From John Niyo of the Detroit News:
Former Red Wings defenseman Brad McCrimmon likely will be back on the bench at Joe Louis Arena next season. General manager Ken Holland confirmed he's in negotiations with McCrimmon to fill the vacant assistant coaching position on Mike Babcock's staff.
From the Detroit News:
Goaltender Jimmy Howard has signed a three-year contract with the Red Wings. Howard will earn $600,000 next season, according to the NHL players' union.
From John Niyo of the Detroit News:
The Wings have locked up one of their remaining free agents, agreeing to terms on a three-year contract with defenseman Jonathan Ericsson . The two-way deal is worth about $2.7 million if Ericsson remains in the NHL but pays him less -- and doesn't count against the Wings' salary cap -- if he's playing for Grand Rapids in the American Hockey League.
From TSN:
The Buffalo Sabres re-signed goaltender Ryan Miller to a five-year, $31.25 million contract extension on Friday.
Entering the final year of his current contract this season, Miller will now remain the club's franchise netminder through the 2013-2014 season.
From the Detroit News:
If you're interested in saving some money, act fast.
Reserve before Aug. 4, specifically, and you'll lock in to last season's prices (ranging from $22 to $85).
If you wait until after Aug. 4, those seats go up $2 per ticket.A total of 1,869 tickets for seats in the upper bowl, which were priced at $44, have dropped to $33, while some $54 seats have gone down to $44.
And the first three rows off the ice in the lower bowl, which were $85 last season, have gone up to $125 (although the Wings stress they're still the second-least-expensive such ticket in the league).
Steve Violetta, the Red Wings' senior vice president of business affairs, said the opportunity to lock in to last season's prices has existed since February, when the team began selling playoff ticket packages.
Smart move by the Red Wings to take some of the sting out of a ticket. The increase in the lower bowl shouldn't affect attendance too much, but the decrease up top may draw in a few more fans.
From Aaron Portzline of the Columbus Dispatch:
The events of the past four weeks will best be gauged a few seasons down the road. For now, The Dispatch offers this analysis of the proceedings:
Best offseasons
1. Chicago -- With all that "Youth Gone Wild" up front, the Blackhawks landed offensive-minded defenseman Brian Campbell and No. 1 goaltender Cristobal Huet to balance the attack. They could be the next Pittsburgh Penguins.
2. Detroit -- The Red Wings are so good, talent comes knocking on their door. Witness Marian Hossa taking a one-year deal to leave Sidney Crosby's wing and move to Motown. The Wings lost nobody except forward Dallas Drake (retired yesterday) and still have salary-cap room for the future to stay intact...
From Ted Kuflan of the Detroit News:
Dallas Drake, a member of the Red Wings' Stanley Cup championship team, announced his retirement from the NHL in a conference call with reporters Tuesday.
Drake, 39, had a goal and three assists in 22 playoff games in 2008. That followed a regular season in which he had six points in 65 games.
From Chris Kuc of the Chicago Tribune:
"It was mayhem," the Hawks' newly acquired free-agent defenseman said Tuesday about the game Jan. 1 in Buffalo. "If it's here in Chicago, the buzz would just be tremendous. It was a lot of fun for the whole city of Buffalo and western New York."
As the Hawks—and the rest of the hockey world—await official word from the league on the team playing host to the Detroit Red Wings on New Year's Day at Wrigley Field, Campbell met the media at the United Center to discuss his role with his new team and recalled playing in last season's outdoor game as a member of the Sabres.
"With the snow and the weather the way it was, the buzz in the city was all wrapped around that game," said Campbell, who signed an eight-year, $56.8 million contract with the Hawks on July 1.
From Stuart Walker of PA Sport:
"It is not as easy when you are dealing with a team which has won the year before. You have to come up with some innovations because it is a new season and new talent comes into the league.
"It's not always the odds-on favourite who wins, it changes."
From Michael Russo of the Minneapolis Star-Tribune:
According to a knowledgeable source, it’s official. The NHL’s second outdoor Winter Classic will take place New Year’s Day at the storied Wrigley Field when the Blackhawks take on the Stanley Cup-champion Detroit Red Wings.
An announcement is expected next week in the days leading up to the three-day inaugural “Blackhawks Convention” at the Chicago Hilton.
From Mike Harrington of the Buffalo News:
It's encouraging that Darcy Regier has told the media twice in the last few days that he's had contract talks with Ryan Miller's agent and that he thinks Miller wants to stay in Buffalo for the long term. But the bottom line is this: A new deal for Miller has to get done before the season starts and preferably before training camp.
You think the Brian Campbell situation last year was a distraction for both player and team? Just wait for the circus that would ensue if Miller was unsigned. It's the first question he'd get from the media every day and I'm not just talking about the local corps. Miller would be dealing with hordes in Toronto, Ottawa, Montreal and how about an early trip to Detroit?
I realize it is only three days into the free agent process, however, there has been an incredible amount of activity the past few days. Therefore, I think it is time to compile a list of the four winners since the off-season began:
Winners
1. Detroit Red Wings: Well this is easy. The Red Wings were able to re-sign Brad Stuart to a four-year contract and then pen Marian Hossa to a one-year deal at $7.4 million. More importantly, the Wings didn't lose anyone off their 2008 Stanley Cup roster. The best team in the entire NHL got substantially better without giving anything up. With the roster the team has lined up for next season, they will be even more overwhelming favorites than they were this past season. What does Ken Holland eat for breakfast in the morning? I'd love to know.
2. San Jose Sharks: The past few seasons, the Sharks have been loaded at forward; unfortunately, the team has been lacking the necessary defensive corps to take the next step. Well, that is no longer an issue for Bay Area fans. The Sharks' back-end is now comprised of Dan Boyle, Marc-Eduard Vlasic, Rob Blake, Christian Ehrhoff, Kyle McLaren, Doug Murray and Brad Lukowich (Craig Rivet was traded as this was written). That is a terrific blend of finesse and toughness. The additions of Boyle and Blake cannot be underestimated. Maybe the most important fact of all is that both players have won the Stanley Cup.
3. Columbus Blue Jackets: Blue Jackets GM Scott Howson has done a great job of molding his team and establishing organizational credibility throughout the NHL. By signing Mike Commodore and trading for Fedor Tyutin and Christian Backman, the Jackets were able to solidify their defense going into next season. Additionally, the team was able to replace the scoring void left by Nikolai Zherdev by quickly signing Kristian Huselius. With these trades, the Jackets are demonstrating their intention of building from the net out. That is a perfect strategy with Ken Hitchcock at the helm. More importantly for Jackets fans is that Howson has signed or acquired players with 3/4 year deals; thus, not handicapping himself down the line when prospects Derrick Brassard, Jakub Voracek, etc. come up for their second contracts.
4. Montreal Canadiens: This may same like a strange team to include on this list but bear with me for a second. The Habs haven't done anything stupid this off-season, in fact, they have actually improved their roster. While they lost Mark Streit to the Islanders, the Habs would have been more foolish had they actually paid Streit that type of money (5yr, $20.5 million). The Habs only really need to replace Streit on the power play, and with Kirk Muller continuing to guide the team with the man-advantage and Andrei Markov playing the point that shouldn't be a big concern. Additionally, the Habs have become more talented up-front with the addition of tremendous passer Alex Tanguay. As well, the team added much needed muscle on the fourth line by signing the hulking Georges Laraque to a three-year contract. Finally, the team signed Andrei Kostitsyn to one of the more reasonable three-year contract extensions I've seen in a while (3yr, $9.75 million). Good work by Bob Gainey and Company.
Honorable mention:
New Jersey Devils
For Illegal Curve, I'm Richard Pollock.
From Drew Sharp of the Detroit Free Press:
Marian Hossa is a Red Wing because he wants to win a Stanley Cup. That's as pure as it gets in sports.
He took less money and fewer years -- shunning guaranteed financial security -- for the best opportunity to win a championship.
On Wednesday, Hossa signed with the Wings for one year at $7.4 million, agreeing to accept a few dollars less than the Wings' competitive compass, Nicklas Lidstrom. That was a prerequisite for the Wings.
Hossa's altruistic sincerity is in stark contrast to his basketball and baseball brethren.
From Eric Duhatschek of the Globe & Mail:
The risk for Hossa, who has been a remarkably durable player over the years, is that his good health continues. Hossa had major knee surgery in his final year of junior, but has been a picture of health ever since — missing just 22 games in eight years, 10 of them last year, split between the Penguins and the Atlanta Thrashers.
If Hossa blows out his knee again, then the decision to leave all that guaranteed money on the table may not seem like such a good idea. But for Hossa, the possible reward — a Stanley Cup — was worth it in the end.
From TSN:
Sources tell TSN that free agent Marian Hossa has signed a one-year, $7.4 million deal with the defending Stanley Cup champions the Detroit Red Wings.
TSN.ca is reporting that the Detroit Red Wings have signed free-agent goalie Ty Conklin.
It looks like Jimmy Howard will have to wait one-more year for his shot at the big leagues.
From the Detroit Free Press:
Holland told me has spoken to representatives for both Todd Bertuzzi and Mats Sundin. Sundin is one of the most coveted free agents on the market, though, so unless he badly wants to come to Detroit, he’s probably going to go out of price range.
Regarding Bertuzzi, whom the Wings traded for in February of 2007 and tried to re-sign last summer, Holland said he would “stay in touch” with Bertuzzi’s agent. “I was happy with the job he did here,” Holland said of Bertuzzi. “We’re exploring.”
From TSN:
Sources tell TSN the Detroit Red Wings and veteran defenseman Brad Stuart have agreed to terms on a four-year contract that averages $3.75 million per season.
From Helene St. James of the Detroit Free Press:
General manager Ken Holland said Tuesday that the two had a very positive meeting about how Chelios would fit into next year's lineup, which really was the only stumbling block to negotiating a new deal. The Wings wanted to make sure Chelios, 46, would not balk at being a healthy scratch for probably around half the season's 82 games.
"We had a real good talk about what I saw as his role," Holland said. "He wants to come back for another year, so I would say we're very close on a contract. The biggest thing was discussing his role -- the contract is not an issue.
From George Sipple of the Detroit Free Press:
With the NHL draft completed, general manager Ken Holland is turning his to getting deals completed with a number of players, and he plans to have organizational meetings this week.
The Wings, who recently won their fourth Stanley Cup title in 11 years, still have questions about their goaltending, defense and forwards.
