Posts Tagged Denis Grebeshkov

Cooke’s hit a ’shoulder to the head’ according to Colin Campbell … GMs talking Headshots in Florida … Injury Updates

  • James Murphy of NESN: The NHL’s chief disciplinarian Colin Campbell has said that Matt Cooke’s hit on Marc Savard was a shoulder to the head, rather than an elbow to the head. Campbell and about 7 others watched the hit for an hour and a half. Savard suffered a grade 2 concussion. A shoulder to the head may be a lesser suspension than an elbow to the head. Cooke is a repeat offender, so his punishment might be a little stiffer.
  • Elliotte Friedman of CBCSports: GM’s are taking another serious look at headshots at their GM meetings in Florida. Some factors Friedman thinks the GMs must address; ‘Make the penalties harsh’, ‘ease up on the self-interest’, ’soften the equipment’, ‘make the victims more aware’, ‘be flexible’, and ‘eliminate the instigator rule’. Some of Friedman’s ‘30 Thoughts’ below:
    • Some Canadian-based GMs think Canadiens GM Pierre Gauthier jacked up the price of rentals when he gave up a 2nd round pick for Dominic Moore. I’d have to agree with them, I don’t know what Gauthier was thinking.
    • Other teams may not be pleased with Darryl Sutter giving Matt Stajan 4 years and $14 million. I agree with this as well, I was  (and am still) shaking my head over this one. $3.5 million for a 3rd line center? But I guess for now he’s the #1 center in Calgary.
    • Dan Hamhuis wasn’t dealt at the deadline as nobody wanted to give up a 1st rounder for the UFA.
    • Bruins GM Peter Chiarelli may not have wanted to give up a high draft pick or top prospect to acquire a scorer at the deadline, as he may not think they are legitamate contenders.
    • 2 teams (at least one) would have taken Cristobal Huet from the Blackhawks for a 1st rounder and an established player.
    • Some GMs believe now that the Canucks will hold on to Cody Hodgson.
    • Brian Burke has said it’s more likely that Tomas Kaberle is signed to an extension, rather than being traded.
    • Raffi Torres may want to return home to Toronto next year, but will Burke want him?
    • One of the reason’s Alexei Ponikarovsky was traded was that he asked for a 4 year contract extension.
  • Chris Vivlamore of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution: Evander Kane of the Atlanta Thrashers will have a CT Scan on his left foot today. Kane blocked a shot on Saturday, and didn’t return after it happened.
  • John Glennon of the Tennessean: Newly acquired Dman Denis Grebeshkov will be out of the Predators lineup for 1-2 weeks with a lower-body injury. Shea Weber is doubtful for tonight’s game. Dan Ellis will start for the Preds.
  • The Ottawa Citizen: The Ottawa Senators have signed the 23-year-old Brian Lee to a 2 year contract extension. Lee was drafted 9th overall in 2005, but hasn’t really lived up to expectations yet.
  • Steve Conroy of the Boston Herald: Tuukka Rask was back on the ice for a 2nd day with several Bruins,e h aggravated an old right knee injury last week.
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    Around the Boards: Thurs. Oct. 29th

    • From the RDS, through translation: Ilya Kovalchuk could be close to signing a 9 year deal with the Thrashers for more than $100 million, averaging $11.3 million per season. We’ll write a separate blog to comment on this.
    • James Murphy of NESN: If the Thrashers are unable to sign Kovalchuk, the Bruins might be a fit. The trading of Kobasew and the with Lucic and Savard on the IR, it has saved the club some much valued cap space. They also have lot of draft picks to dangle.
    • Elliotte Friedman of CBCSports.ca: Has Jaroslav Halak taken over the goalie of the future for the Canadiens? Are the Canadiens playing Halak more lately in an attempt to motivate Price.
    • A quote mentioned in the Friedman’s blog (link above) … Ilya Bryzgalov on being named NHL first star of the week. “I don’t care,” according to the Arizona Republic. “I don’t like to run in front of the train because the train at some point can run over you.”
    • Jason Hendricks of HendricksHockey.com: From one the Hockey Insiders sources, the Canadiens and Oilers could be looking a trade. The Oilers like Tomas Plekanec, Andrei Kostitsyn, and Kyle Chipchura. The Canadiens like Tom Gilbert, Denis Grebeshkov, & J.F. Jacques.
    • Damien Cox of the Toronto Star: There is a chance the Maple Leafs may look to trade Tomas Kaberle again. Dallas and Boston will be mentioned again as possible destinations.
    • Wayne Fish of the Bucks County Courier Times (via Phillyburbs): Surgery was recommended for Simon Gagne’s 2 sports hernias, so he’s seeking a second opinion, though it sounds like surgery is the only option to fix the problem.
    • Tampa Bay Tribune: A potential buyer for the Tampa Bay Lightning, Jeff Greene, is no longer interested in buying the club. So this leaves 2 Florida franchises that are having trouble finding an owner.

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    Some Numbers Just Don’t Add Up

    Every free agent period there are always going to be some head scratchers, either for dollar value, length of contract or both. There’s not need to go over Hossa’s, Gionta’s, Cammallari’s or Antropov’s contact again, but let’s take a look at 2 recent signings that I don’t understand. Before I get to these signings let me make a couple quick points.

    NHL GMs are falling into the trap of giving higher dollar figures to young players based on potential. They are overpaying players knowing that they won’t get true value yet. Players don’t earn contracts like they use to. With having a salary cap, (especially next season when it is suppose to down a lot) it’s going to cause problems for a lot of teams. Also, a young players salary/contract does not seem to decrease if they don’t produce but there is some potential. This brings us to 2 signings I’d like to comment on. Tomas Plekanec and Denis Grebeshkov.

    Tomas Plekanec just re-signed with the Montreal Canadiens for 1 year at $2.75. Now $2.75 million isn’t a huge number, and Tomas can be a decent player, but the problem I have is that he received almost a $1 million raise. Last year he made $1.8 million. Here’s a quick look at his numbers the last 4 years, and will someone then please justify why he received a big raise after he recorded 30 less points:


      GP G A PTS +/-
    2008-09 80 20 19 39 -9
    2007-08 81 29 40 69 +15
    2006-07 81 20 47 47 +10
    2005-06 67 9 29 29 +4

    Denis Grebeshkov re-signed with the Edmonton Oilers, a 1 year deal worth $3.15 million, a nice healthy raise from the $1.5 million he made in 2008-09. Grebeshkov had a solid season in 2008-09, recording 39 points (7 goals and 32 assists) and was +12 in 72 games. The 25 year old now has 63 points in 176 games, that’s 24 points in 104 games entering last season. I just don’t see how 1 decent season should justify a jump up to $3.15 million.

    How many years in the future will these guys (and countless others) be paid on what they might do, compared to what they do? If they put up numbers that are not as high has this past season, will they take a pay cut? I doubt it, the NHL doesn’t work that way. Maybe they’ll sign a 12 year deal, those are the new fad lately.

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