Fleury re-signs with Penguins for 7 years, $35 million

From TSN:

Sources tell TSN Marc-Andre Fleury has signed a seven year, $35 million extension.

The deal includes a no-move and limited no-trade clause that triggers in 2010-2011.

Read the entire report here.

Fleury was tremendous in the playoffs, especially in the Stanley Cup Finals. The $5 million per season is about market value, considering Cristobal Huet is now making more than that. Nonetheless, a 7 year deal for a player that the Penguins weren't even really sold on to begin the season makes me wonder. Fleury, without question, possesses a ton of talent, however, his consistency has been an issue over the past few seasons. If it continues to be a problem, then the Penguins will have to deal with that for a long while.

Penguins have more time to negotiate long-term deal with Fleury

From Ray Fittipaldo of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette:

The Penguins yesterday filed for salary arbitration with goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury, a move that gives the club more time to negotiate a long-term deal with him.

Had the Penguins not filed for salary arbitration Fleury could have become a restricted free agent July 1. By filing, the Penguins extend their exclusive negotiating time with Fleury by a month or more.

Arbitration hearings are set by the National Hockey League and take place between July 20 and Aug. 4. The Penguins are free to continue negotiating with Fleury between now and then.

"By filing for salary arbitration it gives us extra time to negotiate with Marc-Andre," Penguins general manager Ray Shero said. "As a result of the filing, Penguins fans are assured Marc-Andre will be under contract with our club next season. We remain committed to negotiating a contract with him in the near future."

Read the remainder of the article here.

The NHL needs to modify its arbitration system, but that conversation is for another day. As for Fleury, I'd say there is little chance that the team takes him to arbitration. Arbitration can be very hard on a player's confidence, and I don't see the Penguins going that route with their young netminder. Thus, we should expect the two sides to come to terms on a long-term deal within the next month or so.

NHL Morning Papers: Stanley Cup Finals Edition (Tuesday)

Here are the morning papers for the Stanley Cup finals which resume on Wednesday night...

Detroit Red Wings (1) versus Pittsburgh Penguins (2):

• Last night's loss has sent many Wings fans into a panic, writes Michael Rosenberg. Anything can happen now, opines Mitch Albom. Drew Sharps tells readers that the Penguins rained on Chris Osgood's parade. Bob Wojnowski has it right when he says that Marc-Andre Fleury stole that game for the Penguins last night. The Detroit News provides readers with the fan perspective before last night's game.
• Last night's game sure was not a 60 minute formality, writes Dave Molinari of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Detroit does not look so invincible anymore, writes Ron Cook. Game 5 was an epic contest, writes Gene Collier. As Shelly Anderson writes, all the Cup talk during the third period was premature.

For Illegal Curve, I'm Richard Pollock.

Email any thoughts, ideas or suggestions to illegalcurve@gmail.com

NHL Morning Papers: Stanley Cup Finals Edition (Saturday)

Here are the morning papers for the Stanley Cup Finals which resume tonight at the Mellon Arena...

Detroit Red Wings (1) versus Pittsburgh Penguins (2):

• The Red Wings had a fun day off on Friday, writes Helene St. James. Pavel Datsyuk and Henrik Zetterberg will be looking to improve on their average Game 3 performances, writes Bob Wojnowski. Detroit isn't much concerned with the Penguins' unbeaten record at home. The Wings think Tomas Holmstrom will probably suit up tonight. If Holmstrom cannot go tonight, Darren McCarty will take his place in the line-up.
• Petr Sykora of the Penguins believes tonight's Game 4 is a must-win for his club. Forget everything else, the Pens need Marc-Andre Fleury as much as they need anyone. Shelly Anderson of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette warns readers not to overlook the Wings' Brian Rafalski. Here is a Q & A with Jordan Staal.

For Illegal Curve, I'm Richard Pollock.

Email any thoughts, ideas or suggestions to illegalcuve@gmail.com

NHL Morning Papers: Stanley Cup Finals Edition (Sunday)

Here are the NHL morning papers for the Stanley Cup Finals which began last night:

Detroit Red Wings (1) versus Pittsburgh Penguins (2):

• Detroit really seemed like Hockeytown again last night, writes Michael Rosenberg. If you did not know before, Mikael Samuelsson loves to score goals. Chris Osgood was terrific in the first period last night. Last night's game made one thing apparent, Tomas Holmstrom is a marked man. Here is the video of Marc-Andre Fleury's hilarious fall out of the Pittsburgh bench when coming onto the ice.
• Even after last night's game, Gene Collier of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette thinks the Red Wings are beatable. Last night's game would have been different had the Penguins capitalized on their first period power plays. The Penguins may have their hands full with Zetterberg and Datsyuk, but they are not going to let the media bother them. Apparently Gary Bettman is happy the Penguins stayed put in Pittsburgh.

For Illegal Curve, I'm Richard Pollock.

Email any thoughts, ideas or suggestions to illegalcurve@gmail.com

NHL Morning Papers: Conference Finals (Monday Edition)

Here are the morning papers for the Conference Finals:

Pittsburgh (2) versus Philadelphia (6):

• With the Cup Finals in sight, the Penguins demolished the Flyers on Sunday afternoon. With their trip to the Finals set in stone, the Penguins are hoping the Western Conference Finals goes seven games. Shelly Anderson of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette tells readers that Marc-Andre Fleury has been terrific this post-season.
• The Philadelphia fans have now gone 100 seasons without a championship. Throughout the whole season, Flyers coach John Stevens never lost confidence in himself. Daniel Briere just cannot seem to crack the Stanley Cup Finals.

Detroit (1) versus Dallas (5):

• Johan Franzen is feeling better but is still out of the line-up indefinitely. The Wings aren't panicking even though they have lost two games in a row. Steve Schrader of the Detroit Free Press wonders if the Red Wings have lost their mojo? The Wings have to make sure they aren't tight, writes Mitch Albom.
• The Stars gave the Red Wings too much credit to start the series, writes J.J. Taylor. The Stars just have to take it one game at a time, writes Brandon George. Meanwhile, it seems the Stars are getting under the Wings' skin.

For Illegal Curve, I'm Richard Pollock.

Email any thoughts, ideas or suggestions to illegalcurve@gmail.com

Eastern Conference Final - Morning Papers

• After Braydon Coburn took a puck in the face, the Flyers probability to win the game went down significantly. With many players falling to injuries, or playing banged up, the Flyers can't afford any careless mistakes like the one Steve Downie made last night.
• Coburn's left eye is swollen shut right now, he's putting ice on it, and is "possible" for tomorrow nights game.
  
• Down in the series 2-0, the Flyers have lost their number one and possibly number two defensemen (Timonen/Coburn). However, one thing remains constant, Mike Richards is doing a heckuva job leading them.
• Coming back from injury, Maxime Talbot wasn't expected to produce. But he contributed in a significant way scoring the game winning goal. I was watching the game last night with my dad and we were not sure how Gary Roberts knew where Talbot was on that play. Roberts says that Talbot called for it and based on the positioning of the defesnsemen he (Roberts) figured Talbot was wide open. Way to communicate out there boys.
• Marc-Andre Fleury has been dy-no-mite these playoffs and is apart of their successes as much as Crosby and Malkin. Since returning from injury, Fleury's play has picked up considerably and the Penguin's commitment to defense puts Fleury in a position to stop pucks.
• Penguins defenseman Mark Eaton is likely out for the remainder of the playoffs recovering from reconstructive knee surgery. Marc-Andre Fleury questions weather Ribeiro's stick to Osgoods chest protector really hurt.
  

Eastern Conference Final Preview

Philadelphia vs. Pittsburgh.

The battle of Pennsylvania takes centre stage starting Friday night, with the Flyers and Pens meeting in the friendly confines of the Mellon Arena in Pittsburgh. Due to the fact the Pens were accused of tanking their last regular season game to avoid playing Philly in a first round match-up, this series has the makings of quite the barn burner.

Forwards:
With the emergence of R.J. Umberger as a scoring threat, Philly’s forwards do in fact give the Pens’ forwards a run for their money. Umberger, Danny Briere, and Jeff Carter are three solid centres, and with help from Knuble, Prospal, and Lupul, the Flyers boast quite the offensive bunch that can also play the body. Unfortunately for Philly, the Pens’ forwards that consist of Crosby, Malkin, Hossa, Sykora, Staal, and Ryan “Ho”Malone (shout out to Ezzy Ginsburg), are arguably the best top six in the NHL. Although the Flyers' depth upfront may be stronger with role players such as Upshall, Hartnell and Downie, they can’t match-up with the Pens' skilled forwards.
Edge: Penguins

Defence:
Both teams are not the greatest defensively, and have quite a similar makeup overall. Gonchar gets the nod over Timonen due to his powerplay quarterbacking capabilities, and both Hatcher and Hal Gill are slow, terrible, and were washed up back when I upgraded to a Pentium 66 to play NHL 96 on my computer. Orpik and Jason Smith are solid stay at home d-men, with “Gator” getting the edge for his astute defensive play and toothless grin. Coburn beats out the Pens’ Ryan Whitney, and has become a great source of secondary scoring from the back end. Whitney has not lived up to his new contract and high expectations from last year, and has been relegated to the second powerplay group in favour of Malkin manning the point.
Edge: Toss-up; Penguins slightly better offensively, Flyers better defensively

Goal:
This category is also quite close between the two keepers. Fleury has not been tested too extensively thus far in the playoffs, and will likely have to steal a game for the Pens in this round. Biron on the other hand has had two tremendous series thus far, and would be considered an early Conn Smythe candidate, if not for Umberger stepping it up (and the fact that he is a terrible goalie).
Edge: Flyers

City Atmosphere:
I've never been to Pittsburgh before, but I once took a bus down Broad Street for 20 minutes at 11:30pm after a Phillies game and was pleasantly surprised by the friendly nature of all the homeless individuals.
Edge: Philly

Famous Movies Filmed in each City:
Although “Sudden Death” was terrific and featured a cameo by Luc Robitaille, the “Rocky” collection wins hands down, with an honourable mention to “Invincible”. Note: "Groundhog Day" starring Bill Murray doesn’t count since it took place on the outskirts of Pittsburgh.
Edge: Philly

Signature Food Item:
Obviously Philadelphia wins for the Philly Cheese Steak and because I can’t name any signature food for Pittsburgh other than Heinz ketchup.
Edge: Philly

Prediction: Pens in six with Mario ordering two Philly Cheese Steaks during the second intermission of game 3.

Follow-up item:

Thanks to everyone for the feedback on this review. Although my main goal was intended to provide a little Wednesday morning amusement, my omission of Mike Richards from the Flyers’ forward lineup was inexcusable. I guess that’s what happens when you write a preview column at 12:30 am while watching an episode of “E-True Hollywood Story” about the cast of “Growing Pains”. Gotta love Dr. Jason Seaver. That was a major oversight on my behalf, but regardless, I still believe that Pittsburgh’s offensive prowess will be difficult to contain.

I maintain my stance on Hatcher being washed up. Sure, maybe he was solid for the Motor City Mechanics of the UHL during the lockout, but at this point of his career Teri Hatcher can do a better job skating backwards.

Further and more importantly, I stand by my position of the Philly Cheese Steak being the best the food item. I don’t need to visit Pittsburgh to tell you that I’d rather have an Eskimo Pie over a Klondike Bar any day of the week.

NHL Morning Papers (Thursday Edition)

Here are the national morning papers:

• There is a toxic stew surrounding the Maple Leafs right now writes Dave Shoalts of the Globe & Mail.
• Here are some news and notes from around the NHL courtesy of the National Post.

Here are the Western Conference morning papers:

• It looks like Todd Bertuzzi may be nearing a return to the Anaheim lineup, however, he still has days where he really doesn't feel well writes Curtis Zupke of the Orange County Register.
• The Blackhawks didn't bring the same energy level last night against the Blue Jackets as they did Sunday against the Red Wings writes Chris Kuc of the Chicago Tribune.
• Adrian Dater of the Denver Post provides readers with five reasons why the Avalanche have been one of the best teams in the NHL since last season's trade deadline.
• As Blue Jackets coach Ken Hitchcock pointed out yesterday after his team's 4-2 victory Chicago, "expectations are changing." Rick Nash really impressed his teammates last night with a Gordie Howe hat trick. One of general manger Scott Howson's best moves this off-season was picking up defenseman Jan Hejda writes Tom Reed of the Columbus Dispatch.
• The Stars' management situation may have changed, but the results on the ice did not, as Dallas was defeated 4-3 by the Sharks in a shootout on Wednesday night.
• The Red Wings' plane got stuck in the mud before leaving St. Louis, so the team stayed over the Gateway city and practiced yesterday.
• The Oilers got a terrific performance from Mathieu Garon as he gave the team a chance to win last night's game in a shootout, which it did 1-0. Meanwhile, Dan Barnes of the Edmonton Journal calls out Ales Hemsky for being consistently inconsistent. Long-time Edmonton Sun writer Terry Jones tells readers that Kelly Buchberger has his sites on one day becoming an NHL coach.
• Kings' forward Alexander Frolov only had to participate for a short-time in practice after playing an astonishing 30 minutes on Tuesday night.
• According to Michael Russo of the Star Tribune, Marian Gaborik is set to return to the Wild lineup tonight at Edmonton.
• Predators' defenseman Shea Weber practiced for the first time since injuring his knee in the team's first game and is tentatively scheduled to return to the Predators' lineup on Saturday night. Here are some news and notes about the Predators and Blackhawks prior to tonight's game.
• Nick Boynton thinks the NHL rule that got him suspended for tonight's game versus the Sharks is "a little stupid."
• Since Ryan Clowe was lost to the Sharks for an extended period of time, winger Steve Bernier has felt the need to play a more physical style of play.
• The Blues have to make sure they learn from their win over Detroit and keep that type of intensity for games against teams that are inferior to the Red Wings.
• Elliot Pap of the Vancouver Sun has the details from a boring 1-0 shootout victory for the Oilers over the Canucks.

Here are the Eastern Conference morning papers:

• The Leafs take their gong show on the road tonight in Boston. "This isn't anything that we really care about. It's something that happened and we move on," said third-year forward Alexander Steen in reference to the Jiri Tlusty photos.
• The Capitals spent a lot of money last off-season, but those moves have yet to pay off writes Tarik-El Bashir of the Washington Post. In positive Capitals news, Chris Clark is slated to return to the lineup on Friday versus Florida.
• Last night's performance by Vincent Lecavalier was a prime example of why you pay the superstars the big bucks. After last night's 6-1 win over division-leading Carolina, the Bolts are gaining ground on the leaders of the Southeast Division.
• Penguins' prospect Kris Letang has been called up from Wilkes-Barre and is the only one of the Pens' six starting defensemen who shoots right. Marc-Andre Fleury is slated to get the start tonight versus the Islanders.
• The Flyers' have finally conceded that Simon Gagne has a concussion.
• This year's version of the Sabres, has a lot in common with last year's version of the Senators writes James Gordon of the Ottawa Citizen. While Nick Foligno is disappointed about being demoted to AHL, he is looking forward to playing more minutes. You'll be hard pressed to find a better leader in the game than Daniel Alfredsson.
• Bill Guerin has been cleared to return from his eye injury and will be able to play Thursday versus the Penguins.
• Larry Brooks of the NY Post says the true sign of Rangers progress is their new found success over the ever-dominant Devils. Jaromir Jagr was terrific last night for the Blueshirts, as the Rangers prevailed 4-2.
• "They're the better hockey club," John Madden said after last night's loss to the Rangers. Lost in the Devils' disappointing performance was the fact that Martin Brodeur was unable to register his 500th win against their Hudson rivals. In worrisome news for Devils fans, Paul Martin was unable to finish last night's game due to a back injury.
• The Canadiens brass believes that their current goaltending situation is creating healthy competition writes Pat Hickey of the Montreal Gazette. Jack Todd of the Gazette opines that Mike Komisarek has been the Habs' MVP so far this season. In other news about the Habs, winger Michael Ryder has been moved to the team's third line.
• Panthers' leader and captain Olli Jokinen has called on his entire team to be better and raise their expectations as the Panthers move forward. One of the reasons for the Panthers' recent struggles have to do with taking too many penalties. "The first 15 games of the season we were much more even penalties for and against. We have to be more disciplined to stay out of the box," said coach Jacques Martin after practice yesterday.
• The Hurricanes have now been dominated twice by the Lightning this season writes Lorenzo Perez of the News Observer. The Canes held both Erik Cole and Andrew Ladd off the ice last night.
• The Sabres will attempt to begin to turnaround their season tonight versus the top team in the Eastern Conference.
• The Thrashers' new first-line is working wonders for Don Waddell writes Craig Custance of the Atlanta Journal Constitution. Steve Weeks has been put in charge of getting Kari Lehtonen back into game shape.
• The Bruins need to improve both aspects of their special teams play if they hope to gain ground on their Northeast counterparts.

For Illegal Curve, I'm Richard Pollock.

Fantasy Watch: Avoiding the Hot Seat

Drafting a goaltender stuck on the hot seat can be one of the most stressful things about fantasy hockey. Not knowing who's going to start and who's going to sit can kill your fantasy team. Hoping to avoid that scenario, here are seven goaltenders that should post league leading stats and be free of controversy for this upcoming season


Martin Brodeur, New Jersey Devils
Brodeur was a fantasy monster last year, collecting career highs in wins (48) and shutouts (12). Ranking third in the league in both goals against average and save percentage, Brodeur was hands down the top fantasy goaltender last season. Losing Scott Gomez's play making ability may hurt his win totals, but don't expect Brodeur's numbers to drop that significantly.

Mikka Kiprusoff, Calgary Flames
Last season, Kiprusoff's numbers were down from his 2005/06 statistics , but he was still among the leaders in most statistical categories including wins (40) and save percentage (.917). Although Calgary lost two key defenseman in Roman Hamrlik and Brad Stuart, the signings of Adrian Aucion and Cory Sarich should help shore up Calgary's defense for this upcoming season. The only thing holding Kiprusoff back from becoming the league's best goalie is his inability to win on the road.

Marc-Andre Fleury, Pittsburgh Penguins
It only took Fleury three years to vault into the class of some of the top goaltenders in the NHL. Having a career year last season, Fleury's 40 wins placed him third in the league. Fleury still needs to improve on his goals against average, as well as his save percentage but at 22 there's plenty of time for improvement. Newcomer Darryl Sydor strengthens Pittsburgh's defense, which should allow Fleury to lower his GAA. Look for Fleury to continue to pile up wins as Pittsburgh boasts one of the league's best offenses this year.

Jean-Sebastien Giguere, Anaheim Ducks
Giguere has battled injuries for the past few seasons making his latest setback no surprise. Out for the the season opener, Giguere is not expected to miss a lot of time as he recovers from a sports hernia. The goaltending situation in Anaheim is much different from a year ago; This season Gigeure enters as the sure number one netminder. While his role as number one goalie is cemented, Giguere will be without defenseman Scott Neidermayer, who has yet to decide whether to stick around for one more season or not. To add insult to injury, the former Conn Smythe winner will also be missing newly acquired defenseman Matthieu Schneider for the first couple weeks of the season. As a result, the Ducks will be a little thin on defense but are still deep enough to make Giguere a sure bet for 40 wins.

Roberto Luongo, Vancouver Canucks
Finally escaping Florida, Luongo put up a career high in wins with 47 and a .921 save percentage, good for fourth best in the league. The only question mark surrounding Luongo is not his ability, but his team's offensive support (or lack thereof); the Canucks were ranked near the bottom of the NHL in goals-for last season. As evidenced by last year's playoffs, Luongo can only take the team so far, without any feared goal scorers in front of him, Luongo may miss out on a few extra victories.

Evgeni Nabokov, San Jose Sharks
Splitting time with Vesa Toskala last season, Nabokov only appeared in 50 games, collecting 25 wins on the season. Although his 25 wins weren't as high as projected, Nabokov's goals against average was among the top 10 in the league. With Toskala gone to Toronto, the starting job is now Nabokov's. Expect the Russian netminder to revert back into a top goaltender which means at least 35 wins for this upcoming season.

Ryan Miller, Buffalo Sabers
Improving his win total by 10 from the previous year, Miller led Buffalo to the best record in the Eastern Conference, but failed to make it to the Stanley Cup Finals, as they were defeated by Ottawa in last year's Conference Finals. Although Miller's stats aren't atop the leader board, he still manages to post a ton of wins, which makes him a top fantasy goaltender. Expect Miller's numbers to take a slight hit this season with the loss of Briere and Drury; however, Miller should still post more than respectable numbers.

For Illegal Curve, I'm Jonny Remis.