From Joanne Ireland of the Edmonton Journal:
Moving on was an option Shawn Horcoff considered.
After one more season with the Edmonton Oilers, he would have been an unrestricted free agent and able to pick his next destination.
But after considering all that has happened with the NHL club -- from the change in the ownership to the changes in the locker-room -- he decided to stay put.
From Dave Staples of the Cult of Hockey:
My sense is there was little or no appetite in Edmonton for another Ryan Smyth scenario. We could not have the team's top forward unsigned all year and heading towards unrestricted free agency, forcing the team's management to cringe -- even if it was just a little, tiny twinge -- every time Smyth had a great game because it made it just that much harder to either sign or to trade the Mullet Man.
So it was best to deal with Horcoff right away -- either by a signing or a trade -- and full marks to both Oilers GM Kevin Lowe and Horcoff for settling sooner, rather than later.
5.5 million cap hit per season really isn't bad for what Horcoff brings to the table; while I doubt he'll be consistently as effective as he was last season, he should be a first-line, 70-point, tough-competition outscorer for at least the next 2-3 years.
This is a very good day, and if the numbers are cap friendly it could be a great one.
UPDATE: Stauffer on the Team 1260 is saying 6 years/33 million for a 5.5 million per season cap hit.
I'm having a beer, and then I'm having another one.
From TSN:
The Edmonton Oilers have agreed to terms with forward Shawn Horcoff on a six-year, $33 million contract extension, keeping him under contract through the 2014-15 season.
''Shawn has proven himself as one of the premier players in the National Hockey League and has been and will continue to be an integral part of our organization moving forward,'' Oilers General Manager Kevin Lowe said in a statement. ''By being proactive with this deal, we avoid being in a situation where Shawn could become an unrestricted free agent after next season and the unknown free agency can bring to the organization. Having him under contract long-term is something that has been on our radar for a long time and we are extremely pleased to finalize this deal.''
Boston 4 - Toronto 2: In goalie Tukka Rask's first start for the Bruins, he made 30 saves defeating the team that drafted him (He was traded for Andrew Raycroft last year). Chuck Kobasew had two goals and one assist for Boston, and Thomas Kaberle had two assists for Toronto. Mats Sundin's 11th goal of the year moved him past Senator Frank Mahovlich to 27th on the all time goal scoring list. Next stop, Teemu Selanne with 540.
Edmonton 5 - Vancouver 4 (SO): Coming into the game Edmonton had a league worst powerplay having scored only 7 PP goals for a 8.5% success rate. In tonights game Edmonton converted 3 of 8 powerplays. Tom Gilbert, Ales Hemsky and Shawn Horcoff each had two points for the Oil. Markus Naslund had a goal and an assist for Vancouver, he now has five points in his past three games. Horcoff scored the winner in the fifth round of the shootout.
Here are some spectacular saves made tonight by Roberto Luongo
Calgary 4 - Colorado 1: Despite registering only 15 shots on Jose Theodore, the Flames were able to score four goals. Jarome Iginla scored his 12th of the year, Craig Conroy and Owen Nolan each had two point nights. Marek Svatos scored Colorado's lone goal, it was his 8th of the year.
Tomorrow's Games (all times Eastern)
7:00pm FLA@CLB, PHI@CAR, ATL@WSH, MTL@NYI,
7:30pm OTT@BUF (TSN), NYR@TB, NJ@PIT, STL@DET,
8:00pm VAN@MIN,
8:30pm ANA@DAL,
9:30pm LA@PHX
