Posts Tagged Brian Boucher

Flyers Re-Sign Michael Leighton

The Philadelphia Flyers have come to terms with free agent goalie Michael Leighton to a 2-year,  $3.1 million deal.

Leighton will earn $1.5 million next season, and $1.6 million in 2011-12.

The Flyers also have Brian Boucher under contract for next year. They were talking to both Marty Turco and Evgeni Nabokov, but it now appears that they are not in their plans.

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Boucher back Saturday? Rob Blake leaning to retirement … Nabokov would like to stay in San Jose … Yzerman needs to lock up Stamkos

  • Sam Carchidi of the Philadelphia Inquirer: Though it was speculated that his season was over after suffering sprained ligaments in both knees on May 10th, Brian Boucher returned to practice with the hope of dressing for game 1 on Saturday. He’ll travel with the team to Chicago on Friday. Though he’s experiencing a bit of pain, and it will continue for another month or so, doctors have said the injury has healed.
  • David Pollak of the San Jose Mercury News: Signs are pointing to Rob Blake retiring from hockey according to a ‘source’ close to the situation. “You need time to unwind after the season and different things,” Blake said.
  • David Pollak of the San Jose Mercury News: Evgeni Nabokov would like to return to the San Jose Sharks next season, but he realizes that decision may not be up to him. “Let’s face it, the mission is not accomplished yet,” he said of the Sharks’ goal of winning the Stanley Cup.  “I want to be a part of it, but I don’t know if it’s up to me.” Patrick Marleau is also a UFA and has said that he and his family like living in San Jose. When asked if he’d take a ‘hometown discount’, Marleau said “I’m not going to get in to that.”
  • Elliotte Friedman of CBCSports: Steve Yzerman is reported to now be the highest paid VP/GM in the league at $2.5 million a season for 5 years. Glen Sather reportedly makes more, but he is also the president. One of Yzerman’s important tasks will be locking Steven Stamkos up long term, next season will be his last on his entry level deal, and will make $875,000 base salary this year with a cap hit of $3.725 million with all bonuses included. Comparables for Stamkos will be: Crosby/Malkin – 5 years, $43.5 million, $8.7 million cap hit. Anze Kopitar – 7 years, $47.6 million, $6.8 million cap hit. Nicklas Backstom – 10 years, $67 million, $6.7 million cap hit. Paul Stastney – 5 years, $33 million, $6.6 cap hit. Toews/Kane – 5 years, $31.5 million, $6.3 million cap hit. Mike Richards – 12 years, $69 million, $5.75 million. Look for Stamkos to sign for below the Crosby/Malkin average ($8.7 million), but higher than Kopitar ($6.8 million).
  • Randy Sportak of the Calgary Sun: Trading Jarome Iginla makes no sense for the Calgary Flames, on and off the ice. If they could be guaranteed to get a franchise player in return (top 2 pick in the draft), then it might be possible, but that probably won’t happen.
  • Kevin Allen of the USA Today: After the St. Louis Blues organizational meetings wrap up on June 12th, the Blues GM Doug Armstrong wants to meet with UFA Chris Mason in person. Mason is 34-years old and made $3 million last season.
  • Chris Vivlamore of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution: According to Maxim Afinogenov’s agent Don Meehan, he’s received a one-year contract offer from the Atlanta Thrashers. Afinogenov’s was second in team scoring with 61 points after signing a one-year deal worth $800,000 last season. After some discussions, Colby Armstrong will not receive a contract offer from the Thrashers. He made $2.4 million last season.
  • Rich Hammond of LA Kings Insider: Kings GM Dean Lombardi was on the 1260-AM and asked if Alexander Frolov will be back or whether they’ll move on, here’s part of his response.

    LOMBARDI: “When you talk about building today, it’s certainly different from prior to the lockout. You really get tied in with, `Do you like the player?’ Yes, but do you like him at `X’ price? Because you now have to get the right price, if you’re going to be able to keep your core together. So would we like to keep him? Yes. But if the price is prohibitive, and maybe would prevent us from filling other holes and making sure we keep Doughty and Johnson and all these kids coming through, then you have to walk away. I think you’re probably right on Fro. He’s a good player. I guess at times, like you say, you think he’s capable of more, but he’s still a productive player. But you still now have to really be astute in how you attach a price tag to that, or you’re going to get yourself in trouble down the road, and then all this building we’ve done makes no sense if we can’t keep these young players that have come through our system. So I’m not too optimistic, given what he’s looking for. The other thing we’re confronting here, don’t forget, is the KHL, and they’re offering an awful lot of money, tax-free. It’s almost like the WHL days, where the difference in dollars is huge.”

  • AP in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution: Atlanta native and film-maker, Stephen Rollins, hasn’t made an offer to buy the the Atlanta Thrashers, but he did admit to being interested in becoming a majority owner in the club. He has talked to one of the owners about his interest.

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Kaberle Willing to be Traded? Goalie Situation in Philly … What will Nashville do? Brawler Grabovski back at Practice

  • Andy Strickland: Sources close to Tomas Kaberle are telling Strickland that he’s ready to waive his no-trade clause. So far, he’s wanting to stay in the Eastern Conference.
  • Tim Panaccio of CSNPhilly: Ray Emery’s health status is still unknown, but they should find out soon how’s he’s progressing. Flyers GM Paul Holmgren still maintains he’s “comfortable” with Michael Leighton, Brian Boucher and Ray Emery. I don’t completely believe that statement, they need a legitimate starter if they seriously want to compete. Panaccio mentions some low cost rentals; Manny Legace, Andrew Raycroft, and Martin Biron.
  • John Glennon of the Tennessean: Decision time involving Dan Hamhuis is nearing. “We’ve had some dis­cus­sions in trying to sign Dan Hamhuis and also some over­tu­res into whether we’d trade Dan Hamhuis. So I think that kee­ping him or tra­ding him would be the most sig­ni­fi­cant thing we do at the dead­line,’’ Poile said from Van­cou­ver, where he’s ser­ving as Team USA’s asso­ciate gene­ral manager.” If they were to trade Hamhuis, they’d need to bring in another Dman. As for their goalie dilemma, they won’t move either Dan Ellis or Pekka Rinne unless they re-sign one of them.
  • John Glennon of the Tennessean: Predators GM David Poile hasn’t spoken with Alexander Radulov about rejoining the Predators at some point. Poile has this to say, “I’ve seen him a cou­ple of times and our con­ver­sa­tions are fine, but there have been no con­ver­sa­tions about the future at all,’’ Poile said. “That ball is in his court. We’ve well esta­blished that if there is going to be an over­ture about him coming back to Nash­vi­lle, he’ll be the one to make it. We ini­tia­ted all the over­tu­res last year, so it’s in his court.”
  • J Vogl of the Buffalo News: Buffalo may look at trading soon to be free agents Henrik Tallinder and Toni Lydman. The Sabres are carrying 8 Dman, and they have another 8 on their AHL club.
  • Paul Hunter of the Toronto Star: Maple Leafs center and Vancouver street brawler, Mikhail Grabovski, should be back practicing with the Leafs today. His broken wrist kept him off the Belarus roster. Grabovski was in Vancouver watching the team play, and was arrested early Saturday morning after getting in a street fight. Mommy and Daddy picked him up from jail around 9 am.
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    Around the Boards: Burke’s deadline, Emery out 6-8 weeks, Filppula’s cast removed, Jovanovski suspended

    • Lance Hornby of the Toronto Sun: Brian Burke self-imposed no holiday trade deadline takes effebect tonight. The NHL roster freeze happens between Dec. 19th and Dec. 27th. Burke gives his players the extra relief that they won’t be traded between starting on Dec. 10th. It’s a nice thing that Burke does for his players, but what if on Saturday a team approaches Burke and says we’re moving ‘X’ player  in the next couple days, and you’ve wanted him in the past. Would Burke really stick to his guns?
    • Sam Carchidi of the Philadelphia Inquirer: Flyers goalie Ray Emery will be out 6 to 8 weeks after today’s surgery to repair a torn muscle in his lower abdominal wall. Emery has tried to fight through the injury. Brian Boucher will get most of the starts in place of Emery.
    • Chip Alexander of the Raleigh News & Observer: On Rod Brind’Amour’s healthy scratch the other night: “It was not a long-term decision. It was strictly a hockey decision, for one game,” Maurice said Tuesday. “We do what we think is right, and it’s always based on performance.”
    • George Sipple of the Detroit Free Press: Red Wings, Valtteri Filppula, had his cast removed from his broken right wrist, and is still on pace to return late this month.
    • TSN: Coyotes defenseman Ed Jovanovski has been suspended for 2 games for his forearm hit to the head of Wild’s Andrew Ebbett on Monday night.

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