clubs from submitting offer sheets when the free-agent market opens on Tuesday.
From Bruce Garrioch of the Ottawa Sun:
Ex-Ottawa goalie Ray Emery won't be out of work long.
Judging by the initial reaction of NHL teams to Emery's status as an unrestricted free agent after being bought out last week by the Senators, the 25-year-old could have a new contract in hand not long after he's allowed to officially sign with another team on July 1.
From the Tampa Tribune:
TT: Are you disappointed Barry Melrose no longer has a mullet?
STAMKOS: A little bit. That was pretty cool. I remember watching the highlight films of when he coached in L.A. against the Leafs and he was sporting the "cool-do," but I guess times have changed.
From Mark Zwolinski of the Toronto Star:
Bryan McCabe is all but done as a Maple Leaf.
The only question remaining is the method by which the organization will cut ties with the veteran defenceman.
The Leafs have been working for almost a month on convincing McCabe to soften his stance on the no-trade, no-movement clause in his contract – with no success.
From Lance Hornby of the Toronto Sun:
If Cliff Fletcher truly wants to make the Maple Leafs a team opponents hate to play, he could sign the dean of despised players, Sean Avery.
According a source, the National Hockey League's reigning shock jock has changed his mind on playing in his native Canada, and his GTA home in particular, after July 1. Last year, the Pickering-born centre dumped on Toronto saying: "I don't enjoy hockey-obsessed Canadians. The (US-Canadian dollar) exchange is not very good right now. And it's going to cost me a lot of money in tickets for people I don't even like."
From Jeremy Rutherford of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch:
To know the Blues' 18-year-old first-round pick is to know his family, a
down-to-earth foursome that includes his father, Joe, and brother, David.
Despite a hockey career that has blossomed the past few years, highlighted by
his selection as the fourth overall pick in last week's NHL draft, Alex has been
kept grounded by glamour-less ideals and pride that stays close to the vest.
From the San Jose Mercury News:
One name reportedly receiving strong consideration is Trent Yawney, a former NHL defenseman with ties to both McLellan and Doug Wilson, as well as previous experience as an NHL head coach. Yawney, 42, was McLellan's teammate for two seasons with the Saskatoon Blades in the mid-1980s; later, Yawney played alongside Wilson with the Chicago Blackhawks and coached that team in 2005-07.
From Larry Brooks of the NY Post:
A reliable third party source yesterday told The Post that his connections in the Czech Republic believe that Jagr has recently received a three-year contract offer for the equivalent of $35M after-tax US dollars from Omsk of the Russian Super League. The captain is believed to have received the formal offer this week from Omsk GM Anatoly Bardin after months of conversations.
From Steve Gorten of the South Florida Sun Sentinel:
The Panthers re-signed forward Gregory Campbell to a two-year contract Thursday and expect to secure forward Rostislav Olesz with a long-term extension in the next few days.
General Manager Jacques Martin said he's "very confident" a deal with Olesz would be done by Tuesday.
Terms of Campbell's deal weren't disclosed, but the center/winger said it's more than the $525,000 he earned last season. Campbell, 24, played on the Panthers' third and fourth lines last season — his third in the NHL — and was a pesky penalty killer.
From Jeff Miller of the Orange County Register:
Scott Niedermayer returned to the Ducks officially Thursday, bringing with him something else quite official looking.
A chance.
And we're not talking a snowball's chance in San Dimas. We're talking the best kind of chance — a legitimate one.
From potential pretenders to cup contenders. In the span of one phone call, one that included the key phrase, "I'm going to play."
From Damian Cristodero of the St. Petersburg Times:
While the Lightning and Vinny Lecavalier are working on a nine-year, $77-million deal, Tampa Bay's plans for Lecavalier extend a lot further. Koules, who heads OK Hockey, which is expected to officially take control of the Lightning on Monday, said he sees Lecavalier as a Lightning executive after he retires.
So, the contract may not be a lifetime deal, but the organization seems to want to make a lifetime commitment.
"We absolutely do," Koules said. "We've already talked to Vinny about it. When we talked, we talked about lifestyle, about how long he wants to live here. He wants to retire here when he's done, and he wants to be part of this. We look at Stevie Y as the exact model of what we want to do with Vinny."
From Greg Logan of Newsday:
The handwriting has been on the wall for the past couple seasons regarding the demise of Shawn Bates’ Islanders career. The Islanders are expected to make it official Friday morning when they announce their decision to buy out the remaining year of his contract.
Bates was scheduled to make $1.2 million, but under NHL buyout provisions, he will receiver two-thirds of that amount in equal installments of $400,000 spread over the next two seasons. Last season, Bates appeared in only two games, and he was limited to 48 games the previous season by a groin injury and hernia surgery.
From John Dellapina of the NY Daily News:
Finally, while the Rangers might not have seen this coming so soon, they would hardly be crushed to learn that it was true. Fact is, it is difficult to imagine how the Rangers would have tried to re-sign a 35-year-old Straka. They’d like to clear lineup space for younger forwards such as Ryan Callahan, Nigel Dawes and Petr Prucha and have major interest in upgrading up front by signing somebody like Ryan Malone.
From Damian Cristodero of the St. Petersburg Times:
Oren Koules rolled his eyes when told about the rumor floating around the Lightning. Barry Melrose just chuckled.
The rumor from Canada's TSN: Defenseman Dan Boyle could be trade bait this summer in order to free up some salary cap space.
Melrose said it was a case of the Canadian media trying to "make" the news, and added, "Danny Boyle is the guy I'm counting on to play 25 minutes a night."
From Dave Molinari of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette:
Defenseman Brooks Orpik has received, and rejected, a contract offer from
the Penguins.
"We did receive an offer, which we turned down," said Orpik's agent, Lewis
Gross. "But we're still talking."
From Kevin Paul Dupont of the Boston Globe:
The arbitration process, per the league’s collective bargaining agreement, allows clubs to revisit potential buyout plans for a 48-hour window after each arbitration award. Wideman’s arbitration hearing cannot be held earlier than July 20, nor later than Aug. 4.
