After weeks of bickering back and forth, the Columbus Blue Jackets and Nikolai Zherdev reached an agreement of terms to a new contract. In the deal, Zherdev will receive $1.75M this season, $2.5M next season, and $3.25 in the last season. Zherdev is going to join the team right away and should be in the line-up for opening night.
With Zherdev now in the mix, it should give the Jackets a pretty solid top-6, even without Sergei Fedorov in the line-up. Expect to see Rick Nash, Gilbert Brule, and Zherdev to be the top line right now with the possibility of Fredrik Modin, David Vyborny, and Anson Carter to be the second line with Fedorov out.
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The Philadelphia Flyers will have to start out the season without Antero Niittymaki. Niittymaki is out with a torn labrum in his hip. It was first thought to require surgery, it seems that if Niittymaki took cortisone shots, he could delay the surgery until the off-season. Whether or not the Flyers want to risk it is another story.
With Robert Esche still in the mix, it could be possible for the Flyers to hope for the best with the vet in net. The Flyers haven't had a real solid goaltending since Ron Hextall lead the team to the Stanley Cup in 1997 and it seemed that Niittymaki could have been that goalie if he had stayed healthy. With little experience in the minors, the Flyers could be on the market if something good doesn't come out of Esche's first few games.
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In other goaltending news, Dan Cloutier signed a two-year extension with the Los Angeles Kings. The two-year extension for the 30-year-old is worth $6.2M over those two seasons. Cloutier would have become a free agent in the off-season if he hadn't signed.
There's plenty of people out there wondering if this is the right things for the Kings, especially considering Cloutier's history of injury in the past few years. The upside is that the Kings will have a solid #1 goalie for the next two season. If Cloutier can be healthy (which is unlikely given the Kings history), then it could be the best thing for the Kings. Not to knock on Mathieu Garon or Jason Labarbera, but I personally would like an experienced starter in my line-up over some youngsters.
It seems that some of the money is spent for Cloutier, as he has stepped into the 1990's by getting an actual goalie mask.
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We're less than a week away before the drop of the puck for the '06-'07 NHL season, and we're already in mid-season form. Check out Face Off Hockey Show every Wednesday night at 9 PM ET. If you can check us out live, you can always get us on the Podcast to take the show where you go.
Thursday, September 28, 2006
Saturday, September 23, 2006
Around the Rink 09.20.06
By now, you have heard about the Evgeni Malkin situation. Malkin went down with a seperated shoulder and will have a second opinion of his status this coming week. The result could be a couple weeks to a couple months to the whole season, depending on how severe it is and how much the Penguins want to risk his services.
Somehow, my belief is that the Pens will get as many second opinions as needed to get the answer they want. If it comes to down to Dr. Nick Riviera giving the thumbs-up, they'll do that. If Malkin is deemed out for an extended period of time, you have to figure that this whole adventure he has been on would seem all for nought.
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The New York Rangers and Florida Panthers played in Puerto Rico this evening with the Rangers winning 3-2. James Mirtle said that the pans of the crowd showed less than desired results. Of course, in a place where the sport is foreign, you wouldn't expect much out of there.
There's a time in every plan to expand the game where you just have to look and figure that hockey and hot weather don't really mix that well, especially that close to the Equator.
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Tie Domi retired from the NHL, but fear not-- he'll be in the TSN broadcast team for this season. Domi's retirement pretty much ushers out another heavyweight fighter. With all the rule changes, the role of players like Domi have taken a backseat to that of finesse players and skilled guys. You can see guys like Chris Neil and Brian McGrattan having to switch up their games because of the rule changes and to have a job from year to year.
Domi was a big player in a small frame. I know one thing though, fans behind the penalty box in Philadelphia will feel a lot safer now.
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I know you can tell a lot from the pre-season, but the Nashville Predators and Atlanta Thrashers have really impressed me. The Predators are in their old run and gun style, while the Thrashers seem to get it done high scoring or low scoring. The Predators have been playing fairly elite style hockey in the past couple of season and this could be the climax of all those years of underachieving. I can't leave out the Boston Bruins, either. Their undefeated record shows they could be a force in the Northeast.
After a quickstart, the Blue Jackets have started to fade a little bit. Maybe the loss of Sergei Fedorov hurt them, but I'm sure the AHL roster they have been putting out hasn't helped either. The defending champion Carolina Hurricanes haven't looked overly impressive either, but like I said, good or bad-- you can't really predict anything coming from the pre-season.
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Be sure to check out Face Off Hockey Show at a special Monday Show on the 25th, and returning to Wednesday nights on October 4th. However, if you miss any of the action, you can check out the Podcast for all your FOHS needs.
Somehow, my belief is that the Pens will get as many second opinions as needed to get the answer they want. If it comes to down to Dr. Nick Riviera giving the thumbs-up, they'll do that. If Malkin is deemed out for an extended period of time, you have to figure that this whole adventure he has been on would seem all for nought.
---------
The New York Rangers and Florida Panthers played in Puerto Rico this evening with the Rangers winning 3-2. James Mirtle said that the pans of the crowd showed less than desired results. Of course, in a place where the sport is foreign, you wouldn't expect much out of there.
There's a time in every plan to expand the game where you just have to look and figure that hockey and hot weather don't really mix that well, especially that close to the Equator.
---------
Tie Domi retired from the NHL, but fear not-- he'll be in the TSN broadcast team for this season. Domi's retirement pretty much ushers out another heavyweight fighter. With all the rule changes, the role of players like Domi have taken a backseat to that of finesse players and skilled guys. You can see guys like Chris Neil and Brian McGrattan having to switch up their games because of the rule changes and to have a job from year to year.
Domi was a big player in a small frame. I know one thing though, fans behind the penalty box in Philadelphia will feel a lot safer now.
---------
I know you can tell a lot from the pre-season, but the Nashville Predators and Atlanta Thrashers have really impressed me. The Predators are in their old run and gun style, while the Thrashers seem to get it done high scoring or low scoring. The Predators have been playing fairly elite style hockey in the past couple of season and this could be the climax of all those years of underachieving. I can't leave out the Boston Bruins, either. Their undefeated record shows they could be a force in the Northeast.
After a quickstart, the Blue Jackets have started to fade a little bit. Maybe the loss of Sergei Fedorov hurt them, but I'm sure the AHL roster they have been putting out hasn't helped either. The defending champion Carolina Hurricanes haven't looked overly impressive either, but like I said, good or bad-- you can't really predict anything coming from the pre-season.
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Be sure to check out Face Off Hockey Show at a special Monday Show on the 25th, and returning to Wednesday nights on October 4th. However, if you miss any of the action, you can check out the Podcast for all your FOHS needs.
Monday, September 18, 2006
Around the Rink 09.18.06
The Pittsburgh Penguins are up for sale again-- apparently. According to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, Sam Fingold was unable to reach an agreement on terms with the previous ownership. Right now, it seems that the CEO of Research in Motion, Jim Balsillie, is the lead bidder-- though the Balsillie camp denies the rumors. If you don't know about Research in Motion, it's the company that invented the BlackBerry.
Balsillie was in the inital running to get the Penguins in the first place, but with the deal with the Isle of Capri, it blocked the attempt that Balsillie would have to move the team closer to his Waterloo, Ontario home.
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In other Penguins' news, coach Michel Therrien has announced that there will be no captain for the team this year, but there will be a slue of alternate captains on the ice, all which have yet to be named.
On the surface, it's a good thing, since many reports have pegged Sidney Crosby as the next captain for this season-- but Crosby at 19 may be still too wet behind the ears. However, not to have a captain with guys like John Leclair and Mark Recchi is pretty outlandish. Best of luck to the Pens trying to find a clear-cut leader out of their roster.
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The Philadelphia Flyers re-signed coach Ken Hitchcock to a three-year deal. Since Hitchcock took over in 2002, he has compiled a record of 130-77-39. It didn't take too long for GM Bob Clarke and Hitchcock to make a deal, as Hitchcock has enjoyed his tenure in Philly and will do so for three more seasons.
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In a bizzare incident, former NHL coach Kevin Constantine will be suspended for four games in the WHL after an incident involve his team, the Everett Silvertips. After a 5-0 pre-season tournament loss, Constantine made his players stay in full gear for the post-game meal and the trip back to Everett, a total of five hours.
We'll have more on the Show Wednesday night, but it is an interesting situation. You wonder why someone would do this, but it does show the old-school nature of Constantine. Of course, it shows that he could go off at a moments notice as well, but still.
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The pre-season has started and we'll be with you every step of the way. Just make sure you tune into Face Off Hockey Show this Wednesday night or catch the show on Podcast to make sure you're up to date with all the news and happenings in the pre-season.
Balsillie was in the inital running to get the Penguins in the first place, but with the deal with the Isle of Capri, it blocked the attempt that Balsillie would have to move the team closer to his Waterloo, Ontario home.
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In other Penguins' news, coach Michel Therrien has announced that there will be no captain for the team this year, but there will be a slue of alternate captains on the ice, all which have yet to be named.
On the surface, it's a good thing, since many reports have pegged Sidney Crosby as the next captain for this season-- but Crosby at 19 may be still too wet behind the ears. However, not to have a captain with guys like John Leclair and Mark Recchi is pretty outlandish. Best of luck to the Pens trying to find a clear-cut leader out of their roster.
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The Philadelphia Flyers re-signed coach Ken Hitchcock to a three-year deal. Since Hitchcock took over in 2002, he has compiled a record of 130-77-39. It didn't take too long for GM Bob Clarke and Hitchcock to make a deal, as Hitchcock has enjoyed his tenure in Philly and will do so for three more seasons.
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In a bizzare incident, former NHL coach Kevin Constantine will be suspended for four games in the WHL after an incident involve his team, the Everett Silvertips. After a 5-0 pre-season tournament loss, Constantine made his players stay in full gear for the post-game meal and the trip back to Everett, a total of five hours.
We'll have more on the Show Wednesday night, but it is an interesting situation. You wonder why someone would do this, but it does show the old-school nature of Constantine. Of course, it shows that he could go off at a moments notice as well, but still.
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The pre-season has started and we'll be with you every step of the way. Just make sure you tune into Face Off Hockey Show this Wednesday night or catch the show on Podcast to make sure you're up to date with all the news and happenings in the pre-season.
Friday, September 15, 2006
Around the Rink 09.15.06
The Evgeni Malkin saga continues. Today, a Russian Tribunal ruled that the Russian center is unable to play for any team outside of Metallurg. The NHL responded that they would be open to talk about anything. New York lawyer Alexander Berkovich, who is representing Metallurg, says two options could be trying to uphold the tribunal ruling due to a 1958 treaty were the US and Russia are both signees or to sue the NHL and Penguins for some compensation.
Whether or not this will bring something or not, but we'll have to wait and see. The fact that Metallurg have some kind of US representation may help them out in the short-term. This is something that will probably string out for a while, so sit back and relax.
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Couple of injuries in training camps already. First, the Boston Bruins sent home Alex Zhamnov because he reportedly failed his physical. Zhamnov was a big acquisition who really didn't make a splash in Boston in his first year. Zhamnov is still owed just ove $8M, but that should be covered by insurance.
Cam Barker of the Blackhawks fractured his ankle and will be lost for four-to-six weeks. Barker fractured the same ankle last season while playing in Medicine Hat. Barker was part of the past two Canadian World Junior squads, both who won gold.
Finally, Steve Konowalchuk will have to undergo more test on his heart. The veteran forward's EKG test revealed some abnormalities and will require more testing. Konowalchuk missed most of last season with an injured wrist.
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Keith Primeau announced his retirement yesterday. Primeau's bouts with post-concussion syndrome forced him to retire at 34 years old. Primeau spent 15 season in the NHL with Philadelphia, Hartford, Detroit, and Carolina. Primeau finished with 266 goals and 619 points. Primeau will be most remembered for his heroics in the playoffs, especially in the 2004 playoff drive.
The Flyers announced that in lieu of Primeau retirement, Peter Forsberg will be the new captain with Simon Gagne and Derian Hatcher as the alternates. Forsberg will be the captain for the first time in his career after being an alternate in both Colorado and Philly.
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The NHL announced a couple new rule changes. First off, the maximum amount of the curve has been increased from 1/2 inch to 3/4 inch. This rule is meant to give the shooters a little more zip to their shot and hopefully limit the amount of time shooters get caught with illegal curves for the shootout.
Speaking of the shootout, the home team will now have the choice to shoot first or last in the shootout. I don't think this could be implimented many times, but it's nice to know that there's an option there.
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Camps are in session and for all the latest news and fun, check out the Face Off Hockey Show message boards and tune into the Face Off Hockey Show live or on Podcast each and every week.
Whether or not this will bring something or not, but we'll have to wait and see. The fact that Metallurg have some kind of US representation may help them out in the short-term. This is something that will probably string out for a while, so sit back and relax.
---------
Couple of injuries in training camps already. First, the Boston Bruins sent home Alex Zhamnov because he reportedly failed his physical. Zhamnov was a big acquisition who really didn't make a splash in Boston in his first year. Zhamnov is still owed just ove $8M, but that should be covered by insurance.
Cam Barker of the Blackhawks fractured his ankle and will be lost for four-to-six weeks. Barker fractured the same ankle last season while playing in Medicine Hat. Barker was part of the past two Canadian World Junior squads, both who won gold.
Finally, Steve Konowalchuk will have to undergo more test on his heart. The veteran forward's EKG test revealed some abnormalities and will require more testing. Konowalchuk missed most of last season with an injured wrist.
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Keith Primeau announced his retirement yesterday. Primeau's bouts with post-concussion syndrome forced him to retire at 34 years old. Primeau spent 15 season in the NHL with Philadelphia, Hartford, Detroit, and Carolina. Primeau finished with 266 goals and 619 points. Primeau will be most remembered for his heroics in the playoffs, especially in the 2004 playoff drive.
The Flyers announced that in lieu of Primeau retirement, Peter Forsberg will be the new captain with Simon Gagne and Derian Hatcher as the alternates. Forsberg will be the captain for the first time in his career after being an alternate in both Colorado and Philly.
---------
The NHL announced a couple new rule changes. First off, the maximum amount of the curve has been increased from 1/2 inch to 3/4 inch. This rule is meant to give the shooters a little more zip to their shot and hopefully limit the amount of time shooters get caught with illegal curves for the shootout.
Speaking of the shootout, the home team will now have the choice to shoot first or last in the shootout. I don't think this could be implimented many times, but it's nice to know that there's an option there.
---------
Camps are in session and for all the latest news and fun, check out the Face Off Hockey Show message boards and tune into the Face Off Hockey Show live or on Podcast each and every week.
Tuesday, September 12, 2006
15-Years to Life
If you haven't heard about New York Islander goalie Rick DiPietro signing a 15-year deal worth $67.5M; then you're probably better off. Much like the firing of Neil Smith as the GM to hire former back-up Garth Snow-- the Isles continue to be the laughingstock of the NHL.
I can understand that the Islanders would like to re-sign their young stars, but there's something wrong with this. DiPietro is a great young talent and still could become a star, yet his inconsistency in his tenure in the NHL thus far has been something of a disappointment for a former #1 overall draft pick.
Someone like Alexander Ovechkin or Sidney Crosby could get a deal like this and the respective teams would be applauded for doing such a thing, especially when it comes to getting the players through their prime, but someone like DiPietro could have gone for a lot less, both in price and in tenure. Though with the lack of depth in the Islanders system, maybe this is an ordeal where they wanted to make sure they had a goalie for the next decade and a half.
Often I wonder if the NHL should put something in the league constitution to save owners from themselves. This would right now only apply to Isles owner Charles Wang, especially considering the 10-year deal that he gave to Alexei Yashin before this deal. Of course, this could also work for the old-school owners like Bill Wirtz who seems to want to destroy the home market rather than build it up. It would not only help the team, but keep owner under control.
It's a shame for an Islanders franchise who has four Stanley Cups and has had plenty of hall-of-famers, but now it seems that there are two things going down in Long Island: the ship and some iced teas.
I can understand that the Islanders would like to re-sign their young stars, but there's something wrong with this. DiPietro is a great young talent and still could become a star, yet his inconsistency in his tenure in the NHL thus far has been something of a disappointment for a former #1 overall draft pick.
Someone like Alexander Ovechkin or Sidney Crosby could get a deal like this and the respective teams would be applauded for doing such a thing, especially when it comes to getting the players through their prime, but someone like DiPietro could have gone for a lot less, both in price and in tenure. Though with the lack of depth in the Islanders system, maybe this is an ordeal where they wanted to make sure they had a goalie for the next decade and a half.
Often I wonder if the NHL should put something in the league constitution to save owners from themselves. This would right now only apply to Isles owner Charles Wang, especially considering the 10-year deal that he gave to Alexei Yashin before this deal. Of course, this could also work for the old-school owners like Bill Wirtz who seems to want to destroy the home market rather than build it up. It would not only help the team, but keep owner under control.
It's a shame for an Islanders franchise who has four Stanley Cups and has had plenty of hall-of-famers, but now it seems that there are two things going down in Long Island: the ship and some iced teas.
Monday, September 11, 2006
Around the Rink 09.12.06
Simon Gagne and the Philadelphia Flyers have seemingly found a common ground as the winger signed a new five-year deal worth $5.25M a season. Both Gagne and the Flyers have been a little bit apart at the beginning of the month, but it seems the cooler heads prevailed and Gagne will be in camp.
With Gagne signed, Forsberg skating again, it seems that the Flyers could be a solid team. However, like it has been in the past couple of season, goaltending will be the real issue. Yet, if there are goals to be scored, then it could work out. Robert Esche and Antero Niittymaki will have to be on their best to get the job done in net.
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The Nashville Predators rewarded one of the original Preds by signing goaltender Tomas Vokoun to a four-year extension worth $22.8M to keep the goalie in the Music City until the 2010-11 season. Vokoun was picked up by the Predators in the expansion draft in 1998 when the Montreal Canadiens left him unprotected.
There is no doubt that Vokoun is the biggest reason that the Predators are where they are today. He's a workhorse and really can get the job done. You could see that the Preds were struggling when Vokoun bowed out with blood clots late last season.
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In this weekend's Vancouver Province, there was an interesting write-up by Tony Gallagher about Todd Bertuzzi's tenure in Vancouver and what led to the fall-out. Bertuzzi talks about what was going on in the lockerroom, his relationship with former Canucks bench boss Marc Crawford, and how it all came crashing down.
I don't know if what Bertuzzi said was true, but I don't know if something like this should be brought out into the open. It almost seems like he's diverting the cause of failure to other parties other than himself. You all can form an opinion for yourselves, but for me-- it wasn't my cup of tea.
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Apparently there is a market for goaltender's autobiographies. Well, I say this because Martin Brodeur is putting out his autobiography "Brodeur: Beyond the Crease." In it, Brodeur talks about the happenings on and off the ice, including the Todd Bertuzzi incident, seperatism, and soft drink preferences.
I don't know if it'll be a best-seller, but I'm sure that it'll be an interesting read regardless of the quality of Brodeur book-writing skills. I think the most interesting part while reading some of the shots given out by the CP is what it's like to being his own agent. Brodeur has always been quotable, which should continue after this book is out on the market.
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That's all for now, but listen into Face Off Hockey Show this Wednesday night at 9 PM ET or if you can't catch us live, be sure to check out the Podcast to get everything you missed.
With Gagne signed, Forsberg skating again, it seems that the Flyers could be a solid team. However, like it has been in the past couple of season, goaltending will be the real issue. Yet, if there are goals to be scored, then it could work out. Robert Esche and Antero Niittymaki will have to be on their best to get the job done in net.
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The Nashville Predators rewarded one of the original Preds by signing goaltender Tomas Vokoun to a four-year extension worth $22.8M to keep the goalie in the Music City until the 2010-11 season. Vokoun was picked up by the Predators in the expansion draft in 1998 when the Montreal Canadiens left him unprotected.
There is no doubt that Vokoun is the biggest reason that the Predators are where they are today. He's a workhorse and really can get the job done. You could see that the Preds were struggling when Vokoun bowed out with blood clots late last season.
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In this weekend's Vancouver Province, there was an interesting write-up by Tony Gallagher about Todd Bertuzzi's tenure in Vancouver and what led to the fall-out. Bertuzzi talks about what was going on in the lockerroom, his relationship with former Canucks bench boss Marc Crawford, and how it all came crashing down.
I don't know if what Bertuzzi said was true, but I don't know if something like this should be brought out into the open. It almost seems like he's diverting the cause of failure to other parties other than himself. You all can form an opinion for yourselves, but for me-- it wasn't my cup of tea.
---------
Apparently there is a market for goaltender's autobiographies. Well, I say this because Martin Brodeur is putting out his autobiography "Brodeur: Beyond the Crease." In it, Brodeur talks about the happenings on and off the ice, including the Todd Bertuzzi incident, seperatism, and soft drink preferences.
I don't know if it'll be a best-seller, but I'm sure that it'll be an interesting read regardless of the quality of Brodeur book-writing skills. I think the most interesting part while reading some of the shots given out by the CP is what it's like to being his own agent. Brodeur has always been quotable, which should continue after this book is out on the market.
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That's all for now, but listen into Face Off Hockey Show this Wednesday night at 9 PM ET or if you can't catch us live, be sure to check out the Podcast to get everything you missed.
Friday, September 08, 2006
Around the Rink 09.08.06
Two teams locked up their young goaltenders for the next couple of years. First, on Thursday, Kari Lehtonen and the Atlanta Thrashers agreed to a new two-year pact. In 38 games last season, Lehtonen compiled a 20-15-0 record with a 2.94 GAA. Lehtonen was hampered with a groin issue last year, but should be able to bounce back and play up to his caliber.
The Anaheim Ducks re-signed Ilya Bryzgalov for three more years after his stellar performance in the playoffs last season. The big question is whether or not Bryzgalov will be the starter, back-up, or split time with J-S Giguere for the season.
The Buffalo Sabres locked up Ryan Miller for three more seasons on Friday. After a broken thumb kept him out for the middle part of the season, Miller came back and was able to cap off a 30-win season as well as help the Sabres get to the Eastern Conference finals.
These goalies are crucial in their organization, but Miller could be more valuable of the two. Miller has turned the Sabres franchise around and has given the Sabres a top-notch goalie for the first time since Dominik Hasek left.
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A few days are Mike Keenan being pushed out, things are getting clearer about what happened. At first, former Panthers GM Rick Dudley came out to say that owner Alan Cohen was a huge fan of Jacques Martin, which definitely answered questions about why Keenan was disposed of so quickly.
The next day, Jacques Martin came out to say that the relationship between himself and Mike Keenan was just fine and that there was no turmoil between the two. Martin says that he doesn't know why Keenan resigned so suddenly.
Keenan has yet to come out to say why he resigned.
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The issue of captaincy has been hot and heavy this week. First off, Alexander Ovechkin denied the Washington Capitals captaincy due to the fact that Ovechkin still is learning the english language and doesn't think he'll be able to be communicate with the team if need be. It's a mature move by Ovechkin, who knows that this will be his team sooner or later and it not afraid to wait.
Vancouver Canucks' captain Markus Naslund is unsure if he'll be the captain with all the new faces both on the ice and behind the bench. With someone new behind the bench, they may think that Naslund isn't the right fit to lead the team. It should be interesting to see what happens in Vancouver, but it could go one of two ways. Which way is still to be determined.
Finally, in a somewhat surprising move, the Tampa Bay Lightning named Tim Taylor as their captain. The "Toolman" will have forwards Brad Richards and Vincent Lecavalier as his alternates. Though Taylor isn't as flashy as the others, coach John Tortorella believes that the experience will help the team in the long-run.
---------
Training camps are going to get underway in about a week. There are many questions that will be answers and more problems that will be compounded if something were to go down unexpectedly. However, for all the latest, tune into Face Off Hockey Show every Wednesday and always on the Podcast.
The Anaheim Ducks re-signed Ilya Bryzgalov for three more years after his stellar performance in the playoffs last season. The big question is whether or not Bryzgalov will be the starter, back-up, or split time with J-S Giguere for the season.
The Buffalo Sabres locked up Ryan Miller for three more seasons on Friday. After a broken thumb kept him out for the middle part of the season, Miller came back and was able to cap off a 30-win season as well as help the Sabres get to the Eastern Conference finals.
These goalies are crucial in their organization, but Miller could be more valuable of the two. Miller has turned the Sabres franchise around and has given the Sabres a top-notch goalie for the first time since Dominik Hasek left.
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A few days are Mike Keenan being pushed out, things are getting clearer about what happened. At first, former Panthers GM Rick Dudley came out to say that owner Alan Cohen was a huge fan of Jacques Martin, which definitely answered questions about why Keenan was disposed of so quickly.
The next day, Jacques Martin came out to say that the relationship between himself and Mike Keenan was just fine and that there was no turmoil between the two. Martin says that he doesn't know why Keenan resigned so suddenly.
Keenan has yet to come out to say why he resigned.
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The issue of captaincy has been hot and heavy this week. First off, Alexander Ovechkin denied the Washington Capitals captaincy due to the fact that Ovechkin still is learning the english language and doesn't think he'll be able to be communicate with the team if need be. It's a mature move by Ovechkin, who knows that this will be his team sooner or later and it not afraid to wait.
Vancouver Canucks' captain Markus Naslund is unsure if he'll be the captain with all the new faces both on the ice and behind the bench. With someone new behind the bench, they may think that Naslund isn't the right fit to lead the team. It should be interesting to see what happens in Vancouver, but it could go one of two ways. Which way is still to be determined.
Finally, in a somewhat surprising move, the Tampa Bay Lightning named Tim Taylor as their captain. The "Toolman" will have forwards Brad Richards and Vincent Lecavalier as his alternates. Though Taylor isn't as flashy as the others, coach John Tortorella believes that the experience will help the team in the long-run.
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Training camps are going to get underway in about a week. There are many questions that will be answers and more problems that will be compounded if something were to go down unexpectedly. However, for all the latest, tune into Face Off Hockey Show every Wednesday and always on the Podcast.
Tuesday, September 05, 2006
Around the Rink 09.05.06
It took a while, but the Pittsburgh Penguins finally signed Evgeni Malkin to a entry level contract. So pretty much, we just wait to see if Metallurg or the Russian Federation will do anything about it. However, it seems they have been less and less vocal about it.
Is it good that this saga is over?? Sure, due to the allowance of everyone in the NHL to get on with their lives and start focusing on hockey. However, it's almost too quiet from overseas and that could be the calm before the storm. We'll keep an eye on this, but for some crazy reason-- this isn't over; not by a long shot. There's still something up the Russians' sleeves.
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Another Russian is coming over from the Motherland, as the Calgary Flames announced that Andrei Taratukhin has signed on with the Flames after spending last season with Lokomotiv of the Russian Elite League.
The former second round pick in the 2001 entry draft put up nine goals and 15 assists last season with 85 PIMs. Taratukhin should be used in a depth role, but could possibly bust out if given the right chance.
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The man with the worst luck in the world, Peter Forsberg, was back out on the ice today. Forsberg was testing out his surgically repaired ankle. Of course, Forsberg was slated to have surgery on both ankles, but only needed to have it on one. Though he was out there earlier than he expected, he still could tell if it made a difference or not.
Though he was limited to 60 games, Forsberg helped Simon Gagne get his scoring touch and helped the Flyers to a 35-16-9 record when he was in the line-up. Forsberg is a very valuable asset to the team, but if he is rushed into playing before he's ready-- it could be a bad start to the Flyers season.
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The Montreal Canadiens are still concerned when it comes to Saku Koivu and his eye injury. Yesterday, at an annual charity golf event, Koivu showed up with his eye still partial shut from the high stick from Justin Williams in the playoffs last season.
Koivu is heading back into the doctor's to see how much his vision has been effected, but it seems Koivu is chomping at the bit to get back onto the ice and test it out during real action. Koivu has also said that he will switch his visor to a bigger size in order to make sure something like this doesn't happen again. Koivu has been skating for two weeks in Finland to help his conditioning.
Once Koivu gets into the game situations, the Habs can see how far along he is. If he is unable to be effective on the ice, then there could be an issue of what to do next with him. The upside to all of this was the ability to get someone like Sergei Samsonov in the line-up to help out on the scoring if Koivu is out for a period of time.
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That's all for today, but be sure to listen tomorrow night (Wednesday for those who forgot what day it is) at 9 PM ET for all the fun and excitement that is Face Off Hockey Show. Can't make it live?? Well, check out our Podcast for all the things you missed out on.
Is it good that this saga is over?? Sure, due to the allowance of everyone in the NHL to get on with their lives and start focusing on hockey. However, it's almost too quiet from overseas and that could be the calm before the storm. We'll keep an eye on this, but for some crazy reason-- this isn't over; not by a long shot. There's still something up the Russians' sleeves.
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Another Russian is coming over from the Motherland, as the Calgary Flames announced that Andrei Taratukhin has signed on with the Flames after spending last season with Lokomotiv of the Russian Elite League.
The former second round pick in the 2001 entry draft put up nine goals and 15 assists last season with 85 PIMs. Taratukhin should be used in a depth role, but could possibly bust out if given the right chance.
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The man with the worst luck in the world, Peter Forsberg, was back out on the ice today. Forsberg was testing out his surgically repaired ankle. Of course, Forsberg was slated to have surgery on both ankles, but only needed to have it on one. Though he was out there earlier than he expected, he still could tell if it made a difference or not.
Though he was limited to 60 games, Forsberg helped Simon Gagne get his scoring touch and helped the Flyers to a 35-16-9 record when he was in the line-up. Forsberg is a very valuable asset to the team, but if he is rushed into playing before he's ready-- it could be a bad start to the Flyers season.
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The Montreal Canadiens are still concerned when it comes to Saku Koivu and his eye injury. Yesterday, at an annual charity golf event, Koivu showed up with his eye still partial shut from the high stick from Justin Williams in the playoffs last season.
Koivu is heading back into the doctor's to see how much his vision has been effected, but it seems Koivu is chomping at the bit to get back onto the ice and test it out during real action. Koivu has also said that he will switch his visor to a bigger size in order to make sure something like this doesn't happen again. Koivu has been skating for two weeks in Finland to help his conditioning.
Once Koivu gets into the game situations, the Habs can see how far along he is. If he is unable to be effective on the ice, then there could be an issue of what to do next with him. The upside to all of this was the ability to get someone like Sergei Samsonov in the line-up to help out on the scoring if Koivu is out for a period of time.
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That's all for today, but be sure to listen tomorrow night (Wednesday for those who forgot what day it is) at 9 PM ET for all the fun and excitement that is Face Off Hockey Show. Can't make it live?? Well, check out our Podcast for all the things you missed out on.
Sunday, September 03, 2006
Iron Mike Down for the Count......For Now
For some reason, which as of right now is unknown, the Florida Panthers are in for a regime change. Mike Keenan today stepped down as the Panthers' GM and apparently, Jacques Martin will take over the duties to become the GM/Coach of the Cats.
Keenan had been the GM of the Panthers since May of 2004, which technically means he only had one year of job experience for the Panthers. However, he has been in the Panthers organization since December of 2001 when he replaced Duane Sutter.
The thing that strikes me as odd is the timing of this whole announcement. With the moves that have been made in the summer, you would have expected this to happen later or even earlier, so Martin or whomever, can get their team adjusted. Plus, the replacement of Jacques Martin is something that's strikes me as really interesting.
Not to bag on Martin for anything, but taking over the duel role of GM and coach is something that is difficult for the experienced GM or coach, but to have someone who has little experience in the position will be a sight to be seen. Of course, with the limited availability of good GMs out there, as well as the little time between now and the start of the season, it could be a good placeholder for now. Plus, Martin can see who he likes and dislikes from the bench, then go to the office and move accordingly.
Yet, still the surprise of this announcement still gets me. Right now, the question is why did Keenan did this?? Is there another job out there for him?? Is he worn out by what's going on in South Florida?? Was he fed up with who was in charge in Florida and wanted to get out on his own terms before he was put out on the curb??
I'm sure in the next couple of weeks, the answers and reasoning will come out and we'll get a clearer picture. Right now, there's just a lot of disbelief and surprise that this whole think has happened.
Keenan had been the GM of the Panthers since May of 2004, which technically means he only had one year of job experience for the Panthers. However, he has been in the Panthers organization since December of 2001 when he replaced Duane Sutter.
The thing that strikes me as odd is the timing of this whole announcement. With the moves that have been made in the summer, you would have expected this to happen later or even earlier, so Martin or whomever, can get their team adjusted. Plus, the replacement of Jacques Martin is something that's strikes me as really interesting.
Not to bag on Martin for anything, but taking over the duel role of GM and coach is something that is difficult for the experienced GM or coach, but to have someone who has little experience in the position will be a sight to be seen. Of course, with the limited availability of good GMs out there, as well as the little time between now and the start of the season, it could be a good placeholder for now. Plus, Martin can see who he likes and dislikes from the bench, then go to the office and move accordingly.
Yet, still the surprise of this announcement still gets me. Right now, the question is why did Keenan did this?? Is there another job out there for him?? Is he worn out by what's going on in South Florida?? Was he fed up with who was in charge in Florida and wanted to get out on his own terms before he was put out on the curb??
I'm sure in the next couple of weeks, the answers and reasoning will come out and we'll get a clearer picture. Right now, there's just a lot of disbelief and surprise that this whole think has happened.
Saturday, September 02, 2006
Around the Rink 09.02.06
It seems that the Columbus Blue Jackets are going to call Nikolai Zherdev on his claim that he's willing to go to Russia to play if his contract demands are not met. GM Doug MacLean hasn't spoken to Zherdev or his agent since Zherdev rejected a two-year contract worth about $3.8M. It seems the Zherdev camp is looking for a longer term deal and probably more cash.
It's a shame that Zherdev has so much untapped talent, but it seems that he's dead set on getting what he wants or else he'll head back home to play in the Russian Super League. Of course, with Fredrik Modin being acquired the pain of Zherdev not being there is lessened.
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Jeremy Roenick is at it again. This time JR is complaining that the Phoenix Coyotes aren't getting enough TV time, especially since Wayne Gretzky is the coach and part-owner of the team. The Coyotes will be seen on national TV only once on Versus, and that's not until late March.
As much as people may hate JR, I have to agree with him. I can understand that the NHL wants people to watch by putting team on there that casual watcher will recognize; but how do they expect to grow the game if they just show the Red Wings, Flyers, Avalanche, Penguins, and Rangers?? Especially when there's plenty of teams out there with exciting players, it's a shame the talent isn't being exposed as much as it should.
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The Edmonton Oilers are sleeping in a plenty of beds when it comes to AHL affiliates this coming season. The Oilers will have five teams as their affiliates for '06-'07, splitting with the teams who used the teams as a primary role. On the list are the Iowa Stars and Hamiliton Bulldogs, whom the Oilers used last season, while new to the list are the Milwaukee Admirals, Wilkes/Barre Scranton Penguins, and Grand Rapids Griffins.
More than likely, the deal will have the Oilers be able to put a maximum of five players on each of the teams. The Oilers old AHL team, the Edmonton Roadrunners, suspended operations before the '05-'06 season after spending on season in Toronton and one in Edmonton.
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Some other news of interest for you all:
-Steve Yzerman's #19 will be retired on January 2nd. Yzerman spent his entire career in Motown and it is a truly deserving honor for one of the greatest captains in the game.
-The Atlanta Thrashers announced that they will use their baby blue, former alternates, as their home uniform this season. The Thrashers debuted their baby blues in '03-'04.
-New St. Louis Blues owner Dave Checketts is ready to get back on the winning track. Not only has he allowed Larry Pleau to open the checkbook and get bigger names in the line-up, but he's ready to get the team back into the playoffs and get over on the hiccup of last year.
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Remember, training camps open on September 13th and we'll be there to cover the happenings and undoings during that time. So keep checking in and listening up and you'll be fine.
It's a shame that Zherdev has so much untapped talent, but it seems that he's dead set on getting what he wants or else he'll head back home to play in the Russian Super League. Of course, with Fredrik Modin being acquired the pain of Zherdev not being there is lessened.
---------
Jeremy Roenick is at it again. This time JR is complaining that the Phoenix Coyotes aren't getting enough TV time, especially since Wayne Gretzky is the coach and part-owner of the team. The Coyotes will be seen on national TV only once on Versus, and that's not until late March.
As much as people may hate JR, I have to agree with him. I can understand that the NHL wants people to watch by putting team on there that casual watcher will recognize; but how do they expect to grow the game if they just show the Red Wings, Flyers, Avalanche, Penguins, and Rangers?? Especially when there's plenty of teams out there with exciting players, it's a shame the talent isn't being exposed as much as it should.
---------
The Edmonton Oilers are sleeping in a plenty of beds when it comes to AHL affiliates this coming season. The Oilers will have five teams as their affiliates for '06-'07, splitting with the teams who used the teams as a primary role. On the list are the Iowa Stars and Hamiliton Bulldogs, whom the Oilers used last season, while new to the list are the Milwaukee Admirals, Wilkes/Barre Scranton Penguins, and Grand Rapids Griffins.
More than likely, the deal will have the Oilers be able to put a maximum of five players on each of the teams. The Oilers old AHL team, the Edmonton Roadrunners, suspended operations before the '05-'06 season after spending on season in Toronton and one in Edmonton.
---------
Some other news of interest for you all:
-Steve Yzerman's #19 will be retired on January 2nd. Yzerman spent his entire career in Motown and it is a truly deserving honor for one of the greatest captains in the game.
-The Atlanta Thrashers announced that they will use their baby blue, former alternates, as their home uniform this season. The Thrashers debuted their baby blues in '03-'04.
-New St. Louis Blues owner Dave Checketts is ready to get back on the winning track. Not only has he allowed Larry Pleau to open the checkbook and get bigger names in the line-up, but he's ready to get the team back into the playoffs and get over on the hiccup of last year.
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Remember, training camps open on September 13th and we'll be there to cover the happenings and undoings during that time. So keep checking in and listening up and you'll be fine.
Tuesday, August 29, 2006
Around the Rink 08.29.06
The Nashville Predators added some punch to their forward line as they signed J-P Dumont to a 2-year deal worth around $4.5M. Dumont had 20 goals and 20 assists in 54 games and became a free agent when the Buffalo Sabres declined to sign Dumont to an arbitrator's reward.
The Predators have done some work in getting some more offense into their system. With the signing of Jason Arnott and revitalization of Paul Kariya-- the Preds are looking to take over as the Central Division's top team and enter a new era of hockey. Of course, if Dumont can build off his stellar playoffs where he had seven goals and seven assists in 18 playoff games. With the high-tempo Preds gameplan, Dumont should be assured to up his numbers as a secondary scorer.
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The Sabres were also dealt a blow by hearing that forward Tim Connolly will probably not be ready for training camp, as he is still feeling the effects of a concussion that he sustained during Game One of the Conference Semi-finals against Ottawa.
Connolly continues his history of concussion problems, having to miss out on the entire 2003-04 season with a concussion problem. At only 25-years-old, the worries are that he will become like Brett Lindros, taking too many shots to the head and having a promising career cut short. The Sabres are hoping Connolly will make sure that he is cleared to play before even thinking about stepping back onto the ice.
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The Carolina Hurricanes brought back David Tanabe by signing the defenseman to a one-year, $900k deal. The defenseman was originally drafted by the Hurricanes in 1999 and since then has registered 94 points in 374 games. Tanabe has had some injury problems, but he worked out for the Hurricanes to show that he was over those problems.
Also in Canesland, there are rumors that the Canes have been persuing Brad Isbister to help fill the void that will be left by the absence of Cory Stillman. Stillman will miss up to 35 games at the start of next season as a result of shoulder surgey the forward had on Friday.
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That's all from around the rinks in the NHL. Check out Face Off Hockey Show live on Wednesday night starting at 9 PM ET. If you can't make it live, check out our Podcast for anything you may have missed.
The Predators have done some work in getting some more offense into their system. With the signing of Jason Arnott and revitalization of Paul Kariya-- the Preds are looking to take over as the Central Division's top team and enter a new era of hockey. Of course, if Dumont can build off his stellar playoffs where he had seven goals and seven assists in 18 playoff games. With the high-tempo Preds gameplan, Dumont should be assured to up his numbers as a secondary scorer.
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The Sabres were also dealt a blow by hearing that forward Tim Connolly will probably not be ready for training camp, as he is still feeling the effects of a concussion that he sustained during Game One of the Conference Semi-finals against Ottawa.
Connolly continues his history of concussion problems, having to miss out on the entire 2003-04 season with a concussion problem. At only 25-years-old, the worries are that he will become like Brett Lindros, taking too many shots to the head and having a promising career cut short. The Sabres are hoping Connolly will make sure that he is cleared to play before even thinking about stepping back onto the ice.
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The Carolina Hurricanes brought back David Tanabe by signing the defenseman to a one-year, $900k deal. The defenseman was originally drafted by the Hurricanes in 1999 and since then has registered 94 points in 374 games. Tanabe has had some injury problems, but he worked out for the Hurricanes to show that he was over those problems.
Also in Canesland, there are rumors that the Canes have been persuing Brad Isbister to help fill the void that will be left by the absence of Cory Stillman. Stillman will miss up to 35 games at the start of next season as a result of shoulder surgey the forward had on Friday.
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That's all from around the rinks in the NHL. Check out Face Off Hockey Show live on Wednesday night starting at 9 PM ET. If you can't make it live, check out our Podcast for anything you may have missed.
Thursday, August 24, 2006
Around the Rink 08.24.06
It's been too long since a new story has been posted, so here's a look around the important spots of the hockey world.
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Patrice Bergeron will be a Bruin for the forseeable future as he agreed to a 5-year deal worth about $4.75M a season. Bergeron had a career season last year putting up 31 goals and 42 assists after being thrusted into the top center with the departure of Joe Thornton.
With Bergeron locked up and plenty of other key players there for the next two to three years, the Bruins can actually focus on getting back onto the playoff track. There has been a lot of turmoil in the last couple of years, but with new faces behind the bench and in the front office; the fans of the spoked "B" will be hoping to get further than the first round this season.
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According to reports from the Detroit Free Press, the Red Wings will have their first new captain since the 1986-87 season. The reports have pegged defenseman Nicklas Lidstrom as the top candidate for the position, while others on Red Wings fan sites are calling for Henrik Zetterberg to get the "C" since he's younger and could continue the process of long-standing captains.
Mike Babcock was reached and denied anything was happening, but odds are this has been in the making for a long time.
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If you're a Blue Jackets' fan, you may be resigned to the fact that Nikolai Zherdev may not be in the line-up for the '06-'07 season. It seems that the staring game between Zherdev's camp and the GM/Czar of Columbus Doug MacLean has reached it's pinnacle and should see Zherdev head to the Russian Elite League to play for Khimik.
Granted, with Fredrik Modin having been acquired in the off-season, the sting probably won't hurt too hard. As valuable of a talent that Zherdev is, his performances in the past few season haven't been what the Blue Jackets had hoped. With plenty of underachiving performances, the Blue Jackets may welcome the leaving for more development. Getting him back could be the biggest hurdle, but I'm sure they'll cross that bridge when they get to it.
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Winger J-P Dumont has narrowed his search for a home down to about four teams. Dumont, who didn't have his arbitration award signed by the Sabres, didn't mention the teams, but took the Canadiens out of the picture saying they didn't make a formal offer to Dumont's team. Odds are that the Red Wings and Sabres are two of the teams, while the other two could be out of the blue.
It's odd that so many people would be chomping at the bit for a guy who had only 40 points last season (20g-20a), and who's career-high in points is 51 (23g-28a). Of course, for an arbitrator to give said player a one-year $2.9M reward...that's a tad overboard, but who didn't see that coming??
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That's some of the bigger stories that are out there. We're counting down the days before the training camps start, and if you haven't listened the the archived shows through the summer, like the one we did last night, then you're missing out on some crazy, crazy stuff. So check out our webpage, check out our Podcast, and check out our past shows so you can catch up on all the hilarity.
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Patrice Bergeron will be a Bruin for the forseeable future as he agreed to a 5-year deal worth about $4.75M a season. Bergeron had a career season last year putting up 31 goals and 42 assists after being thrusted into the top center with the departure of Joe Thornton.
With Bergeron locked up and plenty of other key players there for the next two to three years, the Bruins can actually focus on getting back onto the playoff track. There has been a lot of turmoil in the last couple of years, but with new faces behind the bench and in the front office; the fans of the spoked "B" will be hoping to get further than the first round this season.
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According to reports from the Detroit Free Press, the Red Wings will have their first new captain since the 1986-87 season. The reports have pegged defenseman Nicklas Lidstrom as the top candidate for the position, while others on Red Wings fan sites are calling for Henrik Zetterberg to get the "C" since he's younger and could continue the process of long-standing captains.
Mike Babcock was reached and denied anything was happening, but odds are this has been in the making for a long time.
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If you're a Blue Jackets' fan, you may be resigned to the fact that Nikolai Zherdev may not be in the line-up for the '06-'07 season. It seems that the staring game between Zherdev's camp and the GM/Czar of Columbus Doug MacLean has reached it's pinnacle and should see Zherdev head to the Russian Elite League to play for Khimik.
Granted, with Fredrik Modin having been acquired in the off-season, the sting probably won't hurt too hard. As valuable of a talent that Zherdev is, his performances in the past few season haven't been what the Blue Jackets had hoped. With plenty of underachiving performances, the Blue Jackets may welcome the leaving for more development. Getting him back could be the biggest hurdle, but I'm sure they'll cross that bridge when they get to it.
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Winger J-P Dumont has narrowed his search for a home down to about four teams. Dumont, who didn't have his arbitration award signed by the Sabres, didn't mention the teams, but took the Canadiens out of the picture saying they didn't make a formal offer to Dumont's team. Odds are that the Red Wings and Sabres are two of the teams, while the other two could be out of the blue.
It's odd that so many people would be chomping at the bit for a guy who had only 40 points last season (20g-20a), and who's career-high in points is 51 (23g-28a). Of course, for an arbitrator to give said player a one-year $2.9M reward...that's a tad overboard, but who didn't see that coming??
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That's some of the bigger stories that are out there. We're counting down the days before the training camps start, and if you haven't listened the the archived shows through the summer, like the one we did last night, then you're missing out on some crazy, crazy stuff. So check out our webpage, check out our Podcast, and check out our past shows so you can catch up on all the hilarity.
Tuesday, August 22, 2006
FantasyHockey.com Draft Guide
Do you need a Fantasy Hockey Draft Guide that leave no stone unturned?? Do you need a Fantasy Hockey Draft Guide that gives you in-depth breakdowns team-by-team, player-by-player, stat-by-stat?? Do you need a Fantasy Hockey Draft Guide with two of the four members of "Face Off Hockey Show??" Then you need to get on the FantasyHockey.com Draft Guide.
That's right, it's Fantasy Hockey time again and I have to say this guide came out better than expected, and I'm not saying that because I have plenty of work put in there-- it's really a quality product for the people. It breaks down Fantasy Hockey for the beginners, gives alternate scoring ideas, and break downs of your favorite players and teams. All of it for $5 USD. It's a STEAL at twice the price. It's only available on-line and has 301 pages chocked full of news, notes, and stories you'll need to conquer your Fantasy Hockey League.
Plus, it includes stuff from me (Wazz) and everyone's favorite "That Guy" Jonny P. It's worth the price and worth it if you want to control your league. However, you could win one if all goes well and you answer a weekly trivia question and win in the raffle for the week. Will it happen?? You'll have to listen in to the show to find out.
That's right, it's Fantasy Hockey time again and I have to say this guide came out better than expected, and I'm not saying that because I have plenty of work put in there-- it's really a quality product for the people. It breaks down Fantasy Hockey for the beginners, gives alternate scoring ideas, and break downs of your favorite players and teams. All of it for $5 USD. It's a STEAL at twice the price. It's only available on-line and has 301 pages chocked full of news, notes, and stories you'll need to conquer your Fantasy Hockey League.
Plus, it includes stuff from me (Wazz) and everyone's favorite "That Guy" Jonny P. It's worth the price and worth it if you want to control your league. However, you could win one if all goes well and you answer a weekly trivia question and win in the raffle for the week. Will it happen?? You'll have to listen in to the show to find out.
Thursday, August 17, 2006
Cannonball Run: Malkin's Mission
To the surprise of no one, Evgeni Malkin landed in North America on Thursday after being holed-up in an apartment in Helsinki for a while when he was waiting for a work visa in the States. I guess in his time there, he took the Alexander Mogilny approach to come into the NHL. For the time being at least, the situation is cooling down. However, the fact of the matter is the off-ice issues are already in full swing.Outside of the fact that Malkin still needs to be signed, there's a high chance Metallurg will use their legal team to get an injunction of some sorts to block Malkin from playing. Whether or not it will hold up is another thing entirely. I'm sure that the Russian club will make it as hard a possible for the Penguins to get Malkin on the ice in their jersey.....or they think that at least.
However, for all the comments about Russia signing the transfer agreement and be happy with any money gotten, there's plenty of comments talking about how he's not worth the trouble and may be overrated. Granted, some Penguins fans feel that this is the new era for the team......though they said that about Sidney Crosby and M-A Fleury, but they haven't turned the team around in the least.
I can see where the Russian clubs are coming from though. Malkin was brought up through the Metallurg school and was the face of the Russian elite league. For a guy like that, you want top dollar for him because having him there is almost a license to print money. Metallurg wants to get the money that he would bring in and what he would make for future earnings. I'm sure other club teams who play Metallurg would want to have the attendance bank too. To get only $200k for him isn't the fair market value for someone like that.
Yet, the labor law in Russia was the Russian Federation's own worst enemy. You can bet that something will change now that three players have now used that rule to their advantage to get out of their contracts. Some could see it as pretty craptastic, especially after the player signed a contract, but the law is the law.
When Vladislav Tretiak came to be the Russian Federation President, he said one of his top priorites was to get something signed to have a fair deal with the NHL. It obviously hasn't happened, but you can be that once Malkin suits up in the NHL, something will get signed, fair deal or not.
EDIT 7:30 ET-- According to our friends at the Russian Hockey Digest, Metallurg's lawyers have said that Evgeni Malkin's faxed resignation is unacceptable because some lines are illegible and may not have been written by Malkin. The fun has started, kids.
Wednesday, August 16, 2006
Desert Dogs Looking to Dine on Competition
When you look at the Pacific Division, there aren't many teams who have made a huge splash in the off-season. Outside of the Anaheim Ducks (who acquired Chris Pronger), the Phoenix Coyotes have made a big splash. How it will play out will be the biggest of questions.
Though the Coyotes were able to get Nick Boynton, Ed Jovanovski, Jeremy Roenick, Georges Laraque, Mike Morrison, and more recently Owen Nolan; the general feeling is that the Coyotes wanted to get more experienced players and players whom aren't that intimidated by the presense of Wayne Gretzky behind the bench. Of course, worries of underachieving and injury are very much at the forefront with this group of six mentioned above.
Especially with Jovanovski and Nolan, the injury bug is a very real concern. Of course, Nolan is coming off an ugly ordeal with the Toronto Maple Leafs, in which he was able to get $5M as a settlement for his release. Plus, Nolan hasn't played competitive hockey for two-and-a-half years, so wondering if he'll be able to hold his own in the faster NHL is something that will be seen.
Jovanovski on the other hand hasn't played a full season since the 2001-02 season. However, when healthy, Jovo can be a dominate rear-guard. His 33 points only 44 games also proves that he can keep up, even with his size. With a young defense, the veteran presense will be a welcome addition to the blue-line core.
Roenick is another interesting pick-up. With his abysmal season in Los Angeles last season, Roenick needs to prove to the Coyotes, NHL, and himself that his awful season was just a fluke. Coming out-of-shape last season was the beginning of the end. Now, it seems that Roenick has come in with a new demeanor, he's not spouting off his mouth, and he seems re-focused to actually get back to his old ways. It'll take a lot of work being behind Mike Comrie and Steven Reinprecht in the depth chart, but Roenick just wants to show he still has it.
Nick Boynton may not be able to replace what Paul Mara brought, but his physical force and time in the league should be useful to the team. Georges Laraque is going to be the peacemaker for the club, while Mike Morrison will more than likely back-up Curtis Joseph, giving David LeNeveu more time in the minors to hone himself.
Though the lack of movement in the Pacific Divison, the Coyotes are definitely looking good in their own division behind the Ducks. Whether or not the moves on paper translate to results on the ice remains to be seen, but it can't hurt that the team is willing to put some money out there in order to get the best team out of the ice.
Though the Coyotes were able to get Nick Boynton, Ed Jovanovski, Jeremy Roenick, Georges Laraque, Mike Morrison, and more recently Owen Nolan; the general feeling is that the Coyotes wanted to get more experienced players and players whom aren't that intimidated by the presense of Wayne Gretzky behind the bench. Of course, worries of underachieving and injury are very much at the forefront with this group of six mentioned above.
Especially with Jovanovski and Nolan, the injury bug is a very real concern. Of course, Nolan is coming off an ugly ordeal with the Toronto Maple Leafs, in which he was able to get $5M as a settlement for his release. Plus, Nolan hasn't played competitive hockey for two-and-a-half years, so wondering if he'll be able to hold his own in the faster NHL is something that will be seen.
Jovanovski on the other hand hasn't played a full season since the 2001-02 season. However, when healthy, Jovo can be a dominate rear-guard. His 33 points only 44 games also proves that he can keep up, even with his size. With a young defense, the veteran presense will be a welcome addition to the blue-line core.
Roenick is another interesting pick-up. With his abysmal season in Los Angeles last season, Roenick needs to prove to the Coyotes, NHL, and himself that his awful season was just a fluke. Coming out-of-shape last season was the beginning of the end. Now, it seems that Roenick has come in with a new demeanor, he's not spouting off his mouth, and he seems re-focused to actually get back to his old ways. It'll take a lot of work being behind Mike Comrie and Steven Reinprecht in the depth chart, but Roenick just wants to show he still has it.
Nick Boynton may not be able to replace what Paul Mara brought, but his physical force and time in the league should be useful to the team. Georges Laraque is going to be the peacemaker for the club, while Mike Morrison will more than likely back-up Curtis Joseph, giving David LeNeveu more time in the minors to hone himself.
Though the lack of movement in the Pacific Divison, the Coyotes are definitely looking good in their own division behind the Ducks. Whether or not the moves on paper translate to results on the ice remains to be seen, but it can't hurt that the team is willing to put some money out there in order to get the best team out of the ice.
Thursday, August 10, 2006
NHL: Caribbean Style
Now, I haven't talked about it on here, but it has been mentioned on the show and James Mirtle has mentioned it; but the NHL confirmed it with their releasing of the pre-season schedule. The Florida Panthers and New York Rangers will play a pre-season game in San Juan, Puerto Rico.
Frankly, I don't know if I really see the purpose in doing something like this. I understand the branching out the game and all that jazz, but when the country doesn't even have a hockey program in the making; it may not be the best place to go and put a game.
Now, I could be proven completely wrong and the game will be a huge success. The country will then start trying to play the game and maybe get an IIHF sanctioning and be on their way to build up their own program. Why not, there are plenty of obscure IIHF members out there, but they all seem to have their own representation and doing rather well depending on the country, but it could happen.
However, I'm pessimistic. Somehow I don't see the Caribbean folks getting accustom to ice hockey at all. Maybe it's the fact they are so close to the equator that the ice wouldn't last or the extremely foreign nature of the game would not connect with the locals there. Granted, I wish them the best of luck in getting the game a jump start there; but even if it is a one and done-- it will be an interesting story for players and fans alike when it happens.
Frankly, I don't know if I really see the purpose in doing something like this. I understand the branching out the game and all that jazz, but when the country doesn't even have a hockey program in the making; it may not be the best place to go and put a game.
Now, I could be proven completely wrong and the game will be a huge success. The country will then start trying to play the game and maybe get an IIHF sanctioning and be on their way to build up their own program. Why not, there are plenty of obscure IIHF members out there, but they all seem to have their own representation and doing rather well depending on the country, but it could happen.
However, I'm pessimistic. Somehow I don't see the Caribbean folks getting accustom to ice hockey at all. Maybe it's the fact they are so close to the equator that the ice wouldn't last or the extremely foreign nature of the game would not connect with the locals there. Granted, I wish them the best of luck in getting the game a jump start there; but even if it is a one and done-- it will be an interesting story for players and fans alike when it happens.
News and Notes 08.07.06
To the joy of many, the NHL released the TV schedules for the '06-'07 season. TSN, CBC, and RDS will carry national games on the Canadian side, while NBC and Versus (formerly OLN) will carry the national games for the States.
For the States, there will be plenty of Avalanche, Flyers, Bruins, Red Wings, and Penguins games, while it's almost all Leafs, all the time on the CBC. Whether or not that's a good thing depends on who you root for. I'll give VS. one thing, they are trying to switch it up-- there's plenty of Blue Jackets games on there for your Rick Nash fix.
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With the Blues signing Manny Legace, it sures up their goaltending....for now. As much as some people may have been impress with Curtis Sanford, he's still a little rough around the edges to be a full time starter just yet. Also, Jason Bacashihua still needs some time to develop properly. With the new ownership (which equals money) and John Davidson helping make some decisions, then I think the Blues are on their way to rebuild and get back to their days of glory.
Now the real test is for Legace to show that he is more than a great back-up goalie and can be an excellent starter. It will be interesting to see how good he is without the renowned Red Wings defense around him.
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On the heels of the Bruins rejecting the David Tanabe award, the Sabres walked-away from J-P Dumont's arbitration award of $2.9M. Dumont got 20 goals and 20 assists, and to me, 2.9M is a little to much for a guy who didn't do to well in the grand scheme of things. I'm sure that there is plenty of teams that want to get Dumont's services, but the price will have to come down a ton for many to be truly interested.
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Plenty of retirements this past week. First, Eric Weinrich left the NHL after 1,157 games with eight teams. Weinrich will now join the Portland Pirates coaching staff. Another Eric retired, as Philly blueliner Eric Desjardins called it quits after 17 seasons. Desjardins has been hampered by injuries in the past couple of seasons, which could have lead to his retirement. Desjardins is the second highest scoring defenseman in Flyers franchise history.
Also, after 40 years, Harry Sinden stepped down as president of the Boston Bruins, but will stay on with the team as an advisor for owner Jeremy Jacobs. Many Bruins fans feel that this is the first move to help the Bruins get back on the winning track, but until the Jacobs family sells the team, many feel it's just more heartache.
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The joys of the Malkin Saga. Wednesday, Penguins defenseman Sergei Gonchar came out to say that Malkin told Gonchar that he (Malkin) would stay in Russia. When Gonchar asked why, Malkin reportedly said, "I have my reasons." Gonchar had earlier said that Malkin wanted to come to the NHL this season and would do it at any cost.
It just keeps getting weirder and wackier, so definitely stay tuned for this one, because it's just another bump in the road for a promising young star.
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So that's it for now. If you haven't checked out our archives, you should. Head to your favorite Podcast provider or head to our Past Shows section and get back into the game.
For the States, there will be plenty of Avalanche, Flyers, Bruins, Red Wings, and Penguins games, while it's almost all Leafs, all the time on the CBC. Whether or not that's a good thing depends on who you root for. I'll give VS. one thing, they are trying to switch it up-- there's plenty of Blue Jackets games on there for your Rick Nash fix.
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With the Blues signing Manny Legace, it sures up their goaltending....for now. As much as some people may have been impress with Curtis Sanford, he's still a little rough around the edges to be a full time starter just yet. Also, Jason Bacashihua still needs some time to develop properly. With the new ownership (which equals money) and John Davidson helping make some decisions, then I think the Blues are on their way to rebuild and get back to their days of glory.
Now the real test is for Legace to show that he is more than a great back-up goalie and can be an excellent starter. It will be interesting to see how good he is without the renowned Red Wings defense around him.
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On the heels of the Bruins rejecting the David Tanabe award, the Sabres walked-away from J-P Dumont's arbitration award of $2.9M. Dumont got 20 goals and 20 assists, and to me, 2.9M is a little to much for a guy who didn't do to well in the grand scheme of things. I'm sure that there is plenty of teams that want to get Dumont's services, but the price will have to come down a ton for many to be truly interested.
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Plenty of retirements this past week. First, Eric Weinrich left the NHL after 1,157 games with eight teams. Weinrich will now join the Portland Pirates coaching staff. Another Eric retired, as Philly blueliner Eric Desjardins called it quits after 17 seasons. Desjardins has been hampered by injuries in the past couple of seasons, which could have lead to his retirement. Desjardins is the second highest scoring defenseman in Flyers franchise history.
Also, after 40 years, Harry Sinden stepped down as president of the Boston Bruins, but will stay on with the team as an advisor for owner Jeremy Jacobs. Many Bruins fans feel that this is the first move to help the Bruins get back on the winning track, but until the Jacobs family sells the team, many feel it's just more heartache.
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The joys of the Malkin Saga. Wednesday, Penguins defenseman Sergei Gonchar came out to say that Malkin told Gonchar that he (Malkin) would stay in Russia. When Gonchar asked why, Malkin reportedly said, "I have my reasons." Gonchar had earlier said that Malkin wanted to come to the NHL this season and would do it at any cost.
It just keeps getting weirder and wackier, so definitely stay tuned for this one, because it's just another bump in the road for a promising young star.
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So that's it for now. If you haven't checked out our archives, you should. Head to your favorite Podcast provider or head to our Past Shows section and get back into the game.
Sunday, August 06, 2006
Somewhat Slow News Week
There wasn't much out there for big stories this past week, so I'll try to make this little condensed version worth your while.
"Operation Slapshot" (for a refresher, check it out here) took a turn as former New Jersey State Trooper James Harney plea-bargained and plead guilty and help the New Jersey State's Attorney to investigate outcasted Coyotes' assistant coach Rick Tocchet. Harney will face a maximum seven year in prison, which is far less than the possible 25 years that he was facing in the first place.
Tocchet's attorney Kevin Marino says that the former Trooper is just looking out for himself and not caring about the rest of it. Personally, I can see this as a true scenario, as it seems that the State didn't even trying to broker a deal with Tocchet, mainly due to his "celebrity" and trying to get a high profiled case to their names. As the story goes, so shall we.
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The Sabres finally came to terms with Daniel Briere, picking up his one-year $5M contract that was awarded by an arbitratior. The Sabres also avoid arbitration with many of their players before the hearings. Rumors are now that J-P Dumont and Martin Biron could be packaged up and shipped out of Buffalo to free up some cap space in the line-up.
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The Bruins strike again. Boston walked away from an arbitrator's ruling on defenseman David Tanabe. This is the third time Boston has walked away from arbitation, the first two being with Bryan Berard and Dmitri Khristich. Tanabe is now an unrestricted free-agent and could be picked up in the next week. Tanabe was awarded a one-year, $1.275M contract by the arbitrator.
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What more can you say about the Russian Federation that wasn't said during the Cold War?? It seems the Russian were none too happy with the NHL/IIHF transfer agreement after they actually looked at it. That means that no NHL team can sign a player under a Russian League contract this season, unless something miraculous happens.
Of course, there are always loopholes, which we found out about on Thursday. Evgeni Malkin and his agent Don Meehan apparently found in the Russian Labor Law, which allows employees to give a two-week notice to get out of their contract whatever the work. Apparently, Malkin has given that notice and is now negotiating a contract with the Penguins.
However, even silver linings look a little bleak as nothing has come from the talks or negotiations as of yet.
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Finally, the Flyers and Blackhawks swapped forwards, as Kyle Calder was traded to Philadelphia by Chicago for Michal Handzus. Calder was awarded a $2.95M contract in arbitration, which seemed to rich for Chicago's blood. Calder has played in 359 NHL games (all with Chicago) and racked up 85 goals and 125 assists.
Handzus is a big playmaking forward, who could work well with recently acquired Martin Havlat and oft-injured forward Tuomo Ruutu. In 509 NHL games, Handzus has posted 112 goals and 180 assists, as well as being a +47 career player.
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So that's what I got out of the week. Of course, there were some re-signing and minor signings here and there, but you could have checked those out anywhere. Keep in check with us as we are only 6 weeks or so away from training camps taking place.
"Operation Slapshot" (for a refresher, check it out here) took a turn as former New Jersey State Trooper James Harney plea-bargained and plead guilty and help the New Jersey State's Attorney to investigate outcasted Coyotes' assistant coach Rick Tocchet. Harney will face a maximum seven year in prison, which is far less than the possible 25 years that he was facing in the first place.
Tocchet's attorney Kevin Marino says that the former Trooper is just looking out for himself and not caring about the rest of it. Personally, I can see this as a true scenario, as it seems that the State didn't even trying to broker a deal with Tocchet, mainly due to his "celebrity" and trying to get a high profiled case to their names. As the story goes, so shall we.
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The Sabres finally came to terms with Daniel Briere, picking up his one-year $5M contract that was awarded by an arbitratior. The Sabres also avoid arbitration with many of their players before the hearings. Rumors are now that J-P Dumont and Martin Biron could be packaged up and shipped out of Buffalo to free up some cap space in the line-up.
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The Bruins strike again. Boston walked away from an arbitrator's ruling on defenseman David Tanabe. This is the third time Boston has walked away from arbitation, the first two being with Bryan Berard and Dmitri Khristich. Tanabe is now an unrestricted free-agent and could be picked up in the next week. Tanabe was awarded a one-year, $1.275M contract by the arbitrator.
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What more can you say about the Russian Federation that wasn't said during the Cold War?? It seems the Russian were none too happy with the NHL/IIHF transfer agreement after they actually looked at it. That means that no NHL team can sign a player under a Russian League contract this season, unless something miraculous happens.
Of course, there are always loopholes, which we found out about on Thursday. Evgeni Malkin and his agent Don Meehan apparently found in the Russian Labor Law, which allows employees to give a two-week notice to get out of their contract whatever the work. Apparently, Malkin has given that notice and is now negotiating a contract with the Penguins.
However, even silver linings look a little bleak as nothing has come from the talks or negotiations as of yet.
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Finally, the Flyers and Blackhawks swapped forwards, as Kyle Calder was traded to Philadelphia by Chicago for Michal Handzus. Calder was awarded a $2.95M contract in arbitration, which seemed to rich for Chicago's blood. Calder has played in 359 NHL games (all with Chicago) and racked up 85 goals and 125 assists.
Handzus is a big playmaking forward, who could work well with recently acquired Martin Havlat and oft-injured forward Tuomo Ruutu. In 509 NHL games, Handzus has posted 112 goals and 180 assists, as well as being a +47 career player.
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So that's what I got out of the week. Of course, there were some re-signing and minor signings here and there, but you could have checked those out anywhere. Keep in check with us as we are only 6 weeks or so away from training camps taking place.
Monday, July 31, 2006
Dominator to Detroit
I don't think many would have thought that the Red Wings would go the way they did, but somehow they went and did it. The Red Wings signed 41-year-old Dominik Hasek to be their goaltender for the upcoming season.
I'll let that all sink in......
What the Red Wings did was just compensate for the leaving of Steve Yzerman and Brendan Shanahan and kept their AARP membership. With all the young goalies out there on the market, it's an interesting decision to get Hasek, even for a year. Granted, it gives Jimmy Howard another season in Grand Rapids, but if Hasek get hurt, as he is known to do, then it could fast track his way to full time in the NHL.
Of course, to Red Wings fans and what he did to them in the '03-'04 season is not lost. Many of him don't like it and will accept it; others would like to have him hit by a runaway car. They are passionate folks, you have to give them that. But Hasek's reputation preceeds him. Stories of being a "locker room cancer" and an "egotistical asshole" are many of the things you hear about Hasek, even though he is one of the most dominate goalies in the past decade.
One thing you wonder is how long will it be before he gets hurt. Last season, Hasek said he was good to go and all healthy....and he went out with a groin injury. Monday he said he was good to go and healthy....the results remain to be seen.
At about $700k, it's a steal if the Wings can get 35 games out of him and have him play well, but the Wings are going the wrong way in rebuilding. They need to get younger before they try to add some veteran leadership into the room.
The Wings have been a good regular season team, only to falter when the time comes in the playoffs. It could be one thing that the Wings need to have Hasek on the team, which gives them two Cup winning goalies on the squad, but if something were to go haywire....the season could be a lot longer for the Wings then what actually happens on the ice.
I'll let that all sink in......
What the Red Wings did was just compensate for the leaving of Steve Yzerman and Brendan Shanahan and kept their AARP membership. With all the young goalies out there on the market, it's an interesting decision to get Hasek, even for a year. Granted, it gives Jimmy Howard another season in Grand Rapids, but if Hasek get hurt, as he is known to do, then it could fast track his way to full time in the NHL.
Of course, to Red Wings fans and what he did to them in the '03-'04 season is not lost. Many of him don't like it and will accept it; others would like to have him hit by a runaway car. They are passionate folks, you have to give them that. But Hasek's reputation preceeds him. Stories of being a "locker room cancer" and an "egotistical asshole" are many of the things you hear about Hasek, even though he is one of the most dominate goalies in the past decade.
One thing you wonder is how long will it be before he gets hurt. Last season, Hasek said he was good to go and all healthy....and he went out with a groin injury. Monday he said he was good to go and healthy....the results remain to be seen.
At about $700k, it's a steal if the Wings can get 35 games out of him and have him play well, but the Wings are going the wrong way in rebuilding. They need to get younger before they try to add some veteran leadership into the room.
The Wings have been a good regular season team, only to falter when the time comes in the playoffs. It could be one thing that the Wings need to have Hasek on the team, which gives them two Cup winning goalies on the squad, but if something were to go haywire....the season could be a lot longer for the Wings then what actually happens on the ice.
Friday, July 28, 2006
Can Penguins Fly??
As I mentioned in the News and Notes 07.24.06 post, Sam Fingold was the leading bidder for the Pittsburgh Penguins. According to AP's Alan Robinson , Fingold has signed a letter of intent to buy the team.
The deal that Fingold would agree to includes carrying out the deal that the former ownership group, with Mario Lemieux, had with the Isle of Capri Casinos, in which Isle of Capri would build a new arena if they got a gambling license. Also, the state, county, and city have a "Plan B" ready if Isle of Capri doesn't get the bid.
When looking at the monetary figures, Fingold is going to agree to buying the team for $175M, which is reportedly $5M less than the group which included Mark Cuban and Dan Marino who would have kept the team in Pittsburgh no if, ands, or buts. Yet, money talks, and Fingold must have done something to really woo the current ownership group. I think much had to do with agree to hold up to the whole Isle of Capri deal that has been set into place.
However, if that doesn't come to be-- that's where it'll get interesting. Of course, everyone in the state and local government have been talking about the plan to keep the team in Pittsburgh, but holding up to the whole ordeal is another story entirely. Frankly, I don't know if they would step up if push came to shove. Of course, if they don't, you can bet that if the team leaves, hockey fans would probably not vote for those officials coming up next election.
Now, if something can't be done, Fingold had said he had interest in moving the team to Kansas City and into the new Sprint Center, which should be open in 2007. Whether or not that will happen, it all depends on what happens with the casino licenses in PA. The one thing that gets me is that this whole license deal seems to have been going on forever. When the bloody hell will they dish them out.
Even if you don't hear the outcome, you can bet someone who's a hockey nut will let you know about toot sweet. This is the drama for your momma that never ends.
The deal that Fingold would agree to includes carrying out the deal that the former ownership group, with Mario Lemieux, had with the Isle of Capri Casinos, in which Isle of Capri would build a new arena if they got a gambling license. Also, the state, county, and city have a "Plan B" ready if Isle of Capri doesn't get the bid.
When looking at the monetary figures, Fingold is going to agree to buying the team for $175M, which is reportedly $5M less than the group which included Mark Cuban and Dan Marino who would have kept the team in Pittsburgh no if, ands, or buts. Yet, money talks, and Fingold must have done something to really woo the current ownership group. I think much had to do with agree to hold up to the whole Isle of Capri deal that has been set into place.
However, if that doesn't come to be-- that's where it'll get interesting. Of course, everyone in the state and local government have been talking about the plan to keep the team in Pittsburgh, but holding up to the whole ordeal is another story entirely. Frankly, I don't know if they would step up if push came to shove. Of course, if they don't, you can bet that if the team leaves, hockey fans would probably not vote for those officials coming up next election.
Now, if something can't be done, Fingold had said he had interest in moving the team to Kansas City and into the new Sprint Center, which should be open in 2007. Whether or not that will happen, it all depends on what happens with the casino licenses in PA. The one thing that gets me is that this whole license deal seems to have been going on forever. When the bloody hell will they dish them out.
Even if you don't hear the outcome, you can bet someone who's a hockey nut will let you know about toot sweet. This is the drama for your momma that never ends.
Wednesday, July 26, 2006
Eagle Landing, Gomez piling on
I would have done this sooner, but like I said on the show...moving suck.
Regardless, it was less than a week ago that I wrote about Eddie Belfour's woes after apparently the Panthers pulled their contract offer. Seems like Mike Keenan pulled the wool over my eyes. Belfour signed a one year, $750K contract with the Florida Panthers. As it stands, the best goalie will play and it will go from game to game.
It's not that much of a risk at that price. Especially considering the Panthers have plenty of space under the cap, Belfour could help aide the maturing of Alex Auld. Though he hasn't been known for that before, I'm sure that two contracts going away would change his mind.
It's going to be tough to fill the void left by Roberto Luongo. Luongo is one of the premier goalies in the game and really seemed to face barrage of shots in his tenure as Panthers goalie. Belfour and Auld will not be the ones to be called upon, which should put the pressure on both of them to perform to their best each and every night.
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Staying in the East, but up I-95-- the New Jersey Devils have said they will accept Scott Gomez's $5M arbitration reward. With that, the Devils are at $48.9M in total payroll-- that's without signing David Hale, Brian Gionta, and Paul Martin. Of course, the albatross contracts of Alexander Mogilny, Vladimir Malakhov, and Dan McGillis ($9.3M combined) will hamper the Devils in trying to move forward. Like our good buddy Lyle Richardson's writes-- the Devils are in quite the bind.
However, right now-- the Devils have time. They only had Gomez going to arbtration, so the other RFAs can take it's time to get signed. That could be a little shining hope for Devil fans everywhere. If only the Devils had a strong farm system, then they may not be in this bind. Some would never know.
What the Devils need in addition to more time and less craptastic players holding onto big contract, is another goalie and maybe some mid-level defenseman. We all figured it would be an interesting summer with the Devils, but who though they would have to sign a deal with the devil to get everyone under the salary cap.
Regardless, it was less than a week ago that I wrote about Eddie Belfour's woes after apparently the Panthers pulled their contract offer. Seems like Mike Keenan pulled the wool over my eyes. Belfour signed a one year, $750K contract with the Florida Panthers. As it stands, the best goalie will play and it will go from game to game.
It's not that much of a risk at that price. Especially considering the Panthers have plenty of space under the cap, Belfour could help aide the maturing of Alex Auld. Though he hasn't been known for that before, I'm sure that two contracts going away would change his mind.
It's going to be tough to fill the void left by Roberto Luongo. Luongo is one of the premier goalies in the game and really seemed to face barrage of shots in his tenure as Panthers goalie. Belfour and Auld will not be the ones to be called upon, which should put the pressure on both of them to perform to their best each and every night.
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Staying in the East, but up I-95-- the New Jersey Devils have said they will accept Scott Gomez's $5M arbitration reward. With that, the Devils are at $48.9M in total payroll-- that's without signing David Hale, Brian Gionta, and Paul Martin. Of course, the albatross contracts of Alexander Mogilny, Vladimir Malakhov, and Dan McGillis ($9.3M combined) will hamper the Devils in trying to move forward. Like our good buddy Lyle Richardson's writes-- the Devils are in quite the bind.
However, right now-- the Devils have time. They only had Gomez going to arbtration, so the other RFAs can take it's time to get signed. That could be a little shining hope for Devil fans everywhere. If only the Devils had a strong farm system, then they may not be in this bind. Some would never know.
What the Devils need in addition to more time and less craptastic players holding onto big contract, is another goalie and maybe some mid-level defenseman. We all figured it would be an interesting summer with the Devils, but who though they would have to sign a deal with the devil to get everyone under the salary cap.
Tuesday, July 25, 2006
News and Notes 07.24.06
Nothing completely big has happened....yet...but here's what did happen and what it could mean to you.
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Good news for Predator fans, as Tomas Vokoun has been taken off medication and is cleared to compete. Vokoun's '05-'06 campaign was cut short due to blot clots found in his abdomen and pelvic reason. Vokoun was a big part of why the Predators were able to get the fourth seed in the West, though they could have used him in the first round of the playoffs.
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Mark Recchi is reportedly heading back to Pittsburgh. Both the NHLPA website and TSN have the forward returning to the team after a trade which sent him to the Carolina Hurricanes. Of course, there were murmurs that Recchi wanted a trade because of turmoil in the Pens lockerroom, but what goes on in the room often stays in the room...unless you want to write a book about it.
Also, the Penguins rejected the bid from Mark Cuban and Dan Marion, both Western PA natives, while the new front runner, Sam Fingold, is said to have made a bid only $5M more than the group with Cuban and Marino. If there's a gap of $5M that is really the issue, then that's a BS move by the Pens. With Cuban and Marino's group, they have said they want the team to stay in Pittsburgh. With Fingold, he has mentioned that he may want to go to Kansas City if something cannot be worked out in Pittsburgh. Fingold has also put up a front saying it could work in Pittsburgh, but he didn't seem over-eager to many of the Pens fans.
Larry Gottesdiener, a Massachusetts developer who has said he would want to move a team back to Hartford, is also still in the running.
Fingold could sign a letter of intent any day this week, in which he'll have 30 days to make a deal.
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The Canadiens have rewarded Bob Gainey by extending his contract as GM through the '09-'10 season. Gainey joined the team in 2003 and really hasn't looked back since. With a great hockey mind, Gainey would be my choice to be the next commissioner of the NHL when the day comes. Not only because of his ties to both players and management, but he looks like Sam the Eagle, which would replace Gary Bettman's Count von Count.
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Sean Avery is back in LA. The disgruntled forward was re-signed by GM Dean Lombari who almost sounded like Dean Vernon Wormer saying Avery was on "double-secret probation." Avery is a shrill guy who can get under some guys skin and make an ass of himself. Also, he tries too hard to be like Jeremy Roenick, but if he'll help out your team, you know you'd want him on the team.
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That was the big highlights for the day. Don't be surprised if some moves go down this week. Rumors have been circulating about Daniel Briere and Scott Gomez being traded due to their salaries and the arbitration process. For all your rumors, check out Spector's Hockey and tune in Wednesday for Spector himself on Face Off Hockey Show. There, cheap plugs, you happy??
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Good news for Predator fans, as Tomas Vokoun has been taken off medication and is cleared to compete. Vokoun's '05-'06 campaign was cut short due to blot clots found in his abdomen and pelvic reason. Vokoun was a big part of why the Predators were able to get the fourth seed in the West, though they could have used him in the first round of the playoffs.
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Mark Recchi is reportedly heading back to Pittsburgh. Both the NHLPA website and TSN have the forward returning to the team after a trade which sent him to the Carolina Hurricanes. Of course, there were murmurs that Recchi wanted a trade because of turmoil in the Pens lockerroom, but what goes on in the room often stays in the room...unless you want to write a book about it.
Also, the Penguins rejected the bid from Mark Cuban and Dan Marion, both Western PA natives, while the new front runner, Sam Fingold, is said to have made a bid only $5M more than the group with Cuban and Marino. If there's a gap of $5M that is really the issue, then that's a BS move by the Pens. With Cuban and Marino's group, they have said they want the team to stay in Pittsburgh. With Fingold, he has mentioned that he may want to go to Kansas City if something cannot be worked out in Pittsburgh. Fingold has also put up a front saying it could work in Pittsburgh, but he didn't seem over-eager to many of the Pens fans.
Larry Gottesdiener, a Massachusetts developer who has said he would want to move a team back to Hartford, is also still in the running.
Fingold could sign a letter of intent any day this week, in which he'll have 30 days to make a deal.
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The Canadiens have rewarded Bob Gainey by extending his contract as GM through the '09-'10 season. Gainey joined the team in 2003 and really hasn't looked back since. With a great hockey mind, Gainey would be my choice to be the next commissioner of the NHL when the day comes. Not only because of his ties to both players and management, but he looks like Sam the Eagle, which would replace Gary Bettman's Count von Count.
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Sean Avery is back in LA. The disgruntled forward was re-signed by GM Dean Lombari who almost sounded like Dean Vernon Wormer saying Avery was on "double-secret probation." Avery is a shrill guy who can get under some guys skin and make an ass of himself. Also, he tries too hard to be like Jeremy Roenick, but if he'll help out your team, you know you'd want him on the team.
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That was the big highlights for the day. Don't be surprised if some moves go down this week. Rumors have been circulating about Daniel Briere and Scott Gomez being traded due to their salaries and the arbitration process. For all your rumors, check out Spector's Hockey and tune in Wednesday for Spector himself on Face Off Hockey Show. There, cheap plugs, you happy??
Sunday, July 23, 2006
Arbitration Frustration
Thus far in the NHL arbitration season, two players have gotten rewards, at least publicly. Both Mike York and Daniel Briere got some raises in their future. York got an $850k raise based on an arbitrator's ruling and the Islanders are in their last 24 hours to see if they want to sign York or let him go free. As for Briere, he got much, much more.
According to TSN, Briere was awarded $5M for next season. That's a raise of about 259% for a guy who had 58 points in 48 games. No disrespect to Briere, but that's effin' crazy. Apparently, Briere and his agents used Marian Gaborik, Martin Havlat, and Alex Tanguay as examples in his case. This is why I'm not a big fan of arbitration.
When you look at the points-per-game of Briere (0.70) it is less than Tanguay (0.89), Havlat (0.79), and Gaborik (0.76). They are all younger than Briere and have more potential upside than Briere. When you look at what the other three got, Havlat ($6M/year) is a result of the Blackhawks spending insane cash, Gaborik ($6.3M/year) is the franchise player for the Wild, and Tanguay (avg $5.25M) is added punch for a weak-offensive Flames squad.
Granted, Briere could be considered a franchise player, but so should Ryan Miller, Chris Drury, and a host of others on the Sabres squad.
Arbitration is insane because you can have a guy who has one good season, then go to arbitration to get a boatload of cash and then stink it up that year of the contract. Happened to Brendan Witt, though do to the Lockout, he never got it.
While I'm all for some players to get top-dollar, there needs to be work done to the current system to fix the whole craziness that is going on surrounding it. If the past performance of the player has nothing to do with it, you may as well just give everyone raises and then raise the salary cap more so, throwing the NHL into a state it was before.....more so.
As the old saying goes: "If it ain't broke, don't fix it." It may not be broke, but it's almost to that point for the NHL and it's arbitraion rules.
According to TSN, Briere was awarded $5M for next season. That's a raise of about 259% for a guy who had 58 points in 48 games. No disrespect to Briere, but that's effin' crazy. Apparently, Briere and his agents used Marian Gaborik, Martin Havlat, and Alex Tanguay as examples in his case. This is why I'm not a big fan of arbitration.
When you look at the points-per-game of Briere (0.70) it is less than Tanguay (0.89), Havlat (0.79), and Gaborik (0.76). They are all younger than Briere and have more potential upside than Briere. When you look at what the other three got, Havlat ($6M/year) is a result of the Blackhawks spending insane cash, Gaborik ($6.3M/year) is the franchise player for the Wild, and Tanguay (avg $5.25M) is added punch for a weak-offensive Flames squad.
Granted, Briere could be considered a franchise player, but so should Ryan Miller, Chris Drury, and a host of others on the Sabres squad.
Arbitration is insane because you can have a guy who has one good season, then go to arbitration to get a boatload of cash and then stink it up that year of the contract. Happened to Brendan Witt, though do to the Lockout, he never got it.
While I'm all for some players to get top-dollar, there needs to be work done to the current system to fix the whole craziness that is going on surrounding it. If the past performance of the player has nothing to do with it, you may as well just give everyone raises and then raise the salary cap more so, throwing the NHL into a state it was before.....more so.
As the old saying goes: "If it ain't broke, don't fix it." It may not be broke, but it's almost to that point for the NHL and it's arbitraion rules.
Thursday, July 20, 2006
Clipping the Eagle's Wings
At age 41, Ed Belfour still thinks he can do it all. He has gone through a couple of physicals to prove to teams he's healthy enough after his second back surgery in as many years and there have been some talk that some contracts have been put out on the line. However, with the recent debacle with the Panthers taking back their contract offer, you have to wonder why two teams have passed on him after passing physicals.
Depending on who you listen to, Belfour's demands on his next contract are a little bit too much for the teams. There have been some rumors that Belfour has been requesting to be assured that he would be the #1 goalie for whatever team he is going for. With an oft-injured goalie, you can only assume that some GMs would be tentative in doing so, because it really handcuffs the coach in doing his job and probably does a disservice to the team.
Oddly enough, I don't think Belfour realizes that his best days may have passed him by. Or he does realize it, which is why he is requesting such a thing, knowing that he could be unthroned and then his legacy ending on the bench talking to the soda guy walking up and down the arena where he's at.
That all being said, Belfour is a great insurance policy for a team with a young goaltender(s). Though I'm not suggesting that Belfour would be the mentoring type, but he would definitely lead by example of what and what not to do in the NHL. With his years in the NHL, the experience is invaluable at this point. For a team like the Blues, to have an experience guy who is a proven winner would be a good addition....at the right price. I'm sure that philosophically Belfour and Blues' President John Davidson would clash hardcore style, but both feel it's a good fit, then it could be a good match.
Yet, it gets odder and odder as the Panthers are saying that Belfour is still being pursued by the team, while the Red Wings' Assistant GM Jim Nill stated that Belfour was one of 6 or 7 goalies on the team's list.
When all is said and done, we'll see if Belfour's determination to come back will be as strong now as it is by mid-September, but if he is picked up-- there's a good chance he could prove some people and make the best out of a second chance....or third or fourth, for that matter.
Depending on who you listen to, Belfour's demands on his next contract are a little bit too much for the teams. There have been some rumors that Belfour has been requesting to be assured that he would be the #1 goalie for whatever team he is going for. With an oft-injured goalie, you can only assume that some GMs would be tentative in doing so, because it really handcuffs the coach in doing his job and probably does a disservice to the team.
Oddly enough, I don't think Belfour realizes that his best days may have passed him by. Or he does realize it, which is why he is requesting such a thing, knowing that he could be unthroned and then his legacy ending on the bench talking to the soda guy walking up and down the arena where he's at.
That all being said, Belfour is a great insurance policy for a team with a young goaltender(s). Though I'm not suggesting that Belfour would be the mentoring type, but he would definitely lead by example of what and what not to do in the NHL. With his years in the NHL, the experience is invaluable at this point. For a team like the Blues, to have an experience guy who is a proven winner would be a good addition....at the right price. I'm sure that philosophically Belfour and Blues' President John Davidson would clash hardcore style, but both feel it's a good fit, then it could be a good match.
Yet, it gets odder and odder as the Panthers are saying that Belfour is still being pursued by the team, while the Red Wings' Assistant GM Jim Nill stated that Belfour was one of 6 or 7 goalies on the team's list.
When all is said and done, we'll see if Belfour's determination to come back will be as strong now as it is by mid-September, but if he is picked up-- there's a good chance he could prove some people and make the best out of a second chance....or third or fourth, for that matter.
Tuesday, July 18, 2006
Wild on the Island
We'll get to the main event for the day in a second. However, we do have some actually straight forward news about some things that did go on Tuesday.
First, Michael Peca signed a 1-year/$2.5M contract with the Toronto Maple Leafs Tuesday. Some would think this is a lot for a guy who's scoring wasn't that good, but it's not the scoring which makes Peca so desirable. Quite frankly, his play shorthanded and his work in the face-off circle is what makes teams want him. Add that to his leadership qualities and you have yourself a guy many teams would want regardless of stats. Peca took the $1.5M paycut/hometown discount to play with the Leafs.
Also, Scott Walker was traded from Nashville to Carolina for Josef Vasicek. Both Walker and Vasicek played limited seasons this year due to injury, but when healthy, both will be effective on their new team. Walker will be a grinder for the Canes and should bring energy to the line-up, while Vasicek will be added speed to the Preds line-up.
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Now for the main event, so to speak. If you're confused about the happenings on Long Island Tuesday....you're not alone.
For those who didn't hear or are still shocked, Neil Smith was fired as GM after 40 days of work. To replace him, former goaltender Garth Snow retired and will take over as the GM for the New York Islanders. Also, "special advisor" to the owner, Pat LaFontaine, reportedly resigned after the Smith dismissal press conference. Don't believe me?? Here's the link from TSN.
Obviously, the first reaction from most is that it was a joke....then is sank it. The common response was "Snow?? GARTH F'IN' SNOW?!? THE HELL!!??!" That is pretty dead on, along with some laughing because of the shamble of an organization that the Islanders have become.
So what caused this whole ordeal to go down?? Well, the reasoning is because of differences between Smith, LaFontaine, and owner Charles Wang. It seems that Smith wasn't really the GM, per se, but just the figure head. This is due to the Islanders having a system of playing GM by committee. With too many cooks in the kitchen, things are bound to burn. You can only assume that one move was lauded by someone while applauded by another, then you have in-fighting, which leads to the back-up goalie retiring and becoming the GM. More detailed things won't be known until Smith clears up some legal proceedings and goes to the public.
Just as a note, Garth Snow has no GM experience, no front office experience, I don't think he has a degree from UMaine, and he was a back-up goalie for the last couple of years. Charles Wang said:
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Finally, we have finally posted our pictures from our 2006 Entry Draft online at the FOHS Photo Gallery, so if you have the time; go check it out.
First, Michael Peca signed a 1-year/$2.5M contract with the Toronto Maple Leafs Tuesday. Some would think this is a lot for a guy who's scoring wasn't that good, but it's not the scoring which makes Peca so desirable. Quite frankly, his play shorthanded and his work in the face-off circle is what makes teams want him. Add that to his leadership qualities and you have yourself a guy many teams would want regardless of stats. Peca took the $1.5M paycut/hometown discount to play with the Leafs.
Also, Scott Walker was traded from Nashville to Carolina for Josef Vasicek. Both Walker and Vasicek played limited seasons this year due to injury, but when healthy, both will be effective on their new team. Walker will be a grinder for the Canes and should bring energy to the line-up, while Vasicek will be added speed to the Preds line-up.
-------------------
Now for the main event, so to speak. If you're confused about the happenings on Long Island Tuesday....you're not alone.
For those who didn't hear or are still shocked, Neil Smith was fired as GM after 40 days of work. To replace him, former goaltender Garth Snow retired and will take over as the GM for the New York Islanders. Also, "special advisor" to the owner, Pat LaFontaine, reportedly resigned after the Smith dismissal press conference. Don't believe me?? Here's the link from TSN.
Obviously, the first reaction from most is that it was a joke....then is sank it. The common response was "Snow?? GARTH F'IN' SNOW?!? THE HELL!!??!" That is pretty dead on, along with some laughing because of the shamble of an organization that the Islanders have become.
So what caused this whole ordeal to go down?? Well, the reasoning is because of differences between Smith, LaFontaine, and owner Charles Wang. It seems that Smith wasn't really the GM, per se, but just the figure head. This is due to the Islanders having a system of playing GM by committee. With too many cooks in the kitchen, things are bound to burn. You can only assume that one move was lauded by someone while applauded by another, then you have in-fighting, which leads to the back-up goalie retiring and becoming the GM. More detailed things won't be known until Smith clears up some legal proceedings and goes to the public.
Just as a note, Garth Snow has no GM experience, no front office experience, I don't think he has a degree from UMaine, and he was a back-up goalie for the last couple of years. Charles Wang said:
"When the job opened up, the choice was an easy one. Garth knows the league as well as anyone, has an eye for talent and understands how our staff works as a team. Most importantly, Garth is a man of integrity, someone I trust will work hard, be creative and represent the Islanders with dignity."Ted Nolan can only sit and hope that he's not the next one to go. The gongshow for the Islanders seems to be unfolding by the hour, so keep your eyes out for it.
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Finally, we have finally posted our pictures from our 2006 Entry Draft online at the FOHS Photo Gallery, so if you have the time; go check it out.
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