Archive for category NHL Free Agents
Afternoon notes on Luongo, Schneider, Hodgson, Filppula, Kane, Jagr, Petrov, Vezina finalists, Konopka and Boyle
Posted by Mark Easson in NHL Free Agents, NHL News, NHL Rumors on April 25th, 2012
- Elliotte Friedman of CBC: Despite having 10 years left on his deal, it doesn’t mean the Canucks won’t be able to trade Roberto Luongo. Jeff Carter had 11 years and was dealt. The biggest factors holding a deal back may be what the Canucks want for him or what other goalies are available. There could be between 5 and 9 teams that are interested. His top 2 landing spots would be Tampa Bay and Florida. He may not want to play in the spotlight of Toronto. Cory Schneider will not be blocked from an offer sheet from July 1st to July 5th because he made under $1.5 million. The Canucks would offer him arbitration but due to his salary, if Schneider and another team worked out a deal before July 5th, the Canucks would have the choice to match. The Canucks targeted 6 players they would have traded Cody Hodgson for at the deadline before they did the deal with the Sabres for Zack Kassian (Kassian obviously being one). Brandon Sutter of the Hurricanes was one, and John Carlson of the Capitals was another. The 4th was Erik Gudbrason of the Panthers and Kyle Clifford of the Kings was the 5th according to sources. The 6th is unknown. The Canadiens may be interested in Sharks GM Doug Wilson. Friedman wonders if the Red Wings will make Valtteri Filppula available this offseason.
- Steve Rosenbloom of the Chicago Tribune: Rosenbloom thinks the Blackhawks should at least see what they could get for Patrick Kane. He notes that Kane’s goal production doesn’t match the hype or salary.
- Sam Carchidi via twitter: Carchidi thinks there is an 80% chance that Jaromir Jagr returns to the Flyers next year.
- Chris Kuc via twitter: Blackhawks GM Stan Bowman: “We’re not going to bring everybody back.”
- Dmitry Chesnokov via twitter: Islanders prospect Kirill Petrov: “It’s my dream to play in the NHL. My contract expires on April 30. Then I will decide what to do.”
- Jim Diamond via twitter: Pekka Rinne, Henrik Lundqvist and Jonathan Quick are the Vezina finalists.
- Ian Mendes via twitter: Matt Carkner and Zenon Konopka were not at the Senators practice today.
- Katie Strang via twitter: Brian Boyle didn’t practice with the Rangers today.
Could Canucks move Kesler? Sharks injuries … Did Hodgson want out? Blackhawks notes … Luongo issues for Leafs … Pens blueline
Posted by Mark Easson in NHL Free Agents, NHL Injuries, NHL News, NHL Rumors on April 25th, 2012
- Iain MacIntyre of the Vancouver Sun: MacIntyre wonders if the Canucks would consider trading Ryan Kesler. Kesler antics bother some, he didn’t have a great season, and his no-trade clause starts before next season. The Canucks may look at improving their image. Kesler wouldn’t talk about the injury that is bothering him, and they’ll know in the next 10 days if he’ll need surgery or not.
- David Pollak of the San Jose Mercury News: The job security of Sharks GM Doug Wilson and coach Todd McLellan won’t be known until likely sometime next week. Patrick Marleau on if he’d be open to exploring other options if asked: “We’ll cross that bridge if it ever comes up.” Dan Boyle said there was a window opening for his NMC but he said he doesn’t want to think about it or go anywhere. Logan Couture requires shoulder surgery at some point. Joe Pavelski was getting injections for his foot and had a thumb ligament and knee ligament issues. Brent Burns had abdominal discomfort, Ryan Clowe had a groin strain, TJ Galiardi had a lower back issue, Machal Handzus had a groin strain, Doug Murray had a groin strain, Colin White and Tommy Wingels had a shoulder injuries.
- James Mirtle of the Globe and Mail: Canucks GM Mike Gillis on trading Cody Hodgson at the deadline for Zack Kassian and Marc-Andre Gragnani:
“There clearly were issues that were ongoing,” Gillis said when asked about Hodgson during Tuesday’s season ending press conference. “I spent more time on Cody’s issues than every other player combined on our team the last three years.
“We made a determination that he didn’t want to be here; we built him into something we could move. There were six young players that I would have traded him for if any of them were ever made available. One was made available at the trade deadline and it was Zack.”
- Helene St. James of the Detroit Free Press: The Red Wings would like to keep UFA Brad Stuart, but he may be heading to back to California to be closer to his family:
“I’ve been living here while my family has spent a lot of time in California,” Stuart said. “I’ve got a step-daughter that needs to finish high school. That’s how it is. There’s really no way to get around that. I guess it will be up to me to decide what needs to be done, because it’s been a tough couple of years. As much fun and as great as it’s been to play here, it’s been equally as tough on the family side of it.”
GM Ken Holland has approached Stuart about a contract extension, but he said he needed to consider his family.
“I guess the decision I’ll have to make is, am I going to go to free agency and see what happens, or not?” he said. “I haven’t talked to Kenny yet. I’m sure there might be a point where he wants to know one way or the other. It’ll be within a month-a-half, I guess. I love it here. If it was a purely hockey decision, I would stay.”
- Chris Kuc of the Chicago Tribune: The Blackhawks core will remain, and if the salary cap in the new CBA remains around $64 million, they’ll have around $7 million is space. Not returning next year will likely be Andrew Brunette, Brendan Morrison, Jamal Mayers, Sean O’Donnell and Sami Lepisto. Bubble players are Brandon Bollig, Bryan Bickell, Steve Montador and Johnny Oduya. Oduya made $3.5 million and may be looking for a raise.
- Damien Cox of the Toronto Star: So Roberto Luongo said he’d be willing to waive his no-trade clause yesterday. The Maple Leafs are looking for a goalie and may be interested, but there are some issues to run through. 1. Could Luongo help the Leafs? Yes. 2. Is Luongo in his prime? Nope. He is 33 but still in the top 1/3 in the league, likely top 5 goalie in the East. 3. Is the contract a crippling deal to any team? It’s cap friendly at $5.33 for 10 years. Salary decreases in the last 4 to $7 million total, can buy him out at 39. Can look at it as a 6 year deal for around $40 million. 4. Would the Leafs have to give up the 5th overall pick or Jake Gardiner for Luongo? Absolutely not. Belief is the Canucks wouldn’t get much of a return. 5. Would it be a better play to go after Cory Schneider? Maybe, but the Canucks are expected to keep Schneider. 6. Is Luongo the best option for the Leafs to get a true No. 1 goalie? It will create some discussions in the Leaf office. Dave Nonis acquired Luongo in Vancouver. Debate could increase if other goalies become available. Can the Blues keep both Halak and Elliott? Could the Penguins move Marc-Andre Fleury? Will Miikka Kiprusoff become available? What about Nikolai Khabibulin? Would the Sabres be ready to trade Ryan Miller?
- Dejan Kovacevic of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review: The Penguins core isn’t the issue. Penguins GM Ray Shero is too smart to trade Evgeni Malkin, and he’ll look to keep both Sidney Crosby and Jordan Staal. Kovacevic thinks there blue line must be blown up. Shero spent $45 million on Paul Martin and Zbynek Michalek, both have 3 years left, and both have been busts. Their defense needs to “get younger, faster, stronger and more skilled.”
- Cody Nickolet via twitter: GMs Steve Yzerman and Brian Burke were in Moose Jaw last night watching top 10 draft picks Morgan Rielly and Griffin Reinhart. There were also scouts from Edmonton, Phoenix, LA, and others from Toronto and Tampa Bay.
Halak out 2 games … Sharks questions … Wings to pursue big 2 … Preds have 15 FAs … Kesler is high-maintenance … Ducks looking a a #2 … Quenneville presser
Posted by Mark Easson in NHL Free Agents, NHL News, NHL Rumors on April 24th, 2012
- Jeremy Rutherford of hte St. Louis Post Dispatch: Jaroslav Halak’s ankle injury will keep him out for at least first 2 games of the Blues-Kings series.
- Craig Custance of ESPN: Custance lists 5 questions regarding the San Jose Sharks. 1. Is it time for a dramatic change at the top? – referring to GM Doug Wilson. 2. What about McLellan? 3. Has the window of opportunity to win a Cup truly closed on the Sharks core’? 4. Is it time to break up Thornton and Marleau? 5. Is it time for a dramatic rebuild in San Jose?
- GregG Krupa of the Detroit News: Krupa mentions the cap space the Red Wings have to go after Zach Parise and Ryan Suter. The skill after those 2 declines. Suter on the Wings:
“They have one of the greatest hockey traditions going,” Suter said. “They’re one of the greatest franchises, maybe ever.”
The Predators will have 8 UFAs and 7 RFAs. The price to retain Shea Weber, Alexander Radulov, Sergei Kostitsyn and 12 others over the next 2 years will be steep. The Stars, Kings, Rangers and others will also be looking to sign Parise and Suter.
- Mark Spector of Sportsnet.ca: There are rumors that Canucks Ryan Kesler and his “high-maintenance, bristling personality is wearing on people around the organization are easy to believe, once you meet the guy.”
- Eric Stephens of the OC Register: The Ducks would like to re-sign Saku Koivu, but they may be looking at adding a 2nd line center. GM Bob Murray noted, “we just need our younger players to mature faster.” “And we need a couple of more pieces,” he added.
- Eric Stephens via twitter: Ducks defenseman Francois Beauchemin had successful surgery to repair a torn labrum in his right shoulder. Recovery is expected to be 4 months.
- Lisa Halverstadt via twitter: Glendale mayor Scruggs: “I’m ready to go on with life without the #Coyotes” though best thing would be for the team to stay.
- Ansar Khan of MLive: Red Wings assistant GM Jim Nill will remain with the Wings.
“I had two great talks with Montreal; I was interested, they were interested,” Nill said. “But it’s not the right time.”
- Chip Alexander of the Raleigh News & Observer: The Hurricanes have re-signed Jiri Tlusy to a 2 year deal worth $3.2 million. He’ll make $1.5 million next season, $1.7 million the following year. The ‘Canes also signed defenseman Beau Schmitz to a 3 year entry level deal.
- Blackhawks coach Joel Quenneville’s after being eliminated from the playoffs last night.
Injury notes on Alfredsson, Garrison and Kovalchuk … The Red Wings and Sharks may have a busy offseason
Posted by Mark Easson in NHL Free Agents, NHL Injuries, NHL News, NHL Rumors on April 23rd, 2012
- Bruce Garrioch of the Ottawa Sun: There is a chance the Senators Daniel Alfredsson will return from his concussion for Game 6 tonight. He’s missed the last 3 games.
- Harvey Fialkov via twitter: It’s looking like Panthers defenseman Jason Garrison could be out for the rest of this series with a lower-body injury.
- Rich Chere of the Star-Ledger: There is speculation that Devils forward Ilya Kovalchuk is playing with a significant injury. Kovalchuk said he’s good, and coach Peter DeBoer added: “You know what? Everybody this time of year is dealing with stuff.”
- Helene St. James of the Detroit Free Press: The Red Wings will be clearing out their lockers tomorrow. GM Ken Holland:
“We have lots of cap space, and there’ll be players available July 1,” general manager Ken Holland said. “We’re going to look at free agency, but the NHL is so tight now. The days of us having way more depth than the opposition or one extra star, those are over for everybody. It’s a league that’s very, very close.”
The Wings will have $22 million in cap space next season (# could change depending on what the new cap will be). Some will go Nicklas Lidstrom if he decides to come back. The team plans to pursue Ryan Suter, but the teams bigger problems may be upfront. It’s likely they won’t bring back UFA Jiri Hudler next season. The Wings are also interested in Zach Parise who will be looking for a raise over his $6 million contract. Other forwards that may be available: Andrei Kostitsyn, Shane Doan, Olli Jokinen, Saku Koivu and Teemu Selanne. The core group of Datsyuk, Zetterberg and Filppula will be back to go along with Bertuzzi and Cleary. RFAs Helm and Abdelkader will be re-signed. Patrick Eaves should be recovered from his concussion in time for next season. Gustav Nyquist should stick with the big club.
- Pierre LeBrun of ESPN: Red Wings GM Ken Holland:
“I think we’re in an era now where every year is a new year, it’s hard to sustain things for more than two to three years because of the cap,” Wings GM Ken Holland told ESPN.com on Sunday. “It’s also because we all have a better understanding of the system, there are fewer kids traded, fewer draft picks traded. There’s more parity. The days of a team being at the head of the class for seven to eight years, those years are over.”
“Certainly we’re going to explore all avenues, trade and free agency to try and improve our team,” Holland said. “Our goal is to be a playoff team and position ourselves where we have the potential to be on a playoff run.”
Notable Red Wings UFAs: Jiri Hudler, Tomas Holmstrom, Brad Stuart, Ty Conklin and Nicklas Lidstrom. Holland hopes to know by the middle of June what Lidstrom’s plans are for next year. If Lidstrom retires, it would definitely give them a lot more cap room. If Ryan Suter or Zach Parise hit the open market, the Wings will be bidding. Notable Sharks UFAs: Torrey Mitchell, Dominic Moore and Daniel Winnik. Patrick Marleau has 2 years left with a $6.9 million cap hit and a no-trade clause. Havlat has 3 years left at $5 million. Brent Burns has 5 more years at $5.76 million. LeBrun thinks the Sharks need to shakeup their core. Aside from Joe Thornton, Logan Couture, Ryane Clowe and Dan Boyle, LeBrun would trade almost anyone. GM Doug Wilson did speak with Columbus about Nash at the trade deadline.
- David Pollak of the San Jose Mercury News: One question for the Sharks offseason is if they will keep coach Todd McLellan? Another one is if they’ll keep GM Doug Wilson on? The Sharks could look at Rick Nash again, but would likely cost a Joe Pavelski or Ryane Clowe. Patrick Marleau’s future in a Sharks uniform may be addressed. He has pointless during the playoffs after putting up 64 regular season points. Martin Havlat had an injury filled season, and only scored 7 goals while putting up 27 points in 39 games. Pavelski had no points in playoffs, but if he’s moved, it would have to bring back a player like Nash. Antti Niemi wasn’t perfect in the playoffs, but he isn’t among the teams biggest problems. Michal Handzus didn’t have a good season, and if there is a market for him and his $2.5 million salary, he could be moved.
JVR could practice today … Lindback will get trade interest … Oilers looking for 1 or 2 top Dmen … CBJ unlikely to move 2nd overall
Posted by Mark Easson in NHL Entry Draft, NHL Free Agents, NHL News, NHL Rumors on April 14th, 2012
- Frank Seravalli of the Philadelphia Daily News: Flyers James van Viemsdyk began skating on Sunday and could practice with the team today. He had surgery on March 6th on his fractured foot. His possible return for the 1st round is not known.
- Craig Custance of ESPN: Teams that are looking to add a goaltender this summer will be looking at RFAs, Cory Schneider, Jonathan Bernier and even Tuukka Rask. Predators Anders Lindback is another RFA goalie that could find himself playing on another team next year. Custance points out that if someone signed Lindback to an offer sheet, that Preds don’t have a lot of free money to match. A 2 year, $3 million offer would only cost a 3rd round pick in compensation. A trade is a more likely scenario, as they will look to recoup that picks they moved at the deadline. In the last 2 years the 6 foot 6 Lindback posted a 16-13-2 record with a 2.53 GAA and .914 SV%. The Lightning have a stockpile of draft picks. The Blue Jackets are looking at upgrading their goaltending. The Maple Leafs are also said to be looking at adding a goalie, but they may be looking for a veteran goalie.
- Darren Dreger of TSN (mailbag): The Oilers would like to add 1 or 2 top-end defenseman, and the 1st overall pick will likely be brought up in several cases. He doesn’t see them interested in a Rick Nash or Jarome Iginla.
- Aaron Portzline via twitter: Portzline has been told that it’s unlikely the Blue Jackets trade the 2nd overall pick, but it’s not out of the question. They’d gladly move the pick they get from the Kings.
- Mike Brophy of Sportsnet.ca: Toronto Marlies coach Dallas Eakins will be in the running for the Flames head coaching position. Other possibilities for the Flames are Troy Ward, Mike Sullivan, Craig MacTavish, Bob Boughner and Bob Hartley.
- Elliotte Friedman via twitter: Before the 2011 NHL Draft, an Eastern team scout said that a team is going to get a steal in Sean Couturier. The scout knew his team would not be in a position to draft him and added that Philadelphia would be a perfect fit as they have success with young French players.
- Bob McKenzie via twitter: Penguins 2010 1st round pick Beau Bennett signed an entry level deal and will leave the University of Denver. Dave Molinari via twitter: He has a $900,000 cap hit. He has a $810,000 salary, $90,000 signing bonus and a minor league salary of $67,500.
Flames cut ties with Sutter, Lowery … Stars interested in Parise and a Dman … Some Ducks won’t be back … Brodeur wants to play next year …Bitz gets 2 games
Posted by Mark Easson in Fantasy Hockey News, NHL Free Agents, NHL Injuries, NHL News, NHL Suspensions, NHL Videos on April 13th, 2012
- Vicki Hall of hte Calgary Herald: The Calgary Flames have mutually parted ways with head coach Brent Sutter yesterday. Assistant coach Dave Lowry will not have his contract renewed. Sutter,“After discussions with Jay since the season ended, it was in the best interest of the organization and myself to part ways. I wish the Calgary Flames all the best.”
- Ian Busby of QMI Agency: Busby names some possible targets for the Flames next head coach. 1. Troy Ward (head coach of Abbotsford, AHL) 2. Bob Boughner (head coach Windsor, OHL) 3. Bob Hartley (head coach ZSC, Switzerland) 4. Craig MacTavish (head coach Chicago, AHL) 5. Mike Sullivan (assistant coach, NY Rangers).
- Mike Heika of the Dallas Morning News: (Mailbag) If the Stars are able to land a Zach Parise, they may have to unload some contracts, and Brenden Morrow and Steve Ott could be the guys. Other teams will have interest in Morrow and Ott. Richard Bachman will have to battle Jack Campbell for the backup roll next season. Campbell may be better with 1 more year of development. Heika thinks they could land Parise and make a trade for a defenseman. They might have to wait for a new CBA before they make a move on a defenseman.
- Eric Stephens of the OC Register: Ducks Corey Perry, Jonas Hiller, Cam Fowler and Luca Sbisa aren’t going anywhere. Ryan Getzlaf is entering a contract year and would be hard to replace. Bobby Ryan could be used to improve defense and depth. The Ducks have 8 unrestricted free agents, and hope to re-sign Saku Koivu. Jason Blake, Niklas Hagman and Dan Ellis are as good as gone. Center Rod Pelley may not be re-signed either. They will have decisions to make on George Parros and Sheldon Brookbank.
- Adam Jahns via twitter: Coyotes Radim Vrbata is day-to-day with an injury.
- Craig Custance of ESPN: Predators defenseman Hal Gill didn’t practice yesterday and is day-to-day with a lower-body injury.
- Pierre LeBrun of ESPN: The Canadiens have called the Red Wings about Jim Nill for their vacant GM position. In the past the Red Wings have said no to any team calling about him. The L.A .Times reported on Wednesday that the Canadiens are interested in Kings assistant GM Ron Hextall and Kings executive Luc Robitaille. The Canadiens have also inquired about Blackhawks assistant GM Marc Bergevin, Lightning assistant GM Julien BriseBois and Maple Leafs assistant GM Claude Loiselle.
- Rich Chere of the Star-Ledger: Odds are Martin Brodeur will be back with the Devils next year.“I don’t know what the future will bring me. I want to play more, but a lot of circumstances could happen that I won’t,” he said. “So I’m looking forward to this.”
“I’m not 100 percent sure about next year because I don’t have a contract and I’m not negotiating or anything,” Brodeur said. “We’ll see what the future brings after these playoffs. But this season definitely answered a lot of questions in the way I’m able to perform and my willingness to do it every day. That was one of the things that was worrying me a little bit.
“You need to want to come to the rink. You need to want to travel. I’ve been doing it for a long time and I really regained that desire this season. That’s why I didn’t want to lean one way or the other for the longest time. Just because I wanted to see if I was up for the grind.”
- Canucks Byron Bitz suspended for 2 games.
Morning notes: Flames, Draft lottery, Bourdon, Toews, Omark, Coyotes sale, Sacco, Ruff and Regier … Weber slams Zetterberg’s head video
Posted by Mark Easson in Fantasy Hockey News, NHL Free Agents, NHL Injuries, NHL News, NHL Videos on April 12th, 2012
- Scott Cruickshank of the Calgary Herald: Flames GM Jay Feaster said they were interested in signing some of the top college free agents, but it didn’t pan out. The Flames lose $13 million off their books if they don’t bring back Olli Jokinen, Cory Sarich, Lee Stempniak, David Moss, Scott Hannan Tom Kostopoulos, Raitis Ivanans, Pierre-Luc Letourneau-Leblond and Niklas Hagman (were paying part of his contract).
“With the number of unrestricted free agents that we have and where we sit relative to the (salary) cap,” Feaster says, “there is an opportunity to do a lot of different things.
“We need to get better and we need to do it in a hurry.”
To go along with Zach Parisea and Ryan Suter, other free agents are: Alex Semin, Jason Arnott, Michal Rozsival, Barret Jackman, Ray Whitney, Pavel Kubina, Shane Doan, Brad Boyes, Joe Corvo, Jiri Hudler, Johnny Oduya, Ryan Smyth, Matt Carle, etc. Flames RFAs are Blake Comeau, Mikael Backlund, Blair Jones, Leland Irving, Paul Byron and Akim Aliu.
- Elliotte Friedman of CBC.ca: Blue Jackets GM Scott Howson wants to see the draft lottery expended so that more teams have a chance at moving up. In the NBA, every team in the lottery has a chance at moving up, only the top 5 in the NHL.
- Philadelphia Flyers via twitter: Flyers GM Paul Holmgren said that defenseman Marc-Andre Bourdon has an upper-body injury and is day-to-day.
- Adam Jahns of the Chicago Sun-Times: Blackhawks Jonathan Toews will say today whether or not he’ll play tonight, and signs are pointing to that he will. Toews said that he didn’t feel any symptoms at practiced and that he would be surprised if he didn’t play.
- Jonathan Willis of the Edmonton Journal: Oilers forward Linus Omark tweets an apparent trade request:
I live to show that the “two” are wrong. But I really hope edm let me have a chance in another nhl team
Omark is a RFA and has been subject to trade rumors before. The Oilers will likely try to deal his rights at the draft.
- Lisa Halverstadt of the Arizona Republic: Former Sharks CEO Greg Jamison is the only potential buyer that is negotiating with the City of Glendale. Jamison’s group has been talking for the past 7 to 10. City Council met on Tuesday and it was decided to keep the negotiations going.
- Adrian Dater of the Denver Post: Avalanche coach Joe Sacco received a 2 year contract extension.
- John Vogl of the Buffalo News: Despite missing the playoffs 3 of the last 5 years, and 6 of 10, Lindy Ruff and Darcy Regier will return next year for their 16th season with the team.
- Shea Weber slams Henrik Zetterberg’s head in to the glass, WWE turnbuckle style:
Horton a “long shot” … 5 things Habs GM must do … Hurricanes to look at top UFAs … Time to break up Flames? Jets free agents
Posted by Mark Easson in Fantasy Hockey News, NHL Free Agents, NHL Injuries, NHL News, NHL Rumors on April 9th, 2012
- Joe McDonald of ESPN Boston: Bruins GM Peter Chiarelli said it’s a “long shot” that forward Nathan Horton will be able to return for the playoffs.
“If he were to be cleared at some point, he would need at least a couple of weeks to get back,” Chiarelli said during a 20-minute conference call Sunday. “He’s quite far off right now. I know he’s skating, but he’s having little bouts here and there of post-concussion symptoms. It’s a long shot. I’m not going to rule him out, yet, but it’s a long shot.”
Tuukka Rask has been on the ice but is questionable for the Capitals series. Anton Khudobin would be the backup to Tim Thomas until Rask is ready.
- Jack Todd of the Montreal Gazette: Todd lists 5 things the Canadiens new GM has to do: “1. Persuade the organization to stop using the exhibition season as a cash cow. 2. Find someone who can coach the power play. 3. Throw the expensive deadwood overboard. 4. Four lines, not 1.5. 5. No sacred cow.”
- Chip Alexander of the Raleigh News & Observer: Hurricanes GM Jim Rutherford said they should bid to sign at least one high-priced free agent. There will also be some other personnel changes.
“When you don’t make the playoffs, it’s an indication we’ve got work to do in the summer and some areas to get better at,” Muller said after the Canes closed the season with a 4-1 loss to the Florida Panthers. “I think with a few changes and a few tweaks here and there, we should be competing for the playoffs.”
- Steve MacFarlane of the Calgary Sun: If MacFarlane were the Flames GM, he’d shop Jarome Iginla with a fairly high asking price, with an NHL ready prospect as part of the package. He’d also listen to offers for Miikka Kiprusoff, but would have to be blown away. Cap purposes would put Jay Bouwmeester on the trade block. He wouldn’t bring Olli Jokinen back as his price and term will likely be too high.
- Ken Wiebe of the Winnipeg Sun: The Jets have 7 UFAs: Chris Mason, Randy Jones, Mark Flood, Jim Slater, Tanner Glass, Kyle Wellwood and Tim Stapleton. They have 4 RFAs in Ondrej Pavelec, Evander Kane, Spencer Machacek and Eric Fehr. Fehr is not expected to be brought back. Jones may not be back due to the depth on the blueline.
“I don’t think there’s a whole lot to be nervous about,” said Kane. “It will be interesting to see what happens with the CBA and how things work themselves out. We’ll see what happens. I’m not 100% on how it works but that’s what I have my agents for and I think they’re the best at what they do. I’m sure they’ll be giving me a lot of information and it should be an interesting summer. We’ll see what the best situation is.”
- Larry Brooks via twitter: Rangers prospect Chris Kreider is flying home from Tampa after their BC title win. There is no indication that he is on the verge of signing.
Stars could make FA splash … Nash hurt … Henrik OK … Carter may be good for playoffs … Flames UFAs … Schneider says Luongo … What was Clowe thinking?
Posted by Mark Easson in Fantasy Hockey News, NHL Free Agents, NHL Injuries, NHL News, NHL Rumors, NHL Videos on April 6th, 2012
- Mike Heika of the Dallas Morning News: The Stars may make a push for Zach Parise and/or Ryan Suter. They will have to evaluate Sheldon Souray and Radek Dvorak.
- Shawn Mitchell of the Columbus Dispatch: Rick Nash may have played his last game in a Blue Jackets jersey as he left last night’s game with an undisclosed injury.
- Jeff Klein of the NY Times: Rangers Henrik Lundqvist’s forearm injury is fine enough that he could have played last night. “I would play probably, but it’s a good opportunity to get a good practice, get a little rest, and get back at it.”
- Rich Hammond of the LA Kings Insider: Kings forward Jeff Carter skated yesterday for 20 minutes. It’s unlikely that he’ll play on Saturday. Carter seems confident that he’d be able to return to the lineup for the start of the playoffs if they make it. “Oh yeah. I really don’t think that’s an issue. I should be good to go, with the way it has progressed over the last few days.”
- Kristen Odland of the Calgary Herald: The Flames will have to decide if they want to bring back UFAs Scott Hannan, Tom Kostopoulos, Olli Jokinen, Lee Stempniak, David Moss and Cory Sarich.
“I know that I’m up,” Sarich was saying the other day. “No idea whether the team is interested in having me stick around. I’m not sure if there will be other teams interested. You always want and hope that there are.”
- Jason Botchford of the Vancouver Province: Canucks Cory Schneider thinks that Roberto Luongo should be their starter in the playoffs.
“He’s the guy who got us to Game 7 of the Stanley Cup finals last year, not me,” Schneider said of Luongo. “He’s clearly earned the right to [start the playoffs], both through his performance and his history and experience.
“I don’t see why they wouldn’t start him.
“I’ve seen [Luongo] up close for two seasons now, and I have no doubt that when the playoffs start, he’ll be ready to go and he’ll be ready to raise his game.”
- Eric Stephens of the OC Register: The Ducks have reached a verbal agreement with Swedish goalie, Viktor Fasth. He will sign with the Ducks after the World Hockey Championships. The Ducks wouldn’t confirm the report. The 29 year old had a 23-21 record with a 2.12 GAA and .913 SV% with AIK this past season.
Carter’s return unknown … Boychuk injured … Jones wants to stay … Selanne to know by July 1st … Milbury’s Crosby comments
Posted by Mark Easson in Fantasy Hockey News, NHL Free Agents, NHL Injuries, NHL News, NHL Rumors on April 4th, 2012
- Rich Hammond of the LA Kings Insider: When Kings forward Jeff Carter will be able to return is still not known. According to GM Dean Lombardi, Carter’s ankle is going to be sore for a while. Ideally the Kings would like to keep Carter off the ice until the playoffs start, but they are still no guaranteed a spot.
- Jason Mastrodonato of the Boston Herald: Bruins defenseman Johnny Boychuk had to be helped off the ice as he appeared to injury his left knee. He was seen limping around after the game, but was at least walking on his own. More will be known today.
- Adrian Dater of the Denver Post: Avalanche forward David Jones doesn’t know if he’ll be back with the team next season. Jones will be a UFA, and despite wanting to sign an extension by now, the Avs rarely do contracts in-season.
“It’s unfortunate they don’t do any of their signings during a season,” Jones said Tuesday, the Avs’ fourth consecutive day without a game. “Which is fine, and just something you have to adjust to. But you can’t really think about that too much right now. We still have games to play and have a hope we can make the playoffs.”
Jones currently makes $2.5 million and could get a deal in the $ to $4 million range. Jay McClement will also be a UFA and would like to return but added “it’s out of my hands.”
- Kirk Penton of the Winnipeg Sun: Despite not being close to 100%, Jets defenseman Dustin Byfuglien will play out the season. Ondrej Pavelec and Evander Kane are both RFAs at the end of the year. “Not really. I’m just focusing on finishing the season strong,” the goaltender said. “There’s going to be a lot of time to think about it.”
- Mark Everson of the NY Post: Devils forward Jacob Josefson broke his wrist last night and will be out 4 to 6 weeks.
- Arthur Staple via twitter: The Islanders have signed 2010 1st round pick Brock Nelson to an entry level deal.
- Shawn Mitchell via twitter: Blue Jackets winger Rick Nash doesn’t know if he’ll play for Team Canada at the World Championships due to his “bumps and bruises.”
- Eric Stephens via twitter: There is nothing new on Ducks Justin Schultz’s situation, and sources are saying there won’t be any decision for awhile. Schultz plans to remain in school to finish the year.
- Jeff Miller of the OC Register: The Ducks competitiveness for next season will play a part in whether Teemu Selanne will return for another season.
“The good thing is the Ducks don’t have to do much (in the offseason),” Selanne insisted despite the team missing the playoffs. “That’s always very important to me. I’m going to see (general manager) Bob (Murray) after the season to get his view about this team and the future.”
If Selanne is going to retire, he said he will let the team know by July 1st.
- Derek Van Diest of the Edmonton Sun: The Oilers have 10 pending free agents, 7 are restricted. It’s unlikely that Linus Omark will be back next year. Since he’s a RFA, they will likely have to qualify him before trying to trade him. If the Oilers draft Mikahil Grigorenko and bring in Anton Lander, they may look to trade Eric Belanger and his $2 million salary. The Oils will have to make a decision on Darcy Hordichuk. Ryan Smyth situation remain in question. Goalie Devan Dubnyk is one of their RFAs.
- Pierre LeBrun of ESPN (mailbag): The Wild need to find some offense going forward. The Wild will go after Zach Parise if he hits the open market, but will be joined by the Red Wings, Rangers and others. The Flames aren’t interested in a “Edmonton-style rebuild,” but there will be changes. LeBrun thinks the Flames need to sit down with Jarome Iginla and Miikka Kiprusoff and have “The Chat.” LeBrun doesn’t think Dion Phaneuf is not captain material and their top 6 forwards are too small. They need a #1 goalie, #1 center and some spare parts. Ducks GM Bob Murray has some big offseason decisions to make regarding his core group. LeBrun doesn’t think they should trade Ryan Getzlaf as they’d spend the next decade trying to replace him.
- Pierre LeBrun of ESPN: Mike Milbury’s comments about Sidney Crosby:”Little goody two-shoes [Crosby] goes into the corner and gives a shot to [Brayden] Schenn,” Milbury said. “Schenn was late to the party, he should have turned around and drilled him right away, but I guess better late than never. So you know, Crosby gets cross-checked, big whoop. He said after he came back from his 35th concussion, ‘I’m not going to do this anymore, I’m not going to get into these scrums, I’m going to stay away from that stuff.’ He couldn’t help himself because there’s a little punk in Crosby. He’s not the perfect gentleman. He’s not the sweet kid you see in interviews with his hat pulled down over his eyes. I’d say screw him, hit him.”
Morning notes: Flames, Canadiens, Maple Leafs, Morrow, Bernier, Wilson, Vanek, Schultz, Byfuglien and Vokoun
Posted by Mark Easson in Fantasy Hockey News, NHL Free Agents, NHL Injuries, NHL News, NHL Rumors on April 2nd, 2012
- Nick Kypreos via twitter: Red Wings defenseman Kyle Quincey may have a hearing today at 1 PM for his elbow to the head of Panthers forward Tomas Kopecky.
- Eric Duhatschek of the Globe and Mail: The Flames missed the playoffs for the 3rd season in a row, and the team is at a crossroads. Jarome Iginla will be 35 when next season starts and is in the final year of his deal. Does Iginla want to stay and take part in another rebuild? If not, they need to find out quickly and attempt to get the most return for him. Miikka Kiprusoff has 2 years left, he’ll make $5 million next year and $1.5 million the following year. Brent Sutter’s status will need to be re-evaluated this summer. UFAs are: Olli Jokinen, Lee Stempniak, David Moss, Tom Kostopoulos, Cory Sarich and Scott Hannan. Feaster’s primary need is a #1 center.
- Jim Matheson of the Edmonton Journal: Matheson handicaps the next Canadiens GM: 3-1 Patrick Roy, 4-1 Julien Brisebois. 5-1 Francois Giguere, 7-1 Marc Bergevin, 8-1 Pierre McGuire, 9-1 Claude Loiselle, 10-1 Vincent Damphousse, 12-1 Pierre Dorion, 15-1 Pat Brisson. The Stars may ask Brenden Morrow for a list of teams that he might be willing to accept a trade to this summer. The Lightning will look at Jonathan Bernier this summer, but the Kings won’t move him until they get a veteran to backup Quick. They’ll be looking for someone who’s started before. The Predators may not have a fit for their 2008 1st round pick, Colin Wilson, and may look to move him after the season. Sabres winger Thomas Vanek has possibly been playing with a shoulder problem for months. Matheson wonders where the Maple Leafs will get a #1 goalie. Would Calgary move Kiprusoff? Matheson offers a Schneider for Gardiner and Reimer deal or their lottery pick and a defenseman not named Gardiner. It doesn’t look like Ducks prospect Justin Schultz wants to sign with them, and many feel the Rangers have the inside track. One GM said the Oilers would be a good fit for Schultz. The Stars will go after Ryan Suter and Zach Parise, but the Red Wings may have the inside track.
- Gary Lawless of the Winnipeg Free Press: Jets defenseman Dustin Byfuglien has a “lower body bone bruise.”
“It’s never fun to play hurt and it has cut down on my ability to get around out there. But you have to help the team and I won’t shut it down for even a game until we’re eliminated. I have to do my part,” said Byfuglien.
- Chuck Gormley of CSN Washington: Capitals goalie Tomas Vokoun suffered another groin injury and may have played his last game for the Capitals.
- Terry Koshan of the Toronto Sun: The Maple Leafs need to acquire a goalie this summer, but the free agent crop isn’t that great: Tomas Vokoun, Josh Harding, Martin Biron and Chris Mason. The Leafs need to look bigger: Roberto Luongo, Cory Scneider or Miikka Kiprusoff.
Canadiens GM candidates … Howson on draft, Nash … McQuaid OK … Bryzgalov out this weekend … P.A. likely gone
Posted by Mark Easson in Fantasy Hockey News, NHL Free Agents, NHL Injuries, NHL News, NHL Starting Goalies on March 31st, 2012
- Pierre LeBrun of ESPN: LeBrun lists some potential candidates for the Canadiens GM: Julien BriseBois, Marc Bergevin, Francois Giguere, Vincent Damphousse, Claude Loiselle, Patrick Roy, Pat Brisson, Pierre McGuire, Andre Savard, Doug Risebrough and Pierre Lacroix.There has been talk that the Blue Jackets may want to move their top pick as the top 2 prospects are Russian, and they haven’t had much luck with Russians. GM Scott Howson thinks that is hogwash:
“What I will say to that speculation is that I think it would be close-minded of us, I think it would border on stupidity to not include any player just because they’re from Russia,” Howson told ESPN.com this week. “I think everybody is different. The fact that Zherdev and Filatov didn’t work out here will have no bearing on who we select in this upcoming draft.”
Howson knows they need to address their goaltending situation, and he lines their blueline. On Rick Nash:
“I’ll have a conversation with Rick after the year ends and see where he’s at, see where we’re at, and make a game plan moving forward,” said Howson.
- Stephen Harris of the Boston Herald: Bruins defenseman Adam McQuaid’s eye injury appears to only be minor, and no concussion was sustained. McQuaid was hit from behind by Jason Chimera the other night. He won’t play in either game this weekend, but should be back soon.
- Sam Carchidi of the Philadelphia Inquirer: The Flyers likely won’t play Ilya Bryzgalov this weekend in either of their afternoon games against the Senators and Penguins. Sergei Bobrovsky is expected to start both games.
- BD Gallof via twitter: The more Gallof talks to people, the more likely it seems that P.A. Parenteau will sign somewhere else, cashing in on his first big payday. Parenteau will want to be paid like a top a line player, but the Islanders don’t include him there if their kids develop.
- Joanne Ireland of the Edmonton Journal: The Oilers tried to recall Magnus Paajarvi yesterday but the move was rejected as they’ve already used their 4 callups after the trade deadline. In February, Paajarvi was assigned to the AHL so that he’d be eligible from their playoffs, then immediately recalled. The Oilers also called up Linus Omark, Teemu Hartikainen and Chris VandeVelde.
“We believed we had confirmation to recall Magnus in one of our four call-ups after the trade deadline,” said Oilers general manager Steve Tambellini. “The league informed us today the only way he could be recalled was under an emergency recall basis.”
- Mark Master via twitter: Leafs coach Randy Carlyle is not sure if Jonas Gustavsson will be able to go today.
Quebec City to build arena … Russian draft picks … Steen returns … Johnson could be ready … Little has x-rays … Gustavsson done as Leaf?
Posted by Mark Easson in Fantasy Hockey News, NHL Free Agents, NHL Injuries, NHL News, NHL Rumors on March 26th, 2012
- Montreal Gazette: Quebec City and Quebecor Media Inc. have reached an agreement to build a $400 million, 18,000 seat multi-use sports complex. Construction is schedule to begin in September and be completed by September 2015. The cost will be split between the provincial government and the city.
- Jim Matheson of the Edmonton Journal: With 2 Russians expected to be top picks this year, teams may be thinking if they’ll pull a Radulov and head to the KHL during their entry-level deals to get more money.
“You do as much homework as you can on a player, what kind of character he has, what drives him. The general consensus is, say, if they’re here playing junior in North America (Yakupov in Sarnia, Grigorenko in Quebec City and fellow Russian Alex Galchenyuk, also in Sarnia), the player wants to be here. I think the Radulov situation might be a one-off. The top Russian players who’ve made the committment to come over (Malkin) are staying. They do have leverage of going back to Russia which can help with an NHL contract. Yeah, that has to come into consideration, but I look at the kids in this draft, I think if you like them you’ll take them and you’ll sign them.”
The Panthers had offered UFA defenseman Jason Garrison a $2.5 million per deal, but he quickly turned it down. He may be figuring he could get $4 million on the open market. One NHL executive said his a #5 defenseman. The Oilers may be interested come July 1st.
- Jeremy Rutherford of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch: Blues forward Alex Steen returned to the lineup last night after missing the last 39 games due to a concussion. He did leave the game early after taking a skate near the mouth. Defenseman Kris Russell also returned to the lineup. David Backes is still bothered a bit by his bruised foot. He’s playing through it, but getting time off on practice days.
- Adrian Dater of the Denver Post: Avalanche defenseman Erik Johnson will be re-evaluated today after the morning skate to see if he can return against the Sharks. He’s missed the last 2 games with a back injury. Semyon Varlamov will start in net for the Avs.
- Paul Friesen of the Winnipeg Sun: Jets center Bryan Little left Saturday’s game in the 3rd period and was seen going for x-rays.
- Steve Zipay via twitter: Rangers winger Mats Zuccarello will have surgery today to repair his fractured wrist.
- Terry Koshan of the Toronto Sun: The Leafs have 6 games left with no back-to-backs, so it’s possible that Jonas Gustavsson has played his last game in a Leafs uniform. Burke should know by now if he’ll re-sign the pending UFA or not. Free agent goalies that could be available to July 1st are Tomas Vokoun, Josh Harding and Martin Biron.
- Michael Woods of the Toronto Star: Woods looks at 8 goalies the Maple Leafs could have acquired last year instead of going with James Reimer and Jonas Gustavsson: Craig Anderson, Brian Elliott, Mike Smith, Jose Theodore, Tomas Vokoun, Ray Emery, Antero Niittymaki and Ben Bishop.
Morning notes: Sedin, Hall, Horcoff, Sutton, Gagne, Parise, Harding, Spurgeon, Backstrom, Vokoun, Zuccarello and Keith suspension video
Posted by Mark Easson in Fantasy Hockey News, NHL Free Agents, NHL Injuries, NHL News, NHL Rumors, NHL Suspensions, NHL Videos on March 24th, 2012
- Jim Jamieson via twitter: Henrik Sedin said Daniel suffered his first concussion.
- Jim Matheson of the Edmonton Journal: Oilers Taylor Hall has been off the ice for the last 2 days. He won’t play on Sunday. Captain Shawn Horcoff left last night’s game with a sore back. Defenseman Andy Sutton has a minor knee issue.
- Rich Hammond of LA Kings Insider: Kings Simon Gagne has been out since December 26th with a concussion, continues to skate but hasn’t practiced and won’t travel with the team on their 4 game road trip. If he’s not cleared for practice soon, the chances of him playing this year are not high. When asked if Gagne will play again this year, GM Dean Lombardi said “Doubt it.”
- The Fouth Period: It’s believed the Wild will try to sign Zach Parise this offseason if he’s not re-signed by the Devils before July 1st. Goalie Josh Harding is expected to test the open market and is not likely back with the Wild. The Lightning, Maple Leafs, Blue Jackets and Senators could take a look at Harding.
- Kent Youngblood of the Star Tribune: Wild Jared Spurgeon is out with a concussion. Niklas Backstrom and Matt Kassian didn’t travel with the team.
- Tarik El-Bashir of the Washington Post: Capitals goalie Tomas Vokoun skated yesterday for 30 minutes and took some shots.
“Hopefully it stays the same and I can do a little bit more tomorrow,” Vokoun said after an extremely sparsely attending morning skate. “Then we’ll see, maybe shoot for some time next week.”
- Pat Leonard of the New York Daily News: Rangers forward Mats Zuccarello fractured his left wrist last night.
- Mark Stepneski via twitter: Kari Lehtonen will start in net for the Stars tonight.
- Blackhawks defenseman Duncan Keith was suspended for 5 games for his elbow on Canucks Daniel Sedin.
Keith hearing now in-person … Sens could make profit … Roy Habs next GM? Backstrom skates again … Wild lose 2 Dmen
Posted by Mark Easson in Fantasy Hockey News, NHL Free Agents, NHL Injuries, NHL News, NHL Rumors on March 23rd, 2012
- Spector’s Hockey via twitter: Blackhawks Duncan Keith will have an in-person hearing with Brendan Shanahan.
- James Gordon of the Ottawa Citizen: Senators owner Eugene Melnyk said they will break even for the 1st time in years. Any playoff dates will likely net them a profit.
“Up until this year, we had to make two rounds of playoffs just to break even,” he said in a telephone interview Thursday. “Now, we are doing well enough that we break even, pretty much, just finishing off the season, and everything else kind of gets ‘bonused’ out.”
- QMI Agency in the Toronto Sun: Sean Simpson (Team 1200 and former NHL executive) tweeted:
“Getting from good sources. Patrick Roy will be the next GM of the Montreal Canadiens and close friend Bob Hartley will be coach!!!”
- Damian Cristodero via twitter: Lightning goalie Dwayne Roloson (42 years old) said he’d like to play one more year if given the opportunity.
- Stephen Whyno of the Washington Times: Capitals Nicklas Backstrom skated for about an hour yesterday, the 9th time in the last 10 days that he’s skated. He could start taking part in practices next week. Tomas Vokoun doesn’t look close to returning.
- Michael Russo of the Star Tribune: The Wild welcomed center Mikko Koivu back last night, but lost defenseman Jared Spurgon and Marco Scandella. Spurgon suffered a possible concussion from an elbow by Alex Tanguay. Scandella blocked a shot and needs x-rays.
- James Mirtle via twitter: The Maple Leafs recall Ryan Hamilton and Nazem Kadri with Matt Frattin (lower body) and Clarke MacArthur (upper body) out day-to-day.
- Mike Chambers of the Denver Post: Avalanche defenseman Erik Johnson sat out his 2nd consecutive game last night with a back injury.
- Andy Strickland of True Hockey: The Blues are just one team that is looking at signing Jaden Schwartz’s bother, Rylan. Matt D’Agostini has a little ways to go as he recovers from a concussion.
- Frank Seravalli of the Philadelphia Daily News: Ilya Bryzgalov is the only NHL or AHL goalie that the Flyers have under contract for next year. Sergei Bobrovsky will be an RFA, and was the 2nd highest paid backup in the NHL. Bobrovsky could be traded this offseason or could be re-signed. Pavel Kubina and Andrej Meszaros are listed as day-to-day.
Islanders re-sign Nabokov … Poile wants all 3 … Koivu returning … Red Wings injury update … Pitkanen activated
Posted by Mark Easson in Fantasy Hockey News, NHL Free Agents, NHL Injuries, NHL News, NHL Rumors on March 21st, 2012
- Arthur Staple via twitter: The Islanders have signed Evgeni Nabokov to a 1 year contract extension. Bob McKenzie via twitter: Nabokov’s deal is for $2.75 million with no no-movement clause or no trade clause.
- Craig Custance via twitter: Predators GM David Poile said that it’s his intention to sign Ryan Suter, Shea Weber and Alexander Radulov to contract extensions.
- Michael Russo via twitter: Wild center Mikko Koivu will be returning to the lineup on Thursday.
- Helene St. James via twitter: Red Wings Ty Conklin cleared re-entry wwaivers and will start in net tonight.
- Ansar Khan via twitter: Red Wings Jimmy Howard said he’s feeling better and might be back on Saturday. MRI didn’t turn up any damage.
- Helene St. James via twitter: Nicklas Lidstrom hopes to play on Saturday is he continues to improve. Jonathan Ericsson is looking at next week. Johan Franzen (back) said he’s doing better but no return date.
- Kevin Allen via twitter: The Hurricanes have activated Joni Pitkanen from the IR.
- Tim Panaccio via twitter: Flyers Ilya Bryzgalov has today off, and will likely be the starter tomorrow against the Capitals.
Radulov on plane for U.S. … Gomez expects to be bought out … Meszaros out 6-8 weeks … Thornton signs extension … Flames getting healthy
Posted by Mark Easson in Fantasy Hockey News, NHL Free Agents, NHL Injuries, NHL News on March 20th, 2012
- Alexander Radulov via twitter: Radulov tweeted (and included a photo) that he’s one a plane for New York, then to Nashville.
- TVA Sports (google translate): Canadiens forward Scott Gomez expects to be bought out by the team at the end of the season according to Patrice Brisebois, and that he might want to make a comeback with the Devils next year. Gomez has apparently told relatives this.
- Frank Seravalli of the Philadelphia Daily News: Flyers defenseman Andrej Meszaros will have surgery to remove a small disc fragment from his lower back and will be out 6 to 8 weeks.
- Steve Conroy of the Boston Herald: The Bruins have signed Shawn Thornton to a 2 year contract extension worth $1.1 million per year. GM Peter Chiarelli has talked about re-signing Gregory Campbell, Daniel Paille, Chris Kelly, Joe Corvo, Greg Zanon, Brian Rolston and Mike Mottau.
- Larry Brooks of the NY Post: If college defenseman Justin Schultz doesn’t take the Ducks offer, and becomes a UFA on July 1st, the Rangers will be interested. Rangers forward Brandon Prust has put contract extension talks on hold so he can just focus on playing.
- Pat Hickey of the Montreal Gazette: Canadiens Mathieu Darche has been out with an inner-ear infection, but has also been battling concussion-like symptoms. “I had an inner-ear infection and we treated that with antibiotics, but when that cleared up, I still had symptoms,” Darche said. “So we looked at the symptoms and treated it as a concussion. Right now, I feel great and every day on the ice we ramp up the intensity and length of the workout. My wife is sick of me being at home, so I want to get back and play.” Darche hopes to begin practicing with teammates by the end of this week or early next week.
- John Down of the Calgary Herald: The Flames are likely to get Tim Jackman, Lance Bouma and Chris Butler back in the lineup some time this week during their 3 game road trip.
- Vicki Hall of the Calgary Herald: The Flames had no choice but to send Sven Baertschi back to junior because of the NHL-CHL player agreement. If/when the Winterhawks are out of the playoff, Baertschi can rejoin the Flames.
Radulov returning to Predators this week … Stuart leaving Wings after season … No broken bones for Backes … KHL wants to play in Brooklyn
Posted by Mark Easson in Fantasy Hockey News, NHL Free Agents, NHL News, NHL Rumors on March 19th, 2012
8:10 AM:
- Dmitry Chesnokov via twitter: Someone OTHER than Radulov bought out his contract for this year. It’s undisclosed who paid for it.
8:05 AM:
- Slava Malamud via twitter: Alexander Radulov will be on a plane for Nashville tomorrow according to Sport-Express. Dmitry Chesnokov via twitter: Radulov bought himself out of his Salavat deal just for the remainder of the season. He’s still under contract for next season with them. Radulov wanted to keep his KHL options open in case he didn’t receive a good enough offer in the NHL.
7:55 AM:
- Darren Dreger via twitter: As of about 7:39 AM, the Predators remain optimistic about Radulov returning, but GM David Poile said they are still waiting for confirmation.
7:25 AM:
- Slava Malamud via twitter: Alexander Radulov and his KHL team Salavat have reached an agreement that would let Radulov leave for Nashville now. Salavat would keep his KHL rights. Reports are that he’ll fly to Ufa [today] and likely leave for Nashville later this week. Dmitry Checnokov via twitter: Radulov’s russian agent confirms that he’ll be joining the Predaotrs in the coming days. Curtis Zupke via twitter: Predators coach Barry Trotz said that Radulov could fly to the U.S. by Tuesday, and that he’d “love” to see him in the lineup on Thursday. Josh Cooper of the Tennessean: Comments from Ryan Suter, Mike Fisher and Shea Weber on Radulov:
Ryan Suter:“Whenever you have top players it makes the game a lot easier. Simple, easy plays, not a lot of panic. He’s a top player.”
Mike Fisher:
“Radulov has been here before and knows some of the guys. I don’t see him not fitting in fine. He’s going to add a lot. If he does end up coming, you can add a player like that late going into the playoffs, it’s going to be big for us.”
Shea Weber:
“Everyone knows what a good player he is and how dynamic he is and what he’s able to do with the puck. It adds another element and adds some depth and some exciting play.”
- David Pollak of the San Jose Mercury News: Current Red Wings defenseman Brad Stuart is a pending UFA and has made it known that he likely won’t be back with the Wings next season. His wife and 3 kids still live in California, and it’s too far with him in Detroit. The Sharks would be a perfect fit, and the Kings might have interest. Kings GM Dean Lombardi drafted Stuart.
- St. Louis Blues via twitter: Blues forward David Backes blocked a shot on Saturday and will be evaluated in a few days according coach Ken Hitchcock. Jeremy Rutherford via twitter: Backes didn’t break any bones. Hitchcock said there is no return date yet. He’ll go on the West Coast trip and could play by the end of it.
- Damian Cristodero via twitter: The Lightning are signing goalie Sebastien Caron, who has been playing in Germany. Announce coming today. Dustin Tokarski likely heading back to the AHL.
- Tim Panaccio of CSNPhilly: The KHL wants to play regular season games in Brooklyn next year.
“We decided that when the basketball club [the New Jersey Nets, owned by Russian billionaire Mikhail Prokhorov] finishes building its arena in Brooklyn, KHL Legends Game and regular season games will be held there,” Medvedev said in the interview. (Interview by SovSport)
“We are continuing to improve the relationship between the KHL and the NHL. I am hoping that the situation with [Alex] Radulov will not spoil it.”
Jaromir Jagr’s thoughts:
“They’re thinking of doing that?” Jagr asked. “No [bleeping] way would they draw. Who would go to the games? How they gonna fly here? It makes no sense.”
Sunday morning notes: Canadiens, Sharks, Leafs, Kings, Wild, Blue Jackets, Red Wings, Blues and Blackhawks
Posted by Mark Easson in Fantasy Hockey News, NHL Free Agents, NHL Injuries, NHL News, NHL Rumors on March 18th, 2012
- Bruce Garrioch of the Ottawa Sun: Whoever is the GM of the Canadiens this summer will be in charge of re-signing RFA goalie Carey Price. He could be getting a deal in the $5.5 million to $6 million range. Senators Erik Karlsson is also a RFA and could get a deal in the $5.5 to $7 million range. Predators Shea Weber is also a RFA this year. Pierre McGuire is a name to keep an eye on as candidate for the Canadiens GM job if it opens up. Garrioch wonders if the Sharks would trade one of Joe Thornton of Patrick Marleau if they miss the playoffs. Many wonder if Leafs Joffrey Lupul and Phil Kessel will thrive under new coach Randy Carlyle. Some people think Zach Parise could land in LA on July 1st, but with Lombardi possibly panicing and making the Carter for Johnson deal, it may have lessened their chances. The Wild have emerged as the favorites. Garrioch wonders if the Leafs would take a shot at Roberto Luongo this summer. Apparently if Scott Howson is still the GM of the Blue Jackets, he plans on drafting Filip Forsberg with the #1 pick ahead of Nail Yakupov.
- Steve Simmons of the Toronto Sun: One league executive on the Blue Jackets if they win the draft lottery,
“They can’t pick a Russian so they can’t use the pick,” … “They’ll have to trade it.”
Along with trading Rick Nash, their options are:
1) They could keep the pick and not choose Yakupov, which would be counter-productive; 2) They could flip picks with another team, trading the first choice for another early choice, and getting an asset as well; 3) They could trade the pick to the highest bidder and begin rebuilding their team.
If Ducks college prospect Justin Schultz becomes a free agent, they Leafs will likely chase him again. They were interested in him when talking with the Ducks about Francois Beauchemin.
- Gregg Krupa of the Detroit News: Red Wings forward Johan Franzen is out indefinitely with a bad back. Dan Cleary has also been dealing with pain in his knee since Dec. 1st, and will need to have surgery again at some point. Defenseman Jonathan Ericsson’s wrist is healing quick, but he’s still scheduled to return late this month. Joey MacDonald will have an MRI on his back when he gets back to Detroit.
- Derrick Goold of St. Louis Post Dispatch: Blues coach Ken Hitchcock hass told Jason Arnott to take a week off.
“When I watched him play (last week), I saw a guy who was protecting himself on the ice and to me he was going out of the way to get out of the way,” Hitchcock said Saturday. “I felt like there was going to be a further injury. I could see how banged up he was. … We needed to get a better player on the ice.”
Hitchcock isn’t sure if Andy McDonald will join the team on their road trip.
- Kent Youngblood of the Star Tribune: Wild Mikko Koivu has been practicing the last couple days and is close to returning. “He is getting very close,” Yeo said. “But again, after talking with the doctors, we all felt it was best to hold him off for a couple more games.”
- Tracey Myers of CSNChicago: Blackhawks forward Jonathan Toews hasn’t skated in 4 days. Coach Joel Quenneville,
“The process, I’m sure in his mind, is not a fun thing to be dealing with. You want to be optimistic; there was that stretch there where he was getting close. There’s hope, and that’re we’re at.s whe”
- Kirk Penton of the Winnipeg Sun: Jets defenseman Mark Stuart was fined $2,500 for a late hit on Capitals Marcus Johansson on Friday.
Afternoon notes on: 2 College FAs, Backstrom, Kulemin, Zajac, Toews, Leafs lines and starting goalies
Posted by Mark Easson in Fantasy Hockey News, NHL Free Agents, NHL Injuries, NHL News, NHL Starting Goalies on March 15th, 2012
- Roger Millions via twitter: The Flames are interested in NCAA defenseman Dan DeKeyser of Western Michigan and winger JT Brown of UMD. John Buccigross via twitter: The Lightning are also interested in DeKeyser and Brown. The Red Wings are interested in DeKeyser.
- Stephen Whyno via twitter: Capitals Nicklas Backstrom said he’s not going to rush back. Will not go on their road trip.
- James Mirtle via twitter: Maple Leafs forward Nikolai Kulemin will be out 3 weeks with a broken finger.
- Tom Gulitti via twitter: Devils center Travis Zajac was been cleared for contact.
- Adam Jahns via twitter: Jonathan Toews skated for a bit yesterday, but not today.
- David Alter via twitter: The Maple Leafs will go with 7 defenseman tonight. Jay Rosehill will be a scratch. Expected Leafs lines: MacArthur-Bozak-Kessel, Ashton-Grabovski-Frattin,Connolly-Steckel-Crabb,
Rosehill-Lombardi-Armstrong.
- Jonas Siegel via twitter: James Reimer will start in net for the Maple Leafs tonight. Damian Cristodero via twitter: Dustin Tokarski will start in net for the Lightning.
- Kevin Paul Dupont via twitter: Tim Thomas will start in net for the Bruins tonight. Patrice Bergeron is a game-time decision.
- Josh Yohe via twitter: Martin Biron will start in net for the Rangers.
- Tom Gulitti via twitter: Martin Brodeur will start in net for the Devils.
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