Niedermayer gets his money back

From Larry Brooks of the NY Post:

Scott Niedermayer is getting his money back ... all of it ... every single cent of the $490,909.08 he was improperly fined by the NHL for missing Anaheim's training camp last season, The Post has learned.

As originally reported by The Post on April 20, the former Devil had been fined under Article 15.3 (f) of the collective-bargaining agreement even though he had been granted permission by GM Brian Burke to take an unpaid leave of absence in the wake of Anaheim's 2007 Stanley Cup victory, the fourth championship of the defenseman's career.

Read the entire article here.

Considering the team gave Niedermayer permission to take his time, he should never have been docked the money in the first place.

Niedermayer's return makes Ducks contender

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."

Read the entire article here.

Miller is right. Without Niedermayer, the Ducks would have had to look for a suitable replacement, which of course isn't available on the market. So, with Niedermayer back in the fold, the Ducks are a piece or two away from being a title contender once again.

Niedermayer returning to Ducks

From Dan Wood of the Orange County Register:

The Ducks will announce today that standout defenseman Scott Niedermayer will return to the team for the 2008-09 NHL season.

Niedermayer, 34, sat out the first 34 games last season while contemplating retirement in the wake of the Ducks winning the 2007 Stanley Cup championship. He returned for the final 48 games, finishing with eight goals, 25 points and a minus-2 mark.

Read more about Niedermayer from the Ducks Blog here.

Well, there you have it. Niedermayer is returning to the Ducks. This is no surprise considering he decided to return half-way through last season. The Ducks are obviously very excited the veteran is coming back. He is still one of the top five defensemen in the league and he will benefit from having a full off-season of training and a month of training camp prior to the season beginning.

NHL Morning Papers: Special Pre-Draft Edition

Here are the morning papers from the Pacific Division:

• In Anaheim, the Ducks continue to wait on Scott Niedermayer and Teemu Selanne, writes Dan Wood.
• David Pollak of the San Jose Mercury News wonders if Doug Wilson will pull a draft-day trade.
• Don't look for the Kings to deal the number two overall pick in the draft, writes Lisa Dillman of the L.A. Times. That number two pick looks it will be used on Drew Doughty, writes Rich Hammond.
• As Mike Heika explains, Stars co-GM Les Jackson is still a scout at heart.
• With a very impressive young forward corps, look for the Coyotes to draft a defenseman at number eight, writes Jim Gintonio of the Arizona Republic.

Niedermayer given more time to decide future

From Dan Wood of the Orange County Register:

With Scott Niedermayer’s wife, Lisa, expected to deliver the couple’s fourth child any day, the Ducks have given the star defenseman more time to decide on his playing future, General Manager Brian Burke said Thursday.

The Ducks had originally targeted Friday, when the NHL entry draft begins in Ottawa, as a deadline for answers from Niedermayer and right wing Teemu Selanne on whether they intend to play next season.

Now, however, Burke has told Niedermayer that the team will wait until at least Monday, with an “operative date” of July 1 – the first day of free agency.

Read the rest of Wood's entry here.

The waiting is the hardest part
Every day you get one more yard
You take it on faith, you take it to the heart
The waiting is the hardest part

Oh don't let it kill you baby, don't let it get to you
Don't let it kill you baby, don't let it get to you
I'll be your bleedin' heart, I'll be your cryin' fool
Don't let this go too far
Don't let it get to you

Niedermayer decision coming soon

From TSN:

The Anaheim Ducks will find out Friday whether or not defenceman Scott Niedermayer will be joining them for the 2008-09 season.

Niedermayer's agent, Kevin Epp of Titan Sports Management told TSN on
Wednesday that his client will inform general manager Brian Burke of what his
future plans will be - playing out the last season of his contract or retiring.

Read the entire story here.

The waiting is the hardest part
Every day you see one more card
You take it on faith, you take it to the heart
The waiting is the hardest part

NHL Morning Papers (Saturday Edition)

Here are the national morning papers:

• In his weekly notebook, Eric Duhatschek of the Globe & Mail examines, among other things, all the newly signed extensions in the NHL this season.
• Tim Wharsnby of the Globe & Mail examines the possibile roster decisions for Canada's 2010 Olympic entry in Vancouver.
• The Flames got a little taste of an angry Darryl Sutter after practice yesterday, writes George Johnson of the National Post.
• Kevin Allen of USA Today says just because Rob Blake is injured right now, that doesn't mean teams aren't going to be interested in his services come trade deadline time.

Here are the Eastern Conference morning papers:

• The Thrashers understand how crucial intra-division games are at this point in this season, writes Carroll Rogers of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
• The Bruins got down 2-0 yesterday at Buffalo, but stuck to their game plan and came back with an important 3-2 shootout victory over their division rival. Glen Murray returned to the Bruins line-up last night, and coach Claude Julien was impressed with the way the veteran looked in his first game back in 19 games.
• Last night's 3-2 shootout loss to Boston, means the Sabres continue to sit on the outside looking in for this season's playoff race, writes John Vogl of the Buffalo News. “I’m not real happy right now. It’s just unacceptable,” said Sabres goaltender Ryan Miller after his team blew a 2-0 third period lead at home last night to the Bruins.
• By defeating the Capitals 2-1 in Washington last night, the Hurricanes assured themselves first place in the Southeast Division through at least Sunday, writes Luke Decock of the News Observer.
• The Rangers are turning to Steve Valiquette for their matinee affair with the the Flyers today, writes Dan Martin of the NY Post. The Rangers play twice this weekend, and then get five days off, so the team is hoping they can bank some points today and tomorrow, so as to not give up too much ground over the week.
• Joffrey Lupul has been given clearance by Flyers doctors to play this afternoon, writes Tim Panaccio of the Philadelphia Inquirer. With Lupul back in the fold, the Flyers have some new line combinations.
• Sidney Crosby is still far-off from a return to the Penguins line-up, but he skated yesterday with his teammates at practice and gave the whole team a big lift. In other injury news, the Pens are close to sending Marc-Andre Fleury down to Wilkes-Barre for a rehabilitation stint.
• The Capitals were 0-for-7 with the man-advantage on Friday, and that was the main reason they lost 2-1 to the Hurricanes at the Verizon Center.
• The Toronto Star has a very statistically oriented piece about the possible route the Leafs should take for their next GM hire. The Leafs are starting to get some of their main players back into their line-up, writes Mike Zeisberger of the Toronto Sun. Here are some quotes from Detroit GM Ken Holland in the Toronto Sun.
• The Lightning know they still have a pulse in the Southeast Division race but that they have to continue playing top hockey to make up all their lost ground.
• Apparently the trade for which Wade Redden refused to remove his no-trade clause was Redden to San Jose for Matt Carle and a draft pick. The Senators' top line of Spezza-Heatley-Alfredsson will be reunited tonight for the team's important game versus Montreal.
• Mike Comrie is acting more like a leader lately for the Islanders, writes Greg Logan of Newsday.
• The New Jersey fans booed Scott Niedermayer in his return to the swamp, but it was Niedermayer who got the last laugh as his Ducks were victorious 2-1.
• Dave Stubbs of the Montreal Gazette has an intersting article on the reborn Alexei Kovalev.
• The Panthers are expecting to get Ville Peltonen back in the line-up tonight for the first time in two months when they face-off against the Bruins.

Here are the Western Conference morning papers:

• The Ducks have a roster full of big-name players and you'd think they would have been primarily responsible for the team's 2-1 victory at New Jersey yesterday, but it has been their unknown youngsters that have been leading them lately, writes Dan Wood of the Orange Country Register.
• The Flames are going to make sure they don't take the bait this time around when they face-off against Zach Stortini and the Edmonton Oilers.
• Evgeni Nabokov was the difference last night, as the Blue Jackets came into San Jose and outshot the Sharks but still came away with a 2-1 overtime loss. Meanwhile, Jackets coach Ken Hitchcock said Ole Tollefsen should have known better than to go after Craig Weller with his hands down.
• Mike Modano is cherishing the challenge of being on the ice in the deciding moments of a game, writes Mike Heika of the Dallas Morning News.
• The Wings are excited as a team to play on Hockey Day in Canada, writes Helene St. James of the Detroit Free Press.
• Wild coach Jacques Lemaire wants more consistency in his team's game, writes Kent Youngblood of the Star Tribune.
• "Nabby obviously won this game for us," said Joe Thornton after his team's 2-1 overtime win hosting the Blue Jackets. Here is some information on the almost trade involving Wade Redden.
• Jeremy Rutherford of the St. Louis Dispatch provides readers with the details behind the decision to make Eric Brewer the new Blues captain.
• The Blackhawks are still hoping to make the playoffs, writes Chris Kuc of the Chicago Tribune.
• Sheldon Souray underwent season-ending surgery on his shoulder yesterday and will be ready for training camp come September. The Oilers know they will be facing a pumped-up Flames team, but they are ready for the Battle of Alberta.
• The Predators need better play and scoring production from their second line, writes Paul Kuharsky of the Tennessean.
• Coyotes GM Don Maloney says he doesn't see his team making any significant moves prior to the trade deadline.

For Illegal Curve, I'm Richard Pollock.

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

Morning Musings: Can the Ducks repeat?

(Reader note: To our new readers, every morning I write a short preamble to the morning links that I provide from the daily newspapers located in every NHL city. If you are only interested in the newspaper links please scroll down to the bottom of this post. )

After dominating Minnesota and Vancouver and just squeaking by Detroit, the Anaheim Ducks handily defeated the Ottawa Senators in the 2007 Stanley Cup Finals. With a new season on the horizon, the pressure is now on the Ducks to repeat as the Stanley Cup champions in 2007/08. The team has not gone unchanged since this past June and questions have arisen as to whether the Ducks can be the first repeat champions since the 1997-1998 Detroit Red Wings pulled off the difficult feat.

Here are five questions hockey fans have about the Ducks heading into 2007/08:

Can Todd Bertuzzi and Mathieu Schneider replace Teemu Selanne and Scott Niedermayer?

For the purposes of this piece we are going to assume that Selanne and Niedermayer are eventually going to retire and not return to Orange County this season. Having established that, the simple answer to this question is that they cannot replace these two superstars. Scott Niedermayer is/was arguably the best defenseman in the NHL and Teemu Selanne is/was one of the greatest goal scoring forwards to ever lace up a pair of skates. While Schneider and Bertuzzi have had their fair share of highly successful seasons, they are not in the class of the players that they were essentially brought in to replace.

Will the loss of Dustin Penner hurt the team more than people think?

Penner is a big body with good hands and, while he was not relied on heavily in Anaheim, he brought assets to the table that aren’t exactly a dime a dozen. Penner is just about to enter his prime, and has the past AHL numbers to generally allow us to infer that his success in Anaheim this past season was no fluke. Losing Penner for draft picks is a fine strategic move (especially when taking into account his salary) but the lack of current reinforcements may hurt the team this season.

Can J.S. Giguere continue his terrific play from a season ago?

Giguere has his fair share of supporters and critics, but overall he gets the job done and always seems to improve his play come playoff time. Some people forget that it was just last season that people thought Ilya Bryzgalov was the answer in goal and that the money the team ended up paying Giguere could be better spent elsewhere. Brian Burke was in a difficult negotiating position with Giggy after he led the team to a championship but if you have followed Burke’s career, you know he is not averse to making tough decisions. If Burke felt that Giguere was overvalued in today’s market, or that Bryzgalov could replace him without much drop-off in play, he would have let Giguere go elsewhere. Burke is an astute judge of talent and he made the right choice when re-signing Giguere. The French netminder should be a shoe-in for 40 wins.

Can Chris Pronger carry the defense without Niedermayer?

If anyone recalls the Edmonton Oilers run to the finals in 2006, when Chris Pronger proved he could almost single-handedly carry a team to a Stanley Cup championship, the answer seems quite simple. While the rest of the defense is nothing to scoff at, especially with the underrated Schneider now eating big minutes (his recent four week injury aside), Pronger will be looked at to carry even more of the load than he did last season and should be more than up to the task.

Can the Ducks repeat?

There is no question the losses the Ducks’ incurred this off-season will hurt the team, however, the organization did a solid job of replacing its veteran losses with other veterans and, more importantly, is rich in young talent. This year will see Ryan Getzlaf and Corey Perry become well-known NHL stars and allow Bertuzzi to flourish in the background without much pressure. Additionally, any team that has Pronger is almost an instant contender. Factoring in the team’s terrific checking unit, the underrated Andy McDonald and a Conn Smythe winning goaltender and you have the recipe for an extremely successful campaign.

Prediction: Expect the Ducks to return to the Western Conference Finals but bow out to the San Jose Sharks in seven games.

On to the morning papers:

• As you have probably heard, the Ducks will be without defenseman Mathieu Schneider for at least the next four weeks after he suffered a non-displaced fracture in his left ankle during Saturday's pre-season game versus the Kings.
• There are four spots available on the Thrashers' roster and Bob Hartley is giving those spots out to players that dominate in the pre-season writes Craig Custance of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
• Youngster Matt Hunwick is attempting to make the Bruins' defensive roster decisions that much more difficult; however, it appears he is headed to Providence once camp breaks.
• Rich Thompson of the Boston Herald details the reunion of Chuck Kobasew and Bobby Allen in Boston after the two played together at Boston College earlier this decade.
• Newcomer Jocelyn Thibault knows his role in Buffalo this year and is happy to provide a rest for Ryan Miller whenever opportunity knocks; John Vogl of the Buffalo News has the story.
• There was a pleasant surprise at Flames' camp yesterday as youngster Matt Keetley, seemingly bound for either the AHL or ECHL, was called on to suit up after an injury and impressed with his inspired play.
• Approximately 20,000 fans showed up at the Canes' first exhibition game and carnival. Florida native Noah Babin scored the Canes' first goal of the pre-season; the team eventually went on to win the contest 4-3 in overtime.
• After hitting the 20 goal mark in 2006/07, Patrick Sharp is taking nothing for granted at Hawks' training camp writes Chris Kuc of the Chicago Tribune.
• Rookie T.J. Hensick out of the University of Michigan impressed the Avs' coaching staff with his play in the team's annual Burgundy-White scrimmage.
• David Vyborny has a sprained left knee, so the Blue Jackets' new top line, which has been cause for optimism, will have to be put on hold. Luckily, the injury doesn't appear serious and the Jackets believe Vyborny may have caught a break writes Aaron Portzline of the Columbus Dispatch.
• Pascal Leclaire and Duvie Westcott were just happy to be able to play in an NHL game after both being injured for much of 2006/07.
• After a disappointing sophomore season, Jussi Jokinen is looking to pick up the goal scoring load this season in Dallas; Mike Heika of the Dallas Morning News has the story.
• As Helene St. James explains, Mike Babcock is aware of Brent Sopel's offensive ability but he needs the defenseman to be safe and steady in his own zone before looking to create offense.
• Anson Carter returns to the Oilers' fold but is no lock to make the roster writes Joanne Ireland in this morning's Edmonton Journal. As Kevin Lowe said yesterday, "There's openings, but there's no promises."
• Branislav Mezei is hoping to finally put the injury bug behind him going into 2007/08 writes Steve Gorten of the South Florida Sun-Sentinal.
• After off-season improvements, the Kings no longer have excuses for missing the playoffs writes Helene Elliot in this morning's L.A. Times. (registration required)
• Lonnie White of the L.A. Times examines the Kings' defense from top to bottom, and it is quite an impressive group. (Writer's note: It better be with the Kings goaltending situation the way it is.)
• As Michael Russo of the Star Tribune explains, Brian Rolston may be 34 but he feels 24 heading into his final season under contract in Minnesota.
• As John Glennon of the Tennessean tells us, Jordin Tootoo wants to take on an increased offensive role for the Predators in 2007/08.
• Youngster Ryan Russell opened some eyes at Habs' camp yesterday with a huge hit on the mammoth Ryan O'Byrne writes Pat Hickey of the Montreal Gazette. More importantly, he survived the first round of cuts. as the Habs sent seven players back to juniors on Sunday.
• There is fear at Devils' camp that Jamie Langenbrunner may have an abdominal tear which would see his 144 consecutive game streak come to a screeching halt. Apparently the injury could keep him out as long as 6-8 weeks.
• Chris Drury is very excited to be able to suit up for his favorite childhood team write Tim Bontemps in this morning's New York Post.
• Jeff Tambellini looks like he's ready to make the next step to the NHL and the Islanders are hoping he can replace some of Jason Blake's speed and production.
• Brian Boucher is back in Philadelphia but is starting the season with the AHL's Phantoms. Boucher will be the third goalie on the depth chart writes Tim Panaccio of the Philadelphia Inquirer.
• Here is a quick review of the Coyotes' exhibition game on Sunday versus the Ducks.
  Sandis Ozolinsh returns to the club who traded him to Colorado 12 years ago, as he is attempting to crack the Sharks' roster for 2007/08. Ozolinsh is on a training camp tryout writes Mark Emmons of the San Jose Mercury News.
• Andy Murray was unimpressed with his team's play in the Blues' exhibition opener. According to Murray, most players graded out below average.
• The increased pace at Tampa training camp has John Tortorella in a better mood.
• Angelo Esposito is pumped for his first NHL exhibition game, and fittingly it is being played at the Bell Centre in Montreal. Excitement aside, don't expect Esposito to crack the Pens' roster this season writes Dave Molinari of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.
• Mark Zwolinski of the Toronto Star tells us that Nik Antropov is finally garnering more respect after being the perennial whipping boy of the Toronto media for many years.
• Jason Botchford of the Vancouver Province takes a look at six players under the microscope at Canucks' camp.
• The Canucks had a rash of injuries at camp yesterday, most importantly was the scare that occured when Roberto Luongo was struck in the throat by a Brad Isbister slapshot; luckily, Luongo is going to be fine. (Writer's note: That's the way you get into management's good books Brad!)
• Nicklas Backstrom impressed the Capital's brass during the team's opening exhibition contest versus Carolina on Sunday. The rookie scored a goal and was responsible defensively.
• Kevin Allen of USA Today has the details of the outdoor game at Ralph Wilson Stadium on January 1st.
  

For Illegal Curve, I'm Richard Pollock.

Morning Musings: Is Niedermayer selfish?

Late yesterday afternoon, Scott Niedermayer informed the public that he has yet to make up his mind about whether he will return to the NHL for the 2007/08 season. Most hockey fans have been tossing in their two cents with regard to whether Niedermayer will return to the Ducks for the upcoming season or not. But before the four-time Stanley Cup winner decides one way or another, I think it is fair to ask whether Niedermayer is being selfish with his long drawn-out decision. For my money, the long-time New Jersey Devil is not holding his team hostage. After the Ducks defeated the Senators in the Cup final and Niedermayer subsequently announced he was taking time away from the game, the Ducks took necessary precaution by going out and signing arguably the most-talented defenseman on the open market (albeit an old talented defenseman) for the next two seasons. There is no doubt in my mind that Niedermayer informed Ducks' General Manager Brian Burke that he was leaning towards retirement and to prepare the team accordingly. Additionally, if Niedermayer leaves open the possibility of a return, as he did yesterday, some say he is holding the Ducks' salary cap situation hostage. But if that is the case, then for whom is he doing this? Who are the Ducks going to sign in the next little while that would upgrade their offense/defense even marginally? The answer is no one. The All-Star defenseman is taking this time to make the decision he feels is right for himself, and if anyone in the hockey world has earned the right to a protracted career decision, it is number 27.

On to the morning papers:

• Apparently not having Niedermayer or Selanne at camp isn't the Ducks only concern, explains Dan Wood of the Orange County Register.
• Perhaps the Sabres have learned from past miscalculations and it now appears they are willing to discuss extensions with soon-to-be unrestricted free agents says Tim Graham of the Buffalo News.
• There will be some healthy competition over who will be the backup to Miikka Kiprusoff. The Flames have few roster spots available but backup goaltender is one of them.
• As Steve Macfarlane documents, Eric Nystrom is champing at the bit waiting for training camp to get under way in Calgary.
• Mike Keenan is back in the NHL and would love nothing more than having some of the Flames' youngsters make his roster decisions more difficult. Scott Cruickshank of the Calgary Herald has the story.
• The Hurricanes unveiled their "new" jerseys yesterday, and, once again, they look an awful lot similar to the "old" ones.
• The Avalanche signed fan-favorite Ian Lapperriere to a contract extension on Thursday that will take him through the 2008/09 season.
• The Blue Jackets are going to get an up close and personal look at their 2007 first round draft pick Jakub Voracek this training camp and, according to GM Scott Howson, the Jackets plan on letting Voracek compete for a roster spot.
• In some great news for fans, the Red Wings plan on bringing back some $9 seats this season.
• The Detroit Free Press has an interesting interview with Ken Holland, one of the best general managers in the business.
• With rookies already showing up at training camp, Kevin Lowe has let it be known there are roster spots up for grabs, writes the Edmonton Sun's Robert Tychkowski.
• While the Oilers do have many jobs that players will be fighting for at camp, of more concern to Kevin Lowe is the health of Fernando Pisani.
• Legendary hockey writer Red Fisher explains how Saku Koivu's comments were incorrectly interpreted in this morning's Montreal Gazette.
• Fisher's colleague at the Gazette, Pat Hickey opines that maybe the future is now for the Habs' Carey Price. For those of you who haven't seen Price play, the Canadiens have their goalie for the next 15 years once the youngster proves he is NHL ready.
• The New York Post's Mark Everson details the Rangers' plans to lift Brian Leetch's number 2 to the MSG rafters.
• According to John Dellapina of the New York Daily News, Rangers' Head Coach Tom Renney attempted to coax Leetch back to the Rangers, while he was sitting out last season, to run the Rangers' powerplay.
• Senators' top draft pick from this summer's draft Jim O'Brien won't be able to partake in the team's four-day rookie tournament says Bruce Garrioch of the Ottawa Sun.
• Apparently Ray Emery needs to do a better job of controlling his temper on the roads, never mind the ice.
• Without Vesa Toskala around, Evgeni Nabokov (remember when people used to call him John?) is the Sharks' number on netminder for the upcoming season writes David Pollak of the Mercury Times.
• Paul Hunter of the Toronto Star has the story of Justin Pogge and his maturation and progression while playing his first season in the AHL.
• Star Reporter Kevin McGran explains the tragedy that hit the Steen family 17 years ago and what the family is doing to help at-risk youth both in Toronto and Winnipeg.
• Expectations are high for Canucks' prospect Mason Raymond, and no one has higher standards than Raymond himself. Ben Kuzma of the Vancouver Province has the story.

Fantasy Watch

G Martin Gerber - Ottawa Senators

News: According to the Ottawa Sun, the Senators have been looking to ship off goaltender Martin Gerber for quite some time now, but have yet to find a trading partner. Part of this is due to the fact that Gerber is still owed $7.4 million over the next two years. Currently, Gerber is second string in Ottawa backing up Ray Emery.

Fantasy Take: Those participating in fantasy draft's should keep an eye on Gerber's whereabouts, as he is only two years removed from posting 38 wins back in the 05-06 season. Going 15-9-0 last year with a 2.78 goals against average is proof that when given the chance to start, Gerber can still get it done.

D Scott Niedermayer - Anaheim Ducks

News: After keeping everyone in limbo about his future, Ducks defenseman Scott Niedermayer held a news conference this afternoon in which it was expected that he would announce his plans. Unfortunately, all Niedermayer had to say was “I wish I had a decision right now.”

Fantasy Take: With fantasy leagues getting underway, Niedermayer becomes one of the riskiest picks in the entire league. On the one hand, you have a top fantasy defenseman who has eclipsed 60 points in his last two seasons. On the other hand, you could be wasting a crucial draft pick on a defenseman who may not even play this year. It's decisions like these that win hockey drafts, so for those who already drafted the former Norris Trophy winner, here's to hoping that he returns for one last season.

F Fernando Pisani - Edmonton Oilers

News: The Edmonton Oilers were dealt a blow this past week, learning that forward Fernando Pisani will be sidelined indefinitely with ulcerative colitis.

Fantasy Take: Although Pisani's last season numbers don't jump out at you, it was expected that with the loss of Edmonton's top two scorers that the fifth year forward would leap into a larger role this year. With no time table set for his return, Pisani will undoubtedly drift off the fantasy radar until more is known.